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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

“The Debacle of Dream Paper” by Roshini Perera

Submitted to Contest #216

Have you ever fallen for a book character in your life? Have you ever wished you could make some kind of connection with a book character you found attractive? To talk with them? To meet them? To befriend them and even replace their counterpart with yourself? If you are a reader, you certainly have. Book characters are strong, just like real people. Someone gave them life and character. They have personalities, feelings, likes and dislikes, and everything a normal person would have. The moment an author pens their characteristics on the manu...

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“A Rock in Walker County” by Karen Davis-Hudson

Submitted to Contest #216

A Rock in Walker CountyMiss Lane lived alone and it was impossible to say how old she was. It seemed like she’d been in our town forever; like the Baptist Church on Main Street so old the steeple was tilting. Miss Lane was there every Sunday, rain or shine.She never missed the quilting circles, always bringing her famous banana pudding. Nobody could make a meringue peak like Miss Lane.How she supported herself was a mystery. She lived comfortably in a house three blocks from the church. It was a white clapboard with a large front porch. Her ...

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“Yugen” by Christopher Kramer

Submitted to Contest #216

“We’re falling from geostationary orbit,” Gardner reports. “Adjust,” I say as I flick switches. “He can’t,” Wells calls from navigation. “The gravitational force … too strong. It’s pulling us in…” I manage a side-eye at Wells. His face conveys what I already know. The navigator says in a solemn whisper, “Velocity increasing.” Gardner looks at me. “We’re plummeting fast. I can’t maintain—” “Compensate. Regain control,” I command, despite knowing it’s impossible. “I can’t. We’re losing it!” Gardner cries. The spacecraft’s hull rumbles ...

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“The Exile's Choice” by Jakob Roy

Submitted to Contest #216

Alaric Austin had never known a place so miserable as Raleigh 5. The red dust of the crumbling little satellite clung to his clothes, to the face of his oxygen mask, cutting deep into his flesh where it could. An ill-placed step was all it took to summon up a cloud big enough to swallow a man whole, of that he could attest. By virtue of a carefully woven bloodline, he was an iron-boned titan of seven-foot-two with a muscled bulkiness that made him as well proportioned as any civilian, save for when they stood side by side. Dust-clouds tended...

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“The Public Eye” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #216

His penthouse was hardly anything she hadn’t seen already. A blocky modern design with windows for walls on their right as they entered, and flat boards for stairs on their left. The only noteworthy thing she could name was that the front door closed slowly, with a hollow whooshing noise as it nestled softly into the frame.“Is your front door hydraulic?” She asked.“Yes, I find it’s better for soundproofing.”“Why do you need soundproofing?”“Wouldn’t this be better answered during the interview.”She saw no real flaw in that argument, so she to...

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“Performance Review” by Robin Christine Honigsberg

Submitted to Contest #216

Clarissa Malone savored the first mocha-flavored mouthful. Sighing in ecstasy, she relished a second mouthful as Stewart Mulligan sat down opposite her at the small round table, mumbling, “Hello.” Clarissa sighed. The man was socially inept, never mind awkward and his behavior in her presence was evidence he was interested in her. She cherished another mouthful before getting down to business. Clarissa had opted to hold their meeting in a more relaxed setting rather than at the more formal and anxiety-inducing office. Conducting per...

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“Binding Memories ” by Louise Muller

Submitted to Contest #216

The ambience of their surroundings didn’t make their meeting any less uncomfortable. Jeffrey gazed at the woman who sat across from him. She smiled faintly, picked up her dark, steaming beverage and took a small sip. Even though Jeffrey had invited her here, he had no recollection of her. “Why did I invite her here?” he wondered to himself, questioning the outcome of this meeting. She seemed to sense his thoughts as she suddenly leaned forward, moving the small canister of sugar to the side, and said, “I’m so happy you called me, Jef...

