Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#153: Fighting Talk

Whether you’re hot headed by nature, or the thought of bad blood breaks you out in a rash, arguments are unavoidable. As we age, we all realize that confrontation is often necessary. This week’s prompts explore the world of conflict and resolution — and trying to find the positive in the negative.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character learning to stand up for themselves.

Character – 48 stories

Write about a character trying to heal an old rift.

Sad – 43 stories

Write a story about two characters who have been fighting for so long, they can’t remember what started it.

Sad – 27 stories

Write a story that includes the line “I can’t believe we’re arguing over this.”

High School – 60 stories

Write about a character who settles disputes for a living (a judge, mediator, school counselor, etc).

Middle School – 36 stories

Stories

“You Will Never Fight Alone” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #153

Wading in the gore of a dead dragon’s skull, Danielle Longbow lifted her sword. The green glow of the blade was the only light. Her thigh, torn open during the fight, was haemorrhaging blood. A bone inside her left arm had fractured or broken. She was ready to pass out. The knight looked at the immortal, Obag Sleagh. Sleagh had been nothing but a voice in her head as she duelled the dragon. He was pristine in his leather and bone armour. His menacing smile showed razor s...

Read story

“The Small-timers” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #153

CW: Language, violenceThey had an inkling something was not right when the bundle didn’t bleat. But it was dark and they were a bit drunk. And desperate. Now, under a lush tamarind tree close to the hills and far from the village, they were jolted into sobriety and daylight by the tiny human in the bundle.Rarely in their career spanning 10 years did they commit such blunders. They had occasionally bagged an earthen pot mistaking it to be an ash gourd or heaved a sackful of cow dung cakes believing them to be potatoes. But carrying a human ki...

Read story

“Emperor, Do You Back The Coup?” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #153

Isao’s youthful legs burned from kneeling since dawn. It wasn't acceptable to shift positions in front of the Emperor. In three years at the palace, the divine one had never spoken to him, yet had never complained about him either.The sovereign had been woken early to receive General Honjo and Minister Yuasa, who arrived with news of a coup. Soldiers filled with nationalistic fervor had mutinied and overrun the capital.The barrel chested General Honjo stood ramrod straight in a uniform covered with medals. He bellowed, “The Righteous Battali...

Read story

“'Green Bean Couch'” by Faith Abbington

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #153

TW: substance abuse, minor wound (gore), destruction of objects in anger (violence) Rose gripped her coffee mug by the handle, glaring at the messy countertop. She began to sweep crumbs onto the floor with her empty hand, then stopped, realizing she’d have to sweep them up later. “What have I told you about leaving messes, Harold?” she murmured. “Soon, it’ll attract pests. You know I hate pests.” She muttered angry nothings about roaches and rats until her eyes caught on the empty barstool where Harold usually sat. She glared at the empty sp...

Read story

“Dearest Clarice” by Jared Lenover

Submitted to Contest #153

From a letter found in the archives of the Fairfield Traveling Circus, marked “return to sender.” Dearest Clarice, When I ran away to join the circus, I thought I’d be free of the shackles of responsibility. After all, if I’d wanted to continue arbitrating people’s petty domestic conflicts I would have remained on the bench. One assumes when one pulls up stakes to be ringmaster in a traveling show, one leaves all that behind them. However, it seems not to be the case. My central position in the organization, combined with an unfortunat...

Read story

“A Little Off the Nose” by Andrea Mariana

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #153

Fiametta clenched the linen sheet draped around the painting. Where in God’s name was he, she thought – or rather, His Excellency? Out of the corner of her eye, Fiametta could just spot her manager, Signore Giulio, glancing at his pocket watch. Fifteen minutes after noon had come and gone. Though His Excellency had demanded that Fiametta complete the portrait in a bare two weeks, it seemed that Bishop Antonio Cipriani took a more leisurely view of his own time. Fiametta sighed as her brown eyes wandered to the quadro riportato artwork over...

Read story

“The Carnival” by Joe Ke. Fuman

Submitted to Contest #153

Scene 1 Stubbed toe. Lost wallet. Bad haircut. Surprise test. Traffic. Dropped phone. Snapped guitar string. Flat tire. Leaky water bottle. Burnt bacon. Black cat. Broken mirror. Bad luck. Unfortunate events that couldn’t be predicted, or prevented. They just happen suddenly, like a boy breaking an arm, falling off a fence. His brother hitting a baseball into a window. Both getting a carpet burn running from their parents. And if priests were ever to say bad luck was bottled in a human, their fingers would point at Ares and Asher. Ares and A...

