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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#17: All the Fixin's

Next weekend is Thanksgiving in the United States! And while people have their own various traditions when it comes to marking the holiday, one thing remains fairly consistent: you get together with loved ones and you eat.

And in between mouthfuls, you talk! In fact, dinner conversation can be an excellent and overflowing source of writing inspiration — from family dynamics and long-observed dinner-time rituals, to new-comer partners meeting the family for the first time. A family dinner can truly be mapped out using a story structure: with a beginning, followed by rising action, peaking with a climax, and then wrapping up with a denouement.

This week, each of our prompts challenges you to write a short story involving a family dinner.

P.S – Know some kiddos who will be excited to do some reading over the holidays? Check out this list of the 35 best Thanksgiving books to read with kids.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a family dinner from the perspective of an in-law who's married into the family.

Thanksgiving – 33 stories

Write a story about a family dinner that includes someone unexpected showing up.

Thanksgiving – 80 stories

Write a story about a "chosen family" dinner, where no one is related by blood, but they still feel like family.

Holiday – 40 stories

Write a story about a family dinner that takes place in any time period other than the present.

Historical Fiction – 30 stories

Write a story about a family dinner that involves some kind of reconciliation.

Nonfiction – 30 stories

Stories

“Crowded Solitude” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #17

The last box unpacked. He displayed the last toy on a storage box he’d flipped over for a table and plopped on the chaise lounge in his living room. “Finally, peace.”A woman’s scream — a gunshot. Miles leaped out of the chaise lounge and cracked the curtains open. People laughing and splashing in the swimming pool of the Purple Pelican Apartments. A soft tap on the front door snapped him away from the curtain. He inched the door open and found a woman in her thirties balancing a covered dish. “Happy Thanksgiving, neighbor, I’m Cassandra, but...

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“Free and Home at Last” by Dani Wolfe

Submitted to Contest #17

Dear Diary, Today marks day 1098 since I had come out as transgender to my mother and father. While it didn’t go as I planned, I was happy that they decided to invite me home for the holidays. It means a lot to me that they still see me as their child. I am not their daughter anymore, but their son. I hope they can see that now. It took so long for me to accept this fact for myself, so I knew that it wasn’t going to be the easiest thing for them. But did it excuse them for kicking me out of the house? No. Did it excuse them for calling...

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“Home for the Holidays” by Harmony Tango

Submitted to Contest #17

"Stay in here and don't come out." My brother-in-law herded his wife, my son and I into the used-to-be garage. The door clicked shut and we locked the door behind him. My sister-in-law's light blue eyes met mine in wide awareness and disbelief. "What do we do now?" she whispered. I shrugged as best I could with my wiggly toddler on my hip. "Down," he said. "Not right now, Monkey. Stay with Mama." I nuzzled his soft shaggy blond hair with my cheek. What do we do now? I wondered. Face to face and the kid betw...

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“Not a Mama's Boy” by Karen Waugh

Submitted to Contest #17

I feel like Dorothy in the Oz movie and this isn't Kansas anymore. It's San Diego and one of the munchkins is under my mother-in-laws dinner table right now. She's talking in a feline language to a rambunctious cat that has a borderline personality disorder and the cat isn't going to budge."Sarah, get that cat away from the dinner table." Mrs. Jackson yells.The little munchkin is Sara, all of 6-years old, and she's talking the furry cat into her arms. I'm hyperventilating and politely sneezing at the table. I whisper in Daniel's ear and remi...

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“Kate from Canada” by Ashley Frerichs

Submitted to Contest #17

It’s odd. We speak the same language, we share the same Queen, but this country feels like a different planet. Everything is huge. The food portions, the cars, even the people seem bigger. Not fatter, necessarily. We have fat people in England, too. Just… louder. She swears she’s not American, but it all feels very American to me. But I guess it’s the red checkered flannel, the hockey caps, and the mandatory runs to Tim Horton’s that set them apart. Oh, and the lack of guns. She’s lucky I love her. I left my sophisticated, history-rich coun...

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“family Dinner” by Ivania Moreno Palomar

Submitted to Contest #17

The house was already bustling. There wasn't a moment of silence. The younger nieces and nephews were running after the family cat, Garfield, who's name strangely fit considering the resemblance to the actual orange feline from the comics. Thomas's mother and grandmother, were in the kitchen making tamales while trying to teach his little sister how to correctly distribute the masa on the corn husks. She had just turned 15 last week and was still coming off of her quinceanera high, not really showing that she cared but still retaining all ti...

