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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#231: A New Leaf

The year is almost over, and a new one begins in just a few days. With that comes the traditional time of reflection, and of projection. As well as looking back over the year that's just passed, we're looking ahead to a next — and even the most cynical among us have to admit there's something pretty exciting about that.

A new year is an opportunity for self-improvement, exploration, and even complete reinvention. This week's prompts are all in that vein; characters who are all looking for a fresh start, in one way or another.

This week's prompts

Write a story in the form of a list of New Year's resolutions.

Adults – 54 stories

Write about a character who has reinvented themselves, but realizes it's not always easy to outrun your past.

Character – 62 stories

Write a story about hope.

Short Story – 78 stories

Write about someone trying something completely new.

Character – 34 stories

Set your story on New Year's Day.

Holiday – 50 stories

Stories

“Resolutions for a New Hare” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #231

I’ve decided that I’m a little too competitive.In the new year, I’d like to be less competitive. I’d also like to win more races. Not because I’m going to be competitive, because I won’t be, or, at the very least, I’ll be less competitive, but ideally, I won’t be competitive at all, and so competitiveness will have nothing to do with the fact that I will absolutely dominate every race I enter.Less cutthroat enthusiasm, more trophies.More winning.And so I am resolved.I’d like to befriend more tortoises. I currently have no tortoise friends, a...

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“Fate?” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #231

The film began with a sunset that blazed across the Colorado sky, pulling deep reds and oranges into the world. Violet sat holding hands with Leo. His hands were clammy, hers were, too. And he turned to her, pulling at the edges of a frayed blanket to dust away the blades of grass. She knew what was coming when he stood. The film slowed down as he reached into his back pocket and knelt. The proposal was perfect. Violet beamed. Leo beamed back at her and they sealed their love with a kiss. The screen faded to black.The next scene was of the t...

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“One More Week” by David Cantwell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #231

One More WeekAfter three long years in prison, sleeping on that thin, pathetic mattress, a real bed has never felt so good. That being said, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to get up this morning to an alarm. It's the first day of the new year, and my first day at a new job, I’ve never really had a job before; I can’t really call selling drugs a job.It’s hard to believe it’s been just over a week since I got out. December 24th, what a crazy and amazing day to be released. My wife came to pick me up. By the time I was out the front...

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“Moving On” by Wendy M

Submitted to Contest #231

CW Mention of deathMy New Year's resolutions.Margery underlined the words, then went over them again with her black biro, as though making the words more dominant would make them harder to refute. She sat at the dining table, with a mat under her writing pad to not scratch the wood. You can't do anything important in a comfortable chair, or in slippers, she thought.1 Take down all the cards, before twelfth night.I’m being organised, Margery told herself, not ungrateful. There weren't that many cards, not as many as she'd expected, although e...

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“Seeds of Gold” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #231

“There is a hole in his stomach, I think that is where the money goes.” Chico said to the other small boys kicking stones in the alley outside the dingy Public House. Like Chico, only 5, or 6 years old, the other boys nodded, sensing the truth. They had all known despair, watching their own fathers lose themselves, pouring golden, liquid drinks down their throats. Many of the boys had been sent by their mothers to the Public House to get their fathers to remember they had a family at all, to encourage them to return before all the mo...

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“Her First Submission” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #231

They were short little tales of approximately 700 words, each having a twist ending similar to the old black and white Twilight Zone series. She remembered watching the marathon every New Year’s Day saying “Just one more” as each episode came to an end and the next about to start. She hoped her stories would have that same effect. “Just one more,” she imagined her readers saying as they flipped to the next story in her collection. That is, if she ever completed her short story collection. She thought of the five c...

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“How the tide turns” by Carmel Henry

Submitted to Contest #231

Jay stirred. He felt cold and something else. The sand around his face had got into the side of his mouth and as he licked his lips, he felt the grit on his tongue and in his throat as he swallowed. He pulled up his head and looked around. “Shit,” he said, as he spat out most of it. His head was thumping and as well as grit, he could taste stale Guinness. It took him a good 30 seconds to realize where he was. It was dark and damp. He was under the pier. “Great, fucking great! What a perfect way to start the New Year.” He propped himself up...

