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!

#159: Money, Money, Money

Like it or not, money makes the world go round. And while it (supposedly) can’t buy happiness, it can certainly change your life — for better or worse. This week’s prompts have money on the mind; whether your characters are winning big, or down to their last dollar, it’s time to start counting your cash.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.

Adults – 48 stories

Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Fantasy – 62 stories

Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.

Teens – 49 stories

Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.

Adults – 32 stories

Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.

Angst – 25 stories

Stories

“The Test” by Stephen B. Allen

Submitted to Contest #159

If there was one thing which Franklin Robinson knew about life, it was this: that you are tested in some manner every single day to reveal the person you truly are. These tests needn’t be large or even complicated. They could be as simple as ‘Are you going to take the last piece of toast on the platter or pass it up so that one of your kids who you know is hungry can get it?’ or as relevant as ‘Twenty years of marriage, and this girl is coming on to me?’Franklin was not an overly religious man…although he was a spiritual one. From as long as...

Read story

“Father's Redemption” by Alexa Zanzotto

Submitted to Contest #159

"Can't believe I let him play me like that, again!"Lusa cursed her father for the umpteenth time in a row. She ran, late for class, even though she had been on time as she left their grubby, far-too-small apartment. He stopped her while she attempted to go and watched her struggle with the broken knob before engaging in a conversation."Dad," she sighed and halted her frantic jiggling of the door handle, "you know I can't keep giving you cash, only for you to waste it on your stupid gambles, or investments, or whatever you use it for."He had ...

Read story

“The MacLarsen Incident” by Khalid Hussein

Submitted to Contest #159

Kal was stocking shelves. This was his least favorite part of the job. He enjoyed the customer service element, helping people solve their problems. At an arts and crafts store there was always a parade of characters with questions. The most annoying customers were those who really just wanted him to do their project for them. He would sometimes indulge the pushy old ladies or lazy teenagers, and go beyond his job description by helping them cut foam boards, or even drawing out schematics for their projects. This was not why he had gone to a...

Read story

“Call My Number” by Spencer Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #159

Frank was enjoying his lunch. He had already eaten his turkey sandwich and was finishing up his tomato soup. Basic, but very good. He still had 20 minutes left in his lunch hour, so he decided he was going to check his ATM balance. It was payday, so he wanted to make sure that they had deposited the correct amount into his account. The last pay period they were off by 43 cents, and he wanted to see if he could avoid that headache this time. He pulled up his account on the machine, and typed in his password. He was not sure how, but someone h...

Read story

“Places to Be” by Peter Briggs

Submitted to Contest #159

At first it was a mixture of disbelief, joy and relief. I thought I’d faint on the spot. Then the person behind me would step over my body and make a quick withdrawal while my card was still in the ATM. Or they’d murder me if they saw the number and grab as much as they could. Or, better, they’d abduct me and slowly withdraw it all over time. Time and money go together well. There was now more than $17,000,000 in my account. The man standing behind me peaked over my shoulder and, wondering what was taking so long, said, “Must ...

Read story

“The Root of all Evil. Money. Really?” by Brian Bywater

Submitted to Contest #159

The Root of all Evil, Money. Really?? “Has the jury reached a verdict?” the sombre baritone voice of Judge Percy Edgeware echoes through the deathly silent courtroom. “Yes, and no your Honour.” “I do not recall offering that as an option Mr Foreman. Please explain.” Judge Percy is mildly amused by the response, only mildly. Humour is not his strong suit. “We, the Jury, believe the accused certainly did the crime. However we do not think it was her fault.” “Then your verdict is guilty as charged, you cannot have it both ways Mr Foreman.” “W...

Read story

“It's Just Money” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #159

Ellen closed her eyes and massaged her temples. When she looked at her desk again, she had to resist the urge to laugh hysterically. The mountain of paperwork had not gone away. Staff evaluations to do, three meetings on the calendar for today, one nurse out sick and another due to go on maternity leave any day… She shook her head and took a swig of coffee. Taking a deep breath, she counted to ten, gazing at the serene landscape picture that her mother had advised her to hang in the office. Feeling slightly better, she turned on her computer...

