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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#216: Show, Don't Tell

As autumn marches on, we once again find ourselves back to work and study, hopefully filled with renewed energy and the desire to write. But before we start typing away, why not revisit some craft fundamentals?

"Show, don't tell," is age-old advice that encourages writers to tell stories through sensory details, actions, and images, rather than exposition. But that’s easier said than done. The best way to incorporate it into your writing is to practice.

With that in mind, you might enjoy our free 10-day email course on Show, Don't Tell, along with this week's prompts, which are inspired by it and invite you to refine this foundational storytelling skill.

This week's prompts

Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Narrative – 69 stories

Write a scene in which a character’s behavior or reaction to something is affected by a past experience — without saying what that experience was.

Character – 51 stories

Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Dialogue – 28 stories

Include a scene in your story in which a character's body language conveys their hidden emotions.

Character – 25 stories

Write a story with an open ending that gives readers just enough details to draw their own conclusions.

Narrative – 111 stories

Stories

“Respite” by Tyler Duggan

Submitted to Contest #216

Respite “The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks.” – Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988) ---------------------------------------------------------------- The parking lot exists and then the car, and then inside it: Seth. This may be the dream again, but there’s no telling. Everything is starting the same at least; he sits in the ne...

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“Her Nightmare Walks” by Fire And Ice Videos

Submitted to Contest #216

She exhaled and smoke curled through the air around Hale’s fingers as she stared at the gold token in her left hand. Shiny and smooth, it was clearly some kind of metal covered in gold paint to give the appearance of being real. She doubts it managed to fool anyone. Her thumb ran over the raised letters that spelled out 6 months sober. Even though it’d been a year since Avery emptied their two-bedroom apartment of alcohol, it’d only been six months since Hale had touched a drink. Six months si...

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“An Awkward Moment ” by Debra Demars

Submitted to Contest #216

A small woman with dark hair pushed open the to the restaurant. Her eyes roamed dining room, searching, settling on the empty tables toward the back. Behind her were two little boys looking to be close in age. She held the door for the two little boys, looking over their heads to a little girl looking a bit older than the two little boys, and on crutches. All with similar coloring and features. Dark hair and dark eyes. A family, and you could tell by the shared looks. Behind her was an older man ...

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“What Happened To John” by Susanne O'Connor

Submitted to Contest #216

What Happened To John The wheels rattled over the tracks. A conversation, an interesting one, roused me from my semi conscious sleep. I shouldn’t have been asleep; I had, after all, paid handsomely for this journey. I needed to take it all in. ‘He’s got five years, I wish it was more but that’s how it is,’ a middle-aged woman said. ‘There’s always a chance that things might change. Who knows with the way...

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“Without Conviction” by Nell Korben

Submitted to Contest #216

The bus was dangerously leaning from left to right each time it encountered a pothole in the road. The sun was high and sitting by the window was unbearable. She looked around hoping to find an empty seat in the shade but there was none. Every seat was occupied by someone wearing an orange jumpsuit like the one she was wearing. She put a protective hand over her eyes and looked up in hope of finding some kind of blind, she laughed at her naivety. Why not a cart with refr...

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“A Tale of Two Competitive Friends” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #216

A Tale of Two Competitive Friends Who Got to Play in Goal Even though the two men were long time friends of a sort, it seemed like they had been competing with each other all their lives, something neither of them particularly liked, but did anyway. Tom had won the first challenge. He and Fred were both 10 years old, and each wanted to be the regular goal tender on their hockey team. That would leave the other to be stuck sitting on the bench just in case his competitor got injured or let in too many goals. Tom certainl...

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“Elemental Harmony” by Gary Phipps

Submitted to Contest #216

Griff couldn't remember a time when the forest wasn't part of his life. For as long as he'd been alive, the emerald expanse behind his home had been his sanctuary. His mother had always said it was because they lived on the edge of a National Park that the forest felt almost magical. The towering pines seemed to hold centuries of secrets, and the rustling leaves whispered promises of adventure. Every day after school, Griff would throw on his worn-out sneakers, grab a water bottle, and disappear into the labyrinthine woods. He cherished th...

