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!

#255: The Five Stages

It's a commonly held belief that, when we grieve a loss, we go through five emotional phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Science tends to disagree; there's no actual evidence that we go through these stages, or at least not in a neat, linear fashion. But despite this, the model remains a part of our popular consciousness, and is frequently referenced in art, literature, and day-to-day conversation — perhaps because the idea of having a map to our grief, a way to organize and compartmentalize our most complicated feelings, is so alluring.

This week's contest is inspired by the model, and by the feelings described within it. Your characters don't have to be grieving a loss of some kind; they may simply be navigating the challenges of life in general. Whichever route you choose, begin with one of the five stages.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a someone who's in denial.

Character – 68 stories

Write a story about anger.

Angst – 64 stories

Center your story around a character bargaining for something that's important to them.

Dramatic – 43 stories

Start your story with a character in despair.

Dark – 91 stories

Write a story about someone finding acceptance.

Character – 99 stories

Stories

“Tidal Waves in a Puddle: Despair into Hope” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #255

Prompt: Start your story with a character in despair Tidal Waves in a Puddle: Waves of Despair into Hope The time is right to tell my story. It is not an endearing story. My desire is for you to know the Truth. No adoring relatives ogling over my cute infant form. I learned that I was birthed on the street from a crack-head, deranged mother. My cradle was a cardboard box. It was the first of my cardboard homes. Social services eventually caught up with her. The first of my many foster families decided to call me Dam...

Read story

“The Land to Which Dying Sparrows Fly” by Siegfried Pueblitz

Submitted to Contest #255

Simon entered the hospital room and bent down over his mother’s immobile body to kiss her cheek. She lay quietly on the bed as if lost in a dream but upon feeling his presence opened her eyes and smiled brightly. The ability to produce facial expressions was the only motor function that remained once the disease had ascended through her spine and vanquished all the others leaving her paralyzed. He saw she was moving her lips, struggling to articulate words that came out as feeble whispers. He put his ear close to her face. &...

Read story

“A Line Reconnected” by Meher Khimani

Submitted to Contest #255

Would you ever make a call if you knew no one would answer?Amber stood inside the telephone booth, the rain drumming a melancholic rhythm on the glass panes. London’s usual cacophony was drowned out by the steady downpour, leaving only a bitter silence in the booth. Her long, chestnut hair clung to her cheeks, dampened by the ruthless rain. The city seemed to hold its breath, waiting for her to make a decision that could…hopefully, change everything, and nothing at the same time.Inside, Amber’s hands trembled as she gripped the receiver, her...

Read story

“In the Family” by Joey Madden

Submitted to Contest #255

She carries me into my room. She lies me down in the bed, and gives me a warm kiss upon my forehead. A small tear runs down her cheek as she just stands above me for a moment. She doesn’t bother to say much, she knows I can hardly respond at this point in time. Maybe in the future, if I make it that far. “I love you so much my baby.” She tells me one more time. I want to follow her, but I can’t even walk. I feel safe, warm, comforted in her presence. I wish I could open my mouth and put together the words to tell her how much I love her...

Read story

“Heart Smile” by Kristy Garrett

Submitted to Contest #255

The house was at the end of a dead end road with views that looked like a water color painting. The marsh was beautiful with dragonflies dancing over the pockets of water before they disappeared in the bright sky. The sun was magnified this time of day, mid-morning. She could feel the heat through the sunroom window as she sipped her third cup of coffee. She liked her coffee the same color as his eyes. Just a hint of cream swirling through the dark roast. Her love for him was bigger than the sun was bright. Bigger than the moon was round. Sh...

Read story

“The Moment” by Kelly Jones

Submitted to Contest #255

The Moment The author's back is always turned, not squarely, but in a sleightful manner. The precious stray reader is hidden behind a dark navy window curtain, and, never showing their face, the author slides a plate of pureed ideas gently towards those feral black eyes, so watchful, distrustful, judging a whiff against long experience in the starving wilderness. Kierkegaard once said that he wrote incredibly difficult, very long, intellectually dry introductions in order to find his readers. This is not the author's purpose, not to sift out...

Read story

“A MOTHER'S TRAGEDY” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #255

Despair, hopelessness, anguish, pain, misery is how I feel as I stare at my son's lifeless body. My sweet baby boy . Oh, my sweet baby boy how precious you are to me. My love, I see you now. I will forever see you as my sweet baby boy. As I leave the morgue with tears in my eyes and a pain that is so unimaginable it hurts to breath. It hurts to walk. I look at that precious face of my sweet baby boy and I ask myself. Where did it all go wrong? My home. What is my home without that sweet laughter, that playful smile of Wyatt? I can still hear...

