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!

#2: Toni Morrison

This week, we mourn the loss of an incredible figure in American literature: Toni Morrison. A Nobel Laureate and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Morrison penned eleven novels in her lifetime, including Beloved, Song of Solomon, and The Bluest Eye. We hope to honor her with this edition of our competition, featuring prompts based on the resounding themes of these and other works in her remarkable oeuvre.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.

Narrative – 69 stories

Write a story about someone trying to escape their situation.

Novel – 47 stories

Write a story in which someone experiences discrimination.

Novel – 18 stories

Write a story about someone who defies social conventions.

Narrative – 15 stories

Write a story in which something seemingly innocent symbolizes something much darker.

Novel – 22 stories

Stories

“Come And Find Me” by Ridiculous Roze

Submitted to Contest #2

Hunter's eyes flew open and scanned the dark room. She could hear her heartbeat knocking on her chest, asking her if she was okay. She wasn't. She was scared, angry, and in shock.Her mind began to unwilling travel back to those days. The days when she was used as an experiment. Something they would throw away if anything went wrong. She wanted to scream, cry, beat the walls, and run away. She knew she couldn't run away from what was in her head. It was impossible. The memories were stuck with her as if they were best friends."Hunter," she wh...

Read story

“Songs of Broken Boys” by Olúwabùkúnmi Oládoyin

Submitted to Contest #2

“Sweetheart, I don't know if I should keep calling you that because if you don't tell me what is wrong and why you wouldn't tell me, it's over. We're done. Don't call me if you're not ready to talk.”Sometimes the farthest distance seems so short when you try to remember how you got here-where you are, and how you're going back down the rabbit hole and how seemingly short the bottom is.I keep asking myself the same questions, “why is climbing up so difficult and falling so easy?”Even after studying Biology to a great extent I still come ...

Read story

“Because Of Her” by Amy Wannenburgh

Submitted to Contest #2

The house is tiny tonight. The walls are caving in on me. The ceiling, peeled paint revealing the spotty bricks beneath, swarms above me. I will vomit again. I feel my chest constricting, the swell of nausea throbbing up my body. I crawl to my knees, wrench over. But nothing comes. I sag there, breathless, sweat soaking my flesh through my thin clothes.Moonlight glints through the window. For a moment the carpet is illuminated. I see the red stains and puddle of vomit. The moon’s glare casts a bruised haze over my ripped, dirty shirt. My han...

Read story

“Within a House of Self” by Brie Monetti

Submitted to Contest #2

Trapped. Never had she understood the word so vividly. Is this what her heart felt like, stuck within the walls of her own chest? Often she would hear his knock on the door… hear his long strides pacing on her front porch. Back and forth. What did he think about as he paced? What did he want from her? At first, his visits were rare. He knocked on her door once every few weeks… then once a week… once a week turned into twice a week… then a daily visit. Until eventually she felt trapped within her own home—a prisoner to this uninvited, unknown...

Read story

“Perpetual Hell” by Rowena Portch

Submitted to Contest #2

Perpetual HellThey say you go to hell when you take your own life; or perhaps you simply create a hellish reality in which eternity seems to flow. My name is Sarah, and I have never believed in reincarnation, heaven, hell, or the likes of eternal souls. That is until I stared death in the face and choked on my own ignorant doubt. Allow me to offer an insight into the domains of heaven and hell. I cannot remember a time when I was truly happy. Years of therapy didn’t help. My family and friends offered a constant reminder of how mi...

Read story

“BUTTERFLY” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #2

BUTTERFLYSeethamma‘s cellphone was ringing for quite some time, calling for her immediate attention. As soon as she picked up, Lakshmi came on line and enquired whether she was there for tomorrow’s recitation of hymns and mass prayer at Kapali Temple. Seethamma expressed her inability, as she had already agreed to attend another engagement, more important than this. She would be staying with a lady patient for the night at the hospital. In the general ward of that hospital, outsiders were not permitted. But in special ward, one family m...

Read story

“The Judge ” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #2

It was 3 pm at St. Helen. I’ve done my research. I know my rights and the city of St. Helen has a reputation for discrimination and if you ask me (no one has), every single judge in St. Helen should receive a lethal injection. It was October 5, 2013 in a small, unimportant courthouse in St. Helen. The judges here have a bad reputation which they have earned. A friend of mine who suffers from S.O.B. (Shortness of breath) was in a court in St. Helen and the judge said, “You think wearing a fake oxygen mask is going to get you sympathy with me....

