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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#161: Digging Deep

Released to much critical acclaim, Jennette McCurdy’s recent memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died is one of the most talked-about books of the summer (and potentially the year), not least because of its provocative title. But behind the clickbait-y headline, the book is a masterclass in memoir writing — digging deep into McCurdy’s life and deftly handling sensitive material, including her time as a child actress and an abusive childhood.

This week’s prompts are inspired by some of the themes in McCurdy’s memoir — the pressure of stardom at a young age, finally speaking one's truth, and starting a process of healing — encouraging you to explore the complex and often gritty nature of human relationships and emotions.

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone sharing a secret that has a big impact on everyone.

High School – 39 stories

Write a story where someone finds comfort in an unexpected event, place, or person.

Adults – 56 stories

Write about a character who lives a seemingly charmed life.

Teens – 25 stories

Write a story where a character has to take on heavy responsibilities (perhaps beyond their age).

Kids – 48 stories

Write about someone who needs to face their past in order to move forward.

Adults – 73 stories

Stories

“I'm just like my mother. ” by Nicole Mancuso

Submitted to Contest #161

The same old cliché rings heavy in my ears: I never wanted to become my mother. Lucky for me I’ve managed to shake off her selfish indifference to anything and everything that isn’t directly related to her dogs, and have used that notion to raise my very human children with love, compassion, and focus, from skinned knees to the inevitable question: “Mommy, what happens when we die?” We were close once, before I was a fully developed person with my own opinions, some that differed from her own. That’s where things got hairy. I’m a probl...

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“Light in Process: An Allegory” by Brenna W.

Submitted to Contest #161

Part I It was hard to tell if I was awoken by an outside force or the existence of my own anxiety. Nevertheless, my eyes open to a surrounding that only some would be able to dream about. My indistinguishable being was fragile as I attempted to discern the walls around me. I crawled through what I could, but my success was faltered at every turn. I was inches away from my future, but miles away from my past. One of the refractories knelt itself into my hand and I was faced with a choice. I didn’t know what choice I was to make yet, so I allo...

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“A Child Star is Born” by Chiarra Pantaloni

Submitted to Contest #161

The TV screen blared in front of a single armchair, as it often did—casting light and shadow upon her unsmiling face. There, she watched her younger self skip and prance. “Come on boy and girls!” the purple dinosaur cheered, “Let’s all sing the sharing song!” She jumped up and joined hands with the other children. Her cheeks were pink and upturned. Her sandy blonde hair bounced underneath an oversized baseball cap—a stark contrast to the woman huddled in the chair clutching a blanket around her shoulders. “1,2,3 OH it’s great to s...

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“Deep Lies, Dark Truths” by Kate Kilbee

Submitted to Contest #161

I’d walked this path over and over in my dreams but this time it was for real. The fragrance from the flower borders was intoxicating. Lavender, roses, jasmine, gardenias and many others I couldn't name. The path stretched out into the distance as if to touch the future. My mind wandered back to the past. Six years earlier, a bar, another boyfriend lost, glass in hand, tears already dried on my cheeks. No friends, alone again. Alcohol was of no interest to me, never had been, but I'd been dumped so many times now I’d thought it might help....

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“It's Raining, It's Pouring” by Jaden Scavuzzo

Submitted to Contest #161

Just tell them already… It’s been one week since she knew she was leaving. She meant to tell them the day her and David made it official, but there was never a good time. Okay that was a lie, there were plenty of times, but she just couldn’t do it. These were the people she spent her best years with, they were the only family she had anymore. It was supposed to be easy. Saying goodbye. That turned out to be a big fat lie. Tonight was the night she was supposed to tell them. Tonight was the night ...

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“Noah and Mike” by Sally Pace

Submitted to Contest #161

I'm in the kitchen making Noah’s lunch for school. I glance at the clock. “Noah, the bus will be here soon.” “Mom, there’s a dog on the porch. Can we keep him? I think Dad and God sent him.” He sounds so excited. Noah had just turned five when Mike died in a car accident. In Sunday School he learned that when you die you went to heaven, but he didn’t understand that Mike would not be coming home ever again. He would cry himself to sleep, and I would hold him, with my heart breaking for him. A few months later, Noah started tell...

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“Swings and Roundabouts” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #161

A bird’s eye view of suburban city streets, dotted with pocket parks, the streets mainly gridded, with occasional smaller streets jutting off at odd angles; at the center, a roundabout with four exiting streets from the circle, the small park in its center about a half block in diameter. From above, the bushes are like broccoli crowns that encircle the gnarly limbed old oak in the center. The branches between the leafy canopy appear black. There are old fashioned iron framed park benches facing the western and eastern streets.A small re...

