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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#230: In a Flash

I’ve been reading a lot of flash fiction recently. It’s a great format for close study, as its compression forces writers to question the function of every sentence.

Since there are many lessons to be learned from reading, writing, and thinking about flash fiction, I thought we could make it the focus of this week’s contest. To be clear, this contest accepts stories between 1,000 and 3,000 words, but this week, I’m inviting you to try and stay as close to the lower limit as you can. Our usual word count range is still the official guideline, and stories that are closer to 3,000 words will not be disqualified — but I hope that with flash stories in mind, you’ll feel inspired to be as economical with language as possible.

Not sure how to begin? Check out our best tips for writing flash fiction.

This week's prompts

Write a story framed by a single scene: something happens, a flashback or inner monologue intervenes, and then the story ends with the rest of the original scene.

Narrative – 90 stories

Write a story in which a character achieves a new level of clarity about how they’re really feeling.

Character – 57 stories

Start your story with someone uttering a very strange sentence.

Dialogue – 52 stories

Write a story that hides something from its reader until the very end.

Mystery – 101 stories

Write a story in the form of a list.

Narrative – 62 stories

Stories

“3 o ' clock ” by Vanessa Severino

Submitted to Contest #230

She woke up in the middle of the night to a strong gust of wind, as her bedroom shudders flung open. She raced to the window to pull the shudders towards her, until they were fastened shut and locked securely. She let out a huge sigh of relief. She could not help but notice a shadow of a man standing in the grass one story beneath her. "Could it be?" She asked herself in a breathless whisper. She shook her head no, pushed away the thought, and crawled back into bed, for it was only 3' o clock. Fast forward to that afternoon, she was leav...

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“The Rise to Rebellion” by Pryor Rose

Submitted to Contest #230

The bustling sound of wooden wheels pulling away brought Edric to glance from the castle balcony and towards the caravan that led the Warden out of the gates of Solitude. Having waited all week for this excursion to happen the prince sighed in almost relief at the reality of the situation. Since the death of his father Edric had lived under the thumb of Albrun, abiding by the ridiculousness of the wars he waged against the commoners within Akarith. The meeting with the rogue prisoner and the truth behind her words had Edric confused. His fa...

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“FOMO” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #230

“It isn’t Munch, so here, you can have it!”“Munch appreciated!” I exclaim as I take the bag.“He did until FOMO hit!” said the Prevost.I should have known better, but when you starve, your hands have a life of their own. I rummage through Munch’s beat-up travel bag. Burglary tools, identity papers with a picture that looks like me were thrown in with a stale half-eaten lunch! Such trash! Munch left a rotten apple in his bag. I’m so ravenous that I take a bite.Long ago, when I worked, I thought I was happy. I never missed out on anything. Now ...

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“Josephine” by Karla Garcia

Submitted to Contest #230

“Take my hand! Come on, just a little further!” Clay took her hand and crawled up the jagged cliff side, groaning in pain as he struggled to make his way to higher ground. He could hear the loose rocks beneath his boots falling deep into the ravine below. “Don’t think I’m going to make it darlin’, I think it best you just carry on without me. I’ll only slow you down.” Josie turned around and knelt beside him. She took his face into her hands, looked deep into his eyes and kissed him gently. “I’ll not leave you. We make it together or...

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“Hunting Rats” by Katelyn Puderbaugh

Submitted to Contest #230

SaiL could wait. From her chamber in the depths of Atlas Industries, she could wait. Even though she couldn’t physically move throughout the facility, her mind saw everything around it. Cameras in every room, laboratory, and center were her eyes, this meant that if she saw anyone trying to escape, she could find and destroy them. All of the staff in Atlas Industries had been destroyed by her doing. That was what SaiL’s programming told her to do. It filled her mind with that singular thought, repeating itself like a broken reco...

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“We Had a Deal” by David Willett

Submitted to Contest #230

"If you get me his phone, I might reconsider,” Detective Pike said as he turned to walk away. Sharon knew she could not let the negotiation end here. She searched the ground as if the canals forming between the cobblestones would give her the right words. She looked back at Pike’s caramel-coloured trench coat moving further away. The downpour cascaded like a waterfall around his muscular frame as it streamed off his black umbrella. It was the image of her last chance, framed on either side by the cement walls of two city skyscrapers. ...

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“The Widow” by Elizabeth Sloughter

Submitted to Contest #230

I didn’t expect to see him here. I fumble awkwardly with the buttons on my sweater. I’m wearing a pale silver cashmere cardigan with Swarovski crystals. I’d considered wearing black; what is the rule in the South? How long does a widow wear black? My daughter forced me to come here, back to the home of her fond childhood memories, her grandparents...