Read story

“Death Drives a Lincoln” by Elizabeth Burnett

Submitted to Contest #2

She came for me at the end of that summer. By then the air had a cautious nip to it, leaves rattled their last breath on the trees, and the streets were finally emptied of summer’s revelries.I had decided it was safe to sit out on my porch and read the daily paper while I smoked my favorite cognac barrel-aged cigar. A slick low-ball of whiskey sat on the table beside me, half of its quietude already moving in my veins, warm and slow and comforting in the chill air.The noise of rubber wheels on sidewalk brought me out of the article I was rea...

Read story

“Stroke of Heart” by Janina Carol Seal

Submitted to Contest #2

Not again! The third night in a row, I awoke screaming, face wet from tears.Meow?A wet nose was pushed in my face, whiskers tickling my ear.“I’m all right, Tumble,” I whispered. My black and white tomcat didn’t understand, but he knew I was lying. Who was I trying to fool?Tumble settled on my lap, front paws between my breasts, treading in continuous motion as if trying to give CPR to his favorite can opener. How could he know this was exactly the spot that was hurting?The pain eased as I scratched his chin, finding the spot he loved most. A...

Read story

“strange corps” by Zahraa Elfi

Submitted to Contest #2

I didn’t mean to kill her. It was an accident. Okay. Take a deep breath Jamie, the floor was wet; she slipped and hit her head on the table. Why do I have blood on my hands? Because I was trying to revive her. Okay sounds authentic. I had to take her lifeless body out of here. Crap. I was thinking of an idea but couldn’t hit up with one. I examined the area. Man, it was chaos; the drapes were descending from the metal rod; the lounge wasn’t even in set. How did it move?, I don’t know. The floor was stocked of cracked plates and glasses. I sp...

Read story

“Walking In Shadows” by Micaela Beck

Submitted to Contest #2

He used to wonder how he ended up this way. He used to question the fading sensations and what they meant. He used to gaze around at the world around him, trying to understand the shades of light that signified life. But no more. Now there is only silence even as the world spins on, the numbness of his body no longer creating distraction to his tired mind, the once vibrant colors muted and dull. He walks the gas-lit streets as though a ghost, touching but not feeling, causing ripples that quickly fade from existence as he turns the corner an...

Read story

“THE FRAGRANCE” by Anastasia Fardella

Submitted to Contest #2

It's the last day of October. Dusk is creeping up, and after sitting for several hours, I take a long walk on a lonely street to stretch my legs. Treading carefully over the cracks on the pavement, I worry I may fall over as I did before. A woman staggering past me is wearing a perfume that I recognise. A unique blend of what I believe may be jasmine, rose, and bergamot. It’s a pungent odour, but not an overbearing scent that you can taste at the back of your throat, where you almost gag. I turn around to see where the woman went. She has va...

Read story

“My Dear I Don't Give A Damn ” by Sanchari Bhattacharjee

Submitted to Contest #2

I was born into this unenlightened world with an identity people refused to acknowledge. Kindergarten years flew by with me being identified as a girl but Oh! The joys I felt wearing my counter gender’s clothes. I detested wearing frocks, skirts or having long hair. Walking into primary school at the tender age of seven, I had started sporting short hair, much to the dislike of my mother, but still had to draw on female clothing. My chest elated at the thought of being a boy but my mind was equally confused on who I was. At school, I wa...

Read story

“The Proposal” by Umar A.

Submitted to Contest #2

Down on one knee. The gentle brushstrokes of pink blush gracing her cheeks. Following her eyeline all the way down to the object held out in one hand - a silver ring topped with a generous diamond. Her hands jumping up to her face to hide her outrageous smile; her lips part and let out a single, whispered word: "Yes!" That's how he wished it would happen. That was the fantasy that filled his mind as he gazed through jewellery shop windows, diamond rings laid out before him like stars in the night sky. In real lif...

Read story

“Sweet Situation” by Pooja Thube

Submitted to Contest #2

Anna wanted to escape from that situation. She was already in a hurry. But she couldn’t leave that old woman alone. Anna was late for her work and she had a situation in which she neither went to work nor she left that granny behind. It was not that Anna was only one there. It was a crowded street in New York, but coincident happen and mostly with Anna. Anna never wanted to be in a situation like that but it happened.She didn’t get up late, at sharp 8 a.m. She was ready to leave home at 9 a.m. She wished to reach the office at 10 a.m. as she...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

171

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 16, 2019 EST

Won by Amy St. Pierre 🏆

Title: Kids

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 ⭢