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“Pumpkin Pie” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #17

“What are you thankful for Kai?” Kai was quiet. He was used to Thanksgiving. He had lived in the States all his life and had experienced Thanksgiving before. He loved gorging himself on the turkey and mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts, bread and butter, and pie. Oh, Kai loved pie. Sweet and crunchy pecan, sour lemon meringue, creamy cheesecake, old-fashioned pumpkin. He loved all the foods, but the pie was his favorite. However, Kai had never really liked Thanksgiving. He never had. For him, it meant eating at...

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“Golden Rule” by Annie Kirkpatrick

Submitted to Contest #17

The moment Mr. Walker said,”amen,” everyone at the narrow dining table fell into a quiet rhythm. Cut. Bite. Drink.“Jenny, will you pass the salt?”Cut. Bite. Drink.“Little hot in here.”Cut. Bite. Drink.“Excuse me.”Cut. Bite. Stab.“Turkey’s dry.” Mrs. Walker’s fork scraped her plate as Jenny took a long swig of water. I leaned over to Jacob.“Was it a fight,” I whispered.“War,” he answered, then swallowed a bite of dressing. I fumbled with the potatoes on my plate and kept my eyes low. Jacob had warned me of the hostility in his family tha...

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“Preparing For Thanksgiving ” by Courtney Slee

Submitted to Contest #17

Hello there! My name is Alice. I arrived in America today at daybreak. The sunrise here in America is so pretty. I went to England to get my family. Father says we will be having something called Thanksgiving. He said we have to prepare a whole bunch of foods. I am still kinda surprised my father likes to cook, normally most men put it all up to their wives. My mother the main cook of the family was washing and preparing potatoes along with my grandmother. My brother and father went out to get a turkey, they have to hunt and kill it. I...

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“Cuts” by Mike Garrigan

Submitted to Contest #17

My mother sliced the turkey’s breast with the Ginsu knife that my father bought for her last Christmas. A Ginsu knife can cut through a tin can like butter. Last year, on that Christmas morning, right after she ripped open the wrapping paper and saw what Dad had given her, she said, “Oh, Phil, you must trust me!” Dad had a good laugh. Mom sipped her Bloody Mary and gave my dad a look, one that I can only describe as “Ick.” While carving the turkey, my mother paused and took a sip of wine. My father sat at then end of the table, his fing...

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“Where Have You Been?” by Dianne Bramble

Submitted to Contest #17

It was a beautiful fall day in Toronto. As happened every year, the whole family was getting together for Thanksgiving. It was Maggie's favourite time of year.She was busy cleaning her house, which had been her parents’, and preparing the turkey. Other family members were bringing the rest of the meal and she was eagerly anticipating their contributions. Everyone was coming this year and she was the happiest she'd been in a long time. It had taken her many years to be able to enjoy this day as her twin brother, Mark had disappeared on a day ...

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“Daath comes calling” by PETER Inserra

Submitted to Contest #17

A pre-winter storm blew into Aston Ville that Thanksgiving, expectedly so, which meant no one was taken aback by it and densely populated the Royce residence for the annual gathering of friends and family to gorge on Master Charles’ bountiful feast. Charles, being the wealthiest person in Aston Ville, always went all out for the holiday and all who attended gave him many thanks in return. Most of Charles’ employees assisted at the feast and in turn were treated most generously...

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“I Know Them” by Warren Humphries

Submitted to Contest #17

My family of five hadn't had a Thanksgiving dinner together in three years. This year we will all be together which I can't say is great because we don't do anything as a family that turns out good.I think this Thanksgiving meal will be different. I invited Thelma.None of my family knew Thelma or have ever seen her. I knew her. Well for the others in the family they have "seen" her but not as a real person with feelings, wants, and desires like the rest of us. Probably at one time or another I figured they all have passed by her, maybe even...

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“A clown” by Joan Opoyi

Submitted to Contest #17

Family dinner was bound to happen as everything was well set up on that day of Saturday. After a long time, not being able to set my eyes on my family, my joy couldn't be expressed. I felt like just jumping to the middle of the street and scream all my voice out.Harry was my only son, at that moment he wasn't in the house but had gone to play football all alone in a lonely field. He never noticed how fast time went, looking on his wrist watch that he had to hurry up to get home in time. Through the quiet cemetery, walking in fear with no on...

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“Thanksgiving Interrupted” by ALLISON FRANCIS

Submitted to Contest #17

My family gathered around the illuminated table that steamed with the fresh smells of roasted turkey and a hint of garlic. This was the first Thanksgiving I had hosted in my new house which I had purchased this past summer after years of saving every penny. I let myself smile after hours of hard work in the kitchen with my mother preparing everything for the appearance of my sister and father. I like to stay humble, but I had to give myself this one moment of pride as my sisters face lit up as she walked t...

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$50

Prize money

213

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 29, 2019 EST

Won by Ian Gonzales 🏆

Title: No Place Special

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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