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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#207: Behind the Scenes

People usually bring their A-game when they know they’re being observed — but they’re often at their most interesting when they think no one’s watching. There’s a reason we’re all so intrigued by “behind the scenes” content, whether it’s about a celebrity we love, or an industry we find fascinating; getting to see all the work that goes into making something happen, especially when it looks effortless to the untrained eye.

With this week’s prompts, we’re lifting the curtain and going backstage. Whether we’re following a character who’s getting a break from the effort of performance, or exploring an industry where most of the action happens behind the scenes, let’s see what happens when we finally call “cut”.

PS — If you’re curious about the “behind the scenes” of Prompts, we’d love to have you! Get your own backstage pass by applying to be one of our volunteer judges.

This week's prompts

Set your story on a film or TV set, starting with someone calling “Cut!”

Dialogue – 46 stories

Write about a person who constantly has to put on a persona (e.g. at work, in their relationships, etc.) who can finally drop the facade.

Character – 80 stories

A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find…

Science Fiction – 38 stories

Write a story about a magician who never reveals their secrets — until now.

Character – 31 stories

Set your story in the kitchen of a bustling restaurant.

Fiction – 39 stories

Stories

“The cat blinked.” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #207

To imply the word "facade" means cultural control. It means the ball of twine is tangled and dirty, and the culture wants to blame the cat for the abhorrent mess. The cats of the world are the most obvious blame, aren't they? So let the yod, or the finger of God, squarely point at the stereotype, the cat! The weak, the coward, choose not the internal journey of teasing out the dried leaves, spider webs, mud, and/or excrement from thyself, lest of all straightening the string. "NO," says the hive mind, readying to wre...

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“The Smile” by Electra Nanou

Submitted to Contest #207

10am I know that hyena smile—toothy but awkward beneath ominous eyes. It means she wants something, usually unpleasant, but is trying to be polite about it. I brace myself, while returning a more cordial smile, the one I wear five hours a day for customers and colleagues alike. My shield. 'What's this about a course you're doing?' she asks, her interest tinged with judgement. 'Yes, I've started an Access course. It's nearby. Fits perfectly on my days off. It's quite cool so far,' I reply, unsure what her complaint is this time. She saves me...

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“Bury the Heart” by Susan Laurencot

Submitted to Contest #207

The robin stuck to the truck’s grill like she belonged there, splayed like a ship’s figurehead. A decorative ornament. Artie squatted in front of it, stroked his chin like his grandfather, Ardal, for whom he was named, would have. He looked to the sky, ironically sunny and blue. “I’ve gone and done it this time. Killed it,” he said. He shook his head. “Not much I can do now.” Artie’s girlfriend, Janie, leaned out the window of his steel-gray pickup. “What’s that?”...

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“The Empath” by Nicki Nance

Submitted to Contest #207

Zach was peeling off his cap and gown when Jenny tapped him on the shoulder. “Stop by the shop before you go home, OK?” He was surprised to be looking into the honey-colored eyes he loved and feared.He shook out his unruly black hair. “Uh…OK. Did I forget to do something?”Jennie scoffed. “As if I would make you come to work on your graduation day.” His anxiety shuddered through her. “Nothing to be anxious about. I have a present for you, but it was too big to carry.”Zach gave her a sheepish smile. “Yeah?”“Yeah.” Her eyes were locked on his. ...

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“The Death of Stars” by Kat Z

Submitted to Contest #207

I think I might be the only person that is willing to die for my job. Maybe that is why I’m standing on this ledge. I know for certain, if I do this, I will be the most sought after actress in Hollywood. Let’s face it, no director wants an actor that refuses to do scenes and requests a stunt double. They want excitement and buzz, it’s the only reason I was given a chance in Hollywood in the first place. I will be praised for my performance in the movie, maybe it’s just my sick mind wanting to jump. Or maybe I have truly become the char...

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“chase after belief” by Mara M

Submitted to Contest #207

To whoever believes love to be foolish. I believed in many things. My friends as much as my family said that it was my best trait, that that is what one would call an optimist. I did not think I was. I did not believe in God, though I thought I would have actually been able to call myself an optimist if I had. I believed people could change and I believed I could not. The only thing changing was that rotten shell I was living in, the thing that peeled and twisted depending on which person I was with. I did not believe in God and ...

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“The Light of Absecon” by John Werner

Submitted to Contest #207

“You did it!” Loretta exclaimed, patting him on the back. The cigarette’s column of ash, dangling by the filter from her bottom lip, quivered and fell on the carpet. She brushed its remains from the lapel of her jacket and the spine of the book she carried under her arm before she ground them into the outdated pattern of the musty, faded carpet with a scuffed stiletto.Darren Holme was exhausted. It had been a long time since a magician had been offered a residency of this size in Atlantic City. Let’s face it, Vegas was much more where it’s a...

