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!

#27: Agatha Christie

It's no secret why one of the most-repeated writing tips is: to read. You can learn endless craft wisdoms by reading the works of literary greats — and also lesser-known authors, too. Reading, in general, is simply a valuable way to improve your skills as a writer.

This week, we're pulling inspiration from the author behind two of crime fiction's most beloved sleuths: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Yes, each of the below prompts relate in some way to themes, symbols, or other common elements in the writings of Agatha Christie.

Want to learn more about the Grand Dame of crime fiction? Check out our Agatha Christie reading guide!

This week's prompts

Write a short story that takes place on a train.

High School – 128 stories

Write a short story about a jury of people tasked with making a decision. (It doesn't necessarily need to be a court jury.)

Adults – 29 stories

Write a short story in which a specialist is called upon to carry out a job.

High School – 36 stories

Write a short story that ends with a twist.

Mystery – 155 stories

Write a short story that takes place in a quaint, idyllic, English village.

Fiction – 31 stories

Stories

“Wasting Time ” by Mary Lombardi

Submitted to Contest #27

The five of us stare studiously at the papers in front of us. No one daring to look up for fear of seeing how the others have taken the news. A clock ticks rhythmically in the background as we sit procrastinating before making any decisions. The papers are a blur of organized text, but our primary focus lies on the array of photos that have been placed on top. They tell a story that words could never even touch. The entire life of a child is laid out before us, from birth to when she was found ten hours ago in a suitcase that washed u...

Read story

“When All Grows Dark” by Chantel Chamonix

Submitted to Contest #27

“Home isn’t where you’re from, it’s where you find light when all grows dark.” – Pierce Brown “Welcome. The destination of this train is Providence, Rhode Island.” Providence. The irony is marked. There’s no protection in Providence for me, no divine shelter. "Please have your tickets or passes ready to present to the conductors as they walk through the train. Additionally, please be aware that our complimentary wifi will not be available on this train, we apologize for the inconvenience.” As the automated recording came to a fi...

Read story

“The Wisdom of Queen Bee” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #27

“I don’t mean to be unkind,” said Edna Cummings (which usually meant she was going to be) “And I know it’s something you’re not supposed to mention these days, but – well, Jeanette is a NICE girl, but you could hardly call her regal, could you?” “At least she has some brains and a bit of dignity,” Glenda Gove pointed out, “And she’s not likely to turn up at the parade with her hair dyed some colour the Lord never intended and her toenails painted purple. Not like your precious Patsy.” ...

Read story

“Freaks and Oddities” by Eleanor S

Submitted to Contest #27

The loud whistle sounded, warning all passengers of the train’s departure. Still by the ticket booth, tapping his foot against the cobblestone setting, Castle handed his money to the keeper. The train slowly moved forward, it’s wheels screeching against the new rail tracks.The Keeper remained unconcerned, and took his leisurely time retrieving Castle’s ticket. Castle’s wingtips tapped faster. Nervously, he tightened his tie and straightened his vest and jacket. When the Keeper offered the ticket, Castle slapped it from his hand and ran ...

Read story

“Death on the Silent Express” by Haven W

Submitted to Contest #27

I was never one for trains because they scared me. I’m still not a fan of them but sometimes it’s nice to have a variety of transportation. Something about trains makes them mysterious yet intriguing. The Silent Express is exactly as the name implies. Silent. It makes it perfect for people who want to work or for people who enjoy quiet. I enjoy the quiet. I gently place my suitcase on the seat across from me. Snuggling up towards the window seat, I focus my gaze to the outside world. People wave frantically, handkerc...

Read story

“Local Exhibit” by Katy Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #27

Through the dirt-smeared window, Mona could see the swirling graffiti zipping by on the cracking, crumbling brickwork that boxed Queens County in at the edges. White plastic fences, badly in need of a power-wash, marked with pseudonym symbols and false signatures capped with cartoon crowns; blacks and reds and blues. Something to stand out against all that gray in the air. The first time she’d ridden into the city, on this very same local lin...

Read story

“Meet Kiesha” by Jeneal Woodard

Submitted to Contest #27

Deidre was growing frustrated and scared. Marj was gone. She paced back and forth across the room. “Okay, okay, okay,” she said smacking herself on the side of the head. What do I need to do?. What haven’t I thought of? Where else do I need to look? Earlier:Something felt off when she woke up that morning. There was a strange quiet in her bedroom. She had overslept; which was unusual. It was 8:30. Marj always woke her up for her frosted cereal around 7 every morning. The seven year old was like ...

