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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

“How dare he!” by Ed Hinojos

Submitted to Contest #141

"Mom, how could he?!?" Missy blubbered into the phone. Missy called home every week to talk to her family. Usually, she was in a bubbly mood and full of joy, but today a storm hit her life. On her final day at work, everything had started like any other day at work. She woke up at 5:30 in the morning. She grabbed a nice warm shower in the sunlight that poured through her bathroom window. After her shower, she poured herself a cup of coffee and ate some toast and fruit. She knew this was her final day of work where she h...

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“Tome Travel” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #141

The arrogant cat had been on Arnold’s nerves for hours. It was long past the ‘getting on’ stage. The cat was plucking at his nerves as if he was a violin and she was a murderously aggressive violinist. “If they’re not a cat, then they’re not a real god,” she insisted, licking her black paw. “That’s a very bold statement,” said Arnold, clanking as he dusted one of the exhibits in the Museum of Magical...

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“Signature Dish” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #141

“Welcome to Little Red Riding Hood… How would you like your egg?”The hungry couple sat opposite each other looking puzzled. They had been travelling all day on foot without provisions and looked forward to something to eat in the accidently stumbled-upon Diner.A confused glance towards her husband of three years, Galyna prompted Dimitri to query the waiter.“Can we see a menu?”“No need, sir. We have egg, egg, or egg – depending on how you like it.”“Nothing else?”“A slice of bread,” replied the expressionless waiter.“Do we only get one egg eac...

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“The Comet Of Love” by Cate Stamper

Submitted to Contest #141

I could not believe I was at Comet Pizzas. It had to be the worst place in town. I didn’t expect to go to some five-star steakhouse or anything but seriously? This place has been shut down twice by the health inspector. The last time I ate here I was five at Becky Smith’s birthday party and got food poisoning. It was brutal. Twenty screaming five-year-olds all puking. I was here for my first date with Scott Owens. Ever since he moved here at the start of the year, I’ve had a crush on him. Me and about half the girls and some guys in o...

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“Much Ado About Garbage (with apologies to William Shakespeare)” by Lavonne H.

Submitted to Contest #141

EASY LIVINGCONDOMINIUMSMemo #6To: Owners, Residents and TenantsFrom: Mabel Martha Voight, Board Director – Building Maintenancec.c. Jason Johnson, Board President – Board President, Easy Living CondominiumsDate: &nbs...

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“One Of Those Things That Unravels When You Blow On It” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #141

One Of Those Things That Unravels When You Blow On ITIt had been twenty-two years since Herb attended a New Year’s Eve celebration. He had not even heard the words “Happy New Year” for ten. We will never know the motivation with any degree of certainty, but this year Herb decided he would celebrate the arrival of the new year. And he would do it up big.Divorced and living alone, Herb would occasionally partake in the pointless exercise of trying to recall whether he left the world or had the world left him. Either way, Herb was what most wou...

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“The View from the Tree” by Rama Shaar

Submitted to Contest #141

“What in the name of Forest happened to you?” Birdie exclaimed when she saw Birdo flying towards her with a bent beak and ruffled feathers. “Stupid humans and their stupid squeaky clean windows!” Birdo hissed, “what else?” Birdie laughed so hard, she almost fell off her branch. “How many times have I told you to be careful?” she said trying to stifle her laughter, seeing that Birdo didn’t find it funny at all. “Look who’s talking!” Ouch. “OK, come here”, she said in a soothing voice, lifting her wing so he could snuggle into it. ...

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“King Kone’s Revenge” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #141

Kyle Cleaver shakes the cobwebs out of his head, slowly opening his eyes. He’s in a small room with a concrete floor. Tools hang on the walls and lay scattered on workbenches. Pieces of a disassembled lawn mower lay piled up in a corner. A record player sits on a nearby card table. Several dog-eared albums are stacked against it. Kyle’s heart race...

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“The Number One Fear” by Craig Westmore

Submitted to Contest #141

Does the thought of speaking in front of a large group make you nauseous? Do you stay awake the night before a speech? Do your hands shake? Does your mind go blank? To achieve success in the world today, people need to present their ideas with force and impact. Don’t let life pass you by! Speaking worries are a treatable problem. In this class you will learn to overcome your discomfort. With the help of a licensed expert and a proven method, you can begin living free of fear! Change is just around the corner, but you must sign up! Saturdays...

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“Nana's Cat Sitting Services, INC.” by Lavonne H.

Submitted to Contest #141

Isabella pushed her swiveled chair away from her desk and stared at the screen with dismay and a tinge of anger. One star!! Her work had been rated one star by her very first customers.Had she lost a cat or left one in a sickened state, she could see the rating as justified. Had a cat been malnourished or abused, Isabella would have expected criminal charges to arise. Had she damaged the home of the cat owners or thrown kitty feces around, Isabella would have expected non-payment. But this?! This was unexpected.This review was seriously goin...

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“Enigma in a One-Star Town.” by Eric Falvey

Submitted to Contest #141

I couldn't believe what I was looking at. As I continued to read, I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins. Very expensive. Didn't understand the food. Why did I pay $50 for a small piece of meat, red wine sauce, and "black truffle dust?" Small portions and over priced. Service was good tho. 1 Star. I had been in the restaurant industry my whole life, so the occasional poor Yelp review was nothing new to me. But this? This was the first Yelp review in my first restaurant after opening night. This review was the first thing that a...

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“A destructive fame” by Akram Ait

Submitted to Contest #141

“Each of us has a role in his society, and I will reform mine.” This was the famous sentence of John, the social critic, who carried on his shoulders the responsibility of reforming his society through his pen, but will things go as planned by John? Or the winds will run as the ships do not wish? John woke up early, carrying many goals inside his head, that he would put under his microscope, to start criticizing them in his weekly article in Al-Haq newspaper. This newspaper has always been the refuge that many people resort to read the dai...

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“Up Up and Midway!” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #141

MidWoman tapped at the blinking band on her wrist. She blinked back at the new notification. There it was, a one star! And the comment began with ‘The ill-fitting costume didn’t inspire confidence…’She fumed as she loosened her belt with a ridiculously big M for a buckle. She had an inkling the old pervert would do this to her. He shouldn’t even have been there at the rendezvous.That meant she had to meet TheBoss.She knew she was not in her prime but had she lost her sheen completely?She teleported to a deserted alley. Took a deep breath. An...

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“Yours truly, Adelaide St. Claire” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #141

***The story contains occasional coarse language.***"Dear Miss Adelaide, "The confidence and perseverance you've displayed over the years is quite remarkable, yet your short stories keep failing to impress us. In all honesty, our editors would rather eat the paper your story is typed on, including the envelope and the stamp, than read and critique it.We do appreciate your weekly support, but we humbly suggest you save the $5 submission fee and buy yourself a nice pair of shoes, or a dress instead. Your complexion surely could benefit fr...

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“A Slippery Misunderstanding” by Irene Ivy

Submitted to Contest #141

Juliet stepped into the boat slowly, one foot at a time. Flip flops were not the best choice of footwear obviously, even for a quick sight-seeing trip around the beach. The floor was wet and slippery, but she was careful as she maneuvered to the bench seat on the opposite side of the boat. She thought back to yesterday when she slid on the greased floor in the Fry Shack and the guy that had just flirtatiously smiled at her and caught her from falling, right as his girlfriend walked up. She sat her oversized, blue striped bag on her lap...

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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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