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“Waldeinsamkeit” by Judith Robinson

Submitted to Contest #161

Waldeinsamkeit While Judy walked past the local park, she could smell the aromatic fragrance of peonies and lilacs, which filled the yard of her childhood home. She remembered her childhood when nature was a source of comfort for her. The memories of rising at sunrise and running outside to spend the day came back clearly. Swimming, rolling in the grass, wading in the creek, and climbing trees were great stress relievers. Summe...

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“nance armlong” by Lucy Loma

Submitted to Contest #161

Tucked behind some of the forest brush I keep a close eye on him. He crouches between his bike and backpack, without any fire and only a curtain of moon’s light showering over him. He eats like this— something long and limber and gangly, not near as big as the meal I saw his wife serve him last night. When he’s done he gathers some sticks and leaves from around him, strikes a fire, and then disappears into the forest. A while goes by, so I decide to approach his camp. I should have followed him, but I didn’t know he’d be gone for so long. In...

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“Roots and Vines” by Joe Bradshaw

Submitted to Contest #161

Kudzu’s foreign verdant vines drape a dying wood behind a gray hollow apartment building. I’ve always thought that plant’s name sounds like it could be found on the label of some vagabond’s rusted musical instrument, a windpipe of some sort, that bleats a gray air’s bleak tune. That tune played coolly over the vine’s fecund jungle. The afternoon rain emitted steam from the earth’s cooked crust as I swear those vines extended toward me, growing to me as they breathed in the natural rejuvenating cycle of the sky. I never minded kudzu all...

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“A Misplaced Childhood” by Vie L'cast

Submitted to Contest #161

Opalence Williamson leaned against the threshold of the door allowing time to lapse over her in waves of fading light. Her mother had recently passed and Opalence could not keep her mind from wondering into corners she had long ago stopped visiting. Every item in her mother's house had the power to bewitch her, to hold her in place while her mind raced before her to distant times. The faint smell of rosemary, the constant ticking of the living room clock, the wood-paneled walls all activated memories that sprung open before her like triggere...

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“Ghosts of the Past” by Lydia Moseley

Submitted to Contest #161

The wind blew softly, like a comforting breeze as I stared out at the endless horizons that lay before me. A vast space of landscape beckoned to me, and I knew my journey had only just begun. However, I also knew that the next step I took meant the beginning next and final chapter of my life. I turned back and looked at my companion, Rose. Being childhood friends, Rose was always around. She had a calming presence and a sweet but very fragile heart. She had only come on this journey because she meant to watch over her closest friend, ...

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“From the Ashes” by J.L. (Jesse) DuRona

Submitted to Contest #161

It took Curt forever to figure out how to pull his TV away from the wall, and the cords were so tight that they kept coming undone as he worked. He cursed and panted, the agony in his back at a solid seven. All this bending and wrenching was a young man’s game, and he hadn’t been a young man for a long time. “You’re not gonna have a heart attack, are you?” Abra, his daughter, was slumped on the sofa. Her thick-black eyeliner, dark clothes and purple-streaked hair made her look like an extra in a Slop Bucket music video, not that she’...

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“Deep Breaths” by Adelina Laffitte

Submitted to Contest #161

I am absolutely SICK of this. I sit in the corner of my dim cell glaring at the creature blocking my path. The door to my cell is open, and it always has been ever since I first got myself stuck here about a decade ago. I have tried many times to get out, don’t get me wrong, but this stupid horror keeps me from succeeding. It has the form of a tall skinny human covered in pitch black, void of any facial features except for two sharp horns protruding from either side of its head and a huge, wide smile that reaches from ear to ear with a snake...

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“The Secret” by Nancy McAuley

Submitted to Contest #161

nancy@page255.com (913) 707-6766 The Secret Nancy McAuley September 2, 2022 The Secret Memaw insisted that we celebrate her birthday at the farmhouse, where she and Pops had lived for fifty-two years of their marriage. Memaw had lived there her entire life. She received the house as a wedding gift from her parents, who moved to a smaller home. Mom wanted to celebrate at our house. She said it would be much easier than carrying the food, cake, and gifts to the farm. Uncle Don would be there al...

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$250

Prize money

241

Contest entries

125

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 02, 2022 EST

Won by Marty B 🏆

Title: Long Distance Phone Call

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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