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!

#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

“Simple Serenity ” by Aaron S

Submitted to Contest #233

“Simple Serenity” The Allure of an Oasis in the Chaos In the heart of a bustling city that never sleeps, there's this little gem named 'Serenity'. Tucked away in an alley less traveled, it's like a beacon of warmth in the cool night. Swing open its door, and you're wrapped in a cocoon of soft tunes and hushed, comforting chatter. It's like stepping into a bubble where the world outside just pauses for a bit. Take Evelyn, for example. One evening, she just kind of stumbled into Serenity. Her mind was doing somersaults with all the deadl...

Read story

“The Dry” by Teagan Townsend

Submitted to Contest #233

I stumble over the entrance, one foot almost in front of the other. The absence of noise shocks me, as always, and I look around in stunned awe despite my familiarity with The Dry. I both yearn to be at and despise this bar. With its multitude of mostly empty seats, large tanks with enough tubes dangling off them to appear like the mythical Octopus, and of course it’s pure, crisp, delicious air. I gulp it in recklessly, declining the warnings pasted on the front door – “short, sharp breaths”. Could one really be expected not to indulge in th...

Read story

“No Booze Here” by A.C. Ammon

Submitted to Contest #233

It's been six years into the war on booze. I live in Brooklyn, New York, where most folks haven't had a drop to sip in nearly three months. Mr. Capone has been in hiding all this time due to some trivial gun-down matter of a fellow bootlegger. Ever since Mr. Capone hid himself, his shipments have been scarce, and the price, when the local blind pig did receive some, would soar out of my price range.I can feel the shaking beginning to take my hands and lips. This commonly happens when I've been away from the bottle for a spell. The only thing...

Read story

“Creating a haven for sobriety.” by Charles Frederick

Submitted to Contest #233

Jacklyn O’Neil had always been a woman who knew exactly what she wanted in life. From an early age, she set her sights on achieving success and nothing could stop her. She worked tirelessly to get into Oxford, where she graduated with top honours. After that, she landed a job at a prestigious law firm and quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the youngest partners in the firm's history. However, little did anyone know that behind the facade of her perfect life, Jacklyn was struggling with a secret addiction - alcoholism. It started inno...

Read story

“Less The Bitters” by Amanda Song

Submitted to Contest #233

She’d lasted ten days. Daisy plodded slowly against the packed throng. She wasn’t going to drink — she really wasn’t. After seeing what a “liquid dinner” did to her colleagues—Carmella always had a bottle in her desk and Jeff couldn’t hold a conversation without holding a glass—she had brazenly declared her New Year’s resolution was to go sober. But there was a certain hopefulness that she only felt staring into the velvety depths of a glass of cabernet. The only way she could escape the hell of their nine-to-five that usually extended well...

Read story

“Lost Hope” by A.M. Douglas

Submitted to Contest #233

Asher leaned into the brutal north wind as he made his way slowly up the street. Slow was the only pace the cold wind allowed. Cold, like my soul, he thought. Asher desperately wanted a drink, but every establishment he passed just wouldn’t do. Too rich for me, he thought as he passed the windowfront of the lounge in a five-star hotel. Too hip at another. Too young. Too crowded, he thought as he watched a group of friends celebrate a birthday. “Bah,” he grumbled as he watched another group celebrate someone’s promotion....

Read story

“Whiskey Sundae” by Katherine Marley

Submitted to Contest #233

Getting fired was the last thing I’d expected to come out of a casual Wednesday. The sun was shining when I left the house this morning to bring the kids to school, though, looking back, I recall the large storm clouds that suddenly concealed the bright blue of the sky in a blanket of ominous gray as I made my way into the office. As any person would, I accepted the abrupt weather change as an oddity rather than an omen. Perhaps I would’ve been a bit more prepared for the catastrophe that awaited me if I had taken the coming storm as a warni...