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“Joe, A Mystery on a Park Bench” by Ramona Scarborough

Submitted to Contest #216

Joe Starks could hardly remember the time before he became homeless. Faded memories like old sepia photographs slipped away before he could fix them in his mind. His mother’s face was now a blur of indistinct features. The apartment they had once lived in together, where was it? What street? What town? Someone had locked him in a room there. Why? How had he got out? Maybe it was better to forget. But there was something he knew, something important that some people wanted to know, and maybe they would find him. Slowly he rose. Pain sho...

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“The Enigma of Eccentric Tomes and Curiosities” by Chuy Leija

Submitted to Contest #216

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the deserted street, Sarah found herself standing in front of the mysterious old bookstore she had heard rumors about for years. Its sign, faded and nearly illegible, read "Eccentric Tomes and Curiosities." Sarah's curiosity had finally led her here, to this dark and narrow alleyway that was nearly hidden from the bustling city center. She pushed open the heavy wooden door, causing an antique bell above to chime with an eerie, melodic tone. The shop's interior was unlike anything...

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“Inspiration is a Nightmare ” by Alexandria Sammataro

Submitted to Contest #216

Samantha sighed dejectedly as she stared at the blank canvas in front of her. She had been sitting like this in her studio now for five hours, wishing for the tiniest bit of inspiration to strike her. But no, she had painters block. Samantha had been painting her own original works in her secluded cabin out in the woods now for three years. She liked being out in the woods. It was calm, there were no distractions, and inspiration was all around her- if she knew where to look. And Samantha was desperate for inspiration now, because she ...

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“Project Detonation” by Kearnon Henske

Submitted to Contest #216

Project Detonation By: Kearnon Henske “Buzz, buzz, buzz!” Carter's alarm was blasting. Carter woke up after a good night's sleep. He rushed out of bed, knowing that he had many things to do. While most kids would eat breakfast and get dressed, Carter didn’t have time for any of that. Instead, knowing that he had many important things to attend to, he ran through the house, out the door, and hopped on his bike, riding deep into the forest. He came to his destination, and after jumping into a hole, he plunged into a deep pool of wate...

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“Fascinating but odd....you decide” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #216

Fascinating, but odd….you decide. The first Friday of the month heralded my monthly dinner at my club with my great friend Henri. This little ritual had been going on for the last twenty years, always enjoyable. We were both Judges on Her Majesty’s Court. Our conversation and discussions tended to be about what had happened in the courts over the preceding month. I had a feeling tonight my story would integrity and fascinated Henri. The dinner menu was excellent and during its consumption we spoke about the previous month's mundane court c...

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“Gemini” by Laura Ethington

Submitted to Contest #216

The doorbell rang, and Gemma jumped up from the couch, giddy with excitement. "Dean! People are here!" She yelled while running to the front door. Dean came out of the kitchen, beaming. He loved seeing her so happy. It had been so long since she'd been happy. But with this new chapter they were building for themselves, he hoped there would be countless more days to see that look on her face. He went to the door where Gemma was vibrating like an excited pup, ready to greet their friends. "They're here!" She said, grinning up at Dean. Ge...

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“We're Going Where?” by Hope Linter

Submitted to Contest #216

Tom sprawls on his couch, a bag of opened cheesies in his lap, and his hands covered in orange greasy dust. A ping-pong tournament is playing on his television. He’s content, relaxing, and doesn’t care who will win. He snacks and grows drowsy, and the bag drops from his hand, as he nods off to the intermittent drone of the commentators and the clacking of paddles fades from his awareness. With a start, he awakens when his front door is unlocked and his girlfriend, Jessica, calls out to him. “I knocked and knocked. You didn’t an...

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“Soul Salvation” by Ava Dean

Submitted to Contest #216

This story contains themes of physical abuse as well as implied sexual and physical violence. Though it is not explicit, I do advise readers to take caution. February 12, 1818 - New Mexico She doesn’t know how long she’s been riding, she can only guess by the way the full moon now sits at its highest point in the inky blue sky. The luminous sphere is partially covered by deep gray clouds, limiting the only light source in the quiet desert unfurling around the neophyte outlaw. As she comes to a slow stop on her steed, she allows hersel...

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$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

115

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 22, 2023 EST

Won by Hazel Ide 🏆

Title: Long Live the King

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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