Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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

Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Fiction – 94 stories

Write a story about two people living together who have opposing sleep cycles, and only cross paths at dawn and dusk.

Character – 49 stories

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

Write about someone who can’t sleep due to jet lag, and decides to set out and explore their new city at night instead.

Adventure – 20 stories

Stories

“Faith in N'Awlins” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #224

As Faith sat at her desk reviewing her travel plans for the year, she couldn’t really complain. She loved how much travel was involved in her marketing role at the prestigious publishing house she worked for and she felt this year she had completed lucked out. A trip to New Orleans in April followed by a few Italian trips and Alaska later in the year. These academics really wanted a ‘good old jolly’ away from their families, with whatever shenanigans that involved.Last year at a Russian studies conference, Faith couldn’t believe how much fli...

Read story

“Coyote” by Hilary Yelvington

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep,” I said. The coyote standing just 10 feet away stared back at me. I saw him most nights on my walks. Like me, he was a transplant from somewhere less domesticated. Three generations ago, my people lived on lard sandwiches during the Great Depression. Two generations ago, my people were farmers who made enough to build a small house and buy a car, but not much else. My parents found their “humble beginnings” embarrassing, and so encouraged me to “achieve.” So I did. Their other capstone piece of advice: Buy property....

Read story

“Quicksand ” by V Joyce Lott

Submitted to Contest #224

She caught sight of him at dawn when the sun woke from its slumber. He for a brief moment saw her at dusk when the sun peered over the horizon, and the moon rose to take its place. Like passing trains in the midst of night they traveled separate journeys. Neither spoke much these days, buried by the silence, and the reluctance to resolve their troubles. Puppy love turned to malevolence quickly after the weights of life beared down and reality sank it's teeth deep into their teenage fantasy. Brenda and Damon, almost thirty, no longer relis...

Read story

“Moonlit Tea by the Stove” by A. L. Marchant

Submitted to Contest #224

Slippers and a dressing-gown can only do so much to sway the bite of air that has not yet been warmed by the sun. Still she pulled them on, wrapping the fleece of her gown tightly around her body and curling her toes into the soles which never quite forgot the shape of her footprint. Dawn would not be rising for a good hour, and the moon sat comfortably among the stars that glittered over her countryside home. A little run-down—little more than a small farm house—and with no central heating to speak of, but home nonetheless. She did not liv...

Read story

“The Witching Hour” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep.” “Well, at least try!” Maureen harrumphed, grabbed a fist full of duvet and span over taking more of the bed clothes than was fair. This was her protest. On the face of it, her protest was about George encroaching upon her precious sleep, but as with many arguments there was more to it than that. This argument had history. George was aware of some of the history. He wasn’t a dolt. He also knew that there would be elements of Maureen’s chagrin that he was oblivious to. Things that had had their day and he’d let go of,...

Read story

“Calling Mom” by Charlotte Webb

Submitted to Contest #224

The craziest thing about having an experimental spiritual scientist as a roommate isn’t the weird theories on ghosts and zombies. It isn’t the constant smell of new concoctions to summon the dead always wafting into the living room when you are trying to study. It’s not even the experiments I’m asked to participate in, like using my own body as a vessel for some spirit she’s found. No- it’s the appalling lateness. I’m sitting in the downstairs café of our block, where I have been for the past one-hundred and twenty-three minutes, tapping m...

Read story

“Shadows of Betrayal” by Breezy Bowen

Submitted to Contest #224

Shadows of Betrayal “I can’t sleep!” Said a small voice. “The storm is too scary!” It whined “Stop talking!” Said another voice, this one annoyed and irritated. “Mila, leave her alone,” a strong voice on the other side of the room said. The three of them were lying on the carpeted floor of the playroom in the basement during a stormy night. “Why should I be kept up by that baby?” Mila teased, chuckling a little. “Hey! I’m not a baby!” Whined Mary, “Make her stop, Charlie!” She sat up. “Mila, not one more word. Go to sleep.” Charlie sai...

