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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

“Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon” by Amanda Van Regenmorter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #24

The town woke to discover Miss Margelene’s Silver Saloon had sprung up overnight, tacked onto the end of their only meager road in gaudy glory. The western-most, barely settled settlement of Gomer’s Gulch could only be considered a town in the most generous of estimates, but the people who lived there, mostly foolhardy prospecting men and a smattering of desperate families, called it a town all the same. They already had a saloon, of course; a handful of men camped anywhere long enough al...

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“The Divel's Gate” by G. Miller

Submitted to Contest #24

The Devil's GateCame across the ad quite by accident in the L.A. Times."Unique opportunity to own a piece of history. Situated on 5- acres just outside Silver City, NV.'Devil's Gate' was the main gateway to the Comstock during the boom days of silver and gold.Property has house and out buildings. Anxious."I emailed the realtor and was quickly emailed photos from 1877 and today, 2019. It looked veryintriguing and wrapped the whole package up to show Alison, my wife over dinner.That evening at the restaurant I passed Allison the realtors packa...

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“Birdcage Bill” by Lo Harmsway

Submitted to Contest #24

When Birdcage Bill plays the piano, everybody listens.Some of his songs make people fight. Some put them to sleep. Some make them drink drink drink, and some make them go drown themselves in the river. Nothing at all happens when he plays The Old Gray Mule. Despite his reputation, the saloons always let him perform, and folks always come to hear.My friend Gus once told me Birdcage Bill’s piano’s keys are made from bone. We were eating supper at the Holy Hare and Bill’s plonking that day was making everybody hungry.“Cursed bones,” Gus said, g...

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“Quake In The West ” by Vivienne Stradley

Submitted to Contest #24

Emma woke up with a burning feeling in her hands. She bolted out of bed and rinsed her hands with warm water hoping it would help. The second the warm water hit her hands her hands stopped burning. She stopped thinking about her burning hands and went down stairs. When she got down stairs her mom had already prepared some waffle with a butt load of whipped cream on the waffles. The but load of whipped cream made the waffles a little soggy but Emma still comped the waffles down. When she was all done her mom asked, “Are you exci...

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“Space Burns” by Stevie Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #24

“CONKLIN!” Havaderr wailed. His face was the brightest red and steaming with heat. The veins in his neck throbbed noticeably, but he waited as still as he could for Conklin to answer. A buzz came in over the intercom above Havaderr’s head. “Hey, was that you shouting, Havaderr?” Conklin’s voice crackled with static and attitude. Havaderr shut his eyes and repeated his Zen mantra in his head. “Havaderr? What’s your problem?” Havaderr’s eyes opened, and in ...

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“Deep Space Nein” by Chad Lehrmann

Submitted to Contest #24

“HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP, KARL!” Bert had had it. Too much time in the vacuum of space, too much time in close quarters. Too much cleaning and sauerkraut. Seriously, who eats that stuff? “HOW ABOUT YOU MAKE ME, BERT, YOU AMERICAN PIG!” Karl was done, too. The American was arrogant, prideful and sloppy. Then he was a clutz, too. That’s why they were here now, in space, with the gravitational controls out of function, floating. Not just the capsule. Them. Floating. In the ...

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“Prank Wars” by Logan McDonnell

Submitted to Contest #24

AdalynI ram the screwdriver into the panel to open it. Dust falls out and I cough. “My jobs Fantastic” I muttered sarcastically to myself. Being a mechanic aboard a ship sucks, but it does have some perks. Like the money I earn, and the great view of space outside. Yea, you read that right.I am in freaking outer space! I chuckle and put the screwdriver away before It could float away. My hair is always a crazy mess, so I don’t even bother it when it flies up. I grab a scrunchy from my wrist and I put my reddish-brownish hair into a...

