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!

#227: Snowed Under

As the nights grow longer and the air turns colder, winter is just around the corner for those of us on the Northern hemisphere. Some people hunker down and prepare to weather the storm, while others welcome the snow and icy wind with great excitement. Even if you can’t wait for the coming spring, you have to admit — there’s something magical about winter. The buzz of the holidays, or even just that particular feeling of sitting in front of a fire for warmth while the wind howls outside, can’t be beat.

Whether you’re planning on hibernating or embracing the cold, this week’s prompts evoke everything we love about winter.

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone looking out the window and seeing the first snowfall of the season.

Winter – 86 stories

Start your story with a description of the cold, using lots of sensory detail.

Winter – 65 stories

Write a story where someone shares a cup of hot chocolate with a friend.

Holiday – 55 stories

Your character hates the holidays, and jets out of town every year — but a historic snow storm means that this time, they can’t make their escape.

Winter – 32 stories

Write about a character emerging from hibernation, whether literally or metaphorically.

Winter – 61 stories

Stories

“Eli Wants to Shovel” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #227

Eli popped out of bed the moment his eyelids flipped opened. The light on his Ok To Wake! clock was green, and that meant he was allowed to get out of bed. He tiptoed over to the window and peeked through the blinds. Eli couldn’t believe what he saw. The backyard was covered in a thick blanket of white. Fat flakes were falling from the sky. He started to jump up and down. “Mommy! Mommy! Come, quick! You’ve got to see this!” he cried, still jumping. Eli’s mommy opened the door and stifled a yawn as she stepped into his room. “What is ...

Read story

“The Storm” by David Lund

Submitted to Contest #227

Winter was here. The first snow of the season was accompanied by a horrible storm. It had been a miserable day, with fierce winds slamming against the shutters like the beating rhythm of an out of synch drum. The thin window panes whistled in the small gaps around every opening in the old house with an irritating sound. A fire was burning in the hearth, but blowing strongly as the air came rolling down the chimney. Heavy snow fell from the sky, already covering the ground in a thick white blanket, several feet deep. Although it was only five...

Read story

“the unguarded moment” by Nicola Perry

Submitted to Contest #227

MOTHBOYAri, Odessa, UkraineTime PastPapa does not take you to Mama’s funeral / he swears a death like hers cannot be honoured / so, he makes arrangements for father and son / You will live in America, in New York / Papa tells his sister you will stay with her / and his affairs will take as long as they take.And the world turns inside out \as if there’s a you outside and you inside \ watching.**it’s dark when titka comes / willing you to eat, speak / her weight lands beside you on the soft mattress / Papa has not yet come / you’re still ...

Read story

“Cooler Heads Prevail” by Nicholas Andrew Clark

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #227

tw: animal gore, gun violence“When’s the last time it snowed here?” Christine asks as she’s filling the food trough. I hold off on answering so I don’t have to compete with the pour of alfalfa pellets and the frantic scramble of the pronghorn to get to their meal.“In July? Never.” I hate discussing the past; it’s littered with landmines. “It’s supposed to be monsoon season. But even in the winter, it hasn’t snowed like this since…I don’t know…2024 or ‘25? Over a decade ago. I remember I uploaded a video of a golden eagle perched on the back ...

Read story

“Christmas Mayhem” by Kayla Taylor

Submitted to Contest #227

It’s Christmas, the snow is falling, and the fire is crackling - such a peaceful atmosphere - for the two friends, it was the perfect atmosphere for some hot-coco and a little chit-chat. Katelynn, the short redhead, turned on the record player and began playing their favourite Christmas songs. “So, has anything interesting happen lately?” the girl asked with a soft chuckle Her friend, a young man that goes by the name Nikolai, nodded quietly as he sipped tentatively on his hot-chocolate. “My siblings and I, we made plans to go visit family...

Read story

“Leaving the forest as a hermit” by Peter Davis

Submitted to Contest #227

I became a hermit gradually. It started in 1987 on a mountain near the small town of Harrietville in north-eastern Victoria. This was soon after my HIV diagnosis, when I was 19. Disclosure of my HIV status to people had resulted in impassive rejection, not curiosity or empathy. Health, for me, seemed more attainable within secrecy. The sensible thing to do - I thought back then - was to drop out of university. I sold most of my possessions and then started travelling on my own in an old car with a vague idea of going fruit picking. The car...

