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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#266: The Write Stuff

Hello, fellow writers! Before diving into this week’s contest, I have an exciting announcement to make: the Reedsy Book Editor, our beloved (and free) writing app, is now Reedsy Studio! This cozy space is designed to be your creative haven, where you can make boards to sketch out your wildest character ideas, set goals to help you reach the finish line, export your stories with beautiful, customized typesetting, and so much more.

Studio is a gorgeous, functional book editor where your creativity can truly flourish… which brings me to the focus of this week’s contest. If you’re an aspiring author like me, you’ve probably experienced writer’s block at least once in your life — not to mention all the distractions life seems to perpetually throw at you. So, this week, let’s write stories inspired by artists and the creative process. Whether you’re the world’s biggest procrastinator or have been waiting for inspiration to strike, there’s bound to be a prompt below that speaks to you!

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone who wants to give up on their career right before their big break.

Short Story – 39 stories

Your protagonist discovers that everything they type comes true. What happens next?

Short Story – 54 stories

Write from the POV of a character in a story who keeps getting re-written by their second-guessing author.

Short Story – 92 stories

Your protagonist has the perfect day scheduled — but things don’t go according to plan.

Short Story – 40 stories

Write about someone who summons the creative muse through a convoluted ritual or method.

Short Story – 57 stories

Stories

“A Mass Anomaly ” by Thomas A

Submitted to Contest #266

“Why do we have these weekly gatherings?” the man asks.“Morale.”“It’s not like we’re not going to get things done. We're way ahead of schedule.”“It’s a few minutes out of the start of your day. Relax, Ben.” She replies. They walk through a sleek, 3D-printed corridor.“Sure. You’re rota’d off?” he asks.“I have a few things planned after this.”“Like?”“Taking a ride out to climb the caverns in Akkarion.”“Oh, nice. The cave systems?”“If I have time, I have a massage booked later on.”“Wow. You really are making the most of your day off.” The reddi...

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“Panic ” by Hannah Abrams

Submitted to Contest #266

Today was Ky's day off from work, and he was determined to make the most of it. He had a perfectly planned out day in mind. He'd wake up at 7, get his daughter, son, and wife up after making the most exquisite breakfast consisting of restaurant-quality chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and eggs. His wife would kiss him and tell him all about how not even Gordon Ramsey could cook a pancake to perfection like he could. His children would hug him and they would have a pleasant morning. The...

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“Summoning the Muse” by Day Williams

Submitted to Contest #266

My husband shudders every time I tell him this. He stops hammering a nail into our new shed. “Please, dear, can’t it wait?” he asks. “No,” I say, “the feeling is upon me. I must summon the Muse.” I note that leaves have covered the back yard. I’ll ask him to rake the leaves when he’s finished with the shed. “If you must,” he says. “I know what this means. Tell me when you’re done.” He bows his head in acquiescence, and he continues to hammer. I set about my ritual. A year ago, my ritual had 100 steps. I have narrowed it down to 10 steps, 10 ...

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“Evil Dead, Witchcraft, and Georgia ” by Robin Greene

Submitted to Contest #266

"I can't believe I have writer's block again; that bitch owes me a freebie after what I gave her last time." Pulling out her athame, Georgia sighed; all she ever wanted to do was write and tell stories that enraptured the imagination. As soon as she graduated from Uni, her well went dry. She had won various writing contests; hell, she earned enough money to pay off her car by proofreading and editing everything from thesis papers to dissertations. Now, her mind went blank if she even looked at her laptop. The day she'd changed...

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“COURTING THE NUMERICAL (NO, THE ALOPHABETICAL) MUSE” by Frances Goulart

Submitted to Contest #266

Frances.goulart@gmail.com Courting the Numerical, (no, the Alphabetical) Muse ! Any writer worth his, her or their salt needs a muse to spark his, her or their creativity from time to time. For some, it might be fantasizing about a beautiful human in real life or in fantasy, or gazing out at majestic rolling hills, a pastoral landscape, or having a faithful family dog with its chin resting on your slippers. Picasso’s muse (and lover) was the photographer and surrealist artist Dora Maar who inspired several famous portraits inclu...

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“David: An Invocation” by Susan Downs

Submitted to Contest #266

I’m hearing crickets. Why am I hearing crickets at eight thirty in the morning? Take a deep breath, Mattie. It’s just another day in Hell’s paradise. I’ve got to stop saying these crazy things to myself. Okay. Not okay. Okay, it’s going to be the perfect day to write. I’ll write on the front porch this morning. The weather feels just right, sunny and a bit chilly. Perfect. It’s still early. I’ll set my alarm for another hour of rest then I’ll get up and write. I can call Robbie, now, and thank him for the comforter he got me for my birthday ...

