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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#20: Quite the Character

Between 1887 and 1927, Sherlock Holmes appeared in a total of four novels and 56 short stories penned by Arthur Conan Doyle. Since then, the stories have been adapted countless times, earning Holmes a Guinness World Record for "most portrayed movie character." And while Doyle's mysteries were widely lauded, it was the character of Holmes that had readers coming back time and again.

This week, your challenge is to write a story that highlights a single character. The premise is up to you — just give us some small understanding of this character by the end of the story.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character who starts out as a pessimist and ends as an optimist. (Or vice versa.)

Character – 46 stories

Write a story about a character experiencing anxiety.

Character – 83 stories

Write a story about a character who would be described above all else as "logical."

Character – 31 stories

Write a story about a day in the life of a mother.

Narrative – 55 stories

Write a story about a character experiencing independence for the first time.

Teens – 59 stories

Stories

“Blessing in Disguise” by Somdatta Gangopadhyay

Submitted to Contest #20

The clock had just ticked 12. Mini looked up, tired and then focused on her phone screen while also checking at the door, and the babies submerged in their afternoon nap.‘You’re using phone!’ Mini looked up in utter shock as the voice came out of the ‘1st Steps’, as the classroom was called. Ms. Stevens, the Assistant Director of Little Steps Preschool was standing at the door of the classroom with her rather ferocious look at Mini, continuing, ‘You can’t be with us anymore. Give me your phone.’ Stevens just grabbed the phone off Mini’s hand...

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“A Change in Perspective” by Helen Kingkade

Submitted to Contest #20

A sense of defeatism manifested itself early in life. She was seven. The year of her Holy Communion, which was held on Easter. Six weeks later was the crowning of the May Queen. One of the female communicants would be chosen to place a crown of flowers on Mary’s head. Actually, on the head of her statue, but since symbols signified truth in the Catholic Church, the chosen one would actually be crowning the Queen of Heaven. Maura prayed every night from the day the teacher announced in class that one of her stud...

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“SAME” by Kemmy Blue

Submitted to Contest #20

The darkness flooded the streets as Maybelle ran through the streets. Rain was pouring onto the cobblestone streets as Maybelle ran. She ran through the dark alleys and small shops into the empty streets behind them. She wanted to outrun her mind. She wanted all of the horrible, nauseating thoughts she’d ever had to be left far behind. She ran until the rain pounded so hard that she could hear it all around her. Anyone else would have thought of it as just rain, but not Maybelle. She felt the power o...

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“Night in Hell” by Shelley Lerea

Submitted to Contest #20

I look up at the sky. A full moon, great. And Mercury in Retrograde, double great. Can this night get any worse? I am in Hell. As I grab my homemade pie, exit my car and slam the door, I look down at my high heels. I can’t walk in these damn heels! And this skirt is too short! I shouldn’t have listened to Lynn. “This is how you should dress”, she said. I feel like an impostor dressed like this going to this pit of noise and fakeness. I should forget about this evening and go home. But no, I need to...

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“Masquerade Murder” by Alan Herren

Submitted to Contest #20

I sprinted into the hall, throwing open the first door I laid eyes on. The door closed with a gentle creak as I set my back against it, sinking into the floor. The room was pitch black, silent, and the only sanctuary I could grasp. You have to run. You aren’t safe here. It felt as if my head were laying on the train tracks, my pessimism being a train barreling towards me. Every logical word became cloudy, drowned out by run. Run. RUN. I pushed myself to my feet, fumbling about the darkness on feeble knees. My vision began to return as my eye...

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“Numbers” by Madeleine B

Submitted to Contest #20

Threes. I count my steps in threes as though I’m waltzing through the halls. I tap in threes, think in threes. On particularly bad days, I speak in threes. There are two-hundred ninety-three lockers in the band room and instrument storage room, not including those used by orchestra students. Two-hundred seventy-one marbles in my collection. I know because I counted them. Three times. And then I spent hours covering every inch of my arm in the...

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“My Daily Normal” by Savannah Berry

Submitted to Contest #20

You know that random feeling of panic you get thinking you forgot to turn off the stove or lock the front door? Most people brush it off using logic. You have never done it before and you do use these things every single day. Why would this time be any different? You promptly turn back to whatever you were doing before. No big deal, it was just a small bout of illogical thought. Well, this illogical thought is my natural state of being.I have anxiety. The textbook definition would be the body’s natural response to stress....

