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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

“Godwin's Law” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #231

New Year’s Day 2035, in Charleston, South Carolina, Paul Tithers stood motionless on his electric scooter and was at a loss for words—or more accurately, at a loss for one word.With a hangover, still reeling from the loss of a real estate listings the week before, and having fallen over repeatedly on the new scooter his wife bought him for Christmas, he was in a foul mood.In front of him, a security guard stood blocking his way. “Electric scooters are not allowed in Ashley Park. I need to ask you to get off the scooter and exit the park,” th...

7 comments 7
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“Void Of Stars (Part 1) - [Collab with Annie Persson]” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #231

I waited until the footsteps receded down the hall, reaching beneath my bed to grab the bag of things I had collected earlier in the day. I smirked to myself. No one ever notices what I do, and I love it. Once I opened my door slowly and checked no one had their lights on, I sneaked down the hall to the window.Checking behind me once more, I opened the window and sat on the sill. I took a deep breath and jumped. I resisted the urge to scream in delight, knowing it would only get me found. I dropped another two storeys until I opened a wormho...

8 comments 8
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“Simmer (E)” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #231

⚠️ Mentions of murder, kidnapping ⚠️Mishka stared out of the blank window, too exhausted to attempt to use her experimental magic. Something was nagging her - an answer to a question she hadn't yet asked herself, just out of reach. She was too exhausted to try to understand it now, so she gave up.After sitting and staring for a few minutes, Mishka felt her strength slowly growing. When she felt stable enough, she stood up and sat on her bed. She needed to do something, she felt. The 7 more beds in the dormitory-prison told her there were mor...

11 comments 11
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“Five-o'clock Tea with Remiel and Azrael.” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #231

Note: This is a very personal story, for I am the author. -------------------------------------------------------------- "So, here we are, on the brink of 2024. I gotta admit, I'm scared. Gut-churning, anxiety-ridden scared. The future's got this ominous vibe, you know? Finances are hanging by a thread, and there's this fear, a whisper that it might all come crashing down – a brutal disease, the end of the line for my short, little story." "But hey, I'm not one to wallow alone. So, I'm sending out prayers, like distress signals into the ...

2 comments 2
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“Dear Journal” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #231

January 1, 2024, I hereby resolve:·      To go to the gym four times a week. (Resolutions look so cool when written by fountain pen!)·      To stop procrastinating and wasting time scrolling online.·      To keep my diary every day. It’s therapeutic, or so they say.·     To clean out closets and get rid of stuff I don’t need.·      To not shop for new clothes unless essential since the world is bein...

6 comments 6
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“Baby Steps” by Teresa Elaine Ryan

Submitted to Contest #231

Trigger Warning: Pregnancy LossWe went to sleep last night with the window open. Maybe it was the gentle breeze that nudged me awake. Now, in my morning haze, I hear birds singing the song of a new day. A lawn mower growls in the distance, shaving off the evidence of days past. I don’t want to open my eyes, though, because when I do, that signals the true beginning of another day to face. I fight it for as long as I can, and then finally, I give in and open them.My heart is heavy and pained after only a few seconds of being awake. It’s that...

2 comments 2
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“My Pocket” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #231

I was sure that hope had abandoned me. I lay in bed pondering my hopelessness, and a part of me did have to wonder if perhaps I had been the one to abandon hope, but that only fueled my self-loathing. I stared up at the ceiling, tossing the blame back and forth between myself and hope. Tears tickled their way down my temples and around the back of my head, cold darkness enveloping me as I drifted to the bottom of a bottomless pit.Tomorrow was gone. Now didn't matter anymore. Yesterday was over. I had reached the end of everything.I sat up, d...

5 comments 5
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“Six And A Half Jobs You Should Never Consider Getting - The Complete Guide To Ruining Your Life” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #231

Social Worker – Position: Fortune-tellerStories tell of magical people who peer into a crystal ball and see wonderful futures. Sometimes the stories are right, but they fail to mention the years of practice that prophets go through, staring into a foggy ball for so long that they become living zombies, rewarded by a flicker of future about a dull, mundane action by some inconsequential menial that changes nothing, which they'll forget anyway as soon as the vision is over.In the professional capacity – you don't earn much. Most clients bring ...