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“Reddit Recipes” by Clara Zhou

Submitted to Contest #266

"Fillet of a fenny snake,In the caldron boil and bake;Eye of newt and toe of frog–" "Are you quoting the Scottish Play?" Lizzie asked, peering over Isabelle’s shoulder into the large pot she was chanting in front of. Isa spun around, surprised. She hadn't heard her friend enter her house. "You scared me!” said Isa. “What are you even here for anyway?" "You're hosting Writing Club this week, remember?" Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, yes, Writing Club! I'd totally forgotten–lost track of the time," Isa replied. "Where's ...

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“The Necessity of Creation” by Rachelle Tacosa

Submitted to Contest #266

To create is to destroy. To make one thing, you need the ruins of something else. It is necessary to do everything from sustaining life to creating comfort. It is necessary, I reminded myself, to destroy. I would say that it was the creative part of me that led me to do it. The part of me that lived for art and beauty and all the lovely things in between. I wouldn’t say what it actually was. I would let the truth burrow into the back of my mind and hide it’s true nature. So I sat on the floor and tuc...

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“Breakfast of Stubborn Muses” by Constance Marie

Submitted to Contest #266

Claire had already laid out the terms before. They were simple and effective. Yet Ehm still pouted, like an ever so petulant child refusing to go to school. “Chance… number one… mister.” She huffed and puffed between reps of squats. Her voice rattled in her throat barely audible over the morning’s pulse-pounding wake-up call. The track looped ten times that workout session, the vocals melting into their own incoherent instrument. “I hope you like what I picked today. I know it’s your favorite.” Her sarcasm laid its trap outsi...

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“Devon in the Details” by Sydney B

Submitted to Contest #266

Nothing says writer’s block like browsing dubious writing blogs for inspiration. KJ French had been browsing them all for weeks. Now, she found herself at the low point of her career so far: scrolling feverishly through pages of search results for her articulate query “how to write good book” at well past 4 AM. By the time she came across an article encouraging a variety of hallucinogenic drugs, she was inspired only to finally shut her laptop down for the night. Then, as one does, she climbed under her bedsheets and continued the search on ...

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“THOMAS CREER AND THE TIME MACHINE” by David Dean

Submitted to Contest #266

Thomas Creer sat at the breakfast table, munching on toast and scrolling through the news feed on his tablet. Armourer and extreme suit designer Thomas Creer, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Peru, was a researcher into human health, including time machines.Thomas rode in the self-driving Tesla, journeying the three miles to Nazca. His gaze fixated on the car’s screen, periodically it with his damp glove. Streams of vehicles whizzed past, their headlights piercing through the darkness. Amidst the flurry of activity,...

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“Could haver been, Should have been, Never to be” by Chris Round

Submitted to Contest #266

Could have been, Should have been, Never to be 1. Could have been"Happiness is job satisfaction," a mantra repeated yet again as I munch on the Saturday morning muesli topped with blueberries, chopped lady finger banana and topped off with full cream milk. At the same time it is contemplated that truly the Universe has some still unknown gripe with me, a mere Landscape Architect who loves working for the community in which he is based, who has passion about all things green, to enable the happiness of others in enjoying the ...

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“Curtain Call” by S. R. Whitworth

Submitted to Contest #266

Hands clenched tight in hair, yanking it out by the root, as Ashley huddled in the driver’s seat of her cramped Chevrolet Cobalt. Her heart raced and sweat dripped down her pits and pooled in the creases of her shirt in the LA heat. Strands of auburn hair wrapped around her fingers and drifted, listless, in the draft from the rolled car window. That audition had been the absolute worst audition of her entire life. It was a miracle the director let her finish. No way she hadn’t completely bombed. Every single day, it was the same thing....

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“Drink Ticket To Paradise ” by Emily Hulslander

Submitted to Contest #266

She couldn’t swallow one more drink ticket, limply passed to her from DoorGuy (name not important OR relevant) . It's soggy paper, carnival ride, raffle ticket blue sitting in her palm, making a mockery of her once again. While she was allowed “one free well drink or beer” her peers had tour buses with riders that included bottles of top shelf liquor for the afterparty,cases of exotic beer, catered food from the best restaurant in that current tour stop city, and if she remembered some of her classmates correctly, probably a few ...

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“The Career Challenge” by Amy Lynn

Submitted to Contest #266

The Career ChallengeChapter 1 “I can’t believe you are finally home!” Cara Donahue squealed with delight. She dropped her oversized purse onto the bed and pulled her childhood best friend into her arms for a big hug. “I have missed you so much!” Amile Anders pulled back to look at her friend, “I missed you too,” she said, her brown eyes locked with Cara’s bright green ones. “We have so much to catch up on. Tell me...

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$250

Prize money

282

Contest entries

108

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 06, 2024 EST

Won by Derrick M Domican 🏆

Title: inspirAItion

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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