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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#141: Everyone's a Critic

Like it or not, everyone gets criticism sometimes. And while a dose of reality can be healthy once in a while, it’s important to not get stuck in a rut of viewing the world, or yourself, too critically.

This week’s prompts examine criticism from a range of angles, from professional hole-pickers, to well-intentioned advisors, to the ones on the receiving end.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who critiques things for a living, or acts like they do.

Character – 35 stories

Start your story with someone receiving a one-star review.

Dark – 52 stories

Write a story about someone struggling to swallow some harsh (but fair) constructive criticism.

Middle School – 26 stories

Set your story in the lowest rated restaurant in town.

Fluff – 52 stories

Write about a character named after one of our contest’s judges.

Fiction – 12 stories

Stories

“Restaurant in garage” by Parneet Brar

Submitted to Contest #141

In the woods somewhere in Canada, few years back I went to this town in summer. Me and my Fiance were staying in a cabin in the woods next to the river. I was starving, and my throat was dry like barren piece of land waiting for rain since long time. The water in taps was non potable, and my last bottle of water had just a drop left in it. While staring at my empty bottle of water, I found this pamphlet underneath it with pictures of delicious looking food items, milkshakes and juices on it. In the end there was phone number to place orders....

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“The Fated Feast” by Nell Hall

Submitted to Contest #141

It was an unfortunate and disappointing series of events that had led to James standing in a deserted car park, all alone, at 1am on a Wednesday morning. He had spent the majority of his day at the warehouse, where he had worked a twelve hour shift in a stiflingly hot room with only half an hours reprieve. And to make matters worse: he had forgotten his lunch. Walking home had been agonising. Sweat ran down his face, his back ached, his legs shook with exhaustion. Not to mention the hunger pangs, cramping his stomach with every step. Only th...

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“An Indecent Promotional Stunt” by Cody Cooper

Submitted to Contest #141

No wine glasses or set of utensils in Los Angeles Pizzeria were in use. The only other items on any of the tables were red and white checkerboard patterned cloths used as decorative cover. The tables devoid of any food, drink, or other personal effects from customers. The wooden chairs on each side of the table – empty. The air void of the aroma of any cooking food or any men with way too much cologne for their midday date. The only noise throughout the building was Charlie’s pen on the account...

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“The Dare ” by Camille M

Submitted to Contest #141

The half illuminated pink neon sign hanging from the ramshackle building across the street had an ominous feeling about it. The small windows were blacked by filth and pieces of trash were tumbling around the entrance, blown by the evening wind. I had been staring at the sign which consisted of a quarter of a lime dangling from the word PINK for the past haft hour with disgust. Only a crazy person would want to set foot in that restaurant. You would have to be starving for weeks to even think of going in there. As I crossed the street, I rea...

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“We doin' this?” by Mickey Carroll

Submitted to Contest #141

Abigail stood outside the Fu Yu Chinese restaurant, pacing back and forth and checking her phone for nothing in particular.Every passing minute she seemed to become a little more nervous. Keep it together, Abby, she thought to herself. He agreed to come. So, just… breathe.For the third time since her sister had dropped her off at the restaurant, she took the Aloha Coconut flavored ChapStick from her purse and applied it to her lips. Then put it back into her purse, and ran her hands over her round belly.She was wearing a black Deftones t-shi...

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“STAR OF THE DAY” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #141

It was the beautifully crafted wooden sign in the distance that caught my eye. Arriving, I pulled in, parked in front of the diner, shut the car off and sat for a moment. It was still early, but these places open at the crack of dawn. Always. So, I wanted to get the feel of this business before I went on to my next writing assignment. It was to be a visit of two eateries in one day. My first one was the local diner, The Bauernof, and the second one was the newly opened restaurant on the other side of town, Regal Royalty. I heard that new pla...

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“Vocational Adjustment and The Indispensable Man” by Robert Ford

Submitted to Contest #141

Vocational Adjustment and The Indispensable Man That they had misspelled Asher Littlefield Sr’s name on his retirement watch was disappointing, but not surprising. It was, in fact, a kind of left-handed tribute to his corporate longevity and his determination to remain virtually invisible so that he might slip through the years totally unnoticed by the gods of employee downsizing. Several years after his retirement, Asher had an epiphany that he felt compelled to share with his son...

