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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 – 56 stories

Stories

“That's Your Title?” by Timothy Crehan

Submitted to Contest #266

“Mr. Reilly, don’t you find some of the Irish stereotypes to be problematic?” The question had come out of left field. We were analyzing the opening scenes of Dead Poets Society. Did Brianna think the bagpipes were Irish? Was that the segue?“Um, bit of a tangent there, but okay. Such as?” I’ve become adept at hiding my exhaustion with this type of participation. I don’t mind the question–not at all–but these high school students oscillate between no comment and ‘Hey, I just had this random thought I’d like to share, apropos of nothing.’Brian...

4 comments 4
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“The Red Block Numbers” by Mike Spotten

Submitted to Contest #266

I hate waking up. Every time I open my eyes I curse my maker that he (or she) didn’t decide that the best thing they could do for me is write me an exquisite death scene. Hell, at this point I’d take a drab death scene.  Bernard drowned in his tub. The end.  That’s me, Bernard. Is that the kind of ending that any of us really hopes for? Of course not. The only thing more embarrassing than drowning in the tub is dying on the toilet, Elvis style. But at this point, I’d take it even with clichéd lip curl and “uh-huh-huh,” that I know ...

2 comments 2
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“Life And Plans with Uncertainties” by Sarah Woodside

Submitted to Contest #266

The wedding plans for Chelsea were completed. We would do a follow-up two days before the event. Andrea had an event scheduled for the children’s ward at the local hospital. It brought such joy to their sweet faces when someone did special things for them. She was handling this event alone. I decided to make some time for Daniel. Things were slow right now until the wedding. I texted his cell phone and told him I would like to make some plans if he was available. During my free time, I decided to do some overdue shopping to update my apparel...

1 comment 1
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“A Family Affair” by Sabrina Sangria

Submitted to Contest #266

You apply your drugstore red lipstick in the mirror in your bedroom. A few wire-like gray hairs peek out from the top of your head. The first one appeared about five years ago shortly after you hosted your first family Thanksgiving as a thirty-something-year-old. You lick your fingers, smooth them down, and head to the dining room.  Twelve place settings this Thanksgiving. You set the dining table with the nice china your Mother gave you because you don’t want to hear complaints about how Ikea dinnerware isn’t suitable for formal holida...

0 comments 0
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“One Hellish Quota” by Lindsey Bugajski

Submitted to Contest #266

One... two... three! She counted and she tapped along with her fingers to the keyboard. Blinking rhythmically with the clock that hung behind her, sunken head hung around her laptop. She felt her limited time slowly slink away, as it’s always done before. An electronic buzz later, she realized her time was up. She sat up from her seat and began toward the now busy breakroom, where her other coworkers enthusiastically whispered about their works, about their speed, about everything Penny didn’t have. The clattering of mugs as wired workers d...

0 comments 0
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“Melpomone” by David Coyle

Submitted to Contest #266

Melpomene The last eddy of pink disappeared, returning the ceramic to an off-white. Theo rubbed a marigold thumb against a dark mark with a squeak. It didn’t budge, and was unpleasantly sharp against his skin. Not detritus, but a chip in the sink. A dropped utensil perhaps. This was an old kitchen, both in age and style.  It was a perfect match to the old woman lying on her back on the terracotta tiles.  She was surrounded by a dark halo that still oozed sluggishly outwards. The circumference of the halo had a very slight smudge, ...

0 comments 0
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“Ritual Inspiration” by Les P

Submitted to Contest #266

September 6th, 2024 It's been so long since Milo died. I've become a worse author without him around. My characters are flat, my pacing stunted. We used to talk for hours about the ideas that were rattling around in my head. When they stay in my brain, they just suffocate. But once he put his touch on them, they came to life in a way I could never accomplish on my own. He was my muse, my best beta reader. And for the past two years, I've written nothing of worth. I miss him so much. That's why I've resolved myself to fix this situation, what...

