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!

#240: In the Wind

Wind is something of a contradiction. Powerful yet invisible, it’s nothing but air, but can influence the shape of landscapes, sway trees, and carry whispers across vast distances. This force of nature can be a calming breeze or a raging storm, offering comfort or unleashing destruction.

It’s always around us, whether you’re laying on a warm beach with a relaxing breeze cooling you down, or in awe as a storm passes by while carelessly throwing debris. With that in mind, this week we delve into the wonders of wind and bring attention to its influence within our stories.

This week's prompts

Begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin.

Narrative – 138 stories

A crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. Where did it come from, and where is it going?

Mystery – 63 stories

Set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds.

Adventure – 31 stories

Craft a story where a character finds themselves swept away by the wind, either physically or metaphorically.

Angst – 60 stories

Set your story in a lighthouse surrounded by powerful gale-force winds.

Dramatic – 37 stories

Stories

“Buck Mountain” by Becky McMullen

Submitted to Contest #240

I feel the encouragement of the wind as it pushes against my back, massaging the muscles against cramping from exhaustion of carrying the 60pound pack of necessities for our weekend on the mountain. Listening to the scattered melody of birds as the strength of the wind increases, tossing leaves and twigs while forcing the trees to wave in welcoming of my girlfriend April, our dog and I to the top of Buck Mountain. The perfect place for reflection, appreciation for the present, and planning for the future.&...

Read story

“The Sea Wolf” by Arielle Young

Submitted to Contest #240

“Wind speaks of a storm.” Kit glanced at Irving, and just at that moment, the light hairs on his exposed forearms lifted with the sigh of a cool breeze, drying his sweat slicked skin. Finally granting him a reprieve from a long day’s work on the sweltering deck. He turned his gaze out to the sapphire waters of the Atlantic, loping in small lazy waves that barely elicited an undulation of the ship, then looked up to the spotless sky. Another v...

Read story

“Elegy on a Mountain” by Stanley Bordenave

Submitted to Contest #240

TW: references to death, suicideI am awakened by the cold breeze against my exposed face as well as by the intense pain in my back. I look to my left; I am stunned by the sky’s infinite void as well as by the spectacular view of the glacier-covered peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains. I’m lying on the edge of a narrow rock platform, suspended thousands of feet up in the air. I panic when I realize that Jess isn’t with me but I try not to move too much since any sudden movement will surely send me falling to my death. I continue to look ...

Read story

“Red Feather Flight” by Barney Defanfaler

Submitted to Contest #240

Red Feather Flight By Marc Stutzel Eagle Tehan is mindfully sensing the afternoon's northern breezes as the tranquil young man sits upright, yet relaxed, with lids gently closed. His legs dangle over a wooden platform that sits atop a Great Grandaddy-sized lofty Red Oak. The focused young man is full-blooded First Peoples in heritage: his mother, Cherokee, and his father, Lacota. Eagle’s stocky, lean, well-defined muscular anatomy is fitted with cream-colored leather shorts. His Indigenous DNA-expressed bronze skin is gently toned from...

Read story

“AND THAT IS THE WIND” by Jeffrey McDonald

Submitted to Contest #240

AND THAT IS THE WINDBy Jeff McDonaldJake sits on the rear deck of his sailboat enjoying the last Chinese takeout from Ho’s on the big island on his return trip to Baja. A gentle wind blows across his face but barely even ruffles his sails.“He will go nowhere if this keeps up,” he thinks as he sips from his water bottle.Any open-ocean crossing is dangerous, he knows this. You need a properly provisioned vessel, a good background in blue water sailing, the ability to read weather maps, and so forth and so on.“But the one thing you need for sur...

Read story

“UNDER THE JUNIPER TREE” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #240

Sitting on the bench and staring at the marker for her beloved husband’s grave under the juniper tree, Cheylene smiled as a gentle desert juniper-scented zephyr caressed her cheek making her remember her beloved’s last touch. The memories of that time in her life came like a movie flowing through her mind in exquisite detail with color, sound, and emotion.She saw herself sitting beside her beloved David in stillness, her breathing slowly moving in and out while his right hand rested in the palm of her left hand. He could still connect with h...

Read story

“Picture Perfect” by RoopKaur Khalsa

Submitted to Contest #240

Although there had been a nice, cool breeze the whole day, the crumpled paper that smacked her in the face with that sudden gust of wind was totally unexpected. It caught her so off guard in fact, as she stood posing for the picture with her family, that she didn’t even ask for a retake, despite her face being half covered by the scrap. Not that she would have asked in any other circumstances. She framed that photo, choosing to hang it by the front door. She made sure to at least glance at it when leaving for work, or going to pick up her k...

