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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#28: Narratively Takeover

This week is a special edition of the Reedsy Prompts contest because our friends at Narratively are taking it over with their own theme and prompts! We'll let them take it from here...

Narratively is a media platform that celebrates the diversity of humanity through authentic storytelling. At Narratively, we know that truth is sometimes stranger (and more interesting!) than fiction, so we’re switching things up this week and asking for your TRUE stories. For this week’s prompts, we’re looking for your very best creative nonfiction — the fascinating true story that only you can tell, the one incredible tale you just have to share with the world.

We like stories that surprise and delight us, and that are full of dramatic, active scenes with lots of colorful moments.

To that end, each of our prompts for this week takes on an issue that never goes out of style… love.

The winning story will be considered for publication on Narratively.

This week's prompts

Write about someone (or something) you loved that you shouldn’t have.

Nonfiction – 90 stories

Write about a date that was so terrible you’ll never forget it.

Nonfiction – 46 stories

Write about your most unique experience at, or in, a wedding.

Nonfiction – 34 stories

Write about a time when a broken heart led to something you’d never have expected.

Nonfiction – 58 stories

Write about a secret that you’ve never told to the person you love.

Nonfiction – 41 stories

Stories

“Carousel” by Amanda Lewis Silva

Submitted to Contest #28

There’s ice cream on my shirt. I’m standing in the middle of an intersection, and there are cars going by at 45 miles per hour. There is a small dent in my front bumper and a scratch on the car in front of me, and this day is definitely not getting any better any time soon. Still, all I can think about is the sickeningly sweet melted confection making its way down my front. The woman in front of me is twenty years my senior, and so she has taken it upon herself to be the acting adult in the situation. I oblige her, because I really don’t fee...

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“They Shouldn't Have Happened” by Emilie Conroy

Submitted to Contest #28

I was a professional nothing. He was trying to be a something Together, we could find everything.Today is Zack’s thirtieth birthday. Now I probably don’t have to tell you that a healthy and happy thirty year old man will prefer something else to the hoarse croaking of even his beloved wife trying to belt out “Happy Birthday” first thing in the morning. Still, waking him up should be kind of special. For three weeks I’d been at work getting certain parts of my anatomy to really go to work on certain parts of his anato...

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“Lovesick” by Olivia Holliday

Submitted to Contest #28

Some might call it an addiction, or weakness perhaps. Others could see it as a self-destructing behavior, an illness resembling sadism, inflicting self pain over and over again. The rest of you would call it insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I, on the other hand, I called it love. She lies awake, hearing the soft hum of his breath. The air escaping his lungs slowly whistling a sweet melody as it exits his body. If she concentrates hard enough, his breath is mesmerizing. Pulling her to and from...

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“To what could but shouldn't be” by Adrian Eller

Submitted to Contest #28

The honeymoon period is over. There is no longer the same excitement and adventure that we had initially, and I’m scared, so scared, that this is the end to our story together. What if everything is my fault? What if I make everything boring and you regret being in a relationship with me? What if I am what is wrong with my love life, and that I don’t realize it because I have blinders on? I’m afraid of what I could turn into. Would I turn into my mom, who despises the fact that she settled for my dad? Would I bring up old history from way ba...

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“Freedom Day” by Maria Habanikova

Submitted to Contest #28

When considering telling my story, dark heavy butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach. Is there greater proof of the world’s need to hear what I am daring to reveal, to share in on the burden my heart and soul have been carrying? I have written the following lines because I am ready to illuminate the darkness with the truth, bravely and sincerely. On Valentine’s Day 2017, my alarm clock was a panic attack and for breakfast I was served fear and memory of another sleepless night on the side. On February 14th one year later, I woke...

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“This Love Is Fake” by Iris S

Submitted to Contest #28

I looked into the blurry eyes of my reflection and loathed the person I had become. But it was more so towards the snakes who made me this way. The wide and murky sea stretched itself towards the horizon, peering over the edge for an end that didn’t exist. Within it, I also searched for something unknown with a lidded stare. But there were no thoughts that came to me as I gazed upon the starless night sky. I found out the hard way how the world was revolted by the idea of change. Even if I felt as though I was loved by my fans, I guess ...

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“All the way from America” by Jane Thomson

Submitted to Contest #28

Oh, I used to love him so.The problem is that now, I can't remember why. "I love you more than my soul," he says, and I think, "Yeah, but your soul's not worth much, really, is it? I wouldn't buy a soul like yours, not even if it was cheap."Oh dear, is this what it's come to? He came all the way from America, because he said I could save him - only me - and because in Australia, we don't have crack cocaine. I'd promised always to be there, always, and so when he rang me long distance and said he'd bought tickets, I couldn't say no. But by th...

