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!

#267: Overcoming Obstacles with Writers Ink

This week’s contest, "Overcoming Obstacles," is hosted by our friends over at Writers Ink, the online mentoring and coaching wing of award-winning magazine website www.writing.ie that’s run by Writing.ie’s founder, bestselling author Sam Blake, and business and mindset coach, journalist Maria McHale. Sam and Maria’s mission at Writers Ink is to help you say goodbye to limiting beliefs about your writing, and give you the training, tools, and support you need to get everything you want as a writer. Members of the Writers Ink community are getting publishing deals and hitting the bestseller lists, and Writers Ink’s free writing challenges have resulted in whole novels coming together. Here’s what they have to say about their chosen theme for this takeover:


Writers Ink is delighted to partner with Reedsy to present this week’s contest! As mentors, we encourage writers to develop their creativity muscles. Muscles are built through exercise; so is writing! One of the main issues we see writers struggle with is mindset. They often have all of the tools to nail a great story — EXCEPT they get hobbled by limiting beliefs like a fear of failure or a fear of success — obstacles!


Most great stories contain obstacles that challenge heroes, but the best characters always overcome them. Share yours using the prompts below...


Special Update: The Results


Writers Ink's top three picks for this takeover were: 1) "One-Mississippi, Two-Mississippi" 2) "The Rag-Man" and 3) "You're Not Even Happy"


Here's what they had to say about the winning story, "One-Mississippi, Two-Mississippi": "We believe this story works on both a metaphorical and literal level. It's an engaging and clever response to the prompt — we get a clear sense of the character, and the use of interior monologue works really well."



Congratulations to contest winner Fi Riley and the runners-up, Richard Stickann and Anna W!


This week's prompts

Write a story with two characters who meet for the first time — and one of them has a secret.

Short Story – 83 stories

Your character overhears something that changes their path.

Short Story – 38 stories

There’s been an accident — what happens next?

Short Story – 70 stories

Write a story set against the backdrop of a storm.

Dramatic – 106 stories

Your character wants something very badly — will they get it?

Short Story – 60 stories

Stories

“THE ICEBERG’S WHISPER” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #267

Chapter 1: Captain Edward Smith, Titanic The Atlantic wind bit at my cheeks as I gripped the icy railing of the Titanic. The sharpness of the cold seemed alive, seeping deeper into my bones with each passing second, clawing its way into my chest. My breath hung in the air, wisps torn away by the biting gusts that rolled off the sea. The starry sky above felt unnervingly low, as if the universe was sinking toward us, pulling the ship into the vast, black void. The ocean stretched out like an endless mirror, cold and smooth, deceptively calm, ...

12 comments 12
Read story

“Infohazard” by R.J. Riley

Submitted to Contest #267

SECURE DOCUMENT – CLASS 4 On June 5th I learned what an information hazard is. But it was already too late. I was sent to complete a small job at MephiSecure. In my two decades as an I.T. contractor, I've worked on several types of confidential and high-security systems. Companies as large as MephiSecure do, of course, have their own in-house I.T. team, but they often choose to hire external experts for tricky storage jobs. I was buzzed in and greeted at the door by a tall, slight man who carried a taser openly on his hip. He looked me ...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Epiphany” by Rawge Jones

Submitted to Contest #267

I’ve had 3 epiphanies in my life. One is too personal to talk about, at least if I'm not lying on a couch and paying someone a hundred dollars an hour. One was when I went to sleep one night as a tough guy and woke up in the hospital, a handicapped old man. The 3rd one was quite a few years ago and my life changed in a moment. That one is worth talking about.I was driving my 30-minute commute from work in my Toyota pickup. I had NPR playing on the radio, but it was mostly background noise. I wasn’t paying it much attention until I heard...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Lavender and Mystery” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #267

There was a distinct, frosty chill in the fall evening as Abigail made her way to the small Italian restaurant, La Pasta. The rustic, multi-colored leaves whispered in the breeze, blowing and scattering along the path as black heels clicked methodically with each step taken on the narrow sidewalk. Reaching up, she attempted to tame loose wisps of russet-colored hair flying about her face, but it was futile. Thick, lustrous curls had a mind of their own, and there was no luck to be had with escaping gusts of wind which lent it new l...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Scandalous” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #267

One wintery morning in 1975, Arie Broer left his home early, as usual. A healthy seventy-year-old, he scoffed at the idea of having his morning paper delivered. “Nonsense” he’d say. “I need to have my morning walk.” In his haste to return home and make tea for his beloved wife, he slipped, hit his head and broke a leg.Forty years earlier.Cornelia, Nels to her family, Miss van Houwelingen to her students and colleagues, was a spinster. She had been quite contented as a language teacher for grades seven and eight. Nothing too taxing, she ...

18 comments 18
Read story

“The Whisper That Changed Everything” by Drop Kick

Submitted to Contest #267

Sarah had always prided herself on being invisible. In her thirty-two years of life, she'd perfected the art of blending into the background, of being the person nobody quite remembered was in the room. It wasn't that she was particularly plain or unremarkable – she simply had a knack for making herself unnoticed. This talent had served her well in her job as a night custodian at Meridian Industries. For the past five years, she'd silently cleaned the offices of the tech giant's headquarters, privy to the detritus of corporate life but never...

