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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

“The Contest” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #20

Difficult to try and collect my thoughts, In sheer panic, I panted. It was cold, dark, and with how my head throbbed, I wondered if the dark could be blindness.The last thing I remembered was walking through the airport. I went to collect on airline tickets I had won. The contest was dinner with my actor hero, John! It seemed fate to me, so I entered a month ago.Why would this happen? It seemed so legit. Why now? I felt my head throb more intensely as I fought back tears, the massive lump in my throat was choking me, I knew where I was, I kn...

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“Sizzle” by Ruby Grove

Submitted to Contest #20

SIZZLE Heat sizzled from the old parking lot. Empty stores stretching on both sides had made the lot worthless. Grass and weeds grew unimpeded between the cracks and along the sides but it provided a short cut home for Sarah. The old air conditioner at the dry cleaners where Sarah worked rattled its way to death earlier in the day. The lunch-sized brown paper bag looked pretty substantial as Sarah approached it. It lay neatly on its side. It hadn’t...

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“An Unexpected Encounter ” by Shannon Meyers

Submitted to Contest #20

Elias emerged from the rubble, coughing as he wiped the blood from his brow. He looked around. He had passed out and it seemed as if the demons had left some time ago. He cried out but there was no reply. He searched around under the rubble and called for his mother but all he could find was an outstretched hand with a familiar ring on the pointer finger. He paused to retch until everything inside had left. He woke up in the forest. He could not remember how he’d gotten there but his mother’s ring was clutched in one hand while a b...

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“Subtle Waves” by Viktoria Anasteen

Submitted to Contest #20

She was taken back to the time she first learnt to swim, how she dipped her small toes in to test the waters. Her parents waited in the pool itself, urging her to come forth into the unknown which, accord to their words, said she could stand in it and not drown. She could only imaging that her small body would have frozen and questioned her parents, but nevertheless, her trust in them would trample that questioning. It was very strange that she had such a vivid memory of that moment from very long ago, about 7 years ago, a memory which she c...

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“A Stranger Side of Me” by Jen Ponig

Submitted to Contest #20

When I woke up this morning, it was still dark outside. I had stayed up late studying for finals. It was close to 2am when I went to bed. I felt as though I hardly slept at all. Mom was in the kitchen preparing coffee, and making a lot of noise doing it. I pushed the kitchen door open and found mom, in her robe and slippers, talking to a stranger in baggy pajamas. The stranger was emptying a sachet of Nescafé 3 in 1 into my hot chocolate mug. My first thought was about the mug. Why would mom let this stranger use my mug? On second thought, I...

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“The Struggle ” by Kylie Arnett

Submitted to Contest #20

Everything is getting bigger and bigger, while I'm getting smaller and smaller, being at the mall is too much. My breathing is picking up. I try to count like I've been told, "one..two..three". Eyes, they are all looking at me, "no four..five..six". Laughter echoing my mind, they're laughing at me. I'm making a scene, "seven..eight..nine". Too many people to many faces, I have to escape. I look for the exits there are none. My skin is starting to crawl, seeing all of these different faces. Why are they staring, what is wrong? A door I finall...

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“The Quiet Buzzing” by Evan Wang

Submitted to Contest #20

My phone’s alarm went off on the dresser right next to my bed. It slowly aroused me from an unrestful slumber. I woke up feeling stressed as my mind ran through a list of what has to be done today. I’m a student at a high school and everyday leaves me tired and tension filled. My body was still in the same position I woke up in. For a second it felt like everything that I ever loved about school turned into monstrous beings. Friends turned into shadows, classes turned into prison cells, laughs turned into an irritating buzzing sound. I shook...

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“How to Get Out of Your Own Head” by Sierra Milliron

Submitted to Contest #20

I can't do it . . .I can't do it . . .I can't do it . . .That was the only thing she could think as she stared down the hallway. This must be what tunnel vision felt like. All woozy and dizzy like the walls were closing in. Unbearable tears oozed from her eyes and her short nails left half-moon dents on her palms. Suffocating. Paralyzing. The breath of her own indecision puffing down the back of her neck, cold enough to raise goosebumps. But the eyes that pierced her from every direction were the worst. She could hear the mumbles. "What is w...