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“The Wings that Whisper” by Val Reid

Submitted to Contest #20

It followed him wherever he went. The sound of it constantly touching his ears. Like a mosquito on a hot summer night that won’t let you sleep. Except bigger. He knew it wasn’t there. But it hated that he knew, and it followed him. Stepping on his heels when he walked. Snagging the elbow of his sweatshirt, making an invisible itch he had to swat at like a bug bite that would go away as soon as you thought about it. It had been too long since he slept without it’s voice telling him lies and pain that stirred him. Kept him awake and made him s...

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“Dawn and Persephone” by Taylor Crosby

Submitted to Contest #20

Chapter 1: Dawn I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. I’m surrounded by strange, humanoid creatures with faces devoid of eyes and noses. But they still have their mouths. And those mouths are moving as the creatures are laughing, laughing at me. “Stop it!” I scream, or at least try to. All that come out are pathetic whimpers. One steps forward and t...

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“Frozen by Dread by Caroline Savard” by Caroline Savard

Submitted to Contest #20

DECEMBER 17 2019Reedsy ContestShe searched desperately for the third time in her purse, but once again to no avail. Come on, Lexy, would you get it together she grumbled to herself. Coming out of the bathroom stall, she lay her purse on the counter, opting for her lipstick instead, in hopes of shaking it off. As she was trembling, trying not to make a clown of her face, she is startled by a ding from her cell. Shit! Lexy throws her lipstick back in her bag and leans over the sink. She is relieved to have the lady's room all to hers...

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“Here we go Again” by KC Gilman

Submitted to Contest #20

The loneliness tends to hit at night, when time seems to slow down and the darkness of the world settles around me like an old, familiar blanket. I have family, I have acquaintances, I even have some friends, but not true friends. Not deep friends, I should say. Not friends that I can call up in the middle of the night when my negative thoughts buzz so loudly in my head that I want to scream. Not friends that I can share my deepest shames and secrets with. No, I have friends, but not deep friendships. By all accounts, I had an average c...

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“Test Anxiety ” by Keanna Ponask

Submitted to Contest #20

“Breathe.” She whispers to herself as she scurries down the sidewalk in hope that she can beat the time. She lifts her wrist to glance at the time on her watch, and huffs in annoyance seeing that she is now five minutes late. Buildings and people pass in a blur as she takes off running, her shoes slapping the concert as she races down the street. “This is the last time, I am waiting for a ride from anyone.” The girl mutters to herself as she slows down back to walking pace. Her mother was supposed to pick her up fifteen minutes ago, an...

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“21 Club” by Jay Nicole

Submitted to Contest #20

“Drew, hey, can you hear me” no words left Drew Taylor’s mouth. This occurred often for him. Anxiety was a staple in his life. “Drew, you go on in six minutes” he couldn’t breathe. What if the audience hated him? What if he had an anxiety attack on stage? “”Drew, it’s Zach, calm down, you’ve got to breathe, they’re going to love you” Zach is Drew’s best friend, and they’ve been friends for awhile. Drew regained his breaths slowly. “You good” Zach asked. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” he said. Drew took the mic from his manager, who was clearl...

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“Beige Boxes” by Stephanie Honey

Submitted to Contest #20

Twirl twirl twirl. Snap.Twirl twirl twirl. She tucked her hair behind her ear and heaved a deep sigh. Nine more hours and the night would be over. All these cold long stretches of darkness, the same thing on repeat but with different size boxes and...

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“A lesson for Dominance ” by Calvin Friedlander

Submitted to Contest #20

Their noises could be heard from across the entire hallway. How could anyone accomplish anything with the racket going on in room 237? I guess it means the rumors were true; room 237 was the worst behaved classroom in the entire sixth grade at Jamestown middle School. Teachers told of kids throwing airplanes made of paper at other kids, spitballs being spat with the largest amount of saliva constrained inside one tiny paper ball. And the language. Oh, the language! What kind of parents would allow such improper English di...

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$50

Prize money

274

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 20, 2019 EST

Won by Amy St. Pierre 🏆

Title: At Home

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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