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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#190: Eras

To quote Brooklyn 99, Taylor Swift “makes all of us feel things.” With her honest and reflective accounts of growing up and searching for yourself and your place in the world, she’s managed to trace her remarkable coming-of-age arc in a way that millions of people can still relate to.

This week, let’s remember what growing up feels like, or take inspiration from Taylor Swift’s master storytelling to come up with a new story. But remember — using lyrics isn’t allowed!

This week's prompts

Start a story that begins with a character saying “Speak now.”

Dialogue – 86 stories

Write about someone who decides to make their own version of something old.

Character – 36 stories

Set your story in New York, where someone’s been waiting for your character.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write a story about a fandom

Funny – 27 stories

Start your story with someone vowing to take revenge.

Dark – 62 stories

Stories

“Éatan´s revenge” by Paula Bissoni

Submitted to Contest #190

"I will not rest until I avenge my family's honor," vowed young Éatan, his fists clenched in anger. He had lost his parents and younger sister to a brutal attack by a rival clan. His hatred for them had grown with each passing day, and as he stood at their graves, he made a vow to himself - that he would make them pay for the blood they had spilled. Éatan was ten years old when the massacre happened, and he only survived because they thought he was dead as he passed out after a head trauma and almost bled to death. Some of the elderly and wo...

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“The Ice Man's Revenge ” by Alex Solomon

Submitted to Contest #190

The Ice Man's Revenge Betty's lip quivered and her shoulders sagged, "you're breaking up with me?" John could sense the tears. Why must there always be waterworks? He could also sense the prying eyes of the nosy cafe customers and staff alike. John spotted a chubby bearded man craning his neck, greedily eavesdropping while he slurped an iced coffee. John clears his throat and simply says, "yes." Water streams down her face so powerfully that John thought she must have a sprinkler behind her eyes. He couldn...

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“The Pizza Thief” by MJ Simons

Submitted to Contest #190

“I will get my revenge,” Celeste vowed. She carefully planned ahead, knowing sometimes he could be shameless.Earlier that night…They both sat on their plush sofa. It was Friday, pizza night. Watching whatever was the latest show on Netflix. She had just returned from picking up the pizza on her way home from work. Max greeted her when she returned home, and they both eagerly went to the sofa to enjoy the delicious pizza pie. His diet wouldn’t allow him to enjoy the pizza. She tried to entice him with something else for dinner, but his eyes l...

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“Leap Day” by Laura Pasek

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now,” Papa said after I gulped down my third glass of water. My throat was dry, and I had woken up for probably the third time in an hour needing to pee. The situation had gotten so bad that my dad pulled the couch next to the bathroom door since I was too tired to go down the stairs every time I needed to use the bathroom. My dad's girlfriend Ming kept giving me little sugar pills, insisting that it was some holistic medication that would help whatever my ailment was. “Papa,” I squeaked. “I really need to see the doctor.” I b...

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“Moist Words” by Space Writer

Submitted to Contest #190

Note: this story mentions a sexual assault attempt and gun violence "Speak now, if you will, milady, lest your lips remain parched for moist words". Julianna rolled her eyes at Roosevelt Brown. Roosevelt, or ‘Big Ro’ as he was called by his friends, was a 17-year-old junior that had been hounding Julianna for a date since last semester. Roosevelt transferred into Julianna's high school the previous year. He wasn’t shy about letting her know how he felt about her. Julianna did not share the sentiment. They didn't have any classes toget...

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“Forever Hold Your Peace” by L.J Sunwing

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now or forever hold your peace,” the phrase echoes from the mouth of the minister through the sanctuary and pins off of Jean’s ears. The common words sit on top of the audience like fishing lewer upon the water, waiting for someone to reveal the inevitable flaw of the union-to-be. A small seemed to notice the red flag and see it clearly, but the girl stayed silent. She watched as the vows were spoken in cheer, and several audience members' faces grew grim. [...] Early before the service, Jean paced through the back hallway of the...

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“"I Love You"” by Giselle M

Submitted to Contest #190

Speak now,” he says after slamming the door and getting into the driver’s seat. He was waiting for an explanation for my actions. An explanation that I did not have. He probably thought if we were alone, I would explain it to him, why I ruined his date. It made no difference alone or in a room full of people. I do not speak; I remain silent as the events of this evening flood my brain. We were sitting in his car outside my restaurant where I worked. I had no right to do the things I did. How could I ruin his day and expect no consequences. “...

