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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#261: Gratitude

Unfortunately, it's true what they say — all good things must come to an end! Today marks my last Friday at Reedsy, and my last week as the host of Prompts.

Before I get into this week's contest, I'd like to take a moment to thank this wonderful community, for sharing your creativity and enthusiasm with me over the past few years. I have been truly moved and inspired by your entries, and am consistently amazed by the talented, prolific writers who make up Prompts. It doesn't escape me how lucky I am to have read and enjoyed thousands of your stories, and to have been given a glimpse into the worlds of so many authors. It's been a great privilege.

With that in mind, this week's contest is all about gratitude. Whether your characters are thankful for a gift, a person, or a change in circumstance, I hope they find a way to express it.

You'll meet your wonderful new Prompts host Isabella next Friday; but for now, all that's left to say is — thank you!

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character trying to find a way to express their gratitude to someone.

Character – 62 stories

Write a creative nonfiction piece about something you're grateful for.

Nonfiction – 69 stories

Write a story about a cynic who has been told to start a "gratitude journal," and does so — begrudgingly.

Funny – 55 stories

Write a story about an unsung hero.

Character – 53 stories

Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards.

Narrative – 64 stories

Stories

“What I’m Grateful For ” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #261

Welp. Here we go again. You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes right now. Why? Because it’s time once again to write the yearly essay of “What I’m Grateful For”, and then have my teacher paste the Quality Copy (not the Sloppy Copy! Never the Sloppy Copy!) to a piece of brightly colored construction paper, before hanging it on the classroom wall for Open House Night. It’s the same every year. Even now that I’m in 4th grade. Pretty much an adult. Or at least a teenager. When I was in Kind...

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“Car Crash Rollover” by Penguin Scott

Submitted to Contest #261

I awoke to the sound of thunder rolling across the sky and smiled wide. Waking to thunder is almost as good as falling asleep to it. Dim light radiated from around the curtains that keep my bedroom womb-like after sunrise. It was unusually dark for 8AM. My smile faded realizing that I had to drive down I-45, to the underbelly of Houston at 10AM in heavy rain. I hoped it would stop by then. I needed to get my personal effects from my car, totaled in a wreck. Seven hours later, I returned home tired and cranky. A headache had landed in my skul...

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“The 'Postcard' Murders” by James McInroy

Submitted to Contest #261

27/07/24 Dear Michael, I must say thank you for handling the murder. It was rather a difficult situation, with the information that Tina had on me. I’m sending this postcard to you to double check that you have done everything strictly to the instructions that I gave you.1. Have you made sure that the bullet has been cleaned of fingerprints? The casing as well?2. Have you made sure that the suicide note is written by the typewriter in Tina’s office? If this has not been done yet, please ensure to call ahead to warn of a bomb threat to the lo...

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“The Art Critic” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #261

John Gideon Edwards is an art critic extraordinaire. Well, perhaps cynic extraordinaire is more appropriate. He is also a snob. His father was a curatorial assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for many years. John Edwards Sr. had grand ambitions for his son, hoping he would someday become a world-renowned artist. He enrolled him in the educational art program at the museum itself. Its purpose was to teach various techniques and methods while exposing children to the museum’s vast works o...

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“My What-If” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #261

You have long been my what-if, and here I sit in tears with a bottle half full and half empty of wine.“I don’t want to give you false hopes,” you said, finally giving me closure. You don’t want to be with me, and if you did, I probably wouldn’t want to be with you.It’s your lack of interest, I bet, that makes me want you. Your lack of interest, I bet, that makes me experience what I’ve labelled love – only, it isn’t love. It’s what I grew up with: it’s a craving for validation. And yet if you were to validate me, I’d probably lose interest.“...

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“Epistolary of a Bitch Bird” by Sophia Csulak

Submitted to Contest #261

December 7th: Today was my first day of therapy. Bitchette told me to start a gratitude journal. Lucky me that meeting with that boorish woman is court mandated so I guess we’ll have to give Bitchette a shot, well not like that kind of shot. Fuck this stupid shit face thing! I hope she sticks to her word that she’ll just check to make sure I’m filling it out and not actually read it. I didn’t put that man on his deathbed, he’s only limping for a few weeks and his pride is shot to hell, but still I have to put up with this. Alas, I’m impresse...

