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#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 – 51 stories

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

Middle School – 25 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 – 11 stories

Stories

Metamorphosis

Submitted to Contest #141

Most people would agree that a teacher’s job is to encourage and nurture their students.  Most people would agree that a middle school language arts teacher should encourage creativity and self-expression.   Most people would agree that all teachers should encourage their students to love learning and that it is the teacher’s job to get the most out of each student, recognizing each student’s unique talents and gifts.  Mrs. Smart was not most people and she most certainly did not agree.   My first day in middle scho...

10 likes

Instincts

Submitted to Contest #141

Warning: This story references abuse and violence in the abstract. Plus vague descriptions of death. “The atmosphere is stagnant, and the food is too fattening”- K. Johnson“The vibe is oppressive and the place is run down”- anonymous James read the most recent reviews of Sonny’s Country Kitchen, the restaurant he managed. Both were one-star reviews. There have been a lot of those lately. He knew all the bad reviews came from people just passing through. The locals loved Sonny’s. The problem is he agreed with the most recent review, but ...

10 likes

Nowhere But Up

Mary Hood

Submitted to Contest #141

“The story lines are all taken. Who can top Steven King and Charles Dickens, or Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood? The world is filled with writers.” Highlighting three pages of text, hours of work and a week of sleepless nights, Brandy pressed delete. In less than a blink, an empty page lay before her, not even smoke lingered. The truth of her life seeped into every story she wrote and glared back at her in disgust.  “Get over it. Move on. Stop dragging me through the mud! How do I write a fictional story without getting in the way?” She...

10 likes

Little Miss Grudges

Jerome Grafil-Carlos

Submitted to Contest #141

Arthur pouncing on the halls irritated Miss Guthrie even further, the pen snapping at her hands, the legal files in front of her held only in its perfect, flat form by the hands of Miss Dinsly who, after ninety-eight years of working under the hotel matriarch, knew by instinct how papers with one-star reviews could not withstand the forces of mental exertions her boss could produce once engulfed in rage.“Read me that review,” Miss Guthrie said as she stood up, marching towards the double oak doors of her office.“Well, Ma’am, I—”“Arthur!” Mis...

10 likes

The King's Council

William He

Submitted to Contest #141

The autumn chill and the scratching of quills stirred around Emery as he worked in the library of the Abbey. In his hand was a quill of his own, fashioned of goose feather and darkened by iron-gall ink. Before him lay a parchment, blank save for a faint sketch of the Sun that he now traced. His was not a naturally steady hand, but he was patient, for he had illustrated many manuscripts before. A faint sienna had seeped into the afternoon sky by the time Emery took leave of his work. He walked the cloister grounds, soaking in the Sun’s lig...

10 likes

Passing By

Submitted to Contest #141

(Note: I am African American. Certain words get said in this story but do not repeat. There is language, death, and violence. There is physical violence, and never call someone Colored or Negro. Enjoy the story!) You are about to read the story of my life, and it is not my favorite story to tell. It took place in 1890. It has a start and a finish, neither of which is happy. I feel angst, wondering if it could have taken a safer turn as I mean this. My name is Ted, and my brother is named Kevin. We are African Americans, and everyone thou...

10 likes

A Stellar Journey

Submitted to Contest #141

Eddie sat with his elbow on the bar, scrolling through social media, not bothered by the sun shining into his eyes. Breakfast was going to be served for another four hours before lunch-time. Apart from the workers from the nearby construction site who were coming every morning, he did not have many customers. "I hope you liked the eggs, gentlemen," said the waitress. “Thanks, Pattie. They were great.” said one of them. "And as usual, coffee, for you, is on the house," she smiled. Pattie was a nearly forty-year-old woman, tall and thi...

10 likes

When It Doesn't Pan Out

M B

Submitted to Contest #141

Amber, a young meerkat journalist, sat in the last booth of ‘Rod’s Roadside Café.’ A plump coyote waitress ran to and fro into the kitchen behind her. It was late evening and the sun was quickly fading into night. The woods past the parking lot were turning from a pleasing orange into black.The meerkat, dressed in a skirt and semi casual blouse, reached into her purse and checked her essential items: Recorder? Check. Notepad and pen? Check. Pepper spray? Check.It certainly wasn’t her first choice for meeting a contact, especially considering...