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“The Voice of Many” by Brandon Tucker

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now.” The antechamber echoed with a brass tone; chimes strewn across the floor still held their tune. Wiry hands now found their way to the boy beneath them. “You have been given an order boy, speak now.” “You would have me speak for what? You have heard my voice and seen what it can do.” The hands gained weight, pushing painfully now into the boy’s shoulders. Groaning in disgust, the man turns to the door behind them, the gold lacquer on the handle worn to brass. “I would have you speak only to ass...

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“Jumping Off the Diving Board” by Kristin Johnson

Submitted to Contest #190

Note: Written with input from Taylor Swift superfan Kathryn Berenbaum. “Speak now, or forever hold your peace,” the preacher said. I stood frozen in the back of the church looking at the man of my dreams dressed up in a tuxedo that he probably rented. The girl beside him, in the super-frilly bridal gown, didn’t know that he probably rented the tux because he just would have wanted a nice suit. Or his best pair of jeans. He certainly didn’t want three hundred people and eight bridesmaids that he had to pretend he cared about. All he wante...

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“Ethel's Final Day” by Portia Zeiger

Submitted to Contest #190

CW: religious abuse, physical violence “Speak, now.” John Greene, father of Ethel Greene, was in the middle of a very hot-blooded conversation with his daughter about her recent shortcomings. Ethel, according to the rest of her family, has always been the “problem child” - but this recent discovery was too much on her fathers psyche. John had spent the last couple hours expressing the anger towards his eldest, switching between smacking her with a belt and reading the Holy Scriptures. His child, sitting on her knees with the Bible in her...

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“The Rainbow Sweater” by Ariel Lunsford

Submitted to Contest #190

Mr. Gregson shuffled into the window-lit house. Yellow walls reflected light around the kitchen where he set down his duffle bag. He paused, breathing in the still and familiar air. His fingers rubbed at his shadowed eyes. It had been a long week. Crumpled blankets and pillows lay strewn across the living room floor. On the coffee table, an open sleeve of cookies sat next to two water glasses. A picture frame lay on the carpet where it had fallen a few days before. A pile of assorted yarn sat on the kitchen table. Feeling slightly d...

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“eBay...Where retro items go to be reborn” by Space Writer

Submitted to Contest #190

Ginger Mavis was a STEM geek. Her first invention came at the age of 8 when she somehow rewired the doorbell to ring whenever the ice cream truck was ten houses away. She had timed herself to see how long it took her to make it outside by the time she heard the carnival music of the truck playing. It was roughly ten houses. Her father was perplexed when the doorbell suddenly stopped ringing. He was equally dumbfounded when the doorbell rang randomly between five and six o'clock every evening. The jig was up when the neighbor down the s...

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“Aset” by Tiffany Epstein

Submitted to Contest #190

She was an Egyptian goddess Aset. Many pronounce her name wrong. She is from long long ago. Times were different then. She can’t tell their secrets to life and death but offers clues and hints to me. She is one of my guardians. I have many of them. Old and new. Times are rapidly changing and One needs be on guard. There are many evils in this world trying to make the humans die faster. From what I gather the faster the evil kills you the longer the wait into heaven. If you call the afterlife that. It has many names and many different stories...

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“A Slightly Damaged Pitcher” by Madlyn Springston

Submitted to Contest #190

The day the pitcher narrowly escaped being smashed to bits, I decided it was time to retire it to my display cabinet. The teal blue container full of pens, pencils, scissors, and whatnot, had lived on my kitchen counter for so long, I barely noticed it anymore—until my careless elbow sent it tumbling over the edge. That slow-motion moment stabbed my heart with a panicky sense of loss. But the clatter that followed turned out to be only the contents spilling on the floor. I picked up the pitcher and tenderly placed my thumb against the f...

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“What You Would Do for an Audience” by Nathaniel Miller

Submitted to Contest #190

Painfully nostalgic paradise presses in on you from all sides; with the same thoughtless repetition as the waves, you ask why you’d even take the time to come here without her. The Jamaican sun beams from its high perch, warmly penetrating your skin that you know is in need of sun; the teal waves lap at your feet, cooling them with refreshing playfulness; the air is thick with the smell of salt, a beach hallmark you’ve long craved. But everything could just as well be a monotone, texture-absent gray. Your eyes—no, your whole body—remain cold...

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$250

Prize money

250

Contest entries

114

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 24, 2023 EST

Won by Éan Bird 🏆

Title: Dear Coldplay, I Love You. Wait. Scratch That.

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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