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“Zip-A-Bang” by Peter Runfola

Submitted to Contest #28

by Peter Runfola / word count : 1,547' Long long time ago .. but I can still recall … ' as Don McLean starts his timeless ' American Pie.'In the Star Choice Hotel – a dilapidated 8 – story high rise just on the outskirts of booming downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. A ' Downtown ' they mysteriously referred to as ' Uptown,' courtesy of some arcane marketing research no doubt.Thinking to myself every time I drove up the parking ramp to the door granting access to the second floor ' where is everybody ? ' ' I can't possibly be the only person...

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“25th Annual Cape Town Space Dive ” by Muhammad Abdullah

Submitted to Contest #28

I love Space Diving. I mean, I love it. I used to live it and breathe it. I don’t get to do as much anymore. The last time I jumped in this event was one husband, two kids, and a house ago. I promised myself this year I would dive again in the 25th annual Cape Town Space Dive. Today is that day. The only problem is my wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and I may have told one or two white lies to jump. Don’t worry; I got a great present this year. I shouldn’t get him anything. When I asked him to jump, he said no, and didn’t even give a good r...

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“Survival of Hurricane Florence ” by Casey Mullins

Submitted to Contest #28

This is my personal story of my family's ordeal of Hurricane Florence and how humanity can restore your faith when you have nothing.I wrote about this to a survivors page and a lady said she balled her eyes out. A local business owner had shared what I wrote to her business page. An out-pour of appreciation for my words. I had this idea being a small-town girl from KY; I would never find compassion as I did in my 6,000 people populated small town. Where everyone knows everyone. Moved to Havelock North Carolina on the east coast. The pop...

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“Internet dating after 50 – DON’T DO IT!” by Todd Folstad

Submitted to Contest #28

In life I’ve been told many times that I need to be more POSITIVE about things, like winning the lottery, meeting that right someone special anywhere, etc., etc., etc. My usual comeback is that I am positive: positive that I won’t win the lottery, positive that in general, meeting the love of your life through an internet ad or dating service is preposterous and so on and so forth, ad infinitum. I’m here to tell you today that nothing of my most recent experience has done anything to move the needle of my thought-o-meter even a pip.I decided...

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“The Split” by Zane Lee-Briggs

Submitted to Contest #28

“Zane, I need you to be ready to leave when I get to the school. I have something to tell you.” I heard my mother’s voice through the phone. She sounded serious- urgent. A mix of both solemnity and trepidation. It was concerning. The last time I heard her speak this way was the time she told me that my grandfather died. I was doing my homework when I got that call. I immediately dropped everything and prepared for my mother’s arrival, fearfully awaiting whatever my mother had to say to me. When she got to ...

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“The Awakening” by Mike Jackson

Submitted to Contest #28

On April 10, 2004 Mike had an experience that would change his life forever. While walking by a stack of hay Mike was unaware that someone was about to begin unloading the hay from the opposite before making sure everyone was out of the way. Mike looked up just in time to see the entire upper row of hay falling towards him. Knowing that there was not enough time to get out of the way, Mike turned and shoved his dad out of the way protecting him. The result was Mike taking the full impact of the hay while turned sideways. When the hay hi...

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“Looking for Mr. Right on a Dating Site” by Candis McDow

Submitted to Contest #28

It was summer 2007. I'd recently graduated high-school and was freshly single. My long-distance boyfriend of two years dumped me shortly after prom; He said it was because he'd had a change of heart about moving to Georgia from New Jersey, but to this day, I believe we broke up because I didn't give it up prom night.Needless to say, I was oblivious as to where to go to meet guys at 18. Dating, in general, was foreign so I decided to try online dating. What harm could it actually do, right? After getting an encouraging pep talk from my best-f...

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“He Wasn't the One” by Tracey Sepe

Submitted to Contest #28

A senior year of high school is supposed to be filled with high expectations and plenty of opportunities for making memories. You are at the top of your game, the upperclassmen, the leaders of the pack, kings and queens of the school even if you weren't one of the popular kids. You got respect just for being a senior! It was great and a little scary. You wanted to be on the homecoming court and have a date for the prom. You didn't want to be the one that the yearbook called "most likely to be alone" or "nerdiest". Classmates can be c...

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$50

Prize money

269

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 14, 2020 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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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