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“Good Enough” by Barbara Moser

Submitted to Contest #141

My co-workers said a lot of bad things about me. And much of it was true. I was often late for staff meetings, impossible to reach before noon, and had a strong tendency to borrow savory snacks from the employee refrigerator that weren’t exactly mine. But the part about my being a nuisance of a personal assistant to Liz Suggs was completely false. In my four short weeks of employment at Reedsy, I had not only improved the flow of Liz’s workday, but I had managed to make countless ongoing s...

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“Anticipation” by Zachariah Shaw

Submitted to Contest #141

I have to ask myself, is there any greater confirmation of my enduring mystery than this: I am surrounded by cameras and microphones and notebooks and clickingflashingblinding lights. The chaos of the movie premiere turns around me like a planet in a strange orbit with me at the centre like a black sun. I am here, inside a Galaxy of critics contained within a Universe of hacks and lifestyl...

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“This Sly Old Fox” by Grace Long

Submitted to Contest #141

The curator was poring over the plans for the exhibition when he was informed of the woman-shaped problem in the hall. It was just piece of sand in the gears, he told himself as he bullied the errand boy out of the office and pointedly locked the door behind him. Nothing to get excited over. He’d have the interloper out on the street in no time, and then he could get back to his real job. And with that thought he emerged from the creaking, shadowy corridors of the back offices into the glory of the showroom. It was breathtaking no mat...

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“ "The one star reviewer". ⭐” by Fortunatus Eze

Submitted to Contest #141

CW: contains some abusive words.Notice: This story doesn't aim to portray "critics" as bad reviewers. In some cases if necessary, Critics are very important to any writer who wishes to publish a book. They can serve as a guiding light to a writer's piece of work for the best interest of his readers.----- The Laptop beeps twice. A new message has come in. It's certainly a feedback from one of my readers, about my recent online story.- I thought. I sprinted out of the bathroom, wrapped around in a white towel and with a tooth brush in my mouth...

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“Unpolished” by Austin Malloy

Submitted to Contest #141

A mix of moms and teenage girls packed into the tiny, subterranean nail salon. I had noticed it's grand opening sign a week ago on my way to the grocery store. A few days later, a new friend suggested we meet up to try out the new place. That's how we came to be crammed into the small space, latte's in hand, waiting for our turn in the magenta, pleather massage chairs. My friend, Lisa, had called ahead for appointments, but it was obvious there were still plenty of kinks to be worked out. The short, plump woman behind the reception de...

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“Falling Apart” by Dipti Govindaraju

Submitted to Contest #141

My story. I suppose one could call it my memoir. Or perhaps an autobiography. Nevertheless, as the main character in it, I must assure you, it is not a pleasant one. Not a story that ends with a fairytale ending. Certainly not one in which the main character battles all of their incessant struggles and ultimately conquers their dream. I am unsure as to where I should start. Perhaps I should begin with the pamphlet that was delivered to my very hands at dawn… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. “As a food critic, I have trave...

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“Can I be honest” by Pascal Rockwell

Submitted to Contest #141

"Can I be honest with you?" I nod my head, not expecting anything aside from a token you'll do better next time, or things will work out you'll see. "Things didn't work out because you're a mess." I stared at her surprised and a little hurt. "Don't give me that look, it's true." She sighed before pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her shirt pocket, she offered one to me. "No thanks I don't smoke." She shrugged before taking the cigarette she offered me for herself and lighting it. "The reason things didn't work is because you're...

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“Overcoming Her Obstacle” by Kia Ambrose

Submitted to Contest #141

"What am I doing wrong?" Jasmine thought to herself as she heavily panted while trying to catch her breath. Her soft wheezes could be heard from nearby but were drowned out by the firm stomps of several pairs of feet hitting the ground, each desperately pushing forward to get to the finish line before the other. Each step gradually got further away from her own, which had stopped in defeat. It was her first track meet, and she had already given up midway through the race. She didn’t know why she decided to choose track and field as an...

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$250

Prize money

177

Contest entries

111

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 15, 2022 EST

Won by Hannah P. Simmons 🏆

Title: The Lonely Color

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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