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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

“The Ghost of a Smile” by Cate Stamper

Submitted to Contest #161

There are a lot of things I wish I knew about death before it hit me. Like how the pain you felt right before just suddenly fades away. Or how you really do get this sense of peace and understanding when you go. Or how you can become a ghost. Being a ghost is not exactly something I would recommend, however. Because you don’t get to move on from the people you love. Because they aren’t gone to you. Sure, you can’t interact with them anymore, but you still get to watch them. I get to watch her eyes flutter open in the morning like they did wh...

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“BEYOND PARDON” by Betty Afi E.

Submitted to Contest #161

For most of my life,from up here, a half mile above the earth where everything once looked perfect to me. I stared at the clock “Tik Tok”,it was loud; followed an order like fine lyrics of one's favorite song. I curled myself up into a ball, covering myself with the resplendent mustard duvet reminiscing,reminiscing memories from the past. I wish I could relive those brief years of infancy and childhood of flying the kites so high and determined, like it was the most thrilling activity to ever do instead of reading the expensive b...

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“No post today” by Ole Whitehall

Submitted to Contest #161

Steph was busy working in her home office when she heard the annoying ding of the ring doorbell. The postman had already been, so Steph assumed it must be Tim or Pam from the cottage, just up the driveway. They didn't have a letterbox, so all their post and deliveries came to the main house.Tim and Pam had been faultless tenants for years and were a respectable, retired couple with lots of time on their hands. Tim and Pam loved to talk, and they were quite the double act after 55 years of happy marriage, demonstrated by freque...

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“Mascara, Heels and Heroin” by T.S.A. Maiven

Submitted to Contest #161

(Trigger Warning: Strong language, Drug use, Abuse) Five-inch-high stiletto boots, bright white, over the knee, click clacked shamelessly. The shapely legs that filled them belonged to Maryann. She spilled out of the dressing room into the dimly lit club like she owned it. Her outfit left little to the imagination. A halter top that accentuated her cleavage while showing off her belly was black, shiny, and appeared to be painted on her. Her skirt followed suit with just enough fabric to barely cover her curvy, muscular behind. The black li...

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“The banyan tree swing” by Gayathri Sampath

Submitted to Contest #161

A small dust cloud enveloped the road as the slow-moving truck lumbered down the rain-parched part tar part mud road. Chennai municipality had long forgotten about its electoral promises! A silver Toyota Innova followed behind the truck at a sedate pace. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the road was free of the usual school bus traffic. It stopped in front of an old but well-maintained house surrounded by tall mango and coconut trees. There was a majestic banyan tree to the side of the house, its drooping vines casting a benign shadow. Aromati...

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“A Locket” by Paul Alberts

Submitted to Contest #161

The setting sun reminded me to sit to rest, and I let myself collapse onto a nearby curb. I’d nearly forgotten what I was walking for, my feet blistered, having memorised the long path home so that I didn’t have to myself.I pulled a chain from my inside jacket pocket, the metal locket at its end smooth and cold against my hand, hooked onto a piece of loose thread so that I had to pause to tug it free. Absentmindedly, just while I sat and let myself breathe, I thumbed the curve of the locket’s surface; a self soothing motion I supposed.I put ...

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“Dream A Little Dream Of Me” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #161

CW: allusions to death The airport was bright and busy with holiday traffic. I tapped my foot anxiously on the 80s blue carpet of the plane. The seatbelt light remained glowing in a dingy yellow. Sighs of exasperation were punctured by cries of the baby at the back. I contemplated popping my earbuds back in, at the risk of missing the all important announcement that we could finally deboard. For the fiftieth time on this flight, I opened social media, scrolled through the headlines I’d read a million times, and closed it with frustration.&...

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“Wedding Speech.” by Mel Dingwall

Submitted to Contest #161

Contains some swearing and mild violence.Sarah tapped a fork against her champagne glass, toppling it over.“I’d like to say something.” She stood up, stumbled and caught herself on her mother’s shoulder. “Not now Sarah.” hissed her mother, Claire. “This is your sister’s special day.” “What? I’m…I’m great at making speeches.” Sarah slurred, adjusting the strap of her bridesmaid dress. She held up a now empty glass and looked down the head table at her sister.“I’d like to make a toast. To Fiona and Brad. What a beautiful co...

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“Red String” by Madison Marvin

Submitted to Contest #161

My favourite Chinese myth is the one about how we all have red strings of fate connecting us to our loved ones, and that no matter what, no matter where we are, we are always tied together. The threads can tangle but will never break, and will keep us connected even through death. I’ve always loved that idea, of fate. It’s comforting. It makes me think that maybe I still have ties somewhere to my birth family. It makes me feel like maybe I have been connected to my adopted family from the beginning, like I was always meant to be theirs and t...

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“Love Outweighs Genes” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #161

Marcie pats Tom on the back. “There there,” she says. His coughing fits have become worse and worse. They had moved Tom out of the hospital and back home once they realized there was not much more they could do for him. The cancer had spread and it was out of the doctor’s control. The first, second, and third opinions agreed he didn’t have much longer. The final doctor suggested to Marcie that he would be more comfortable at home. They set up a hospital bed in the small crowded living room le...

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“I Talked To Myself” by T. S. Memory

Submitted to Contest #161

Jane left her apartment and approached the lift, praying along the way that her guest would listen and stay in the bedroom. Jane offered to get some food for them, even though she knew it was more an excuse to get out of the house. Had she stayed, the argument would likely have escalated, and the yelling was sure to attract unwanted attention. Her younger self was in her apartment. Her pregnant, 18-year-old, flesh and blood self was in her apartment. Her hair, her clothes, and especially the look on her face, Jane was a hundred percent su...

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“After the Storm” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #161

“It is no secret that Vulane’s finances were formidable,” the little creature said in his smart suit and glasses as he stood in the glorious Palace of Peace. “I am confident in saying that Vulane has at least twenty percent of all wealth in the world stored within its various accounts, buildings, and undiscovered cave systems.” The audience in attendance gasped. When the tribunal suddenly erupted in ‘debate’ over which country could claim the fallen state of Vulane as their own, Tys’s ringed tail retracted and poofed up as he sat down. Tys...

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“Spider-tailed Viper” by Alexander Brotherton

Submitted to Contest #161

Growing up in a family of hunters was the best place for someone like me. I was destined to be a hunter. My parents thought so too. Dad’s side has a tradition of waiting to see the child before deciding on a name. First time my mom held me and looked into my eyes she said, “This boy’s a Hunter.” At least that’s what I was told. I wasn’t there. My parents were moral hunters. Skill-wise they were amazing. They took the time to teach me how to kill anything painlessly, and explained how it’s sin to do otherwise. “If animals don’t torment thei...

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“Walking to a Special Place” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #161

Bob, A New Employee Asks a Question “Where is the boss going? I just saw him rush out the front door of the building, and head down the road somewhere.” “You’re new here, aren’t you, Bob? You don’t know about the boss’ walks to his special place. He goes there whenever he has a hard time resolving some problem or other. He will come back when it is resolved. It seems to work every time.&...

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“Cats and Snow” by Ron Smith

Submitted to Contest #161

It was an overcast snowy Tuesday morning when Calvin slipped into his old work boots to go out to the barn and check on the cat and her new kittens. With coffee in one hand and an open carton of Half-and-Half in the other, he wandered across the yard, muttering obscenities about the chilly weather. Mother Nature had quietly dropped a six-inch blanket of snow overnight, a much-needed round of precipitation, and beautiful scenery for those people who may have been in a decent mood and had no place to go. Calvin was not one of th...

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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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