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“Second Chance Café” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #231

On New Year’s Day, a line of hopefuls seeking a second chance formed outside Joyce’s diner. Joyce believed that everyone deserved as many second chances as they needed to get through this life, but Joyce was surprised that no one had been willing to take a chance on her when she was first released from prison.A man with a bald, black-shaved head stood in line, shivering in the cold. Joyce immediately recognized him as the Shetani. The hair was gray and chalky, but it was him. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. She’d recognize him anywhere....

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“Being Better, One Cranberry at a Time” by Claire Marsh

Submitted to Contest #231

Number 1 - Stop holding grudgesSome random woman in a supermarket blocked the dried fruit and wouldn’t move. It was a week before Christmas, I was stressed, supposed to be working full-time, shopping, hosting, planning, preparing, wrapping, being civil, having good will, being happy, not stabbing people’s faces with sporks in the queue for fish and chips. I had my niece, Whisper (yes, I told my sister it’s a stupid name, especially when shouted), in tow. But they’re excuses, I know that my behaviour was extreme and entirely my responsibility...

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“Write a Story About Hope” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #231

“Write a story about hope.” That’s my creative writing assignment. I have one week to put together a short story about something that’s been eluding me, slipping away little by little like the warm air from a fireplace escaping through an open window until the room is cold. I wish I had hope. I would love to have hope. To wake up each morning with a smile on my face and a pep in my step instead of heavy eyes and a sense of despair. How can I explain my lack of hope without coming off as melodramatic? I h...

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“Best Intentions” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #231

Best IntentionsEditor's note: The Reedsy format wasn't receptive to the Word cross-outs, so this may appear a bit messy in places.)December 31, 2023Resolutions for the New Year- The beginning of a new and improved Herb Farkowski. 1. Lose 20 15 10 5 pounds by July 1st October 1st December 31st, 2024.- Accomplish this daring feat with fat-free fat-reduced not all-fat die...

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“T'was Three Nights” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #231

T’was three nights before New Years, and I decided it’s time to write my resolutions and this year make them rhyme. Is there a task so fulfilling, as that of resolve? The future’s so thrilling, my list I’ll evolve. Searching my mind, and the depths of my soul, to change for the better, this time, I know. The instantaneous edification washes over me, as I prepare to become self-aware, leaving behind 2023. I feel so empowered, so fresh and renewed, as I pen all my promises of goals to pursue. First, I will promise myself to take much bet...

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“Redemption Time” by Gregg Voss

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #231

I wasn’t praying. The thought had crossed my mind, but with some people, prayer just doesn’t work. “You’re destined to be one of the greats, glory to God.” Pops. Him and the same garbage he had poured into my head since I was old enough to pick up a basketball. &nb...

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“Dishes” by Patrick Florea

Submitted to Contest #231

Hah, hope, they say. When everything falls down upon all they say, hope. What do I do with hope? Sit down and ponder that everything will be okay. That one day, this screaming pain in my chest shall vanish? No, No, I’ll be damned with hope since I shall not wait but act. I have been a strong man and continue to be. For my mother, father, and sisters. Well no, lets skip father. I will be hope.And so, he tried to become hope. ...

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“The Trouble with Resolutions” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #231

***Content warning, Adult Themes***One glass1) Lose weight.(You need to make your goals specific and measurable.)(OK, how’s this then?)1a) Join Weight Watchers—Actually follow the program this time.1b) Lose 10 kilos by Christmas, (that’s less than 1 kilo a month, that’s doable right?)1c) Keep the weight off this time.(How are you going to manage that?)(With my second resolution.)2) Join a gym.(Specific and measurable, remember.)(***sigh***)2a) Pay for a year’s membership at Fitness First Gym.2b) Sign up for two classes per week.2c) Sign Kels...

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$250

Prize money

278

Contest entries

109

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 05, 2024 EST

Won by Mary Lynne Schuster 🏆

Title: No Junior League

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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