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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#233: Dry January

Like many of my friends, I'm participating in Dry January this year. After the end-of-year indulgences (which, alongside many enjoyable beverages, included far too many forms of potato), spending a month abstaining from drinking feels well overdue. May as well slay one dragon at a time, right?

With that in mind, this week's prompts are inspired by Dry January, and other challenges of endurance — whether taken on by choice, or by chance.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Character – 33 stories

Your character, having abstained from their worst vice (big or small), finds new clarity.

Character – 49 stories

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Narrative – 49 stories

Set your story in a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.

Fluff – 61 stories

Set your story during a month of drought — whether literal, or metaphorical.

Dramatic – 38 stories

Stories

“New Year, New Me” by Lauren Rice

Submitted to Contest #233

I can do this, I thought to myself as I sat on the edge of the bed, my head throbbing from the night before.January 1st. The first day of the New Year. A fresh start, a clean slate, a new chapter.Whatever you wanted to call it, something about ringing in a New Year, pulling down your old calendar, and slapping up a new one made it feel like you could just begin again. Whatever you had done last year, or hell, even all the years before, was old news done by old you. New you was limitless, full of potential, pure and undefiled, and overfl...

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“Dry January” by Faith Scheffler

Submitted to Contest #233

I’d just finished my last tequila seltzer. The ground was being gently tucked in by a soft blanket of snow. It's so quiet and peaceful this time of night, especially being home on the island instead of the city for once. The streetlights danced as the flurries made their long and silent journey to the blacktop below. I hadn’t seen snow-fall in a while. I used to love the way my nose would get runny and my breath would feel hollow. Life gets all the more beautiful when you remind yourself that this is the only time you get to live this moment...

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“What a failed sugar cleanse taught me about addiction ” by Yvette Okeke

Submitted to Contest #233

My fingers tapped the coffee cup restlessly. “Ughhh this is just my luck,” I licked my lips to savor the sweet French vanilla creamer I had accidentally poured in my tea. Yes, I meant accidentally. I was on my 8th day of a thirty-day-new-year sugar cleanse and after demonstrating strong will against the post-holiday sweets at the office, that incident totally cramped my style. I had walked into the new year much like everyone else, optimistic and motivated to better myself. For me this betterment involved a sugar cleanse to evict all the po...

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“Clara” by Lakithi Ranawaka Arachchi

Submitted to Contest #233

The world is burning. It must be. You have no idea where you are, only that it's too hot and too cold and there's something wrapped around your legs and you can't get it off and you're kicking and kicking but it won't come off and fuck- Fuck. Something is wrong. You manage to get the thing off. You vaguely register it as a blanket, but you can't get much further than that. The fabric still kind of rubs against your shins and the sides of your feet, but it's not so unbearable now. Good. You want to scream. You want to get up and scr...

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“The Man, The Myth, The Legend” by Dylan Martin

Submitted to Contest #233

Monday, January 1st, 2024 Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self preservation. AUDRE LORDE ☀ I am grateful for… 1. Not being hungover. Okay…that’s a lie. Not being as hungover as I thought* 2. No work 3. This dick! I don’t know, TV? Daily Affirmation At least I’m still hot ☾ Highlights of the Day 1. A mean BECSPK from the bodega 2. Everything went downhill from there 3. I think I might be dying What did I learn today? Fucking nothing Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 WEEKLY CHALLENGE ...

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“Triumph” by Zinat Abdullah

Submitted to Contest #233

Sitting amongst the dusty chairs and tables, sits a man, the mysterious man who lived at the top of a tower, bells clanging at every hour, in the middle of a congested city. This building was the tallest building, and no one dared enter it, as the stories from years, decades and centuries ago filled the walls and whispered horrors which made the light dim in one’s eyes, follow their back as they went home, lock their windows and doors, hide under the covers, and never, never and ever emerge again. Again &nbs...

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“From the Diary of Reese Hurrikane ” by Min Wang

Submitted to Contest #233

August 18, 2020 It’s official. I have decided to set off to Xi’an by train, boat, car, whatever mode of transportation there is available to go on an archeology trip with Professor Langley to discover the secret behind the tomb of the Jade Empress. It’s funny how a month ago how I was still contemplating about the whole situation when I sat down with the good ol’ prof to talk about relics from Xi’an. The next thing I knew the professor had gone from talking about ancient relics and artifacts to telling me about the great discovery of ...

