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!

#191: Sakura

Spring is finally here! In Japan, the season is famously marked by the mass blooming of cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, an event so beautiful it attracts tourists from all over the world. Due to its impressive yet short-lived blooming, the flower symbolizes the fascinatingly transient nature of life — but it’s also associated with a message of renewal, and hope for the future. 


To celebrate the new season, this week’s prompts are inspired by cherry blossoms and the feelings they evoke year after year 一 we hope they’ll bloom into great stories!

This week's prompts

Start your story with your character(s) going to buy some flowers.

Spring – 78 stories

Write about a character who is starting to open up to life again.

Character – 68 stories

Write a story about a character who’s late to witness a special event.

Funny – 25 stories

Make Japan (or Japanese culture) an element of your story.

Narrative – 37 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “I feel alive.”

Dialogue – 68 stories

Stories

“Bricks” by Tom Bombadil

Submitted to Contest #191

Let us be clear: it is not their fault. Not entirely. It’s what comes of throwing darts at a world map for twelve years; of a History channel besotted with ancient aliens, buried treasure, and celebrity pawnbrokers – each, one would have thought, less likely to exist than the last; of uninspired and uninformed teaching; of an arrogant and myopic zeitgeist, glutted with adipose information, lustily discarding the common inheritance of mankind for the evening news and a bowl of red stew. My phone rings. It’s 5:15. “Mr. Delano? Yes, good mo...

6 comments 6
Read story

“These walls can see” by Jessamie R.

Submitted to Contest #191

Four panes of glass stare back at me. Their faces are darkened with rain splatters and mud from passing cars. They judge me. Judge my navy blue sweater, my grey trackpants with the coffee stains that won’t wash out. I don’t want them to.They remind me of my grandma, the way she used to slurp instant coffee from that yellow mug my brother bought her for her 86th birthday. I remember watching as quick rivers of diluted brown dodged the long white hairs on her wizened chin. I would laugh quietly as she caught the stray liquid in a bib that was ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Song of the Violinist: By Mary Palladino” by Kara Palladino

Submitted to Contest #191

“The snow falls, the wind howls, and the moon rises to console the stars.”Few could see the cold imagery of the mind. Many are blind; they ignore the inside storm. They only look at what they want to see- the outside: Vibrant colors and the melodies that the Violinist creates.In a sleepy little village some time ago, in an old cottage on the hill, there lived a man. Every soul in the village knew of this man. He would go into the less sleepy parts of town and play his violin. His playing was so entrancing that the ears that heard his song wo...

5 comments 5
Read story

“Mother's Day” by MaryJo Powrozek Rosso

Submitted to Contest #191

Sarah approached Annie’s Florals, the flower shop a few blocks’ walk from the home where she grew up. She first made this walk on Mother’s Day the year that she turned 9. With a pocket full of change that her father supplemented with a $10 bill, it was one of her earliest acts of independence. That first trip became an annual tradition and even today, 35 years later, she never missed a visit. Sarah gave the old wooden door to the shop a good shove. The humid spring air had caused it to swell. The clang of bells announced her arr...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Corner Store” by Erika Bonilla

Submitted to Contest #191

(CW: Mention of Death & Missing Person)The slight sound of a bell ringing penetrated through the ambient tune of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1, it was chirpy and brought with it a sudden gust of spring wind. The man at the counter looked up from the sixth page of a day-old newspaper just in time to see a woman that looked to be in her mid-twenties, fold her umbrella, and shake off her heeled shoes on the rain-stained Welcome carpet by the door. Her hair was dyed, the roots already having grown out enough for the bright red coloration of the b...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Two Minutes Too Late” by Amy Rosenthal

Submitted to Contest #191

As he sprinted down the street, his dress shoes slipped on the pavement and he slammed to the ground. He scrambled up, not even bothering to dust himself off. He couldn’t believe what he was doing. His lungs screamed at him for air as he heaved and gasped but he didn’t slow as he dashed down the sidewalk. He dodged among people receiving a fair amount of curses and yells in his wake.  He skidded to a halt at an intersection where cars whizzed by at top speed. He couldn’t barrel through them as much as he wanted to. He hopped from foot ...

