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!

#158: It's All Good, Man

With only a few episodes left to air, the legal drama Better Call Saul is coming to an end. Along with the Breaking Bad saga, this spin-off garnered dozens of nominations and countless fans around the world through excellent character development and storytelling. Saul Goodman’s colorful suits, elaborate scams, and wordplay (“It’S all Good, man”) will be hard to forget.

Whether you're familiar with the series, or this is your first time hearing about it, there'll be something for you in this week's prompts — inspired by the show's characters and themes.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.

Adults – 66 stories

Write about a character with questionable morals.

Dark – 41 stories

Write a story where the law plays an important role.

High School – 24 stories

Write a story about a character who is trying to become a better person.

Middle School – 42 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “It’s not fair.”

Middle School – 72 stories

Stories

“Say You Were Made to Be Mine” by Gabi Tajzlerova

Submitted to Contest #158

The welcoming sensation of taste had long been revoked from day to day life yet the one prominent touch of memory lingering on the tongue was of the love that got away and the faint trace of cigarette smoke from their final night in that abandoned parking lot. When apart for too long, the desperation to quench desires of excruciating proportions took hold and made it impossible to focus on anything else but sweet release. How can sleep be accomplished when the thought of their bodies as one made the little hairs on the arm perch upward in...

Read story

“The Weirdest Washing Machine. ” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #158

Alan Keyes woke up and moaned. It was the same dreary Saturday routine. His head was throbbing and pounding, his mouth was dry, his whole stomach was nearly heaving again. Last night at the bar was now a mystery, a fog of drinking and laughing at unfunny, dirty jokes. Great fellows, his friends. They had cheered at sport on a large screen, until the vision blurred. Alan peered through his smeary bedroom window at his beloved wheels. Yes, he had hit something last night. Now there was yet another small dent. He shrugged. Alan had followed in ...

Read story

“The Kathleen Crisis” by Kristine Bone

Submitted to Contest #158

-The Kathleen Crisis - Amanda shut her bedroom door quietly and leaned on it heavily. Had this evening really ended in this horrific way? It was inconceivable! She was Amanda Quinn; she had been a famous soap opera star for years! She was the beautiful Amanda Quinn! Yet, she had been totally embarrassed, left wordless and shocked. The nerve of that peon woman in the restaurant! The nerve of her to say she had forgiven her. Forgiven her? Lying on her silk, pink comforter, Amanda closed her eyes and relived the whole dreadful scenari...

Read story

“Jackie Brown” by Vic Mabe

Submitted to Contest #158

Sprawled out before, tentacles reaching in every direction is the Sunday paper. I always read it this way, taking it apart section by section, before reading so much as a single headline. I do this to avoid missing anything; any of the good bits often hidden in the bottom corner or the back side of a page. Reading the Sunday paper while sipping a freshly brewed cup of bean-to-grind coffee is the crux of my Sunday ritual. My new Sunday ritual. It’s what keeps the arms of the loneliness that creeps alongside me since Jeb slipped below the surf...

Read story

“It Will All Come Out in the Wash” by David Purveur

Submitted to Contest #158

Gary pulled up to the carwash. Of course, there was a queue, it was a fine day, after all. He turned to the child seat in the back. "Daddy needs to get a ticket before we can visit the foaming beast.” His words were greeted with a nervous giggle. “Would you like an ice cream, Alice?" "Yes please, da-da," the reply was so polite for one so young. "I won't be long," and with that, he hurried to the shop knowing the queue could move at any moment. Why had it been so difficult to choose the appropriate ice cream for Alice? And why had h...

Read story

“The Gag Gift ” by Samantha Shumway

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: Animal attack/minor violence and body horror.A bright red ball is pressed into Katie’s hands. Her mind goes blank as she grasps it limply before giving an experimental squeeze: it emits a high-pitched squeak. This is a dog toy, she recognizes numbly. My girlfriend just gave me a dog toy.That is if she even still has a girlfriend. Logically, she shouldn’t, but the world feels so nauseatingly topsy-turvey right now; logic doesn’t appear to entirely apply. “What… what is this?” She stammers, referring to the general situation...

Read story

“The Desk” by Oliver Skywolf

Submitted to Contest #158

The child’s bleary eyes gazed at pristine walls. The room was bright and had no windows, only a door. She had no recollection of why she was there—the place looked different than her room from the hospital. The girl stood up, ambled to the door, then left. She stepped into a long hall and felt an opalescent aura surround her. Hollow tones echoed from her footsteps as she wandered. Many doors lined the hall, but she did not bother to try opening them. Her convoluted path continued, yet she remained tranquil. She felt like this was just a d...