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“So I Have to Move On” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #233

So I Have to Move On “So I have to move to keep my job.” I spoke these words after the boss had assigned me to a new and at least equal paying job for the company I had worked for during the last five years, but it required a move. The branch of the company where I would be working was in another town. I hadn’t been given a genuine choice in the matter, other than ‘take it or quit’. I thought that my wife might be unhappy with both these options, but I learned later that my boss had talked to her about it for some time on the...

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“A Refreshingly Dry Sunrise” by Lee Sedin

Submitted to Contest #233

Blake was never good at taking hints. His first hint that he was in the wrong place should have been the name of the bar itself. “Dry Jeremy’s” was arched over the front of the building, a shining neon beacon in a quiet town after sundown. The name wasn’t a feature Blake thought too hard on, and even if he had, it still would have taken him an hour or so to clue in to what it implied. All he knew was that “Dry Jeremy’s” was the first on the “bars near me” list currently displayed on his phone. He held little doubts as he sauntered ...

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“Sicco Bar- an unexpected encounter” by Lee-Ann Hiscox

Submitted to Contest #233

The eerie clouds rolling in, serve to mock me. This has been a disastrous day, which began with me waking up late. From an onlookers perspective I’m sure it must have been quite comical. I practically jumped out of bed in shock, then proceeded to stump my little toe on the door frame of the bathroom, a long list of curse words came blasting out my mouth while I hobbled to the sink. In a frenzy I grabbed my toothbrush, putting the toothpaste on and proceeded to start brushing. For the second time this morning, my body went into a state of sho...

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“Remember That ” by Elizabeth Coronado

Submitted to Contest #233

The following short story contains sensitive information regarding miscarriages and addiction.1Crossing the street toward Bayshore Drive, a gust of fresh-cut grass and dog’s poop greets me. Classic Margaret Pace Park. I marvel at the early risers jogging by - three miles at seven in the morning is beyond me. The only reason I’m here this early is to see what those parrots are up to these days. Today, after what felt like forever, I arrived a good ten minutes early, set on claiming the prime bench. It's crucial for my first day of s...

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“Matador Bar and Lounge” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #233

Lisa woke up on the side of the road and slowly took in her surroundings. Where the hell am I? Everything looked fuzzy for some reason. She must’ve bumped her head pretty hard. She tried to recall her last memory, but her head throbbed with the effort. A light breeze caressed the side of her face, and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she finally recognized where she was. Her mood lightened a little as she gingerly got to her feet. She quickly checked herself to make sure there weren’t any physical injur...

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“Bootleggers and Baptists” by Edgar Seegers

Submitted to Contest #233

It all started because I am a contrarian. When there is a popular view among my family and friends, I enjoy taking an opposing position. My fandom for my favorite college football team started because most of my closest circle of friends were strong in their support of the state university. Of course, that meant that I started to cheer for their arch-rival merely to upset them. Slowly, over time, I became a huge fan of that rival. I started regular consumption of alcoholic beverages when Dry January became popular. A lady friend named Alex...

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“The Desert Inn” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #233

You could have knocked Bill down with the proverbial feather. A small and inconsequential feather would have done, something from the hind quarters of a robin would have been just the ticket. You could have blown Bill down with a mere whisp of breath. Barely touched him with a fingertip and uttered “timber!” In this frozen moment, he stood there in this most precarious of positions and without a clue as to what had happened to render him so. “Pardon,” he said after the shock had reached its half-life. It wasn’t a question. It was a word ...

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“The Wrong Bar” by Bec Newton

Submitted to Contest #233

The Dead Man’s Rest was a grubby little tavern but here at the docklands it fitted right in. The weathered and half rotted facade made no effort whatsoever to disguise itself from any that considered partaking of what it had to offer. It seemed as though no one had thought to do any maintenance to the old building since it had been built in the Georgian era if the date above the door was anything to go by. It was also doubtful that the glass had been cleaned either, the smoke staining so thick it was impossible to see anything more than silh...

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$250

Prize money

230

Contest entries

78

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 19, 2024 EST

Won by Ariana Tibi 🏆

Title: Vegan Hamburgers

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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