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!

#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 – 56 stories

Stories

“Sinew and Silence” by Emma Morgan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #266

I drop the pen, its tip scraping across the paper as I step back, paralyzed by a vast nothingness that grips my being. The emptiness is turbulent and numbing. It takes my breath away while keeping it flowing through my mouth and nose. I must break free. I must find the muse who waits for me on the mountain. She must call my name, and I must call in response. I must go. Go up the mountain. --- The mountain beckons. Its silhouette falls upon itself under the full moon’s gaze. Light shines onto the valley floor below, reflecting the snow that’s...

Read story

“Word Is…” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #266

Word Is… ‘The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.’ Prov. 18:21 Ulysses finished his grocery list and saw ink on his fingers. “Damn! Running late… Stop sabotaging…”About to interview for a writing job, he wanted to look professional. ‘Would inky fingers impress…?’ He hadn’t had a paying gig for months. Pay or not, he always wrote stories, blurbs, whatever. His many novels, some completed and all unpublished, filled a shelf in his study.Friends always saw him with a pen and note pad.He washed his h...

Read story

“careful what You wish for” by KA James

Submitted to Contest #266

You, yes you, the supposed writer, illustrious creator of thrilling adventures as well as chronicler of romantic dalliances, equally capable at short story or novel length, you who are the magnanimous master of intrigue and the veritable reincarnated Vonnegut of satire; or perhaps, are you the imposter extraordinaire, lucky if you can manage to string two coherent sentences together, create a believable character who, when they speak, doesn’t sound like their dialogue came straight out of a ‘60’s TV melodrama, or even pen a decent adjec...

Read story

“A New Chapter” by Karen Hope

Submitted to Contest #266

Working in politics is hardly a profession people seek out to feel anonymous, but that’s because people don’t think about jobs like mine. I’m not the candidate, or one of their close aides. I’m not the spokesperson or the policy expert. I serve as the campaign communications person and speech writer, and I work behind-the-scenes from my home office.I’m not someone who seeks the spotlight, and I wasn’t looking for a job when this part time position practically fell into my lap. I had experience volunteering in politics, but I was already...

Read story

“Wishful Thinking” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #266

It took Craig an age to get into The Zone. He’d read that writers needed a familiar and comfortable space within which to write, and so he had gone about building his writing nest. He’d begun gradually, but as he worked on his own, special space he built up a fervour and an excitement of anticipation, discovering hidden antique places and poring over knickknacks as though he were searching for his own personal grail. In a way, he was. He was searching for a space that did not exist in the world beyond him, but within him. He was acquiring sy...

Read story

“A conversation with Michael” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #266

“Don’t erase that!” Michael said. “Damn it! Why don’t you ever listen to me!”“I wanted so much to kiss that girl, smell her perfume, your page thirty-four description was mesmerizing, it made me delirious, heady even, lost in the prose. I wanted to hold her in my arms, feel her warmth against my body.”“How can you feel anything? You are fictional character in a book.” The author said out loud.Michael’s rant continued.“How can Avan Jaragun, the hero of the story; how can you now consider he becomes a murderer, overcome with passionate jealous...

Read story

“IN THE AUTHOR'S GRASP” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #266

I was a detective. At least, I think I was. Or maybe I still am? But how can I trust that when my thoughts are nothing but twisted fragments, shattered reflections of what they once were? Each time I reach for a memory, it writhes away, slippery and foul, something decaying just beneath the surface of my mind. I was sure of myself once. My name, past, and how I stalked the city's dark alleys like a predator were all carved in stone. But now, everything's fluid, poisoned. The ground beneath me is quicksand, and my thoughts are treacherous, a ...

Read story

“And I feel fine” by Pete K Mally

Submitted to Contest #266

AND I FEEL FINE Zac Rhoades could see the future. This was not pie in the sky. This was not a silly hunch. This was not some intelligent guesswork.This was not cryptic messages in the form of tea leaves and hidden symbols.Zac Rhoades could see into the future.As a teen, perhaps seventeen or eighteen (he couldn’t quite recall), sitting on his toilet seat he visualized he would witness an accident. A cyclist would hit a car, roll over the bonnet, get back on his feet and shout at the driver. He visualized the cyclist in every detail from...

