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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#179: Levelling Up

New Year's Eve is a time for celebration, but it also marks a watershed. If there's something you've been wanting to achieve, but haven't quite found the time (or willpower) to make happen, the start of a new year can be the perfect moment to turn over a new leaf.

This week's prompts are all in the spirit of progress. Whether your characters are starting an entirely new life, or are making a tiny shift in the pursuit of happiness, it's time for change. And if your New Year's resolution involves getting back into your writing routine after the holiday haze, we hope they'll provide ample inspiration to jumpstart your creativity. We'll see you in 2023!

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone making a vision board.

Adults – 17 stories

Write a story in the form of a list of New Year's resolutions.

Holiday – 38 stories

Your character always makes the same promise; to change. Will they finally make it happen this time?

Angst – 44 stories

Write a story about someone scrambling on New Year's Eve to fulfil their resolutions for the entire year before the clock strikes twelve.

Funny – 28 stories

End your story with a kiss at midnight.

Romance – 73 stories

Stories

“The Last Kiss” by Anna Weinel

Submitted to Contest #179

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The sounds of seconds passing on the clock echoed in her head as Grace sat on the hard, fake leather chair and gently rubber her mother’s hand. The constant beeping and buzzing of alarms and machines had become a blur, back ground noise like constant chatter in a crowded bar. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep, but she was scared to even close her eyes long enough to blink. Grace couldn’t imagine life without her mother. Every memory she had...

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“New Year's resolution Kiss” by Richard Kroyer

Submitted to Contest #179

New Year's resolution Kiss With a bag over his shoulder, Dave walked into the coffee shop he'd been visiting for years. Greeted by the owner, "Hey Dave, good morning. It's December 31. What's your resolution?" Smiling, Dave said, "Good morning! I don't usually make resolutions. I have enough distractions without fabricating more." "I hear you. I'll get your coffee started." Returning to the conversation about the coming year, "It seems that resolutions could be about generating wistful hopes rather than looking sincerely at how an individual...

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“A New Year's Why” by Matt Norris

Submitted to Contest #179

Adam sat in the room which would be claustrophobic for anyone larger than a small child. His head cradled by cold bars as he stared into nothing. The room was dark but not dark enough to keep Adam from staring into bitter darkness. From the perspective of an outsider he seemed paralyzed without thought, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The year had come and gone, and it was eventful, it was something. Yet he wasn’t thinking about the past year, he reflected on the last three. He still had difficulty understanding how h...

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“Take Your Resolutions Seriously, Lest It Turn Into Something Unpleasant” by Noa L

Submitted to Contest #179

Last year, when I had sat down with my family and we'd written down our resolutions, I took it as seriously as I had every year before that. Meaning, I didn't care whatsoever. I wrote down a few things, some simple, some funny, and a few more serious, but I never expected myself to actually act on what I had written down. But now that it's New Years Eve I can't get over the incredibly intense feeling of anxiety that is filling me with the sense that if I don't complete every resolution I made for this year, something bad is going to happen. ...

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“New Year Resoultions” by Dilbert Jazz

Submitted to Contest #179

It was New Year's Eve, and Sarah was in a panic and had always been a bit of a procrastinator. She had let her lack of motivation hold her back in the past. But this year, she had made a list of resolutions at the beginning of the year and had vowed to accomplish them all before the clock struck twelve on New Year's Eve. As the day went on, Sarah realized that she had only completed a fraction of what she had set out to do. She had wanted to learn a new language, volunteer at a local shelter, and start her own business, but she had barely ma...

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“LET IT RIDE!” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #179

Poetry is a beloved literary genre that utilizes the hidden beauty of language to express certain prosaic truths and morals. From Wikipedia, poetry is “a form of literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm.” Although poetry has existed since prehistoric times and has been cherished by many, it is not everyone’s cup of tea (if you would allow the poetic license). Some people find poetry rather silly. And then...

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“Kiss at Midnight” by Dilbert Jazz

Submitted to Contest #179

As the night of the New Year's Eve party approached, Jessica couldn't help but feel excited. She had been looking forward to this evening for weeks and was determined to make the most of it. She spent hours preparing, carefully styling her long, brown hair, and applying the perfect shade of lipstick. She had put a lot of thought into her outfit, wanting to look her best for the party. She had finally settled on a shimmering silver dress that she knew would make her stand out in the crowd. She paired the dress with her favorite pair of heels ...

