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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#24: Genre-Blending

This week is a special edition of the Reedsy Prompts contest because our friends at Barnes & Noble Press are taking it over with their own theme, prompts, and special bonus prize! We'll let them take it from here...

With an abundance of content these days, it really takes a little something extra to keep a reader engaged. And one optimal way to do this is by blending genres.

When a story takes on characteristics of more than one genre, it’s not just about reshaping norms or conventions; it’s also about understanding what makes the different elements of those genres fit together. If the elements are treated with respect and appreciation, blending together multiple genres can have the positive effect of capturing your reader’s attention, and also maintaining it. This happens because it keeps a reader guessing, it subverts expectations, and it highlights narrative strengths.

For our takeover, we've put together five genre-bending prompts that we hope will get the creative juices flowing, strengthen and flex the narrative muscles, and sparks new ideas.

As extra incentive, we’re throwing in a $50 B&N gift card to the winner who best blends different genres in a way that feels fresh and unique. Good luck!

This week's prompts

Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways.

Science Fiction – 70 stories

Write a sweeping romantic tale of two lovers who must overcome the horror of being hunted by an unseen foe.

Romance – 87 stories

Write a murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who must navigate a fantastical world in a quest to discover the truth.

Mystery – 38 stories

Write a thrilling adventure of a special agent who is harboring a paranormal secret.

Thriller and Suspense – 47 stories

Write a magical realism story that takes place in the Wild West.

Fantasy – 51 stories

Stories

“For What Ails You” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #24

“If we go in there, odds are it’s not gonna end well. You know that, right?” It’s a voice in the back of my mind, a whisper that only I can hear. You’d think after all this time, I’d be used to it, but it still sends a chill down my spine. “Yeah, I know that. But that’s what you’re here for.” I keep walking as I talk, heading down the night-shrouded street, the old cobblestone w...

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“Everything Out There” by Laurentz Baker

Submitted to Contest #24

Silas Saber passed out and fell from the deck of his father’s place. When he woke he was staring in his brother’s face. “What the hell is your problem?” asked Jim lifting him from the ground.“It’s a long story. What time is it?” “A little after twelve.”“It’s dark. I can’t see.”Jim turns on the flashlight on his phone. “Can you see this?”“Yes!” Silas whips his head away. Okay, I can see. I had to make an important phone call at 2 p.m. Please tell me it’s not twelve midnight.”“It’s after midnight. What, or when is the last thing you remem...

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“A Tale of Opposites” by Cassidy Caldwell

Submitted to Contest #24

Deep in the darkest corner of space lived a pair. They lived together on the planet of Lenunculus, a silly place full of creatures of every kind. The pair, however, were opposites of each other in every way.Weesnorp was mountains tall, with wide wonderful eyes. He had feet the size of a football field, and could run miles in a single step. His body was covered in pom-pom ball fur, with more colors than the human eye can see. Despite his larger-than-life appearance, Weesnorp had the voice of a mouse. No one could hear what he was saying, even...

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“The Twin Vipers” by Kaysie Davis

Submitted to Contest #24

AuroraThe Crystal Viper shuttered as Darries put her into a dive, expertly avoiding the lasers that were flying passed us. Our attacker had appeared out of nowhere and started shooting at us without as much as a hello.“Who have you annoyed now?” Darries snapped at me, “Didn’t I tell you that your flirty ways are going to get us in trouble one of these days.”“Oh, shut up and drive.” I snapped back, pushing the button for the transmitter again, “For the second time, this is Captain Aurora North and the Crystal Viper. Stop fir...

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“The Scent” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #24

Sheoak loved the smells of her world. It was the perfumes of nature on the wind of the forest at night. With her almond eyes closed and her sharp ears listening Sheoak could see the silver owl drop from a branch and narrow in on its prey, a silent hunter. The babble of the brook called to her telling her secrets as did the whisper of the wind through each branch, caressing each leaf. The forest was her home, the home of her people and she knew each and every inch intimately. That was why it was such a shock for the elf when she discovered th...

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“Amusement” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #24

God and the Devil had played this game of chess for thousands of years. The Devil’s playing was clever and cunning, but gradually his pieces were being taken, one by one. God was patient, biding His time, knowing He would triumph in the end. It was all part of His plan. The Devil knew he was methodically being beaten after working so hard for the power he craved, and in a fit of rage, he dashed the chesspieces. They fell in all directions, unleashing his fury. He would yet have his day.Joe stared at his reflection in the mirror, and hazel ey...

