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#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

“The Book Bar” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #233

The place was more crowded than usual for a Friday night. Perhaps it was the holiday weekend that brought the crowd in tonight. Maybe people were getting an early start celebrating MLK Day. I liked to think that diversity and inclusion were becoming more socially acceptable – that would certainly draw people to this place. I noticed someone gathering their belongings at the bar. I worked my way over to snag the stool as soon as she left. I nodded to the bartender – he nodded back. A few minutes later, he made his way over to where I ...

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“Psycho Nicole” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #233

“You are a miserable wretch. I am done.”He put on his sweats and went out for a run to clear his head. Dammit. Just halfway down the block and he already felt winded. How long had it been since he went running? He looked down at the gray sweatpants he was wearing, unwashed and picked out of the hamper outside the laundry room. What kind of person takes laundry out of the basket to wear? He had it ass backwards.It was her fault. Nicole. How did this happen to him again? She got under his skin,...

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“The Swear Jar” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #233

1st January The challenge begins. I’ve promised myself and my friends I won’t swear for an entire month. On the 1st of February, I’ll be shouting expletives all over the street, but until then, I have to keep my big mouth shut. ****, this is going to be hard. You don’t realise how much you do something until you make a rule that you can’t. A mate of mine suggested it as a joke. He bet me if I started a swear jar that it’d be overflowing by the end of a week, but I’m determined to prove him wrong. Now that I have to be aware of it, I’m rea...

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“I'm Gonna Punch Lucas Redmore in the Face” by James Lane

Submitted to Contest #233

February6th - TuesdayI’m gonna punch Lucas Redmore in the face. Today at art class, while I was busy with my rocket, Lucas snuck up and drew a line on my lip with a black marker. And then he called me a Creeper! The whole class laughed. I swear I heard M...

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“Where Dreams are Bottled” by Mandy Lane Valentine

Submitted to Contest #233

The neon bled the last of the twilight as Anya pushed open the heavy door. Inside, the aroma of a hundred simmering teas washed over her, chasing away the chill of the alleyway. Mismatched mugs hung from the ceiling, each a whimsical canvas whispering forgotten stories. Behind the bar, Milo, a mountain of a man with a beard tangled like ancient roots, chuckled at a gnome-like woman in a rainbow shawl, who clutched a bottle of "Dragon's Breath" like a precious jewel.Anya's stomach fluttered. Places like this usually screamed raucous laughter ...

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“Poetry and Prose” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #233

If I give you another one, I get grief from Barry tomorrow. Don’t ask me how Barry knows when we go one glass over. I don’t know if he has cameras in here, but I choose to believe that when you’re that miserable and that greedy, you have a sixth sense for anything that could cost you money or get you cited. I don’t feel like walking in tomorrow and getting called into that rank back office just so he can tell me that he knows I poured an extra song for somebody who was already over their limit. The problem is, you started with Tom Waits....

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“Rape Is Wrong, Right?” by Mister X

Submitted to Contest #233

Trigger Warning - Multiple mentions of rape.“Adam, somehow I knew you’d be here.”“Really? This is supposed to be my secret spot. How did you find me?”“You’re on Life 360, my friend. Your wife always knows where you are. She sent me.”“Ah, that makes sense. Can I order you a drink?”“Sure, I’ll have a Sam Adams.”“I’m sorry buddy, it’s not that kind of bar. How about a ginger ale or coke with light ice?.”“Who are you and what have you done with my friend Adam?”“This is my thinking bar. Alcohol just clouds the mind. I come here when I need to con...

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“The Dry Underground” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #233

“Get me a virgin!” “Sir?” “I want a virgin in my hand immediately!” “Sorry, sir. Can you be a little more specific.” “How’s this for you? I want a sweet tasting virgin wetting my lips like cactus juice to a thirsty desert dweller - salting my tongue with the perspiration that only hard, solid rocks can create around the rim of tender delight.” “Ah, I understand you now, sir. One Mocktail Margarita with ice coming up.” Jordi Waxer sat himself down on a stool, as he sidled up to the long bar on a late weekday evening. Situated in the trendy So...

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“Sand and Seagrass” by Morgan Aloia

Submitted to Contest #233

Cano crouched completely motionless, listening the gentle slap of the waves against his wooden canoe. A tall rod hung over the side with a line trailing down into the depths of the limpid water. He squinted against the sun’s reflection, tracking the telltale shifting of his prey as they moved around his hook.Fishing in these reefs had become a waiting game, and so Cano waited. The floor below created a backdrop of polychromatic coral spotted with patches of sand and seagrass. Cano scanned the water for fish large enough to provide food, but ...

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“Lifeboat” by Jack Kimball

Submitted to Contest #233

In every direction the only sight was a skulking blue ocean, a silver mercury one day, a crystal blue the next. The only sound was the water slapping against the thirty feet of open boat. The only taste salt, the only smell fear. I marveled at how the sky dictated the color. Water is almost clear, I thought. It’s only the sky that gives it color; the sky is like an artist painting the sea. The sea has no knowledge of who paints it.It had been twenty-one days since our steamer floundered, New Year's Eve, 1890. There were eight of us and we'd ...

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“Mom is Calling” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #233

I don’t remember falling asleep. He supposed he was in the back of an Uber. That’s good, he thought, on my way home. He fell back asleep. Some amount of time passed, but Jake did not know how long. The car came to a slow stop, and footsteps were heard coming to the door. Jake tried lifting his head and, though it was just as difficult now as it was the last time, managed it and tried to focus on the car window next to him. He knew it w...

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“Writing Dry” by William Glewicz

Submitted to Contest #233

Writing Dry Friday. Janet sits at the kitchen table, staring at her phone. “Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.” In all her 70 years, she’s never tasted alcohol. Well, there was that time junior year that left her heaving in the bathroom with her mother standing outside the door calling her names. Once, it turned out, can be enough. After that? Janet rubs her eyes, searching for relevant memories, anything that could be of use. Cooking sherry surely doesn’t count. There was that time Ed took her to that fancy res...

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“Riley and the Reinvention of Harmony Hills” by Leigh Nassiry

Submitted to Contest #233

In the charming town of Harmony Hills, where the sun painted the houses golden every evening, lived a character named Riley who was about to embark on an unexpected journey. Known for his lively spirit and the ability to turn any mundane moment into a laughter-filled memory, Riley decided to take on the challenge of Dry January. It all began on a cold winter's night when Riley found himself at the local pub, surrounded by friends and the usual merriment. As the clock struck midnight, signaling the start of a new year, Riley made a proclamati...

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“Bye- Bye Binkies ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #233

Thelma loved her binkies. They made her feel calm and happy. Thelma and her binkies had been together since the day she was born. She knew that, because she had a Binky in her mouth in the picture that Mommy showed her, from the day that they first met. Blue Binky was Thelma‘s favorite pacifier. That was the one she put in her mouth. Pink Binky, and Purple Binky were too small for her now, but she still liked to hold them while she slept. Thelma had her binkies all through the night. At bedtime, she put on cozy pajamas, and t...

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“The Modern Addict: A Case Study” by Angela M

Submitted to Contest #233

The following is a recorded series of snippets from rehabilitation support meetings that the Subject A has attended. The published transcripts have been used with permission from all participants in the support group.Day 1[applause]“Hi, everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome. My name is <redacted>. I’m nineteen years old. Recently, I’ve come to the realization that… I have certain habits that are becoming detrimental to my health. I spend an insane amount of time on Instagram every day and it’s gotten to the point where I can’t even pee...

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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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