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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#280: Talk That Talk

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyTalk to share your stories (and potentially get featured on our social accounts)!

As an aspiring author, one story element I constantly struggle with is dialogue. Writing realistic, engaging dialogue is no easy feat — but when done well, it can help readers get to know your characters better, advance your plot, and improve the overall pace of your story.

This week, let’s challenge ourselves by composing stories focused on dialogue. Who knows? You might discover something new about your characters based on what they say (or don’t say)!

This week's prompts

Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)

Dialogue – 185 stories

Start or end your story with a character asking a question.

Dialogue – 80 stories

Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.

Dialogue – 36 stories

Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

Dramatic – 37 stories

Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, “No, don’t!”

Dramatic – 44 stories

Stories

“Jailbird Blues” by Amanda Wisdom

Submitted to Contest #280

“Say something, or I’m going to hang up—”“No, please don’t go. Not yet. Tell me about school, about English class. What book are you reading?”“Dad, just stop. What happened? Why does this always happen? Mom is a wreck, and the boys, they don’t know what to think.”“I know.”“Do you? Because you just left us. Again. You have no idea what you put us through every time this—”“It doesn’t matter. None of that matters anymore.”“Of course it does! We need you.”“No you don’t. You’re better off without me.”“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that. You’re...

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“Two Heads Are Better Than One” by Hilary R. Glick

Submitted to Contest #280

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONETIME: Early morning.SETTING: Short-term rehabilitation and long-term residency center. SCENE: BOB rolls his wheelchair down the LONG-TERM HALLWAY. As he approaches the nurse’s station, BOB wheels to the desk, secures the brakes on his wheelchair, then leans back.BOB. Top o’ the morning to ya, Danny! Surprised you’re still here. Shouldn’t you have gone home an hour ago?DANIEL. Ha. Wouldn’t that be nice, leaving when I’m scheduled to? What are you up to this morning, Bobby?BOB. No good! (Smacks his k...

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“Bobby” by S. Hjelmeset

Submitted to Contest #280

Sorry, I'm late, Stein, Ember wanted me to see him plunge into the pool before I left him with Tosh.That's alright, I haven't started yet. How's the little bugger today? Did you film it?Yeah, look at that!Jeez, he's grown so much since last week! And he speaks like a faucet! Damn, even traveling together I seem to miss out on his developments.Don't worry, you'll see more of him now. Who'd have thought me and Tosh would finally get that band idea up and running? It's so nice of you guys to let us be the opening act, even though it is a bit ne...

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“The Punishment for Time Travel” by Samantha Jones

Submitted to Contest #280

“Go get your brain checked.” “Excuse me??” “Ask mom or dad to take you to the doctor, and get your brain checked. Get an MRI” “Do I know you?” “I meant, ask your mom or dad. To go to the doctor, and get a brain scan.” “Are you crazy? Have you been following me this whole time?” “You have a brain tumor. Or, if you don’t have one yet you are going to develop one very soon. If you can catch it when it has just started, the doctors can remove it, without harming your brain. It’s slow growing. But you need to get it removed as soon as it ap...

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“Momma, can I have a cookie?” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #280

“Cookie, Momma?” “No, honey. We’ll be eating dinner in a few minutes.” “Momma. Please. Cookie.” “Maya, it’s time you listened and understood what the word “no” means.” “Why Momma? Why?” “It will ruin your appetite for dinner.” “Dinner? But I want a cookie, not dinner.” “A cookie cannot replace dinner.” “Who says?” “Adults say.” “Why do you drink and eat cheese and grapes before dinner?” “We’re not discussing that right now. We’re discussing you and your inability to eat cookies before dinner.” “Momma, you love me?”&nb...

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“A Tale to Tell” by Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #280

”Is anyone sitting here?” Harriet looked up at the older woman standing at the other end of the bench. “No, not that I can see,” she responded, thinking to herself ‘does it look like anyone’s sitting there?’ Her day had been hectic and she desperately wanted to get home. The woman sat down, fussing her fur coat around her, and shifting her ample bosom into place. “I hear the train to Foschester is delayed, how bothersome.” “Yes, it is, I’m not sure what’s happening,” Harriet glanced at the woman and then resumed her gaze on the d...

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“Outside The Brewster” by Peter Wallace

Submitted to Contest #280

“Excuse me…”“Me?”“Yes. I’m sorry to bother you, but are you, by any chance, Sophia?”“No. Sorry. I’m Gabby.”“I wouldn’t say so. Not excessively, anyway.”“What?”“I was making a joke about your name. You know, being ‘gabby?’”“Oh. Yes. Of course.”“My name is Clark.”“Oh.”“You may ask, ‘Hmmm… Clark… that’s an unusual name. How did you come to be named Clark?’”“Let’s say I did ask that.”“Thank you. It turns out that back in the 60’s there was a commercial for Clark candy bars that showed a giraffe saying, ‘I want a Clark bar’ in a way that made my ...