Read story

“The Last Scupper” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #153

“ORDER IN THE COURT…!”Trying to quell the vociferous argument playing out in front of him, Judge Elmore Rawlings frustratingly banged his wooden gavel in rapid succession.“ORDER IN MY COURT…!”The unprecedented overuse of his gavel caused such an unaccustomed vibration to the hammer end, it suddenly toppled from its accompanying stick and fell to the floor. With no audible means at his disposal to bring order to the unruly proceedings, Rawlings improvised by angrily drawing his colt pistol from its holster and firing one single shot at the ce...

Read story

“Caleb's Hungry” by Randy Murrell

Submitted to Contest #153

I remember the last time I saw muh’ daddy. He was ascared’ more ascared than ever i’d seed’. That was one of the day’s that seemed like it’d never end it just kept on getting longer and darker and it wasn’t the dark of night that came granny’d said the darkness of the soul is the greatest darkness there is and she was right to say it cuz that day I saw muh’ daddy might have been the darkest day I ever lived. It started like a lot of days do, half the house was still asleep on a Wednesday mornin’. That should tell you a lit...

Read story

“Sarah's Conundrum” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #153

Sarah Lee is fuming. Not only does she share a name with a multinational dessert company whose motto is "Always in Season," but she is having another spat with her boyfriend - these arguments seem to be perennial in nature. "I can’t believe we’re arguing over this again, Foley," Sarah says to a man she has known for close to ten years. Sarah Lee has not had an easy life. As children, her parents escaped China with their families after the Communist revolution of 1949. After having an arranged marriage, Danny a...

Read story

“Gingerbread Mafia” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #153

Many folk tales describe hapless children marking their paths with stones, to not get lost. Now, it’s become a thing. Once humble hiking trails have transformed into gleaming, shimmering paths to a fantasyland. Or to the dark lair of a witch. Trends, fads and fashions prove spontaneous generation. Like ‘love locks’ on a bridge. Who expects the weight of so many padlocks to threaten its structural integrity? What captures the popular imagination? Always innovating, the fad had outliers. A flock of birds reportedly swarmed a man tossing morse...

Read story

“What's a Judge to do?” by Mavis Webster

Submitted to Contest #153

Acting as a judge for the damned did have its perks. The pay was good—the healthcare, eh, not so much, but what’s a soul to do? If someone wandered into a church and was spritzed with holy water like a misbehaving cat, well, there wouldn’t be much left worth saving, anyway. But there were some things that even the Underworld’s staunchest universities couldn’t prepare you for. (And yeah, colleges were no cheaper in the realm of the dead than they were on Earth.) Namely, the thing standing before me. Not so much a thing as it was a person—a...

Read story

“The Rag” by Ellison Edmond Everett

Submitted to Contest #153

I picked up the dirty, wet rag. It had originally been white at the beginning of the year, but now it was a graying, tattered thing. I was shaking inside, but I tried to avoid eye contact with the table full of boys. They were obnoxious. They sensed fear. They went for it."The rag! That rag! The rag!" They turned it into a song and had a three-part harmony going.On the outside, I looked like a girl robotically cleaning a table while about five boys lost their minds trying to get my attention with a ridiculous musical taunt. To viewers, ...

Read story

“Who Said Life Was Fair” by Wendy Hayes

Submitted to Contest #153

Who Said Life Was Fair A loud persistent voice was beginning to penetrate my brain fog. “Brookfield Police, Annie, are you alright?” I shook my head trying to clear it. Someone banged loudly on the door. The fuzziness was going but I could not find my voice. I could now hear talking outside my front door and I tried to rise. That was when I discovered I was no longer in bed; I was sitting on the kitchen floor. As I tried to lift myself up, my foot slipped and I slid back down. I heard a loud voice say, “Okay, unlock the door.” I ...

Read story

“Therapy” by Susanne Perry

Submitted to Contest #153

“You’re late. I can’t believe you’re late again. Why am I not surprised?” “What the big deal? She’s not even ready for us. She’s still with the appointment ahead of us.” “You were late last time.” “Yes, I’m late--again. We do need to cover the cost of these sessions. Not to mention everything else we spend money on. I can’t believe we’re arguing over this!” “I know this is expensive, I understand that. But if this relationship were important to you, if I were important to you, I’d think you’d try to arrive on time.” “I do the best I can. Ca...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

104

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 08, 2022 EST

Won by L. E. Scott 🏆

Title: Broken

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