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“You Have to Go Back” by David O'Mahony

Submitted to Contest #216

Stephen traced a finger through the condensation on the window. It was already warm in here compared to the drizzle drumming on the glass outside, and the humidity was making it worse. He drew two eyes and an upside down arc, then obliterated it with his palm. The water was refreshing, but the crush of numbers and rising tumult around him was overbearing. He closed his eyes and let himself cover his ears just for a second, not long enough for anybody to notice he was trying to block them all out. The horde of the faceless, bundled up i...

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“The Miserable Ones” by Glenda Toews

Submitted to Contest #216

“L’habituel?” The usual?“Mais bien sur.” But of course.“Tout de suite.” Right away.Victor settles himself and waits.On this side of the window pane, Voltaire and Diderot still hum. It is as if they pass through the century without moving a muscle. The dead leave thought. Here it still whispers from the walls.A tinkling of glass is heard from the far room. Laughter from the room beside that one. Each compartment within the building had a history. La Fontaine has coughed in this one. Napoleon Bonaparte in that one. Voices of both are etched in...

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“Nest.” by Heide Rembold

Submitted to Contest #216

The warmth from the mug seeps into my hands and saturates my body throughout, opposing the cold surrounding me. I had wanted to sit inside, but the lack of sound barriers caused every noise to bounce against the brick walls and echo to the other side – the conversations between moms with toddlers wiggling around them, the screech of the steam wand dipping into cold milk, the music that they thought, alongside no Wi-Fi, was welcoming and prompted human connection rather than staring at a screen trying to get work done. I sit on ...

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“The Coffee Club” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #216

Well, what a surprise getting a text from Carole inviting me for a coffee. It was bizarre to get a text when we had only ever emailed each other, but an invite for coffee, as such, wasn’t a total surprise. Of all the things we two women loved, it was good coffee. I remember our relationship sparked because Carole shared an essay describing her love of coffee. However, it wasn’t just the text that I found strange. It shocked me that Carole had journeyed to Thailand from the USA and hadn’t thought to pre-warn me that she was com...

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“The Chair in the Woods” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #216

Kelly stood in line. Always so busy, she thought. She counted the people in front of her, only three orders away. Her eyes kept darting to an overstuffed chair in the corner. I have to have it. I just can't go on. It's been too long. Two away. One away."Hi, Kelly. Would you like your usual?"Kelly was distracted by the chair. "Hi Julie, just my usual." The cashier gave her a strange look. Kelly paid and dashed to the corner chair. Her heart was racing as she got closer. It was still open. She walked faster as she thought, stay open, stay open...

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“When There’s A Pop” by Parker Parker

Submitted to Contest #216

“Fearless is having fears, but jumping anyway. That’s a quote by Wilhelm Wombat. Hold on, I think his name Wundt. Yea that’s it Wundt. Anyway that means stop being afraid and lets jump”, said Hannah as she sat in the mirror and applied her false eyelashes. As my best friend and most trusted confidant, she knows my deepest fears. As a student majoring in psychology, she thinks she can cure any mental ailment. After a brief lesson on about fears, she took on the personal task to help me conquer mine with a quote from the father of ps...

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“Gunnar's Frightening Obsession” by Johan Wastring

Submitted to Contest #216

Gunnar observed his friend lying on the floor in the flickering green light. The green light gave everything in the room a toxic feeling. “I need to save him as well”, he said. “He needs to be saved.” He cleared the table in the middle of the room from books and unwashed dishes. The light was comforting as he moved about in the large room crowded with all sorts of things. The tinted light made him avoid seeing things as they were, which made them less ugly in a strange way. He had always wanted to help his friends as they stumbled throug...

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“Speak Now ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #216

Anticipation swirled about the church. No one remembered the last time it had filled to capacity. This would be no ordinary wedding, if there ever is such a thing. Not merely a gathering of family and friends, this was a major social event for the town and the state. People came from all over. Half the church contained people hoping to see the celebrities, whom they had never met. Local news trucks had parked outside. Two hometown luminaries were planning to wed. Tommy Carlson, the groom, was this year’s L.A. Dodgers’ number one draft pick....

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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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