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“Secrets In Ink” by Allie Mae Sakry

Submitted to Contest #261

A card adorned with flowers and a golden wax seal:“Dearest Licht,“Thank you very much for the flowers! They are lovely, and smell so sweet. How did you know hydrangeas were my favorite? I don’t recall ever telling you. Of course, I do tell you a lot of things, so I suppose it would not be odd if it slipped my mind! I do not have much time right now, and I do apologize for not having the time to take you into town and show you around. The palace has kept me as busy as a bee! I do have next Saturday off, so how about we go then? I’ll meet you ...

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“Weaver of Dreams” by Susan O'REILLY

Submitted to Contest #261

I wake up and realize today's the day I can go visit Mrs. Rogers. I had to wait until I was sixteen to see what could not be seen. People entered her establishment and came out in many getup's. Fairies, witches and goblins abound. It was Halloween every day whether in October or May. This was just the norm but what fascinated me is Mrs. Rogers herself never changed her outfit. She was constantly in black and on her weave was no thread. My mam had heard countless questions over the years.“Mam she’s always weaving but never changes her clothes...

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“Thank you Henry!” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #261

Any other night, Dad was at the table waiting for us, his four sons, when Mom called us in for supper. Tonight, Dad was on the phone so as we walked into the kitchen, Mom did that “shhh” thing with her finger in front of her lips. We quickly quieted down and found our seats at the table. We could hear Dad talk, but he wasn’t saying much, “Ok, sure, I understand. Ok, I’ll let them know. Ok, thanks.” He untangled the stretchy phone cord and hung the handset back in its cradle on the wall. He quickly settled i...

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“That Day” by M.D. Adler

Submitted to Contest #261

George was enjoying a delightful Egg McMuffin when the dragon descended upon London. The creature's belly, scaly and filled with half-digested accountants, two German Shepherds and someone's husband, cast a towering shadow over the entirety of Tooley Street, part of London Bridge City Pier and George's greasy booth. A dragon was quite possibly the last thing on his mind when George noticed the darkness spilling through the windows and onto his breakfast. Instead, he felt his mood turn sour at the thought of an incipient storm cloud looming o...

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“Lessons” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #261

It was all dark, all-consuming. She was choked mentally. Dumb physically. Blank in the mind – till she started thinking of terrible things. She had a nervous lump in her throat which stopped her from talking. She was afraid of the darkness numbing her tell-tale horror stories, because of its deepness and what she felt like a tangible girth – on the one hand, she would be glad because it stopped her from thinking terrible, terrible things – on the other hand, its motionlessness and depth scared her. She was silent. Breathing in, one breath at...

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“High School in the 70's and 80's” by Josh Abel

Submitted to Contest #261

When I entered high school I had a full beard and a medical condition (a seizure disorder) that wasn’t under control with medication. In junior high I was called Abraham Lincoln because of the beard, however no one knew about the seizures. I didn’t eventell my friends about it. It was embracing when I had a seizure. I kept to myself and hid my feelings about it. I didn’t want to go out in public much because I was afraid of people’s reaction if they saw me have a seizure. One time at home I had just climbed aflight of stairs. When I reached ...

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“Dear patients, here are the things I never said” by Dana Wang

Submitted to Contest #261

One early summer morning in the quiet hour of dawn, I opened the door to let in some fresh air and was delighted to be greeted by a feathered guest. In the curvature of my hanging wreath, a beautiful round bird nest of twigs and dried moss was tucked away perfectly between two silk flowers. Inside the nest, a mother sparrow sat very still on her eggs. She looked at me curiously and cautiously from the side of her head, tilting slightly without making a sound. For the next couple of weeks, I was in awe watching her sit patiently on top of wha...

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“Finding Anna” by Jennifer Luckett

Submitted to Contest #261

Christmas is my favorite holiday, but I planned to never celebrate again. Anyone who had been abducted and held by domestic terrorists, might not be in a festive mood, even in the most joyous of seasons. My phone beeped again, and I deleted yet another message. My email had never been this full, flooded with words of appreciation and support, along with requests from media outlets and advocacy groups to “share my experience with others.” But what about the women who were actually tortured and subjected to experimentation? How could the...

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“The Art of Gratitude ” by Heather Congrove

Submitted to Contest #261

Sally and Bob were a typical American family, four kids and a dog, with a two-story house and a white picket fence. They were the picture perfect example of the American dream. One evening, Bob noticed that Sally had been under the weather lately and decided to treat her with a special surprise. “Maybe a day trip to the beach will show her how much I appreciate her and give her a break from the mundane household chores.” He thought.He brought the idea to Sally, who smiled and quietly agreed. She drained the water from the sink and pushed the...

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$250

Prize money

303

Contest entries

97

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 02, 2024 EST

Won by Sandrine Hu 🏆

Title: Dear Aunt Beth

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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