Read story

“Pencil Dust” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #266

I have been the dragon. I captured the damsel and cause her distress. My scaly green tail cleared courtyards with one powerful sweep. My hot breath has billowed up spiraling staircases. I have burned my own bridges.And then I was erased.I have been the slayer. I have braved the dragon's castle and miraculously evaded many fiery deaths. I have escaped mortal blows from its massive tail, nor have I been impaled by its fearsome claws. I have rushed headlong up those endless steps but never collected my reward. I never met the captive maiden who...

Read story

“OH! Come on!” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #266

The brave and dashing Sir Jamerson smiles victoriously each time his sword rings after striking the scales of the fire-breathing dragon. The dragon is holding the fair princess Lola captive until her father, the king, surrenders his kingdom. Sir Jamerson has vowed to slay the beast in exchange for her hand in marriage, so he is fighting fearlessly. Jamerson feels he is being roasted alive with each blast of flames. While ignoring the pain, he pushes his scorch shield forward and attacks. Jamerson lifts his shield hig...

Read story

“Where to Start, Exactly?” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #266

Martin had absolutely no idea where to start.“What ya doin’?” said Clara, cheerily, as Martin started descending the stairwell to the basement, coffee in one hand, phone and notebook in the other, a scowl on his face. She knew what he was doing; it was the same thing every day.“Going down,” said Martin, making it sound like he was on a one-way trip to the underworld. His mind was on this week’s creative-writing story prompt.“Have fun writing! I’m going to the market, then visiting Trish. We’re having halibut for dinner.” ...

Read story

“The Seafest Queen” by Danielle LeBlanc

Submitted to Contest #266

The puffed sleeves of my peacock blue dress graze my cheekbones as I feather them a murderous shade of strawberry. I cough as I spray in just a bit more Aquanet, the floral bouquet of chemicals filling my lungs. That’s the price you pay for hair teased as high away from hell as possible.My heart swells in my chest, roaring in time with the tide crashing outside my bedroom window. My bare ankles cling to the cold steel legs of my vanity stool. The mirror reflects back a portrait of myself —a living, breathing over the top paint palette—yet no...

Read story

“Written in Spell” by Jax Wilder

Submitted to Contest #266

The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into The Arcane Room. The wooden floor creaked under my feet, the sound familiar and almost comforting. Shelves lined the walls, filled with vials of mysterious liquids, bundles of herbs, and crystals that seemed to hum with energy. The scent of sandalwood mixed with something earthier—maybe sage—filled the air, winding its way around me like a comforting but heavy blanket. I inhaled deeply, grounding myself in the space. I came here for a reason. I know what I need. At least, I thought I di...

Read story

“Oh, Muse. Oh, Catharsis! ” by Lonnie Russo

Submitted to Contest #266

My legs were on fire by the time they left the ground. I surged upward like a spark, stretching my arms toward the ceiling—grabbing, reaching. I landed hard on my calloused soles. Once more, then, I leapt, gaining height. The third jump took me higher still, and as I returned to the floor, catching sight of myself in the mirror, I rolled my whole body downward.I found a strange foundation there in the scuffed surface, and I allowed this discovery to take root in the depths of my stomach. It tugged me to the ground like a magnet, providing mo...

Read story

“I Don't Know” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #266

Dan woke up to the first rays of sunshine poking through the cheep blinds in his bedroom. He stared at the kinked, worn plastic blinds and let his mind wander over his plans for the day. Maybe he would start by going out and challenging the Gym Leader in the neighboring town. But the lines of his blinds reminded him of the steps leading to the ancient shrine he'd found the day before. He yawned, still gazing at the blinds, then wondered aloud, "didn't I have curtains when I went to bed?" *** Dan's eyes flittered opened, a faint red light spi...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

281

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!

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 ⭢