Read story

“The Nightmare” by Isabelle Hancock

Submitted to Contest #255

It's happening again. Is this the dream or reality?I can feel his presence in the dark, his shadow an inky stain. His creeping presence in my room is deafening in the silence. I keep my breath even, curled into a ball, trying to pretend to be asleep. Maybe tonight he will just leave. Maybe tonight… no, I feel the sheets being pulled down.The moment his hand touches my flesh I fall back to my only defence. I go to the only place I know how to survive.1 times 2 is 22 times 2 is 43 times 2 is 6…As always, I look forward to reaching my 7 times t...

Read story

“My five stages” by Jennifer Allan-Robertson

Submitted to Contest #255

CW: This story contains themes or mentions of mental health issues and sex.When I think about the hurt and suffering that I have been through recently, I don’t automatically think I have suffered a loss. It’s not like someone has died. But at the same time there has been a death. The death of trust and the death of my faith in my husband. The death of the woman I was before the infidelity and the death of who I was going to be in the future. In a way, I suppose, there was a death. The death of me. Psychology believes that when we suffer a lo...

Read story

“Marble Kisses” by Astrid Skarsgaard

Submitted to Contest #255

Giovanni loved her from the moment he first saw her. He paid for her out of his savings, loaded her in the back of his truck, and took her home.He stood back and gazed at her after unloading her in his studio. She was transcendent, or soon would be. He walked around her, inspecting the possibilities. He nodded, satisfied. The proportions were perfect. His new woman would, in time, become a beauty for the ages.“You are impeccable, my dear,” he muttered before walking away and turning off the light.Giovanni took a bath, soaking his tired muscl...

Read story

“It's Time!” by Noted Moments

Submitted to Contest #255

Jane had been trapped in a never-ending cycle of terror for what felt like an eternity. Every night, the same recurring nightmare haunted her, leaving her afraid and exhausted. The dream was always the same: a dark figure chasing her– relentlessly pursuing her, only adding a few extra moments to each dream going forward. Every night, Jane ran and ran; never being able to escape the dark figure that followed. That's when she saw it; a wall. It was high, so high you couldn't see the sky continue. "I need to get away!" Jane whispered with tears...

Read story

“Eclipse” by Kaito Ikari

Submitted to Contest #255

He should have known that happiness wasn’t in his cards. Whenever it finds its way to him, it is ripped away from him. Figuratively…and literally.The knight who gave him his name laid on the grass, just like how he and she used to do. The green mixed with the red still seeping from her armor, barely visible in the midnight rain. Her eyes were dim, a far cry from the sun they once were. He breathed heavily, his hands still on her wounds. He knew she was gone, but if he stopped, he didn’t know what would happen to him. His back was turned...

Read story

“My Heart Belongs to You--How Sad” by Susan Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #255

“You remember him throwing the ketchup bottle against the wall but don’t remember what their argument was about? You expect us to believe that?”“That did stand out in my mind. Yes, sir.”Some lawyer he’s turning out to be. Where did they find this guy? Cindy pictured the bottle whizzing past, not far above her head, then blood and glass going everywhere—like it was happening now.OK, it wasn’t real blood, but what splattered on her mama, the floor, and the ceiling sure looked like it. And it could have been, with a different twist of Daddy’s w...

Read story

“What The Universe set forth” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #255

It was one fine morning in the month of August on the outskirts of the town of Bardhaman in West Bengal, India. “CHEST CLINIC” it read in bold font in the Sub Divisional hospital. The child who stood at the doorway was silent, seemed to be barely breathing. Piyu felt peals of alarm course through her in remembering what her Professor (who had taught her everything regarding Chest Medicine) had said. A patient of asthma without a wheeze could be worse off than one with a wheeze. The parents confirmed she was having a wheeze before she stoppe...

Read story

“All the Craters of the Moon” by Kirk Nelson

Submitted to Contest #255

Arthur Church wasn’t really sure what he thought about death as he sat next to his mother’s deathbed, clenching and unclenching his hands.“Arthur?” his sister touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?”He jerked and then looked up at her. “I’m fine.”She looked down at his hands, fumbling about as if the fingers had decided to wrestle themselves. She mistook it for fretting over their dying mother rather than his dread of being in a situation that required conversation and a display of empathy. He folded his arms giving his nervous hands a place to...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

365

Contest entries

142

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 21, 2024 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: Some Peace and Quiet

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 ⭢