Read story

“What Color is a Mirror? ” by Gabi Rose

Submitted to Contest #27

The clock tick-tocked on the beige wall. The Crown Court jury was silent. I had to be strong. I knew I hadn’t gone mad. The judge's penetrating stare tore right through me, impatiently waiting for a reply, but I didn’t have one to give. A Cheshire cat’s smile bobbed in the air above the windowsill. I lifted a hand to my eyepatch and gingerly touched the dark cover. My mind’s eye was leaping over everything that had happened in the past year, calculating and reshaping the possible outcomes. Every rabbit trail ended here. There wasn’t any othe...

Read story

“The Planted Pot Murders” by Cheryl Fulton

Submitted to Contest #27

Stella Stanhope rode her bike habitually into town like she did everyday. As she glided along the narrow, barely paved road with the same scenery no matter which way she looked. Green fields as far as the eyes could see, and sheep, lots of sheep. Some might think pretty, and it was, but so boring. Nothing ever exciting happened in Hambleden, it did at one time, but not lately. Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang, Band of Brothers, and my favorite Sleepy Hollow, among others were filmed here. They even used our church for a scene in the Agatha Christi...

Read story

“My Hero” by Adrienne Parker

Submitted to Contest #27

As my tears fall on the photograph one by one at half-past midnight, I reflect on my life. It has been a good one, I guess. Full of experiences, wonderful people, too. But there is a lot of dark stains on my past and will be in my future, I’m guessing. I was foolish and naive when I was younger. I trusted until I couldn’t. I was only so lucky when I met him. When I was twenty years old, done with my first year of college, I met Andy. My hero. I had been walking down a street in our small suburb with a cup of steaming co...

Read story

“The Sanford Parva Mystery” by Brian Guyll

Submitted to Contest #27

You've probably never heard of Sandford Parva, a small village in Dorset on a quiet road five miles away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Its tree lined avenue, verdant village green complete with pond and wildlife creates the perfect picture postcard of an idyllic village in the west country. Naturally, the inhabitants of Sandford Magna, a couple of miles to the north, dispute such a claim, based mainly on the fact that their spreading chestnut tree is much bigger and fifty years older. However, Parvians quickly point to their...

Read story

“The Horrors of Travel” by Mary Lombardi

Submitted to Contest #27

I’m tired, hungry, want to throw up, and have the growing need to use a bathroom. Dragging my heavy suitcase from the cramped taxi to the busy bus station did not help with my irritability either. By the time I got onto the red line that you must board on the green platform, of which two are closed because of construction, I was ready to scream at the next person who waved a newspaper in my face while screaming at me in no less than five different languages. I drag my suitcase into the aisle of the cramped train, find the seat that re...

Read story

“Brace Maker” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #27

“I’m not sure about this,” John told me. “It’s been a very long time.”“I don’t think we have a choice anymore,” I told him. John is a friend of mine and now about to be my client. “You fell.”He looked away from me. “Yes. My balance is getting worse.”I knew it was. It was why, at the age of 50 he was trying braces in the first place. He hadn't worn them since he was a kid. But cerebral palsy accelerates old age, accelerates osteoarthritis. Tight hip muscles had turned his legs in, so he tripped over his own feet if he wasn’t careful, walking ...

Read story

“Royally Charmed” by Neva Zamudio

Submitted to Contest #27

I stare out the glassy train window. It’s like my life is going on without me like I'm not the one controlling my body. The train passes herds of horses, magical meadows, fertile fields, and vast villages. Eventually, the noise of the train clicking over the tracks lulls me to sleep. In my dream, I’m flying and many people try to drag me down, but I don’t let them. I keep flying and then suddenly I’m free! My feet touch the ground in a village and find an old oracle waiting for me at the steps where I landed. He looks at me with a sad smile ...

Read story

“blowing tracks” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #27

I finished the hard part of my mission, or you could call it the easy part, if easy to you is: impersonating a prisoner of war, getting onto a train headed to an iron mine, mining iron for 20 hours straight, and finally sneaking onto a train loaded with iron heading straight to the factories that produce weapons that kill thousands of people.But I guess that the part of the mission that lay ahead of me was going to be equally as hard in it's own way. I should really be uncoupling the train cars to slow it down but I have to sleeeeeeeeee...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

379

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 07, 2020 EST

Won by Natalie Frank 🏆

Title: Seaglass

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 ⭢