Read story

“The Artist” by Louise W

Submitted to Contest #233

Muted candlelight glinted off rows of freshly-rinsed martini, coupe and wineglasses. Blocks of ice slowly melted in the bustling warmth of the candlelit lounge, pooling at the bottom of the wide metal tub behind the bar. Above the hum of conversation, live jazz music thickened the air, courtesy of a pianist hammering away at the 1948 vintage baby grand in the back corner. This late into the evening, patrons had begun to peel off and head home - or wherever their next destination was that night - but plenty of hand-carved mahogany tables we...

Read story

“The Last Shredder” by Casey Delano

Submitted to Contest #233

In the dark of night, before the sun rises, he who loves to shred rises from deep slumber. He laces on his snow boots. He grabs his toast to go. He pours the hot coffee into his traveling mug dented and scratched from many miles of carrying and dropping. A lonely soul, he drives up the long winding canyon roads. Cursing under his breath, the sun scalds his eyes as it crests over the ridgeline. Biting his lip he scours the morning sky, searching and searching for the blessed storm clouds. The sky is bare, blue, and unforgiving. He park...

Read story

“"Whispers of Resilience"” by Karenina Deetlefs

Submitted to Contest #233

The story set in a small, drought-stricken rural town centers on Elias, an elderly man deeply affected by both the physical drought and his own emotional turmoil following his wife's death. His garden, which used to symbolize his inner energy and shared love, now reflects his soul's barren state. The community around him struggles with the environmental calamity, showcasing diverse human responses to hardship.Initially overwhelmed by his grief and the town's plight, Elias has a moment of realization. He understands that while he cannot chang...

Read story

“Drought ” by Shawna Burge

Submitted to Contest #233

DROUGHT © 2024Andy Pearson Droughts don’t end in a light rain that quells the dust and conditions the soil to retake water. The end of all droughts is a downpour. The vegetation barely clinging to earth with roots staying near the surface trying to collect morning dew. These shallow roots allow plants to be washed away at the first rain. My drought started after my divorce. A divorce I didn’t see coming. One day I’m a married man living in a picket fence neighborhood and thinking about a someday family. The next da...

Read story

“The Bullet” by Adam El Nabli

Submitted to Contest #233

I killed someone today. I cannot recall ever shooting someone with intention to kill. It must have been the last war, but my memory of those days has been blurry. I am certain of having fired quite a few shots since; some bullets, such as those of my neighbor’s wedding, carried a joy that flew up into the clouds alongside a swarm of accompanying bullets, elevated evermore by the force of our dances, chants, and drummed melodies. Other bullets were pushed forward by my fear, but with the intention to instill that same fear in the enemy. Not t...

Read story

“The Drought” by Dillon Bess

Submitted to Contest #233

This is a prequel to my submission here: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/fk2533/ It just so happened that I mentioned a drought in that submission, so I thought I would continue building on that universe. Enjoy! -------------------------------------- Drayven stood at his post on one side of the large polished archway, the peak barely made it halfway up the painted vaulted ceilings of the Watersleeper Royal Quarters, located deep within the ocean sized lake of Rivilius. As Watersleeper culture had evolved over the millennia, they had begu...

Read story

“1000 Days” by Zavier M. Ames

Submitted to Contest #233

The demonic sun bursts forth with greater solar flares than ever in human history, its vicious fiery tails whipping closer and closer to the atmosphere, melting and drying every living thing on its exposed surface, once a jungle bursting forth with greenery as far as the eye could see, and now even deserts pale in comparison…1000 days of no rain. Jameson, an old man who worked massive oil patches, is now seeking for the oil that will bring forth life and plen...

Read story

“Shadows of Temptation ” by Alyssa Romero

Submitted to Contest #233

This story contains multiple sensitive content: mental health, substance abuse, and physical violence. Jack is pacing back and forth in his small studio apartment. He has lived here for almost four weeks, yet it still does not feel like a home. I'm not too fond of this place, Jack thinks. But that's not what's important right now. He has just received news that he hoped would never come, news that could make the hard work of these last three weeks shatter into millions of pieces. Jack, unsure of what to do, grabs his coat a...

Read story

Load more stories

$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!

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 ⭢