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“Djinni Mugs” by Jay Stempin

Submitted to Contest #24

DJINNI MUGSJay StempinChapter 1Batilda The crescent moon shone bright in the night sky, its beady gray eye haloed by a lopsided grin. Yes, that sharp-edged crescent in the sky illuminated the forest floor, shoving bags of darkness under Mother Earth’s grassy misshapen rug. Batilda Bahama loved taking walks late at night, even when it was cold, especially when flakes of frost bit into her heart. Darkness was her favorite venue. Darkness was her friend. Darkness was a pastime. And when she really thought about it—her faithful enemy. Brought a ...

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“The Pallas” by Mickey McLaughlin

Submitted to Contest #24

As the Pallas silently glides across the inky black of space, it places its penultimate card upon the green felt of the artificial poker table. “Uno.” Pallas states, plainly. “If we were playing with actual cards, I would throw them at your face.” Grumbles Amelia, the captain and sole crew member of the freighter, the Pallas, at her ship’s AI. She takes one last look at her fist full of digital cards and closes the game window on the bridge display console. “I do not have a face.” Pallas responds. “Good, because I would pun...

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“Cosmic Toothache” by Joe Kraus

Submitted to Contest #24

Cosmic Toothache Albert turned the zirconium cipher-cube every angle geometry would permit, but he could not find a way to make his reader accept it. He went so far as to remove a deep-cleansing cloth from his dental kit – which, under the universal terms of policy, would incur an itemized expense he could not be certain of being recompensed for – to wipe away what might have been invisible impurities. Still, nothing. He could not get his reader to recognize the miner’s insurance information. “It looks as if I’ll have to charge you currency,...

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“Ships in the Night” by Carol Coupland

Submitted to Contest #24

Station Eureka Warp 2, 50 million light years away from anywhere. Captain Galileo, also known as Bob is looking through the telescope. His second in command, Martha heaves a sigh. ‘There is nothing out there in the way of intelligent life.’ ‘Nothing in here for me either.’ ‘Well I don’t stare down a long, cylindrical, metal tube pretending.’ Bob turns his attention to Martha. She had once shared a home with Stewart, but left him for what she thought would be a wild adventure into outer space. Bob found her to be...

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“Crash Landing” by Laura Simmons

Submitted to Contest #24

Astronauts Rick Meyers and Janet Nardo we’re gazing at the sea. They both loved the beach, but this was no ordinary one. They had crash landed on Kepler 22b, over 600 light years from their home planet Earth. And they were the first human beings to be looking at this planet, the real thing, not just a photo or a schematic diagram. “What’s the matter, Rick, are you chicken?” “What’s the matter, Nardo, are you twelve?” She took her eyes off the bizarre ocean to gaze more clearly at him. Ignoring the insult, she asked: “Why Is it I call you...

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“Oops” by Dale Lehman

Submitted to Contest #24

The explosion blasted a million obols worth of cometary material into the oblivion of space, a disaster even without their ship being parked at ground zero, but what really rattled Jacey Komarov was the destruction of her entire set of Space Kitchen Deluxe™ radiant cookware, which had been safely stowed on board. She’d bought the set on Callisto twenty-three years before and cared for it like a child ever since. To her, it was more precious than platinum. You couldn’t find gear like that here in the Oort Territories. Standing beside her in h...

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“JOHN AND MARSHA IN OUTER SPACE” by Margie Ricca

Submitted to Contest #24

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“I swear if there was anyone else on this spaceship, they would help me kill you!” John said to Marsha.“Oh, yeah. If there was anyone else on this ship, they would help me boot your ass right out that escape hatch. Just think of the endless worlds you could haunt out there. John and Marsha had been on board the CHAMELEON collecting data from the various worlds in galaxies in ...

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“Just A Touch of Luck” by Alex Castro

Submitted to Contest #24

“Dude, it’s post lunch time and we’re still stuck out in the Void. Didn’t you promise I’d get to eat some of that frosty cake??!”“Shut up,” Calci grumbles as he continues tinkering with the dermometric tank in front of him.Flix doesn’t, perturbed that the one time of year he can have actual sweet food, he’s stuck on maintenance duty with the most stubborn mechanic of the garrison. He’s so busy complaining about his loss, neither company notices the floating anchor falling behind. Said anchor is supposed to keep their scaffold-shuttle in...

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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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