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“It's All in Your Head” by Courtney Dickson

Submitted to Contest #20

I open my eyes to the high-pitched sound of my alarm going off and my heart rate spikes. I sit up in my bed and take 3 deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth. I make my way to the bathroom and turn the hot water on in the shower, brushing my teeth while I wait for the water to heat up. The tips of my fingers are tingling but I think nothing of it as I rinse my mouth and step into the warm embrace of the shower. I tilt my head back to wet my hair and as the water covers my ears all sound is drowned out except for the loud t...

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“Her name is Ann” by Sheila Zapata

Submitted to Contest #20

"Miss Gold, please begin your presentation " the principle said into the microphone. I stared down at the paper with my essay on it and started to speak. I got through the first couple of words when my hands started to sweat, they're staring at you. My hands started to sweat while turning to the next page; I could feel a ball start to form in my throat. While I tried to ignore it, I heard the voice in my head again. They must thinking of what a mess you look, who would wear that disgusting top and those old pants? I tried my best to ignore t...

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“Wandering Alone” by Olivia Hampton

Submitted to Contest #20

2:36 pm. Chicago, IL. December 16, 1991I’ve finally figured out the most important event for me, the day I was born. I believe that a someone’s birthday reveals who they are as a person. It’s not just their birthday, but it’s the city they were born in and the exact time they were born on this Earth. The universe has many ways to guide us; there are moon charts, tarot readings, oracle cards, and so much more. But for me, I listen to the universe through my horoscope. My main sign, how I portray myself to others, is a Sagittarius. But my moon...

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“Trainwreck” by Tasha Lane

Submitted to Contest #20

Your grandmother is in the hospital. The message flashed across Jane’s fitness watch as she sat in the theater watching Captain America: Civil War. She looks at her wrist again, reading to make sure she understood the message correctly. Your grandmother is in the hospital. What did Jane’s grandmother mean her grandmother was in the hospital? Her grandmother seemed fine before Jane left to catch the early matinee show. Grammy was laughing, smiling, and yelling at the wrestlers on an endless loop on the DVR. Now Jane’s mother was saying ...

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“A Little Game Called 'What if?' created by Anxiety” by Max Seol

Submitted to Contest #20

“I hate you.”Again. I know it’s a joke. I know it’s just between friends. I know that he doesn’t hate me. Right? I think it’s a joke. I think it’s just between friends. I think that he doesn’t hate me. But I also think that maybe it’s not. Maybe he only says it because it’s true. Maybe he actually does hate me. So which is it? I want to ask him. Do you really hate me? I want to ask him. Should I leave you alone? I want to ask him. But I can’t. Because I should know the answer already. And he might really hate me if he realizes I don’t. ...

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“Little Black Storm Cloud” by Mattilyn O'Farrelly

Submitted to Contest #20

Anxiety. It was something Virgil felt every day. The constant worry, the little voice in the back of his mind that never seemed to go away. Anxiety was like a little black storm cloud that seemed to follow Virgil’s every step. “Did I lock my car door?” something that should be a simple yes or no “Yes I remember doing it” turned into a ten-minute thing. Check, the voice would say, it would nag and nag until Virgil did as it said and then he would check another 3 times just to be sure. The constant fear weighed on him like a fallen tree and de...

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“A moment's peace” by Venessa Nicole

Submitted to Contest #20

Clay rests his head on his desk, wide eyed and fixated on the wood panel wall before him. He seesaws between internal perception and appreciating stretched tree ring designs. He possesses an interoceptive awareness that is only sharpening by the day. Within him, there is a buzz of blood rushing and nerves receiving messages, the inner workings and systems that your body is supposed to carry on quietly, a full body buzz. Teetering back to focus externally, the buzzing has transferred, lingering on the skin, a full body stinging. A franti...

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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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