2 comments 2
Read story

“First Day Fears” by James Moore

Submitted to Contest #267

“I really feel quite strongly that it’s a bad idea!” Darren shouted across the hall to his dad “I’m just scared, and I didn’t sleep last night and I won’t know anyone there!”“You’re not scared son, you’re just nervous, which is fine. The first day of secondary school is always going to be daunting. But it’s 7:30 AM on the day that you start, it’s a bit late to decide you want to go to a different school now!” Darren's dad exclaimed firmly but in an understanding, caring tone.“I won't know anyone there” Darren whined while pulling on his trou...

7 comments 7
Read story

“The Mystery Man” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #267

Cal plunked down on one of the many plastic chairs in the employee cafeteria, setting his cellophane wrapped hamburger, fries, and can of soda carefully in front of him. Eating lunch was the highlight of his day. Lunch was a mere thirty minutes long, but it was thirty minutes to himself, with no demands and cranky customers calling him. Be careful what you wish for, he thought wearily. A few scant months ago, he would have done anything, paid any price, to lead such a boring, humdrum life. At that time, he was at death’s door, finding himsel...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Camille” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #267

Perry Dupree shot the driver of the laundry truck as soon as he exited the vehicle and offered to lend a hand. He was a devout Christian man named Elwood LaRoux from just down south in Saint Francisville, and he probably would have stopped to help even if the road hadn’t been blocked, but Perry shot him anyway.It was the morning of August 17th, 1969 and his car was stalled out right there diagonally across the middle of the Tunica Trace along a narrow bend and there was no getting the truck around it with a deep drainage ditch close on eithe...

9 comments 9
Read story

“By Accident” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #267

At the corner of 8th Avenue and W 39th Street, David stands, blinking in the morning light, finally surfacing to air outside the tiled hallways of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the busiest bus terminal in the world. Slowly, dazedly, he paces to a street corner, shifting the shoulder strap of his overnighter. He’d slept jaggedly on the pleather seat of the Trailways overnight bus, and now is confused by this hectic city he’s been ejected into. He takes a deep breath. He touches his wallet in one pocket, his cellphone in the other. So far, ...

11 comments 11
Read story

“What Could Be Worse?” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #267

   The traveling salesman was alone in the train compartment, still shaken from what he had seen. Why had she done it?   "May I join you?"   Not waiting for a reply, the man in black sat down across from the salesman, but did not introduce himself. In fact, he turned his head to look out of the window. They sat in silence, the salesman thinking about the woman on the platform, what she had done.    Outside the train window, the bare trees filed by slowly, their thin, dark branc...

4 comments 4
Read story

“The Calm of the Storm” by Michael Irving

Submitted to Contest #267

The Calm of the StormBy Michael IrvingJuly 9, 2021“You will want to take shelter quickly. The rain and hail will hit any minute,” the officer yelled over the deep bass of the crackling thunder in the sky.He rushed to his car alongside his partner, signaled to indicate that he was entering traffic, then casually drove off as though this was another part of his day. If he let it get to him, then he would end up like me I suppose.The other driver I “met” that day put his hand on my shoulder in reassurance and asked, “Will you be okay?”I nodded ...

3 comments 3
Read story

“The Glade” by Kate Simkins

Submitted to Contest #267

Meg wept. There was no sighing, or gentle tears sliding down her face in a picturesque way. Not this time. Meg sobbed and wailed until her eyes were raw and her throat was hoarse.People skirted around where she had collapsed onto the edge of the street. The busy bustle of a workday lunch all around her, Meg was oblivious to everything but her sorrow. Feeling as though her heart would burst, she eventually ran out of tears.There was one person who had sat near Meg during the hours of her sustained anguish. This was a small boy, barely tall en...

7 comments 7
Read story

“A Wall of Rain” by Kendra Sok

Submitted to Contest #267

A year ago today, through an ear-splitting roar of thunder, Joanie blew out twenty-four pink candles nestled in a red velvet cake with off-white cream cheese frosting. The same cake she had eaten for the previous twenty-three years, at the same table she had eaten every slice at, in the same house she always celebrated in. As she used every bit of air in her lungs to extinguish the mini bonfire, she defied tradition by not making a wish. Instead, she made an internal declaration.  If things didn’t change in a year, I’m going to do some...

1 comment 1
Read story

“The Oak and The Willow” by Shelley Delmage

Submitted to Contest #267

The Oak and The WillowBy Shelley Delmage Two little sprouts popped from the ground right about the same time one sunny spring morning. They’d wrestled and struggled through the dirt after breaking through the shell one day, and now they both stretched to the sky feeling sun on their moist green baby leaves. They felt a kinship with one another immediately, though it was clear from the start they were very different.The sprout with a strong stem and five broad green leaves spoke first. “I am a mighty oak.” His tiny voice said p...

4 comments 4
Read story

$250

Prize money

357

Contest entries

127

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 13, 2024 EST

Won by Fi Riley 🏆

Title: One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi

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

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

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 ⭢

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.