9 comments 9
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“Oceanside Offering” by Cameron Cheevers

Submitted to Contest #231

I open my eyes, only to find the sea. It’s crashing, bubbly sounds envelop me. I lick my lips- they taste of salt and stale breath. I feel the ache of the rubbery chair that acted as my bed deep in my bones, and I come to the conclusion that I fell asleep out here last night.  Since I lost her, these things happen more often than I’d like to admit. I uncurl myself from the position I’ve been in for hours and stretch myself up towards the sun. It’s a golden day, the kind where the sun warms your skin so kindly, it feels like you’ve b...

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“The Old Canvas of Finn Vanderberg” by JR Lane

Submitted to Contest #231

“The Old Canvas of Finn Vanderberg”Amsterdam, NetherlandsDecember 2018Finn slumped into his chair behind the reception desk. He closed his eyes and scratched at the discolored scar on his forearm. He tapped into the internal hit of adrenaline, buried somewhere deep in his mind. He ran, ducking in and out of traffic. He tracked his prey. Not too close but, not too far either so as to lose sight, he reminded himself. A feeble voice brought Finn back to the present. Just like that, the exhilaration vanished. The mundane settled back in.“Ah...

2 comments 2
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“Singing Bells” by Paul Littler

Submitted to Contest #231

Singing Bells Paul Littler             Bernhard’s eyes opened, or at least he thought they did, as he could see nothing.  Am I blind, he wondered, did my fall from the horse rob me of my sight?  He tried to lift his head and cracked his forehead on a wooden surface only inches from his nose.  He could smell something familiar; resinous wood, pine at a guess?  And something else, dirt, soil, earth?  Bernhard tried lifting his hand...

4 comments 4
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“Cheers to Resolutions” by Kathleen Jessup

Submitted to Contest #231

As far as last year’s resolutions went, there was never a truer intention of fulfilling the unattainable dream. Yet, by mid-January, those intentions had all but flown out the window. I kicked myself; I should have known setting such things would only lead to misery. It’s just a diligently practiced act, consistently attended from one year to another, anyway. I settle amongst the pillows on the couch, glass of wine in one hand, Doritos in the other. Comfort food for the soul, I call it. But I knew it would be my undoing, dismissively brush...

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“It didn't have to end this way. ” by Mari AL

Submitted to Contest #231

**This is not a story of redemption but of revenge. The main character is unreliable - you need to read the story to understand what I mean. Some passages imply sexual violence but it is never said outright.**I hate anybody who gets hung on their traumas, they’re weak, they are pathetic. They are the vermin that need to be exterminated. And it’s always the same people, have you noticed? And they can’t help but drag it on, from generation to generation. To make matters worse, these people are the ones multiplying like rabbits. Maybe my kind i...

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““A Tapestry of Hope: A New Year’s Eve Tale”” by Leigh Nassiry

Submitted to Contest #231

In the heart of a bustling city, where skyscrapers touched the heavens and the city lights created a dazzling tapestry, lived a young woman named Emily. As the calendar pages turned towards another New Year's Eve, Emily found herself standing on the rooftop of her apartment building, gazing at the sea of lights that stretched to the horizon. Emily, with her hazel eyes reflecting the city's glow, had always been a dreamer. Yet, as the year drew to a close, she couldn't shake the weight of disappointment that clung to her like the winter chill...

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“Don't Cry for Me” by Sherri Stites

Submitted to Contest #231

December 28, 1966 Ava didn’t ordinarily cry, but then this was no ordinary day. She had only cried three times in her life. Three times before today, that is. Three times that she could remember. If she couldn't remember, it didn’t count. * 1953 She was six the first time and was surprised the details were so clear twelve years later. The small curly-haired little girl sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of soggy Wheaties in front of her. Her ...

4 comments 4
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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