Read story

“Late Night Decision” by Honey Perez

Submitted to Contest #224

“Fuck, I can’t sleep” Taylor groaned. She ripped the blankets off, letting the cool air relax her. How could she fall asleep if her mind couldn’t stop replaying a simple request.I need an answer by tomorrow. Taylor simply didn’t have an answer. She couldn’t come up with one. How could she? Sure the offer was great, amazing really. She would move up from position. Get a tremendous raise. A raise she desperately needed. The answer should have been so easy. So clear. So why was she tossing and turning? Why couldn’t a simple yes roll off her ton...

Read story

“The Point of no Return” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #224

Allen boarded the plane, stowed his carry-on and found his seat. The interminable layover, now ended, allowed him to relax. Dusk settled over the airport. He hated taking the red-eye, but this was his last chance to go where he’d never wanted to go. The P.A. squawked. “Ladies and gentlemen, there will be a brief delay before take-off. Please exit the plane. You can leave your carry-on luggage but take anything you may need with you.” A loud groan erupted from the passengers. A stewardess murmured something about ‘mechanical trouble’ to a st...

Read story

“Shifting Shadows” by Guido Francisco Manzano Garcia

Submitted to Contest #224

In the quiet suburb of Maplewood, nestled among rows of nearly identical houses, the home of Joane and Robert stood. It was a modest two-story dwelling, with a small garden that Joane tended to on her rare days off. The white picket fence, once a symbol of their achieved dream, now felt like a barrier, holding in their mounting pressures and unspoken frustrations. Joane, with her gentle smile and hands that were always busy, juggled her roles as a mother and a grocery store clerk with a grace that belied her exhaustion. Each evening, as th...

Read story

“Nocturnal Bonds” by Kai Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #224

The sun was still well below the horizon as Ansel exited the BART near his flat, and despite the city already beginning to take on a pre-dawn light, the nightwalkers were still out in force – shooting up, smoking dope, and acting generally insane. Rounding a corner onto Market, Ansel felt a gust of wind blow through his open jacket. He tugged it closed unconsciously even though he couldn’t really feel the cold. Instead, he was consumed by a dread-tired feeling, accompanied by the constant body ache, sore throat, and low cough that he’d had s...

Read story

“The Appointment” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #224

He was feeling particularly miserable that day. Who wanted to get up before dawn for that appointment? What had the world turned into? It had been building over the years little by little, another rule, another regulation, another appointment. Who did these people think they were trying to control every single aspect of our lives? Where did it end? Guzzling down his morning coffee he grimaced as the bitterness hit his empty stomach. What if he just decided not to go? Returning to the crumpled bed sh...

Read story

“Caligula ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #224

It was still dark when Red’s alarm went off. The jackal-like alien’s long, velvety ear twitched at the sound as she raised her head from the soft and comforting pillow, her fur matted to her face. Baring her teeth she quickly slammed a fist down on her alarm. It wheezed out one last beep before Red threw the covers back and got to her feet, still in the one nightgown she owned. Grumbling, she stretched and yawned before plodding her way to the bathroom for a shower. After she was clean and dry she dressed in her favored attire: Sho...

Read story

“Mary's Children” by Harper Pechota

Submitted to Contest #224

"I can't sleep." Third time tonight I have heard that phrase whispered. Tiny hands grab at my bedsheets, tiny fingers wandering towards the little holes. Something to pick at I assume. "I can't sleep." Fourth time. A pair of bright green eyes and skin so fair that you can see the toddler's face in the dark of a winter's night. A little voice so pleading that I cannot say no. It would be so cold of me to turn this voice away. "Jeg kan ikke sove." Another wondering voice whispers. This voice is shy. Wondering. Timid and tentative....

Read story

“Through the Steel Door” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #224

There it was just as expected, on time as if set with an alarm clock. The 4:00 am door opened after being closed and bolted all day while she sat at her writing desk. She wasn’t surprised in the least. Trying to gain access between chores and appointments had proven to be impossible. Changing gears, new perspectives and fresh starts were all futile efforts. That massive door was held shut with an invisible combination lock; the right sequence of numbers unknown to her. At 4:00 am it slid open, but more than slid open,...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

285

Contest entries

135

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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