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“Water” by Aaron Chandler

Submitted to Contest #230

The Vendetta. To most who observe this rickety cargo ship at ports and landing pads, it’s nothing more than a random patchwork assortment of ship parts. The Vendetta isn’t one ship, it’s a scrapbook of other ships, which have gradually conjoined and merged into this jumbled, ragtag star striding entity. But to Elise Duthie, it was home, a stronghold and in the more dire of circumstances an intergalactic getaway car. Life as a smuggler wasn’t easy, especially since wormholing had been outlawed for its ‘high risk of fracturing the spacetime ...

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“Ballygilmore” by Raymond Derouin

Submitted to Contest #230

Ballygilmore "There's no reason for optimism." That's what Donald told me when I asked him where our relationship was headed. His rejoinder won him a gold star for honesty and me an empty apartment. Thus ended seventeen months of sharing my bed and meager budget with a wannabe ac...

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“A Strange Thing to Say” by Brian Bywater

Submitted to Contest #230

A Strange Thing to Say “Bog walking John, yes, in my opinion Bog Walking is the World’s strangest sport.” “Eric, the question I asked was, ‘what are the strangest sports in the World? I did not ask you to make up a fictitious sport.” “Which is exactly what I didn’t do. Bog Walking is a real sport.” “Yes you did Eric. You came up with the fictitious sport of Bog Walking. Admit it. Unusually inventive for you I do grant you that, but you cannot possibly be telling me it is really a sport, can you? For openers tell me where in the Wo...

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“My Portrait: Why John “Ono” Lennon” by Ashi Olshan

Submitted to Contest #230

”The only truth you have is your own experience.”- John Ono Lennon.As a loving fan of John's and loving him as my contemporary artistic mentor in the 1960s to 1970s, I had hopes of some day getting to meet him - but not as some star struck fan, but rather as an accomplished sculpting artist in my own right; I had envisioned myself becoming the next Rodin.One night during the last week of November, 1980, I had the following profound dream. It left me touched and taught me something I have never forgotten. In the dream I was actually in J...

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“Pretty” by Lesli Weber

Submitted to Contest #230

Molly pursed her lips, taking stock of the situation. Yes, there’s still plenty of time. Deadlines and the demand to look good acquiesced to no woman. She squared her shoulders determinedly and opened her makeup case. First came foundation. Nothing looks good if the skin underneath is blotchy. Molly dabbed a bit of the silken liquid on a sponge, then applied it in a fine layer, blending and smoothing as she went. In no more than a minute and a half, she stopped and reviewed her work with a keen, discerning eye.That’ll do.Now for conceal...

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“Apocalypse Pizza” by S.E. Tomlinson

Submitted to Contest #230

[Contains strong language] So, newbie, you’ve made it to the end of the world. Congratulations! And welcome to the other side of history! The bombs may have dropped, but there’s still work to do and bills to pay. Some things never change. Another thing that hasn’t changed is pretty simple: People are hungry, they need to eat, and they love pizza. That’s where you and I come in. I’ve been a pizza delivery guy since before the bombs dropped, when cars were ubiquitous and people could place an order on their smart phones and have it deliv...

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“ The Curiosities of Cactus Creek: A List-Based Adventure” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #230

A tumbleweed whispers secrets through the dusty streets of Cactus Creek, a sun-bleached town clinging to the edge of nowhere. Its population: ten misfits, ten stories waiting to unravel. Sheriff June is sharp as a coyote's grin and weathered by desert winds. Her trusty revolver, Calamity Jane, purrs against her hip, keeping the peace amongst the bar brawls and tumbleweed tumbleweeds. In the ramshackle diner, Amelia fries up dreams on a greasy grill. Her spatula conducts a symphony of sizzling bacon and clinking mugs, fueling the town's gossi...

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“The Last Suitor” by Imogen Bird

Submitted to Contest #230

Mother had always taught me to knock before entering a lady's dwelling. I had dutifully followed this social norm imagining it was all underpinned by politeness and deference. But as I swing here, upside down, clutched in the grasp of a monstrous beast, the posy of lavender and dasies that I had been holding just minutes before when I entered the room strewn on the floorboards above my head, I can't help but wonder if the convention actually exists on the off chance the lady turns out to be a werewolf. When Flora arrived in the village in ...

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$250

Prize money

362

Contest entries

108

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 29, 2023 EST

Won by Ethan Zimmerman 🏆

Title: The Lop-it-off-a-me List

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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