10 likes

Mystery Meat

WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #141

Okay, I admit it. My restaurant, Sleazy's Delights, might not have the sturdiest furniture, the cleanest plates, the shiniest silverware, tastiest food, or prettiest décor, but it's not the worst. So don’t believe the online reviews that call us “disgusting” or “horrific." Anyone can say anything online. And don’t you dare believe the big red F on our door, everyone knows you can’t trust the government. Our food is just as good as anyone's. Really, it is! However, I knew I messed up when a large, globular creature made out of mold and meat s...

10 likes

Medium Rare

Don Tucker

Submitted to Contest #141

Back in the sixties, Roland’s Steakhouse was the best restaurant in town. People came from far and wide to devour any cut of meat they wanted while drinking the best wines in the city. A rustic wood interior with high ceilings offset by the white tablecloths throughout the dining room. Long gone are the days that Roland’s was considered the fanciest spot in town and a must stop for celebrities and politicians that happened to be in town. When you first walk into the restaurant, guests are greeted by a wall covered in framed pictures of my gr...

10 likes

I Interviewed "The Pet Rater" and I Wasn't Surprised at All

Andrew Audibert

Submitted to Contest #141

[The following is a transcript of a portion of episode 487 of Vertigone’s Who The What?! Podcast. For the full feature, go to vertigone.com/WTWpod or wherever you get your podcasts] When I sat down with YouTube sensation Barney, from petrater.com, I wasn’t sure what to expect. His aloof persona, as seen in his hundreds of videos, whose view counts are nearly all above 25 million, has remained surprisingly consistent in the years he’s been making content. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to tell his early videos apart from his recent work. W...

9 likes

Hollow Contemplation

Jordan Williams

Submitted to Contest #141

"Truly a display so perverse and assaulting to the senses that I would relate it to being not much preferable to being attacked by a crackhead in the urine filled streets of the East End. A dispassionate creation of the lowest order, truly, I cannot imagine what has given Professor Merrill such a poor judgement of her students to send them out into the world with this as their only offering." Constance Stetson said.  The gathering crowd oohed and simpered at the delivery of his verdict, dooming another artist to mediocrity and a swift...

9 likes

There's No Accounting for Taste

Jim Loughran

Submitted to Contest #141

I could close my eyes and count to ten and with a bit of luck he’ll be gone when I open them again. On the other hand I could try the expeliare spell from Harry Potter and hope that he will disappear in a puff of smoke, back to his boring house with the white walls, the polished parquet and the le Corbusier chaise longue that looks so elegant but is impossible to sit on. Even the floors are painted white and there are no rugs to absorb the sound so that the house constantly echoes to the sound of people moving around. There are no curtain...

9 likes

Critic's Choice

Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #141

           It was 7:00 AM, and Justin rushed down the stairs of his one-bedroom flat in the city’s lower west side. The early edition of the local newspaper should have arrived at the newsstand around the corner, and he eagerly awaited to read something that would impact the rest of his day, and perhaps his career.            Justin had opened a bistro in the east end of town, right next to park. The setting was traditional with smal...

9 likes

Five-star plan

Vera Kurt

Submitted to Contest #141

Oh man, it’s 7:30 a.m, I’m unemployed and it’s December 25th, for god sakes, who could that be?! Still in the dark, I reach for my phone. Screen light burns my eyes and I see “Boss” in the middle of it. Shit, what does he need! He fired me a week ago, giving me a short notice as a Christmas present. Did that jerk change his mind? Let’s see what this is about. -Hello, - I let out a dry moan. -Hey, I hope you still remember me, - the idiot tried to make a joke, -I know you are not a part of the team anymore but I have something interesting for...

9 likes

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Contest #141

This contest has ended. Thank you for your submissions.

$250

Prize money

174

Entries

110

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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