Read story

“It All Melts Away” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #227

It All Melts Away“If you ever find two snowflakes that are exactly alike, don’t bring them inside.” &nbs...

Read story

“A Chill by Any Other Name” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #227

Chester pressed his thumb and index finger to each other, noting the dull, waxy ache as they changed from rosy pink to a sickening yellow. He breathed in sharply, the frigid air slicing at his nostrils and delivering a shock to his lungs that sent his core into overdrive. A deep, involuntary trembling started up like a little go-kart engine deep inside him somewhere, desperately trying to generate a bit more heat. He reached up and pulled the beanie he wore down over his eyebrows and buried his face in the blanket he had wrapped around his...

Read story

“The end is not as you imagined” by Lyle Closs

Submitted to Contest #227

The time has come. The years have passed. The snow is deep. In many places it is hard ice above us, eons thick. Some of us have started to flow to the sea inside the glaciers. We flow more slowly than our sun was dying. Each thousand years I released an explorer device but the time had not yet come. The last showed huge advances had been made by these humans so I released the rest of the explorer devices. They have found tools we can use. Cables awash with data have told us much about these humans and their creations. They are weak though. ...

Read story

“Snow Day” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #227

I opened my eyes and slowly stretched my arms above my still-sleepy head. I stretched my legs under my soft, gray, fleece blanket and felt Porkchop’s razor blade cat fangs sink right into my bare big toe. “Ouch! That’s my foot!” I pulled back my foot and checked for blood. He stared at me unfazed and began to lick his black paw with the little white spot that made it look like he was wearing socks. A name I refused to suffer upon him. Rather, he took on the name of the first meal he swiped from my dinner plate. The first of man...

Read story

“Dear Esther...” by Isabella Parkin

Submitted to Contest #227

Dear Esther Dear Esther, How are you? I’m sure that’s a difficult question to answer right now, but being British I don’t think there’s any other way to start an email! I was so sad to hear that you and Adam split, and under such messy circumstances… I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now. If you need anything, Lizzie and I are more than happy to help. If you need us to forward your belongings, if you’d like us to give a message to Adam, anything at all. Please feel free to write to me, or to Lizzie. As far as w...

Read story

“Ballerinas in the Moonlight” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #227

“Go back to bed, Miss Amelia darling. You know the rules.”“Who are you?”“You know who I am.”“Tell me.”“I’m your aide,” the stranger said. “Now let’s get you back into bed under your blanket. It’s going to be freezing tonight. Do you have your woolen socks on?”I looked down at my feet. Such ugly socks I had on. Why?“These socks are ugly,” I told the strange lady while getting into bed.She laughed. “Are you going out tonight? Perhaps dancing? The socks are fine. You’ll be nice and warm.” S...

Read story

“Snowbound For Three Days” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #227

When I looked out the window at the cold gun metal skies over Lake Superior, I knew there was some weather blowing in from Canada. Sitting on the couch in my trailer located just a few feet from the barbed wire fence separating my small plot from a nuclear storage area. This is where the Security Police patrol the perimeter and will shoot to kill anyone trying to breach the wire. I feel safe here. People not in the military pay good money for this type of security that I get for free. Still the wind began to pick up...

Read story

“Tove and The Wolf” by Lydia Lee

Submitted to Contest #227

At the house at the edge of the woods there lived a Woodsman and his three children. The youngest of these children was a newborn baby boy. Upon the baby’s birth, the Woodsman’s wife died quickly and quietly. The Woodsman grieved this loss enormously, and for many days and nights could hardly bear to touch his tools. The Woodsman’s oldest daughter, Tove, took notice of this. She kept herself awake into the wee hours of the darkness, peering at her father as he trained an empty gaze on the fireplace night after night. Each new day, h...

Read story

“There for You” by Jess Rae

Submitted to Contest #227

Melodic sounds of Christmas danced through the icy air. The small town of Winona, Minnesota where Sara Stanley lived was aglow with lights, decorated cheerfully for Christmas with abundant trees, and punctuated with a huge blow-up Santa stationed right beside the tiny brick library. The sidewalks were full of laughing people walking briskly around the city square in their colorful hats and gloves and coats. Radio speakers along the path played classic heartfelt Sinatra, with a little Nat King Cole thrown in. The swishing of ice skates could ...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

299

Contest entries

130

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 08, 2023 EST

Won by Warren Keen 🏆

Title: The Winters of My Discontent

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 ⭢