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“My 1987 Nicaraguan Encounter ” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #280

My Nicaraguan Adventure Faced with a life-and-death situation at 17 years old caused traumatic feelings that lasted a short time or lingered under the surface for a long time before they rose to the top, and those involved were forced to deal with it head-on. Near-death experiences are not viewed by those who hear about them from the teller’s lips as immediate, acute, and dangerous as much as they were. The fear, the bubbles of anxiety, and the emotion that runs rampant throughout the teller's body as the information is relayed are emo...

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“No Comment” by MJ Brewer

Submitted to Contest #280

“What do you think? Do you think he’ll like it?”“Like it? Girl, he’s gonna lose his freakin’ mind. That dress is on fire. Now, what’s the plan for this— hair? You can’t just throw it in a ponytail and call it good. It needs style to really show the true you.”“I was thinking of pulling it up, sort of loose but elegant. Like this. You know what I mean.”“Mmm, I think I see it, but you know what would really set it off? Some flowers. Right here behind your ear. Add a little surprise pop. Trust me on that.”“Flowers? That’s… actually sort of adora...

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“An Invitation” by Savannah Hoover

Submitted to Contest #280

In the quiet of the evening, when the world outside hummed softly with the sounds of life, a man sat alone in a dark room. The air was thick with tension, his mind swirling in a whirlpool of questions, doubts, and brokenness. His hands, once steady, now trembled slightly as they gripped the sides of the wooden chair, the only solid thing in his existence. He could feel the weight of the chair beneath him, the coolness of its surface grounding him in a world that felt too distant to touch.The room was nearly suffocating in its stillness. He h...

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“Sophie Moore and Charlie Packett Talk” by Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #280

I’m glad you finally came for dinner.Yeah, me too.We’ve been planning this for a while, haven’t we?We have. Did you enjoy the spaghetti? It was incredible, Sophie. Did you really make it yourself?Why do you sound so shocked?I’m not shocked. It’s just the pasta was delicious, I truly can’t get enough of it. Oh, well, thank you. Yes, I did make it myself from scratch. I think I might drop everything and become a chef.I say do it and I’ll be your assistant chef, or whatever it's called. It’s a plan. It’s definitely a pl...

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“Greedy Pig” by Nicole N

Submitted to Contest #280

Greedy PigBy Nicole Ney**Warning this story contains strong graphic language and strong violence, discretion is advised* This story is a work of fiction** 8 minutes. That’s all it took. He was almost 200 lbs, maybe 5’10”, 5’11” and 8 mins was all it took for the pigs to devour him. Bones, teeth, every last bit was gone. He only exists in pig shit now. I couldn’t believe it. I’m half his size, I thought, as a shiver went down my spine. Tom was a gambler, a gambler who owed Jerry money, but gambled it away, as greedy little pigs do. This is ho...

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“Alpha4367” by Ashley Brandt

Submitted to Contest #280

"Doctor Correon, I think that's enough.""Not quite, Alexander. I want to see how much she can handle." I could hear them talking about me. Their voices echoed in the dark void where I existed; I could feel the intense burn of the radiation, searing the outermost layers of my skin. It hurt, but I couldn't tell them so. Even if I could, I doubted it would have mattered. "Very good!" the Doctor exclaimed. Alexander, his intern, was silent. I knew he was nearby- I could smell his cologne; a woodsy scent with a hint of citrus. The scent was comfo...

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“A Pointless Conversation” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #280

Trigger warning: brief mentions of sexual violence, coarse language, brief mentions of mild gore, mentions of homophobia/transphobia"If you had to give up one part of your face, which part would you give up?""What.""I almost thought I would immediately- with certainty I would say an eyebrow.""But that- I'd probably give up an eye because then I can like- then I could wear an eye patch and look cool.""An eye? You would give up an eye?! I could draw an eyebrow on!""Yeah, but I don't wanna do that.""You're giving up one of your eyeballs!""Yeah,...

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“Life's Decisions” by Mike Shiffer

Submitted to Contest #280

“Have you decided?”“I guess so.”“This is not a time for guessing.”“It’s not that simple.”“It is that simple. Make up your mind.”“Okay, hear me out. The consequences can be so important.”“We’ve been over it a hundred times. What’s going to change?”“Will you please just listen?”“Oh God, that’s like when you ask, does this make me look fat.”“Well, it matters. I don’t want to have everyone staring at me.”“True, but then you’re unhappy that no one noticed you.”“You just don’t get it.”“I know it matters to you. I just never know the right answer.”...

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$250

Prize money

382

Contest entries

138

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 13, 2024 EST

Won by Jay Wayne 🏆

Title: 45 Seconds

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.

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