4 comments 4
Read story

“The Right Flowers” by Tsvi Jolles

Submitted to Contest #191

Embarking on my quest for a florist at the unconventional hour of 5:00 am, I ventured into the tranquil morning, well aware that most individuals would scarcely entertain the thought of awakening at such an early time, let alone venturing out to purchase flowers.Ordinarily, flower shops would be closed at this hour. Yet, in my town, there's a well-known and eccentric florist who runs a 24/7 flower shop on a charming wagon, proudly displaying the slogan, "We're never closed for romance." But before delving into my early morning quest, I must ...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Freeing a throttled bouquet” by John Siddham

Submitted to Contest #191

Vijay pulled his car to the pavement with a grumble. The noise and chaos in the market overwhelmed him. Cars honking, carts rattling on the uneven mud pavement, motorbikes revving with fumes, and people’s loud voices filling the air. The narrow streets were packed with vendors selling their harvest. Buyers weaved their way, examining fruits and vegetables and looking for bargains. The smell of wet mud and the soil from the roots of vegetables filled the air contrasting with the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers and the aroma of ripe fruit, cr...

3 comments 3
Read story

“David is going to the shops” by Ash Egan

Submitted to Contest #191

Standing by the door, trembling, David jangles his keys in his pocket.Any minute now, he is going to step out with his head held high and a smile on his face.Julia always wanted flowers for the table on Sunday, especially since the children had left. She could do with the boost today. She'd been so listless recently, so anxious. It’s almost noon and she isn't even out of bed.He is wearing his Sunday best. A blue pin-stripe suit, freshly pressed, and black brogues polished to a reflective shine.His hair is slicked back with so much product a ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“A Twinkle in her Wrinkles.” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #191

Bubbly Vivi had made it to her tertiary college. She was so thrilled, now she could have some freedoms, leaving school days behind her. Vivi was looking forward to learning new subjects, she planned to study Maths, and become a teacher herself. Her parents wanted her to follow the straight and narrow, so she joined a Bible studies group of undergraduates. Their little church chapter met weekly at lunchtimes, Vivi soon made friends. What could go wrong? They were all young Christians, following in God's way, the new adults of society. Sebast...

2 comments 2
Read story

“MY LIFE IS MINE AGAIN” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #191

Life brings you unexpected things. Some of it is good and others can turn your life upside down. Then you spend many years trying to get your life back together. You succeed for the most part but you want more out of life. You want to blossom like the cherry blossoms you see blooming all around you. You want your life to begin again. You are open to it. How do you live again? My name is Molly and for the last decade I've been struggling with survivor's guilt over the events that took place on a very beautiful spring day. I still remember t...

2 comments 2
Read story

“That Afternoon” by Lucy Robertson

Submitted to Contest #191

“Don’t touch that.”  “Why not?”  “You don’t know what you are doing, and I’m not going to be here to fix it after you fuck it all up.”  Andrea eyed her older sister with a glance somewhere between contempt and sly amusement, but nevertheless put the slightly cracked, ashen skull head back down on the top shelf of her sister’s armoire.  “Mama says you’ve gone crazy.”  “Mama wouldn’t know crazy if it hit her with a red arrow in between the eyeballs.”  Emily was not one for subtleties, and among a face of...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Flowers for Rebecca” by Roger Skrypczak

Submitted to Contest #191

Flowers for Rebecca      Tony drove himself to buy flowers for his wife for their 70th wedding anniversary.  This was not his normal shopping day and had to recruit the lady next door to sit with his wife while he went out to buy the flowers. Although he held a valid driver’s license, he probably should not have been behind the wheel. At age ninety-one his eyesight was not the best and his reflexes were slower than one needs to safely drive a car. Thankfully the old Buick Regal was in very good condi...

3 comments 3
Read story

“The Forgotten Flowers” by Kerrie Clements

Submitted to Contest #191

It was a beautiful day outside, and the sun was shining brightly. The birds were singing, and the flowers were in bloom. Spring had arrived and it was the perfect day to buy flowers. Ellena didn’t have to work until later that afternoon, so she decided to take a walk to the florist in the village, to buy some flowers for her mother. It had been on her mind for a while to get her mother flowers. She had been feeling down and wasn't as happy as she normally was.As Ellena walked into The Wilted Rose, she was immediately greeted by a friendly fl...

1 comment 1
Read story

“In the Finding” by Adam Shaw

Submitted to Contest #191

---BLAKE"Hell of a way to go! You never considered just biting a bullet? Probably cleaner for all involved."I nearly jumped at the sound, but kept my footing. I had thought I was alone in this cliffside clearing, besides the commotion of two boys fighting in the distance and the whistle of an old man on the other side of the crest. But now my last minute of revery was being interrupted by a pale stranger in an olive shirt, worn brown slacks, and no shoes, standing 10 feet away and looking curiously at my predicament.The stranger continued, "...

3 comments 3
Read story

$250

Prize money

276

Contest entries

170

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 31, 2023 EST

Won by Pari Ghodsi 🏆

Title: Lilies

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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

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 ⭢

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.