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“The Alchemist's Grave” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #24

As anyone over the age of thirty, Captain Lona Honder had a particular pining, at times, for the "good old days." Though, to be fair, that sort of thing usually entailed cheerful anecdotes about flashy cars and better beer and a downright suspicious amount of sunshine, while he contented himself with one extremely practical feature of his days on the Force, which played at the keys of Nostalgia with the maestro's zeal. "Would it be too much," he wondered aloud, "to have a normal murder for once?" He'd given up smoking a year ago, but he stil...

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“The first case of Vicky Travers, gnome” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #24

Mr Herbert Billingsley, the curator of the griffinology department at the Central Museum, was murdered in his office at seventeen minutes past two by creature or creatures unknown. Detectives Blitz and Blunt, who were only slightly less dumb than they looked, had no trouble establishing this once they arrived on the scene.They were met by a crowd of excited curators, historians and archaeologists, who filled the corridor outside the office.“We heard shouting,” someone said when the detectives approached.“And crashes!”“And then a scream, a th...

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“Tongue” by Mike Garrigan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #24

I had been walking in the desert for what seemed like days. I was thirsty. My radiator went kaput somewhere on I-10 last night. No cell reception out here. The desert night comforted me—beautiful stars and comet trails. But after the sun rose, the temperature shot up far too quickly. By the time the sun was directly overhead, my legs felt like rubber and my tongue was swollen. In the distance, what looked like a town from the Old West arose. One dirt road split two rows of shabby buildings. “Water,” I said out loud to myself. I blinked ...

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“High Midnight” by Chris Sharrock

Submitted to Contest #24

Josiah stuck his spade upright into the pile of dirt he’d been moving and wiped his brow. It had been a hot day and, though the sun had set nearly four hours earlier, the effort of breaking through the sun-hardened ground had worked up quite a sweat. He tugged at his dirt-encrusted shirt a few times to fan the cool night air over his skin, then picked up his lantern from the cemetery grass and examined the hole he’d been digging. It was roughly seven feet long by three feet wide and a little over three feet deep. At that momen...

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“What We Run From” by Tay Wilding

Submitted to Contest #24

Ghosts are like owls, white faced and and in love with the moon. Silent winged and black eyed. In fact, the two are often mistaken for each other as they glide through the empty space between the desert and the stars. You might go months without seeing them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t see you. Both are known to watch from the holes in cacti and the black windows of ghost towns. They seem interested in human affairs, so they watch. Maybe it reminds them of something. On occasion, ghosts or owls will even follow a person that they d...

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“Through a Great Distance” by Matthew Klingforth

Submitted to Contest #24

Through a Great Distance “Andrew, God, I can actually hear your sulking,” Becky said across the hull to the large man sitting with his head hanging and his back facing her. “It’s like I have the endangered, sniveling vagina bug crawling in my ear, right now.” “I am not sulking!” Andrew informed her angrily as he lifted his head and stared ferociously at the corner. “As a matter of fact, I was just now having a soliloquyial discussion on the selfish disreg...

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“"Justice Prevails"” by Sue M

Submitted to Contest #24

“Justice Prevails” The powerful roar of the crowd was so intense, no one heard the explosion. All eyes were on the ball flying over the center field wall. A rookie short stop clinched the World Series for a team that started the season in last place. As celebrations broke out on and off the field and fireworks filled the sky, a rapidly spreading catastrophe escalated behind-the-scenes. It didn’t take long for an army of state and local police, sheriff’s departments, firefighters, military personnel, FBI officers, EMTs, ...

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“What Lies Behind the Stars” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #24

Later, in years when the caravans came less frequently, and the last of the springs had dried to dust, men would still sit at the scuffed tables of the Lucky Prospector. Every Tuesday and Friday night, some unseen force would draw them out, to drink and sigh and tell stories to those who would listen, of the old days and the better days and even those days that no one could properly remember: legends as old as the sunset, and just as far away.Papa had always been a wonderful storyteller. Part of the reason why this was, was because he shared...

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“Hope Yet” by Grey Oberst

Submitted to Contest #24

“Welp, we’re officially broke.”Kitt climbed into the van’s front seat as he spoke, clearly anxious but doing his damnedest to hide it. Spade lifted the sleep mask off of his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. They shook slightly with the effort, but he didn’t seem to care.“We’re not broke yet, Kittycat. We got a show tonight. Oughta rack up a least a few bucks there.”“Oh, yeah, ‘cause that’s gonna pay for gas, food, and your meds. We’re fucked, Spade, just admit it.”“Nah. We got hope yet, trust me.”Spade reached for his guitar and be...

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$50

Prize money

293

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 17, 2020 EST

Won by Gabrielle Gerstley 🏆

Title: The Ghostwriter

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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