#155: Swings and Roundabouts
One of my favorite British expressions is “swings and roundabouts”. It’s a tricky phrase to define, but it basically means a situation where good and bad, pro and con, ultimately cancel each other out. You might be up at one point, and down at another, but you’ll always end up somewhere in the middle. For example: “It rained on Friday. The laundry I hung out to dry got wet, but the flowerbeds needed watering, so, you know — swings and roundabouts.”
Much of life is a case of swings and roundabouts; accepting the good with the bad, and going along for the ride. This week’s prompts are all about this sense of balance, and the imperfect situations that we still make work.
🥇 Winner
“⭐️ Shortlisted
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“This week's prompts
Start your story with a character facing a situation that isn't awful, but isn't great.
Middle School
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34 stories
Write a story that includes a character using the phrase “swings and roundabouts.”
Thanksgiving
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37 stories
Write about a character who is pathologically ambivalent, until something shakes them up.
Narrative
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36 stories
Set your story in a kids’ playground, or at a roundabout.
Kids
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46 stories
Stories
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“$250
Prize money
200
Contest entries
82
Stories
Ended on 23:59 - Jul 22, 2022 EST
Won by Lonnie Russo 🏆
Title: Someone Has Died
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.
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