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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

“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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“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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“In Counter” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #216

It was only a coffee. How much simpler could that be? Decaf with skim milk and stevia. They didn’t have stevia; they only had Sweet n’ Lo. No big deal, she’d said. Fine, the waitress replied. Fine, again. Why had she had to say fine twice? That was weird. Jenn wasn’t that hungry, and she told the waitress as much. The waitress asked twice can I get you anything else? And twice Jenn said, no thank you. Twice. The first time she said it with a smile. No thank you, I...

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“The Past Before The Present” by Peter Stone

Submitted to Contest #216

Holding the Styrofoam cup of coffee was more of a challenge than a pleasure for Ted Oats. The others had no idea what he had gone through nearly forty years prior. He and his wife of fifty years moved from their home town to start a new life. Ted had worked for the railroad and had never experienced activities in day-to-day life within the community of Knowlton Quebec. As a conductor he would get up at four o’clock in every morning and have his java as he called it with two toasts and peanut butter. Once on the job he’d wish the other conduc...

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“Countdown to Romance” by Glen Donaldson

Submitted to Contest #216

Amid the all around din, silence like the center of a hurricane enveloped them both. “Could this honestly get any suckier?” Fergus wondered to himself as he grasped his own sweaty, nervous fingers under the table, yanking then releasing them one after the other. Sitting opposite him was his first-meeting date Willow. Owing to her extended delay in responding to one of his opening questions, he'd already pegged her, using his own unique personal classification system, as 'negligently tardy'. She’d said she was 27. She was not only wearin...

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“Thingummyjig” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #216

It was time. That time near the start. I didn’t have what I’d usually have. The stuff that I find that I need first thing. So I went out. I was dry once I was out, so the weather wasn’t a problem. I have a problem with the weather when it prevents me from being dry. I doubt anyone likes that. Not really they don’t. But I hate those storm clowns, I really do. After a bout of doubt that threatened to put the kibosh on the proceedings, I arrived at my intended destination. This was the place alright. The place itself wasn’t a pick-me-up, but ...

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“To New Beginnings” by Melody York

Submitted to Contest #216

I open the door, and as usual, this time of the year, there is Christmas music playing just loud enough to listen to but easy to ignore if I want to talk to someone. It's my favorite time of the year to visit this place; it is constantly cluttered with people laughing and talking to one another, which is a breath of fresh air from the usual. During the rest of the year, there are laptops everywhere, college students mostly, trying to cram in some studying while being distracted by the door opening and the influx of people coming and going ev...

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“Elixir” by Marina Pacheco

Submitted to Contest #216

I walk in and join the queue. Everyone has their head bowed, faces slack like victims of the zombie apocalypse. As we shuffle forward, steamy warmth seeps into tired muscles. An intoxicating smell wafts up nostrils. Colour seeps into faces, a glimmer of alertness flickers in the eyes, and heads rise. Anticipation makes me twitchy as I rehearse my order. The zombie brain doesn’t work well so early in the morning. I have to gear up. My impatience, the people behind me’s impatience, can’t be denied. It leads to grumpiness and hangry melt...

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“Swipe Ripe” by Jorie Rao

Submitted to Contest #216

Violet waits. A half an hour isn't so late, she convinces herself. A glance at her phone tells her the service is still as spotty as when she arrived. Not even one lousy bar. It's in SOS mode now. She tries in vain to open the app again to check if Lee sent a "Sorry, running late" message. She knows it's useless. And yet… The app tries to load. She waits. Still nothing. The sweet scent of freshly warmed cookies wafts her way, and she ignores the rumble of hunger. She won't eat. Not yet. She didn't even grab a dri...

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“In Memoriam” by Alessandro Dell'Anno

Submitted to Contest #216

Warning: This story contains mentions of cancer (specifically melanoma)Cath bit down on her nail, her heart jumping each time her dad's foot slipped down the stairs. She'd insisted for months that he and mum move house; these narrow stairs were a danger to them both in their old age, now that they couldn't keep their balance as well as they once could. The stubborn old man might be willing to sell now that Mum was gone.'Don’t bite on your nails Catherin.’ He said, reaching the bottom and picking up a walking stick from the bottom of the stai...

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“Collecting bands ” by LE S

Submitted to Contest #216

Miniscule droplets of drizzling fog collected on the fabric of her hood, condensing and dashing forward in rivulets to collect at the edge before dropping onto the front of her poncho. The pre-dawn chill saturated the blue washed landscape, deepening the lonely silence as she approached the line of green lit kiosks stationed in a regimented grid. The concrete was chipped and cracked, spindly grasses taking advantage of any weakness in the vast flat space. Periodically a green light flickered, teetering before it's inevitable failure, adding ...

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“Letting Go” by Yeisha Lee

Submitted to Contest #216

The rain poured down in a gentle, rhythmic cadence, forming a curtain of silver droplets against the windowpane. Inside the cozy café, soft jazz music whispered through the air, mingling with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. It was the kind of evening that made you want to sit back and get lost in the world outside. Alicia stared out the window, her fingers tracing the condensation on the glass. Her gaze was fixed on a young couple huddled under a shared umbrella, laughter and whispered secrets keeping them warm as they strolled down th...

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“Checkmate” by Pauline Milner

Submitted to Contest #216

Checkmate Shannen Taylor kicked a stone along the dirt road as he made his way toward the asphalt that would be teeming with heat as the temperature was already in the low nineties. Soon the stone was transformed into Bettle’s head and Shannen stopped to mush it into the dusty sand. It only made him feel better for a moment. Shortly after he arrived, Bettle would likely be at his desk with the perpetual mocking or ridiculous antics that often started his day. As Shanne...

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“THE BLACK CROW” by Crysi Writes

Submitted to Contest #216

“What do you mean by manipulating her thoughts? Kenya gazed at her reflection in the glass before her and makes a quick grin as she takes a sip of water with her handcuffed hands before leaning in, “What I mean detective, is that the longer you stay here with me, your pile of unsolved cases will continue to riseeeee”. Lifting her hands in a visual calculation of his failures. “You think this is a joke!” “Duuuude, you need to chill before you bust that vein in t...

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“Roadside Diner” by Ron Robinson

Submitted to Contest #216

It was last call and everyone had gone for the night except an old cowboy who sat in a booth beneath the red neon sign in the window. The melancholy refrain of Don Gibson singing Sweet Dreams poured from an old jukebox in the corner, and the overhead lighting cast an white glow over the room where the smoky aroma of charbroiled steaks lingered in the air. The bartender and the waitress with him knew the cowboy had been drinking and because the aging cowhand was a regular they knew he might overindulge and leave without settling his tab.John ...

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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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