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!

#175: Pitching In

With thousands of yearly participants from around the globe, our contest has grown into one of the largest writing communities in the world. We’re very proud of it, and we couldn’t be more excited to see it grow further. But all this would be impossible without the help of our Reedsy Prompts judges, who generously dedicate their time and expertise to review story submissions and keep this community thriving (if you fancy joining them, by the way, you can!).

To celebrate their work, this week’s prompts are a love letter to the everyday heroes who are chipping in, helping out, and lending their skills to their community.

This week's prompts

Start your story with two people planting a tree together.

Short Story – 50 stories

Write a story about someone who volunteers to read for others at the local library, and how it impacts their community.

Adults – 22 stories

Write about a character who discovers something while raking leaves in their neighborhood.

Mystery – 40 stories

Write about a professional who is called back to serve their community after retirement.

Character – 17 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Thank you for that.”

Dialogue – 47 stories

Stories

“From Seeds of the Great Oak” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #175

From seeds of the Great Oak With every grade advancement, my daughter’s homework challenges me as much as her. Now in Science class, they are learning about plants; we will research the oak tree for her project. Wow, in Virginia alone grows, 139 variations. The oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus (stone oaks), as well as in those of unrelated species such as G...

Read story

“She Killed ” by Rachyl Gardner

Submitted to Contest #175

The iron bars were cold, the mattress thin, and the smell putrid. How I ended up in the confines of this jail cell is a long, exhausting story that begins with Kate Myers. I hate Kate Myers, she killed my big brother, so in return, I killed her. The mystery of his death lasted over a decade long, reports were made and suspects were interviewed, still the long investigation ended inconclusively. No one paid for this crime. The trail went cold and my big brother was nowhere to be found, but I know what happened, I was there. A tall, tan, brown...

Read story

“Reflections” by Marc Saunders

Submitted to Contest #175

The dome towered over them by what felt like miles, the steel and trans-para-steel created the structure, it reflected the light from the nearby sun, but blocked the harmful rays. Tom and Lyisa walked through the recently completed structure taking in the fresh steely smell, ‘I would say it smells like a new car, but it really does not,’ Tom said, Lyisa turned to him in her usual, REALLY, look and smiled, ‘We need to plan this right, the garden needs to incorporate as much as we can.’ ‘Where shall we start, there is so much space to fill, we...

Read story

“How to Brew, Serve and Drink Turkish Coffee” by Arvin Tavakkoli

Submitted to Contest #175

Turkish coffee is a relatively easy to make and delicious hot beverage. Making and drinking Turkish coffee allows you to experience a small part of an elusive and exotic culture. You are reading this because you have probably traveled to Turkey and been served Turkish coffee or want to impress your friends with your cultural literacy and coffee making skills. Whatever your reasons, I’m happy that you are reading this article and I’m sure you’ll like it because it has everything you need to know. Turkish coffee is served in many countr...

Read story

“The Mysterious Dufflebag” by Caitlin Oneill

Submitted to Contest #175

The crisp fall breeze ruffled my hair as I trudged through the thick leaf coating of my backyard. When I closed on the house this spring I hadn’t even considered the price I would pay for the glorious collection of trees that filled the lawn. Of course my father had predicted it and kindly bought me a rake for my birthday three weeks ago. He is much more practical than sentimental. Lucky for me it wasn’t cold enough for a jacket and gloves; my Hudson Valley Renegades hoodie was enough. In typical Rosalind fashion, I surve...

Read story

“The Cry of the Crow” by Rama Shaar

Submitted to Contest #175

“And how are you feeling today, Ms. Goldwell?” Joseph asked meekly. “Eh, as well as a woman with old bones can be in this horrible weather!” she coughed, not exactly looking at him. It’s all that smoking you do, he thought to himself. “Then I hope that you’ll be feeling better when I see you next Thursday,” he smiled as he bagged her groceries, “it’s supposed to be gorgeous weather all of next week!” “Ugh, don’t believe those liars!” she jerked her shopping cart, signaling she was getting impatient with all the waiting. He nodded as ...

Read story

“Mr. Noface” by Matt Allen

Submitted to Contest #175

In my business, we plant a lot of trees so to speak. Plant a lot of trees, dig a lot of holes, and work a lot of nights. This particular time we were engulfed with all three. But don’t feel bad for the departed. He was a bank manager taking from not only my boss but the customers of his bank; charging high-interest rates and skimming a 1% or 2 off the top. He deserved what happened to him. Believe it or not, planting trees is a great way to dispose of bodies. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if 50% of the trees in this development had a body...