2 comments 2
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“Waiting for Inspiration” by Beverly Goldberg

Submitted to Contest #266

Samantha knew that the only way she’d ever produce an interesting article about the city for the editor of the newspaper she’d finally gotten an interview with was to force herself to concentrate. To avoid any and all distractions, to keep herself behind her desk for as long as it took to find the strong premise for such an article. She had been desperate. Not only for the money, but for a start on the career she wanted. After all, that was why she’d enrolled in all those journalism classes after her divorce. The alimony she received just di...

3 comments 3
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“A Work of Truly Staggering Genius” by Benjamin Rice

Submitted to Contest #266

"Where y'at, Ken?" "Hey, Phil. Um... this is going to sound dumb, but I am going by John now." The young professor slumps down on a stool at Phil's bar. Phil had not seen the man in at least a few weeks, maybe a month or two, now that he thought about it. He could not say that he was not a bit shaken by the man’s appearance now. Haggard, unshaven, and pale in complexion. Now he wanted to be called John? "John's your old man, ain't 'e? Seems confusin'. But whatcha want. Speaking a which -- Sazerac?" Phil wipes down the old wooden bar in front...

0 comments 0
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“Aaliyah” by Max Wang

Submitted to Contest #266

Chapter 1: Aaliyah           It was early morning, and Aaliyah, still rubbing her eyes as usual, stepped into the blinding sunlight as warmth began to crawl across her skin. Younger than her peers, the elderly women of her community would often ask her to run errands near the bustling marketplace in the morning, such as purchasing herbs, flowers, oils, and fish, and to wash the dishes and clothes at night. “Why do I have to go?” she shouted to a eunuch, ordered to guard the walls of the ...

2 comments 2
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“The Author's Tale” by David Newcombe

Submitted to Contest #266

There had been yet another long period of worry, stress, confinement and social withdrawal but all that had now changed, for now. Today was the first face-to-face meeting of the Billabriggy Writer’s Club since the third pandemic. Everyone looked forward to catching up. They were lucky to reserve a table at their usual café as the world emerged from its enforced confinement to re-establish a more normal existence. The neighbouring kerbside cafes were crowded and the roads busy with traffic. Instead of their former spot, the group found themse...

7 comments 7
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“Digital Death Notes ” by Vince Roman

Submitted to Contest #266

Inga was a creature of the written word, her soul resonating with each rhythmic patter of the keyboard. The blinking cursor on an otherwise barren screen was like a siren's call, luring her to pour out her deepest yearnings in digital prose. Her fingertips bore hardened callouses from their ceaseless dance across the keys, each letter leaving its mark on her skin like indelible tattoos of every fleeting thought and whimsical fancy.  She found herself buried in the drudgery of a thankless job at a company that peddled overpriced paperwei...

2 comments 2
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“ Sixteenth World ” by Nerin Naidu

Submitted to Contest #266

Sixteenth World by Nerin Naidu It appeared in a tattered old, cardboard box, stained with a rust-red blot along the left side. The contents considered worthless by the cleaning staff who resealed it haphazardly as if the anaphylactic contents would spell their doom if left exposed. It was discarded along the regular route the garbage collection truck took every single tedious Monday morning . Jimbeam, yes Jimbeam as he was christened by his always inebriated mother, pulled distractedly at the left edge of the discarded package. He ...

1 comment 1
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“What Comes Around” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #266

Monday, 9:15am. Simone slumped into her cubicle chair with a sigh. Closing her eyes as she lowered her head, Simone rubbed her temples with her fingers.            Five minutes later, she stood behind two others in the break room waiting for the Keurig machine. There was only one, and there was no way she was going to settle for whatever slop was in the glass pot sitting on a round warming tin straight out of the 1980s.            It...

1 comment 1
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“The Inadvertent Spy” by Phil Browne

Submitted to Contest #266

I didn’t ask to be born, but who does? I feel my situation is unique though. More created than born. I have name. I had a different one an hour ago. I go from place to place and travel back and forth through time. I never seem to stay in one place for very long. I have to believe that if he can just finish a story, I will finally be anchored to a home. A place where I can rest. Who’s he, you ask? The dummy on the other end of the keyboard? I don’t even know. I can tell you he has big ambitions to be a big-shot writer. I can also say with con...

2 comments 2
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$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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

Join our weekly contest

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

Join our weekly contest

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