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“Graveyard Swirls” by Jeffery Young

Submitted to Contest #179

“Hey! What’re you doing out here?!” “It’s just me. Don’t worry, Fred.” “Oh! Mr. Jamie.” The old grave keeper appeared from behind a great tombstone, dimming his lantern-light so as not to blind me. “It’s been quite a while since our last chat, friend.” “Exactly a year,” I responded, pulling myself from my spot on the ground, standing and extending my hand. He took it, greeting me merrily. “I’m glad to see you, Mr. Jamie. How has your year been?” He gave me a near-toothless grin. His coat looked too thin, draping down like a robe ar...

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“The Tolling Bell” by Douglas W. Carr

Submitted to Contest #179

Daryl was on the phone with his wife’s brother, and they were discussing the value of a particular handgun. He jotted down some notes and agreed to do a little research. Then his brother-in-law abruptly changed the subject and asked, “You guys want to come over here tomorrow for New Year’s Eve?” Caught off guard, Daryl stumbled his words not knowing if his wife had already made plans. “Um, I’m not sure. I’d have to see what your sister has planned if anything.” “How about we let our wives figure it out?” replied his brother-in-law. “Bette...

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“New Year's Promise” by Aurora Martin

Submitted to Contest #179

Secretly dating is considered cute but concerning. Secretly dating someone from another kingdom is considered star crossed lovers. Secretly dating the princess of said foreign kingdom while no one knows you’re one of the princes of the opposite kingdom on the other side of the map is considered foolish, reckless, and likely to get you killed. Collin Rakin Junior, or more commonly called “Collin Kin”, was fully aware of how stupid the heart could be at times. It was one of the things that screwed over his life after all, though not usually h...

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“No Strings Attached ” by Travis Hitchcock

Submitted to Contest #179

CW: Sexual themes, strong language. December 20th. A message arrived. “Where do you stand on a night of sex, no strings attached?” Kitty’s words leapt from the screen and into Adam’s eyes, where they danced a jig. He blinked, expelling the dancing words. He looked back at the screen. The words were still there, fixed in place, not dancing at all. Adam had known Kitty for nearly ten years now. They met at school. They were in the same Maths class. Kitty was good at maths. Adam was not. He used to watch in awe as she solved compl...

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“Fireworks” by Jesse Glover

Submitted to Contest #179

The holiday season is always difficult for me, but this year was worse. My family’s gone, my friends are far away, and this city is filled with no one but strangers. And yet there I was, nursing an overpriced, colourful drink in the corner of a crowded bar, sitting at a table far too large for one. As I watched people celebrate I wondered how did I get here? Well, actually, I knew the answer to that. You know when your apartment stops becoming a haven from the outside world and instead turns into a constant reminder of your isolation? Yo...

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“Mosaic into another forest” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #179

-"I don't make resolutions." she says dreamily to herself, "That only betrays that we expect that the paths we've walked in the past year will be the same ones we're going to take in the next. Or at least the fear of it. That is probably why we are not able to keep them. Fear is a bad motivator. At least for me anyway." -No resolutions," I say softly, "but intentions perhaps?" She shakes her head resolutely, sinks back on the couch, and puts one arm under her head. -"I remap." she says, staring at the ceiling. "I paint a mosaic that runs in ...

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“Before The Stroke Of Twelve” by Christina Dearman

Submitted to Contest #179

Why are they on fire? Luke thought. The sky was a funny black color and all the people around didn’t have faces but he was sure he knew them from somewhere.“Someone help! The Styrofoam puppies are on fire!” Luke screamed. Hang on… why are there Styrofoam puppies? Luke thought. Something wasn’t right, none of this made any sense at all. I have to put them out before they die! Luke reasoned desperately. I know, I’ll cover them with all this shredded lettuce!Frantically Luke ran to the large taco bar buffet on the side of the road and started t...

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“The Gondolier” by Melissa Rea

Submitted to Contest #179

Amanda didn’t really want to drown herself in one of the lovely canals of Venice, but the pain in her heart felt as if it might tear her in two. How could she have been so stupid? Sitting beside the Grand Canal had always been her dream. This last evening of the year, with the setting sun painting the bobbing gondolas silver in its fading light, she could no longer see the beauty. “Another cappuccino, Senora?” said the waiter in his gleaming white jacket and black tie. “Sure.” Did calories really matter to her anymore? ...

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$250

Prize money

200

Contest entries

103

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 06, 2023 EST

Won by Saeda Rose 🏆

Title: Resolute

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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