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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

“Persnickety Eliot Wagman ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #141

There have been people in my life who have caused me a great deal of grief, but Eliot Wagman would have to rate at the top of the list. Ever since we launched Christoval Enterprises five years ago, Wagman has been a thorn in my side with his persnickety personality and his constant criticism of our general operations. As founder and C.E.O. of Christoval Enterprises which specializes in making technology accessible to companies requiring assistance by bringing their operations into the Twenty-First Century, Eliot Wagman ha...

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“The Critique ” by L.B Rinker

Submitted to Contest #141

It was tart, the kind of tart that puckered your lips and wrinkled your nose. It was sweet too I suppose, but it was one Splenda packet in your morning coffee sweet, not enough to balance out the sour citrus notes of the lemon.. but it was ripe with pulp, something I always enjoyed, it showed that it was organic, and some work had been put in to prepare it. That was the first sip, gurgling in the back of my throat as I searched my mind for other ways to describe what I was tasting. I spit...

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“The Food Critic Con” by Lizzy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #141

Amber Collins was a young woman at twenty-five. She had shoulder length blond hair and had a small figure. She was getting ready for another big night out when her friend, Marie, walked in. “I’m in the bathroom putting my make up on. Come on in. I’ll be ready in just a few minutes. Marie, who was not as outgoing as Amber, was the same age but had long red hair and was a little chubbier than Amber. She walk...

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“The Art Of Criticism - Boon or Bane” by Latha Prakash

Submitted to Contest #141

The humming noise made by the ceiling fan broke the agonising silence. The lone light bulb placed in a corner of the room was shining in effulgence. The bed made a creaking noise as James tossed and turned on it. The nights tapped into his deepest fear, the fear of 'death'. Clasping a pillow tightly he closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. A pattern full of dots and sparkles played before him. Swirls and waves of different coloured dots danced not letting him sleep. He lay on the bed and stared at the window wondering if he would ever b...

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“Metamorphosis ” by Lisa Naughton

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...

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“Instincts” by Nicole Bolding

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 ...

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“Nowhere But Up” by 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...

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“Dog Vomit” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #141

This was the beginning of a successful BreadTube career.To get the most views, my first video had to excite the audience. I dug out the old binder where Grandma wrote our family recipes in her meticulously neat handwriting. It opened straight to the scrambled eggs recipe. For a moment I was a bespectacled child again, smearing it with ranch and grinding copious amounts of salt and cayenne pepper on top. Yes, that was good. The scrambled eggs would do nicely.All the top submissions on BreadTube - the best video cooking site on the web - `had ...

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“The King's Council” by 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...

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“Passing By” by Michael Reeves

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...

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“A Stellar Journey” by Dragos Marcean

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...

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“When It Doesn't Pan Out” by 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...

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“Mystery Meat” by 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...

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“Medium Rare” by 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...

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“I Interviewed "The Pet Rater" and I Wasn't Surprised at All” by 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...

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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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