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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

“What Did I Do?” by Todd Crickmer

Submitted to Contest #216

Nadine glances over the wall of her cubicle at the clock on the far wall. The searing red digits of the clock read 6:45. Thirty more calls before quitting time, she instantly calculated. She had only worked at the call center for seven months. But measuring your business day in the number of calls handled quickly became second nature. Production was drilled into their heads from day one. Speed, accuracy, courtesy; speed, accuracy, courtesy – greet the caller within one ring, assess their need as quickly as possible,...

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“The Grassy Knoll” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #216

November 13, 1963It seemed like only a moment had passed, after closing my eyes, when sunlight was warning me to get up, if I wanted to meet Clay Shaw on time. Not wanting to be late, I quickly got dressed and waited in the lobby for my ride. At 9:30 sharp, we were on our way.Instead of meeting at his office, we met at a restaurant on the edge of town. When I went inside, I found it completely empty, except for Clay, who was sitting at a table in a far corner. I sat down across from him, and we measured each other up. It was who Clay broke t...

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“Senses & Stories” by Yeisha Lee

Submitted to Contest #216

The bell above the door tinkled a cheerful greeting as I stepped into the small, cozy space, and a warm wave of roasted aromas enveloped me. The air was thick with the sweet undertones of pastries. A low hum of conversation buzzed in the background, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter. I made my way to an empty seat, my shoes squeaking softly against the worn wooden floor. The seating arrangements were an eclectic mix of mismatched chairs and tables, each one bearing the scars of countless spills and conversations. Overhead, a l...

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“Destiny's Violent Strings” by GW LeCroy

Submitted to Contest #216

I sat at the corner table in a dreary inn in Swanknoll, very aware of the eyes that found me. The small mountain village was used to passersby almost every day, most traveling from Ríse to Kruh Zivota, and still, their glares painted a vivid picture of how welcome I was. If there was another way through the mountains, I would use it, but I was here, instead. Talons wrapped around the mug, I brought it to my beak and swallowed, shuddering at the ale’s bitterness. Its taste twisted with the inn’s odor of sweat and smoke in my mouth as I took ...

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“Caged Will” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #216

The Summer had been, done its thing, then headed off to warmer climes. Now, as the leaves hung on for dear life and shivered on the bough, a new season made itself known. Sophie was down with that. Autumn meant a return to school, and school meant a return to a life that suited her very well indeed. The Summer had been OK, but she’d felt a lack of cohesion and a growing anxiety as all her hard work began to unravel. She’d worked hard to build her little team. She’d worked very hard indeed. Being netball captain helped. She’d discov...

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“Takedown at the Beanery” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #216

As the rich, brown liquid flowed into his ceramic receptacle FBI Special Agent John Arrington mentally reviewed his plan to tighten the noose around Columbian drug lord Bochampo. The special agent’s investigative unit had gathered every shred of evidence it needed over one of its most extensive probes in recent history, lasting more than six months. Hiring a squad of carefully selected and vetted informants, Arrington’s team had traced Bochampo’s trail of dea...

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“The Countdown ” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #216

The Countdown Every year started the same. On January 1, wake up to the sound of Dad cursing the dying Christmas tree as he struggled to remove the lights and the star." Why do I /*$%4@# let them con me into a real tree yearly, ouch Y.^*#$g?" About then, Mom shouts, "Chows on, get it while it is hot." Only a few hours until there's nothing on TV except football games for almost twenty-four hours. I'm unsure why we do the same things and wish for different outcomes. Maybe I am stressing over the upcoming events that will unfold tomorrow at ...

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“Goodbye and Hello again” by Ray Paltoo

Submitted to Contest #216

Goodbye And Hello Again By Raymond Paltoo ----3-31-2020 She had selected a corner table in a little café in East Montreal for our rendezvous. She had always been the organizer in our family, and I suspected that it was a deliberate move calculated to remind me of the times and the places where we had met and had fun. We had shared ten years and three children before she announced that she was going to Europe to find herself. Being a wife and mother was not her thing, as she had casually informed me while the taxi waited outside our home to ...

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“He is not in danger” by Chloe Wong

Submitted to Contest #216

He is not in danger. At the very least, being in danger gave him something to focus on. To be busy with. Cherry stares at the ceiling. The peeling white paint. The abandoned spider web in the corner he never got around to clearing up. The mundaneness of it all. The ceiling, the room, the emptiness and the silence. It all stares back at him. The root of the problem stays all too overwhelming, yet staying here, staying stagnant… he had expected better of himself. He was not in danger anymore. Yet he just feels l...

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“Tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow” by Liam Curedale

Submitted to Contest #216

“Tomorrow. The train will arrive tomorrow,” he croaked. “The ticket says today.” “The ticket is wrong.” “How do you know?” “I’ve been here a while.” I strolled over the platform. The rails stretched far beyond the horizon, yet there was no sign of a train. I looked at my ticket stub. A smudge slightly obscured its contents: “Platform B-1.” “The ticket says that it should’ve been here 30 minutes ago,” I yelled from across the station. The man looked ancient. His clothes were far too ragged to help identify the decades of hi...

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“Cooking Blitz” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #216

COOKING BLITZ. Kerry worked, has a waitress at the Expresso Coffee bar in town, over the years she had seen many changes with banks and shops closing in the small market town. Also, there were ...

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“An obsolete picture” by Shubham Ghodgaonkar

Submitted to Contest #216

In the early 2000s, before the digital camera age began in India, people mostly used cameras which took a long time to develop pictures. During this time, if somebody had a Polaroid it was a huge deal. This is why you could find many photographers around famous areas of the city where they approach you with an offer to click your pictures and then sell them to you for an unusually high price. Most of them did it for money as there was not enough work to be found for a photographer during that time. Now that you know this, let the sto...

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“Not Another Adventure!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #216

"That's it" Zaine said, as he popped some banned bubblegum into his mouth. It was the start of lunchtime, the hour before the Nationwide Literacy test, compulsory. Zaine said to his lifelong friends, Neehan and Beau. "Miss Meanie, in fact, this whole school and their tests have really got on my wick!" "Hey, you!" Zaine called, "Yes, you, Kerrie, you're the bell monitor. Over here, now!" "What for?" Kerrie asked. "You're the bell monitor. Come with me, you'll thank me for this one day." Puzzled, reliable girl Kerrie followed Zaine to check t...

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“A writer`s Muse” by Anna Alcott

Submitted to Contest #216

The aroma was intoxicating. Sherry sat in her usual seat, opened her laptop, and began to type, intermittently sipping on her hot drink. Clack, clack. Quiet sounds of the keyboard. Then the harsh sound of a blender cut through the relative quiet, for almost two minutes, which felt like five. She needed peace so moved outside under the shade of an umbrella. This was her favourite time to be here. Only a few customers hung around for more than an hour as most of them were on their lunch break. That, for Sherry was one of the perks of being ret...

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“Autumn brews” by Nay Rich

Submitted to Contest #216

Coffee at a nice window always calms me down when I experience anxiety. Sitting at a table, I glanced at my surroundings and watched people walk through the city while sipping on my hot pumpkin spice latte with two pumps of cream. I read a book about fall leaves; I loved the fall, not only because my name is Autumn, but because everything that surrounds it, the coziness, the big sweaters, makes me feel the most comfort. My mother always hated the fact that I loved oversized hoodies that I could nearly drown myself in, but I loved them. I lov...

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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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