Read story

“The Wind is a Mighty Panther” by Susan Lamphier

Submitted to Contest #240

I would be home soon, completing my dream sail around the world, following the trade winds, west to east. Before me, a black wall of cloud rolled towards me. I tried to steer into it, to ride it out, but the wind was too fast, a hot wall, full of ash and stinging particles. It blasted against the bow of the sailboat, turning it side on, and caught it into its vortex of power. The sailboat leaned away, the starboard rail dipping into the ocean waves stirred up in the wind. I crawled, hanging onto the railing, trying to clamp...

Read story

“I am a boat.” by Robin-Clementine Herold

Submitted to Contest #240

I am a boat. I am sailing. I am small. I am gone, floating away. The sea is my mother, the wind my father, the waves my sisters and brothers. I am a boat. I am sailing. I am small. I am gone. My father seems angry. He’s rustling and bustling and hustling, making my brothers rustle and bustle and hustle too. My sisters stay calm. My mother accepts all my father gives to her, calm, angry, whatever he gives she takes. I like to think it’s so he doesn't affect me or my siblings, but nothing could stop my father for he is angry. And I’m thr...

Read story

“The Howl of the Djinn” by Zavier M. Ames

Submitted to Contest #240

Tarek holds a message in his hand as the harsh winds of the Sahara blow reddish sand against his blistering face. He has been banished by the Caliphate for treason, against a tyrannical leader who used him as a scapegoat for his clandestine missions. He has been ordered to be hanged in public forum, his escape meant only his doom. Noone would dare venture out into the endless desert with nothing to be seen for miles.Hours pass, before the summer night finally gives way to the cooling moonbeam. He hears a faint growl echoing in the distance. ...

Read story

“Between Withers” by Max Bufton

Submitted to Contest #240

A steely and grey cast sky with blooming clouds bulging over the horizon. The pale sun had barely rose but the old man had already been sitting aside the door for a time and watched the fellow leave without a word shared between them. A sloop on frothed seas in the distance rocking and jolting with the fury drawing nearer. The old man watched the fellow wind his way down the track past mossed stones and further to stairs of dark rock disappearing out of sight. He lit his pipe and began puffing and waited. The sloop drew nearer still before v...

Read story

“Revelations” by Eleanor J Winstanley

Submitted to Contest #240

They had both left it too late to retrace their steps now. The melancholy old lighthouse was the only shelter for miles around and since the wind had harnessed its full force, cracking tree trunks along their path as though they were mere toothpicks, Kate and Robert had fled through its bowed red door. ‘This wasn’t forecast!’ Robert bellowed.Kate glanced sharply at her husband , her forearm hastily covering her nose and mouth. ‘It wasn’t!’ He continued, his eyes looking up and down the blue, paint - chipp...

Read story

“The Lighthouse” by Willa Holmes

Submitted to Contest #240

I bunched up the billowing plumes of my nightdress, slicing through the thrashing grass. It was almost time. Affronted by the vicious torrent brought on by greys and purples above, I was far behind schedule. The crest of the hill reared its end, and I tore down the side against knives of clear water, a bitter scent that clashed with the salt spray. The damp grass whipped my ankles. The ruthless thrust of the wind’s hand propelled me like a rag. But although my looming lighthouse destination held its red stripes and glimmering beam at the for...

Read story

“Roaring Gale” by Brielle Walters

Submitted to Contest #240

The breeze brushed against Grace’s skin with the gentleness of a feather duster. Her hand was resting on the knob of her front door as she looked up to the clear sky. At first, Grace mused about mundane things. Things like what to make for dinner for her and her boyfriend, Christian. But now, she felt uneasy. That unease worsened when she looked behind her. In the distance, dark clouds crawled along the sky like a predator. A storm was coming, but Grace pushed the warning signs away. Her instincts blared alarms through her body, but the onco...

Read story

“Gabriel and the Wind” by Graham Stronach

Submitted to Contest #240

Gabriel stood in the field. Eyes closed. A zephyr gently caressed his face and moved through his hair. He was startled. Who touched me? No one touches me. Gabriel was a child of heaven, at least that is what his family had said. The wind passed through his thin cotton smock. A slight chill on his back and legs. A cold empty hand moving across his body. He shifted uneasily, refusing to move or open his eyes. Another sensation, a warm glow on his face and neck, his closed eyes saw white. Who touches me? Who bathes me in so...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

329

Contest entries

134

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 08, 2024 EST

Won by Jonathan Page 🏆

Title: Lost and Found

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 ⭢