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“The Usurpers” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #207

Abel (whose full name was Abehamr) lived in the city with his nonessential roommate Max. He was a man of few words having been raised with four sisters all of whom were tall, good-looking blondes like himself. People seemed interested in him without much effort on his part which made him an uncomplaining witness to many strange behaviors. He had already achieved the goals of being gainfully employed and having an apartment; now he felt a strong civic responsibility but at the moment the state was torn by a political rivalry in which the civi...

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“Don't Blink or We're All Gone” by John-Paul Cote

Submitted to Contest #207

BIG IDEAZ16 February 2032YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH. I CAN’T.It is the most secret, most secure facility in the world–it’s thousands of feet under New York City. And the research being done will make us all question our very place in the universe.=========================Sindy ChenStaff Reporter, Big IdeaZ My life will never be the same. The burden of the secret I know has made me question the meaning of existence itself. Out of millions of journalists, I am the one that Project Starlight asks to come for a visit.Project Starlight....

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“Sylvia's Journal” by John Van Winkle

Submitted to Contest #207

Sylvia’s Journal (a short story by John Van Winkle) ‘May 26, 1998– June 3, 2012… things I’ve been told, things I recall, and a few other things: My birth mother- a single teenager of whom I know nothing else. She gave me up shortly after I was born. My birth father- no information (and no interest, really). My first foster home- Mrs. and Mr. Rios. I don’t remember much from that period, but I understand that they were good people who practiced and taught me solid values and a conversational mix of English and Spanish, raising me for...

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“The Harrowing of Hell” by Caroline Tuohy

Submitted to Contest #207

Tonight is not John Browns night. He sits, left leg crossed over right, on an upturned milk crate outside the back door of the restaurant kitchen, and lights a cigarette. A bucketful of water is thrown out the back door and splashes onto John Browns shoes. It is quickly followed by another. John Brown heavily inhales his cigarette. He looks away from the back door. If the kitchen is flooding, I don’t want to know, he thinks as he exhales the smoke into the air. Back inside, the dining room is booked out, over 100 guests, each barking a...

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“If you can't take the heat....” by Gloria Dawn

Submitted to Contest #207

If You Can’t Take the Heat….. Marcel was screaming again. He was a great chef, but when it got busy in the restaurant, he sometimes lost his cool. The brow-beaten wait staff and kitchen helpers were terrified of him, and more than a few had quit, unable to tolerate his volatile moods. I was determined to hang in there because, although he was hard to work with at times, Marcel could be quite personable otherwise. When the dinner rush was over and things settled down to a dull roar, he could even be called pleasant. Marcel was a perfection...

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“The Wet Rat Finds Home ” by Morgan Thompson

Submitted to Contest #207

Putting on an apron each morning for work feels like a warm hug. I had just recently started working at The Big Orange in the grove district. It was the kind of place where you’d expect to see young professionals and moms with their kids kissing daddy goodbye. After a lot of people watching, I noticed a pattern where once the husbands left, the wives joined forces for mimosa(s).This area of town always felt like home to me when I felt like I'd lost my sense of "home". It was different than growing up in a neighboring city because the drive t...

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“Mother's Day” by Kat White

Submitted to Contest #207

I twisted my fingers in the pocket of my apron, my stomach knotting. The restaurant manager looked at his clipboard, then at us, and then at the clipboard again. Adam was probably the best manager we’d had in years, but his resting-bitch-face always made me sweat. His dark, bushy brows drew together in concentration. “Chelsea,” he said, in his cold, commanding voice, and Chelsea, who stood beside me, straightened her spine. “You’re on clearing.” “No problem,” Chelsea said, but I noticed the slump in her posture. No one enjoyed clearing dut...

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“Table 17” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #207

Elmo's on the Lake was packed by 6 pm Friday, and the staff was already rushing to fill their guest's orders.Crash!Celeste lost control of a tray of drinks. Beer, wine, and margaritas toppled onto the floor into a heap of foaming liquid, ice, and broken glass."Go reorder the drinks. I'll clean this mess," said Sarie as she grabbed the broom, dustpan, and a mop.She was hostess for the night, dressed in her best black evening gown, and hoped she didn't look too much like a witch as she swept up the muddle with the broom. There was someone comi...

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$250

Prize money

234

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 21, 2023 EST

Won by Derrick M Domican 🏆

Title: Speed Fate

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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