Read story

“There's Magic in the Little Things” by Gabrielle Briana

Submitted to Contest #175

As the orange blood Moon reaches its apex in the star- kissed sky, Zilina holds her palms to the Heavens. She kneels alone in a wide clearing nestled amongst the dense trees. The flattened land is littered with the splintered remains of the trees that once stood here. Zilina whispers prayers of gratitude, harnessing the Moon’s power. I want to help. Suddenly, Zilina’s process is interrupted by the soft sound of Dollie’s voice in her head. Zilina closes her eyes to block out the distractions. Please. Zilina’s eyes fly open. She replies throug...

Read story

“Monsters of The Mist” by Simon Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #175

The night air was seeping through my skin and biting into my bones; daddy was clawing into the ground, and he stopped. He outstretched his arm and gestured to me; I handed him one of the two potted plants; the leaves radiated warm light, translucent with thread-thin veins. He told me to press my hand at the base of the tree in the dirt, and the soil was grainy yet soft and cold—pinprick massages all over the surface of my palm. Then, the leaves glowed, more radiate and wondrous. "WOW, so pretty," I said. Daddy explained what we were d...

Read story

“Ashes to Ashes” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #175

Sometimes governments do stupid things. Everyone knows they are but they abide, for whatever reason. Perhaps it’s not worth the trouble to protest. Maybe they ignore the notice and by the time they find their city or state was serious, it’s too late. So, it was with Mary Pith, when in the spring of 2002, she found workers had cut down her grapefruit tree. Without so much as a by her leave. And the excuse they gave? To stop the spread of canker. As if the yard was next to some orange grove and not in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. Althoug...

Read story

“The Magic of the Storyteller” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #175

She had heard rumors of the storyteller, but since Lydia was a cynic who does not believe in magic or miracles, she had a hard time with remaining objective when she heard people talk about Shem Bobannick. He was a street person who came into the downtown library where he spent the cold days of winter napping near the radiator of the ancient public library. Since he was usually at the door when we opened, Shem requested to volunteer to read to the young children. The children would come in for story hour, but ...

Read story

“A small favor ” by Benjamin Okojie

Submitted to Contest #175

The kids at the library all quiet down as the man begins to speak again. His voice is loud and strong, not overbearing but calming and reassuring, like a wave at the beach it’s loud but it is not screaming. Among the sea of kids, I spot my brother, his head sways, and follow the man as he reads and walks around using his whole body to tell the story. He doesn’t see me yet and I doubt he will, until the man stops talking again, but today I’m in no rush, so I’ll bite. “But I can’t save the village the boy cried to the fox,” the man reads. He t...

Read story

“The Sound of Your Voice” by Rodica D

Submitted to Contest #175

The voice was the first thing I noticed about someone. It either drew me in, or it warned me to keep a distance. I rarely interacted with people I didn’t know. It was mainly because of my reticence to be the center of attention, rather than my disability. I had learned to live in darkness from a young age. I had a handful of friends who I trusted with my life, and a few other acquaintances who I allowed close to me. Other than that, I stayed away from everyone at all costs. Holiday times were a brutal freedom from the routine of everyd...

Read story

“A Necklace in the Leaves” by Kiryn Bell

Submitted to Contest #175

It was a beautiful day. Honestly, Amelia would’ve preferred being anywhere but here right now raking leaves. Her family could have decided to go to an amusement park or to go hiking, but instead here they were. She understood that the community clean up was important but it was dreadfully boring. At least afterward there would be a fun picnic and bonfire. All these leaves and any fallen or dead trees would be placed in a massive pile and burned. The bonus of these being a community thing was that all of her friends were here. Amelia took a ...

Read story

“A seed of grief, and a seed of hope ” by Arianna Noelle

Submitted to Contest #175

(Trigger Warning: Story contains topics of death, abandonment, and drug use, as well as some cuss words.)I dug my fingers into the dirt, its moist crumble mocking my focus and distracting me from the task at hand. My pops had his hands cupped, a tiny white seed resting in his palms, still and serene. I told him he didn’t have to hold it, but he wanted to help me out, so here he sat, his beige khakis painted with mud. It was nearly triple digits outside, but his brown cheeks didn’t reveal how warm it was outside. The only indicator ...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

176

Contest entries

105

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 09, 2022 EST

Won by Elizabeth Henkel 🏆

Title: All I Want For Christmas is Fair Labor Practices

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 ⭢