Read story

“You forgot to ration time” by Justin Casian

Submitted to Contest #159

"Are you ready? We need to leave in fifteen minutes!" The sound of that voice was just enough whose pitch and tonality I had become so familiar with over three years of my life, wafting as casual as you please, all the way from the kitchen of my tiny two-bedroom flat. A screech wrenched itself out of my lips, and my body plummeted to the floor from my perch on the window seat. The fall knocked the wind out of me, leaving me gasping, wheezing, and breathless. Razor debris of thoughts flung to every nook and cranny of my mind. An endle...

Read story

“The Back of the Line” by Cassi Rasmussen

Submitted to Contest #159

Henrietta Maystone always hated being at the back of the line. Hundreds of people stood ahead of her and yet she knew with absolute certainty she deserved to be in the front. As her father said, “If they can’t pay double for it, they can wait.” The mass of people all wore dirty gray cloaks, raggedy dresses, and other varying degrees of scraps. She looked at them all with annoyance. Though she had to admit, their attire fit the overall mood of this place. On either side of the crowded line, tall gray rocks blocked her view and an in...

Read story

“Together for a Shared Future” by Ulugbek Maratov

Submitted to Contest #159

The first rays of the local sun penetrate the room. Under the sound of sandy winds, Alfina wakes up, feeling, again, a shiver throughout her body. This day came. The very day when she is to commit, very likely, a real suicide, for what she is going to do, she is most likely to be persecuted for the rest of her days. Alfina knew what she was getting into when she accepted the money. She knew that she was giving hundreds of thousands of people into slavery. She perfectly knew that many would not survive. Where was her conscience? Her conscienc...

Read story

“The Road Test” by Jenny Blur

Submitted to Contest #159

Ingrid’s head hurt so bad she felt like her brain was breaking out of her skull and trying to leave her, just like her friggin’ husband did. In this case, though, she deserved it. She’d spent last night cross-legged on her bed blotting Jed’s face out of photos with a black Sharpie while she listened to sad, breakup music. She drank so much wine she fell asleep with her clothes on. This morning she was hungover and slumped over the break room table at the Department of Motor Vehicles where she worked. Her eyes were slammed shut and her he...

Read story

“Highly Confidential” by Jelena Zivkovic

Submitted to Contest #159

[possible triggers: social injustice, physical abuse, murder, suicide]“Here’s a little something for your troubles.”, he says while handing me the envelope, side-eyeing me while I put the photographs away, “Make sure to destroy them, or next time he won’t be so generous.” At this point my whole world is spinning. I take the envelope and put it in my drawer, next to the photographs. I’ll be honest, the amount of money is tempting, but this case won’t let me be. There is nothing I can do, nobody to go to. Everyone's in it, everyone that c...

Read story

“A Greefinger's Lucky Day” by Jack Latreille

Submitted to Contest #159

Trigger Warning: Substance Abuse and Physical Abuse The asphalt crunched beneath Alex’s boots as he moved towards the sign. He rolled his eyes up to read the peeling letters: Welcome to Glenwatch, population: 47, 210. Eyes stapled to the number, Alex pulled a misshapen clump of a multitool from his pocket, and, flicking the knife open, carefully peeled each number off until only the zero remained. From Alex’s mouth escaped a single breath of laughter. Alex leisurely grubbed through every house. He hadn’t seen any other greenf...

Read story

“What Remains to be Done.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #159

Oscar was a writer, or at least that was how he generally introduced himself.. He did not say that he was employed as a shelf stocker at Giant Tiger, which is how he earned most of his meagre income. His short stories would sometimes get published, sometimes for a small amount of money, sometimes for none. His two books had been purchased by friends and family members and few else, the royalties were anything but royal. The editor of the local newspaper did...

Read story

“Unluck of the draw” by Ronny Andersson

Submitted to Contest #159

I was born on a planet with the highest self-interest per capita in the whole universe. A society built on handshakes with fistful of dollars and whispers in luxury hallways by people who has truth-proof ears. The only thing that I think keeps the universe intact, the stars shining, the world spinning and make all living things going is causality and pure physics. But some living things have managed to add something more to its dependency than just this. What we think drives humanity, in our oblivious way of thinking, living and breathing, i...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

216

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 19, 2022 EST

Won by Daniel Allen 🏆

Title: Blood and Cookies

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 ⭢