#224: Night Owls and Early Birds
I’ve never been much of a night owl. I can stay up late, but always live to regret it the next day, and you’re unlikely to ever find me burning the midnight oil. Instead, if there’s something urgent to attend to, I’d rather do it in the quiet calm of a pre-dawn morning.
It’s interesting how, as a species, our preferences vary so wildly in this regard. Some of us are up and moving before the rest of the world has even rubbed the sleep from their eyes, while some of us rarely are awake during daylight hours. Two people’s waking windows may only overlap at dawn and dusk, before going their separate ways. This week’s prompts are a celebration of the night owls, the early birds, and anything in between.
This week's prompts
Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”
Dramatic – 87 stories
Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.
Fiction – 35 stories
Stories
“Altar” by Angelina Cui
Submitted to Contest #224
“The Night People” by Marina Noack
Submitted to Contest #224
“The Last All-Nighter” by David Elkind
Submitted to Contest #224
“Lurch” by Paul Crehan
Submitted to Contest #224
“The Tilapia” by Emily Sparrow
Submitted to Contest #224
“Jet Lag and More” by John Steckley
Submitted to Contest #224
“The Wish” by Elizabeth Sloughter
Submitted to Contest #224
“The Secret ” by Marina Gendi
Submitted to Contest #224
“Jet Lag” by Gravel Gavel
Submitted to Contest #224
“Walking in my sleep ” by Mayna Gabby Fitzpatrick
Submitted to Contest #224
“Jamie the Duck” by Janet Severn
Submitted to Contest #224
“ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD” by Glenna Agnew
Submitted to Contest #224
“You Are In My Sights” by Peter Stone
Submitted to Contest #224
“Chasing the Dawn” by Crosby Bingaman
Submitted to Contest #224
$250
Prize money
285
Contest entries
136
Stories
Ended on 23:59 - Nov 17, 2023 EST
Won by Mallory Jones 🏆
Title: Goldfish
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.
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