Read story

“You, Me & Them” by Tirah Bustamante

Submitted to Contest #158

The neighborhood was left damaged, depressed, and drowned in darkness after the storm had beaten the life out of it. But, based on the movement in the sky, another round of humility was fast on its way. I pulled into Mr. O’Neal’s driveway and parked. I’d arrived physically, but mentally, I lost bits and pieces of myself along the way. Not that I was whole, to begin with. I couldn’t believe my life had changed in just a couple of hours. I should’ve gone home, curled up into a ball, and cried until I couldn’t anymore. I hadn’t told M...

Read story

“Editing the End of the World” by Don Beausoleil

Submitted to Contest #158

The end of the world, Emilie learned, is no excuse to throw out her nine-to-five schedule. Especially not on editing day. She grumbled as she pawed at her nightstand for her glasses and instead knocked over a mess of papers littered with red scribbles. Her vision was two years beyond her lenses’ help, but they were the best she had until the world rediscovered ophthalmology. Outside, the eternal clouds hung over the bucolic Montana town that escaped most of the new-world dangers. The crunchy, moss-colored garden her bedroom window backed up...

Read story

“Waiting Sparrow” by Jane Corbett

Submitted to Contest #158

Caroleena was a peculiar girl in the small town of Windstock, Illinois. She was considered to be wild compared to her peers who apparently knew how to behave, unlike her. Ever since she was little she would run as often as she could and had a tendency to dirty herself in the outdoors resulting in an unsightly and unkempt appearance. But this wasn’t the only reason why people generally avoided Caroleena. While most children developed somewhat normal behavioral identifiers, like wearing mismatched socks or collecting smooth rocks, Caroleena wa...

Read story

“I Know.” by Bronwynn Maher

Submitted to Contest #158

“You know it’s illegal for you to smoke that right?” The brunette asked, motioning vaguely at the cigarette pinched between the blonde’s lips. “Yeah? Are you gonna tell on me? The gas station guy didn’t seem to care that I’m not twenty-one.” She responded, wisps of smoke escaping her lips and floating into the night sky. Leaning over, the brown-haired woman plucked the cigarette from the blonde’s fingers, leaning against the taillight of her partner’s truck. Pulling one of her knees up to her chest, the other remained dangling off the t...

Read story

“Reconciling at the End of the World” by Khrys Ford

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: Mentions of suicidal thoughts A light breeze ruffled Mike’s shirt as he passed the cigarette to Jessica, who tapped out the ash before taking a long drag. For a few moments he thought she’d stopped breathing until the smoke slowly flowed from her lips. They sat on the hood of his beat up 1994 Jaguar in a deserted shopping center’s parking lot. The only company they had besides each other were the stars above and everything beyond. “You know I always hated this car?” Jess brought the cigarette back to her red lips, letting t...

Read story

“A smoky star.” by Kaitlyn M.

Submitted to Contest #158

She doesn’t seem to understand that when she lights the cigarette she is also setting a flame to their future. She is quietly sitting in her car, one leg dangling out, brushing the faded concrete. Beside her is him, who is tired and exhausted from his shift and simply wants to go home. Behind him is a car seat, one that is adorned in pink and black zebra stripes. The baby that is nestled inside is a spitting image of her mother, the same golden skin and snappy attitude. She also looks like him, which brings a bit of joy to his exhaust ridden...

Read story

“Addiction” by Elisabeth Oldridge

Submitted to Contest #158

Slowly taking a long, deep inhale. The smoke filled his lungs. Reverberated by the wave of tranquillity sweeping over him, his eyes rolled back, a comfort provided by nicotine. Turning to his left he offered the cigarette to her. She seemed weary, perhaps even frightened. Through a little mild encouragement, the cigarette found her grasp. Carefully placing it between her lips, demonstrating her naivety through adopting the stereotypical two finger v hold of the cig, she began sucking. “it’s not a bloody ice pop” mocked the man. “You have to ...

Read story

“Sunny Skies” by Herbert Perez

Submitted to Contest #158

The seagulls fly overhead as smoke rings go up in the air. Chris tries to catch them as I blow them out. “You’re amazing you know that” as Chris’s eyes glistens. I flick my cigarette to the side as I lay my sweaty back on the hood of the car feeling the warm sun reflecting off of it. I look up at the clear blue skies and look up at the few cotton clouds above and wonder how many we’ve lost to be able to enjoy a day like today relaxing in the parking lot of a renovated MCU Park with my husband, Chris. I remember a time when things were in cha...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

103

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 12, 2022 EST

Won by Scott Christenson 🏆

Title: Your Cat™️ Customer Service

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 ⭢