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!

#283: Seasonal Twists

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

It’s Christmas week, and if you’re celebrating, I hope you’re surrounded by everything that brings about festive cheer: twinkling lights and decorations, catchy holiday pop songs, the aroma of family recipes passed down through generations…

The familiarity of tradition grounds us in a world that’s always on the move. But as every storyteller knows, change is what makes narratives interesting. This week, let’s shake up some cozy Christmas traditions and add a little surprise to them. What will your characters do when the unexpected takes center stage?

This week's prompts

Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Dramatic – 84 stories

Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Short Story – 53 stories

Write a story about someone’s first Christmas after a major life change.

Short Story – 54 stories

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — except your character can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

Short Story – 37 stories

Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Dramatic – 65 stories

Stories

“Early Riser” by John Nørgaard

Submitted to Contest #283

I wasn't expecting that. How quickly things change. The morning's rising sun was barely cresting white when my eyes cracked open, I rustled myself haughty up. There was no doubt in me what I wanted. The wood smell of the old cottage permeated deep in the bunk beds. Black metal bunks and old wood beds stacked one over the other lined the walls. Old linens, that had been washed time and time over were pulled loose over myself and the snoring silhouettes. My sleeping family members slept peacefully all around; their eyes shut with the affirmity...

Read story

“Lulu and the Complaints of the White Oak Tree” by Annie Chibesakunda

Submitted to Contest #283

It was Christmas time, but the snow was taking an awful long time to fall in Lulu’s region. The ground was dry as if it had been turned to stone—like a punishment for the devil's tempting ways in the desert. The sky was a cold blue, allowing the sun to shine on the earth while freezing its rays. The birds had all flown south, leaving no life visible in the sky. The bold eagles were probably nesting nearby, but one day, when Lulu looked up, the size of the empty sky overwhelmed her, dwarfing even the majestic eagles. The trees stood nak...

Read story

“The Gift” by Ron Robinson

Submitted to Contest #283

Ashley woke to the sound of a knock. She pushed herself up in bed and brushed the hair away from her face as the door of the guest room creaked open and her grandfather poked his head in.“Ready to ride?,” he asked.She yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Even in the dim light, she could make out his gray horseshoe mustache and his warm, welcoming smile. “It’s still dark outside,” she said, peering out the window. “What time is it, anyway?”“It’s four-thirty.”“Oh my God, Grandpa. It’s the middle of the night!”“Stop your bellyaching,”...

Read story

“Sarah's Christmas Journey” by KATHY SMITH

Submitted to Contest #283

Sarah opened the front door. It was 5:00am. She knew Buddy, the newspaper kid, would be along soon. He was so kind and punctual. Rain or shine, the newspaper was always placed, not thrown, onto the doormat beside the big, green pot of pansies. Sarah often baked treats to help keep him sustained during his daily neighborhood route, but she hadn’t used the oven in over a month. Sighing heavily, she wrapped her plush blue bathrobe closer around her middle and placed a tin with a few store-bought cookies out for Buddy. At least this daily ...

Read story

“The Infinite Mirror” by Markecia Lyons

Submitted to Contest #283

‘Twas the night before Christmas in Mississippi as Amethyst and Amir lay on the frigid basement floor of their small cottage. Their mother, Genevieve, stormed down the basement steps as she had done many nights before and accused them of being responsible for their dad’s abandonment. It was ironic that Genevieve meant “fair one” when she blamed her children for the actions of a grown man. You could smell the whiskey on her breath as she sobbed and yelled all at the same time. We dared not move, hence we would accelera...

Read story

“Shrine of chaos” by Tika Bonda

Submitted to Contest #283

“It’s a shrine of everything that exists or has ever existed,” I said as I whistled for the bartender to bring my drink. “Now, if only I could convince my wife to move out of the house. Get her to see that we need to buy our own place, preferably far, far, far away. Picture this. The basement is filled with everything that ever entered the house. Her goldfish bowl from her pet that died twenty years ago. It’s got 10 maybe 20 cabinets of 1,000 pieces of useless china plates and cups that we don’t ever use. It’s dusty, full of spiders. I swear...

Read story

“The Gift” by Cliff Mansfield

Submitted to Contest #283

Evelyn Carter looked at her husband Tom, as he drove the family to visit her mom in the mountains of California. The sudden death of Evelyn’s father made it necessary to spend Christmas with her mother. Tom couldn’t get off until Christmas Eve. But her mom was thrilled that they could make it for Christmas morning. Christmas was a big deal for her mother. She loved to decorate for Christmas. As a child, Evelyn remembered how important holiday traditions were for her mother. Every year her father put up Christmas lights around the ...

Read story

“The Fairytale that Never Happened” by Amelia Davanzo

Submitted to Contest #283

Chapter 1: The Illusion of PerfectionAmelia James was your average millennial—sold dreams and delusions of equality and happiness. She figured that if she followed her dreams, everything in her life would be great. Amelia believed in college and a great career afterward, only to be marred with debt and low-paying jobs after graduation. Academics always came easy to her, but she didn’t really know what it is that she wanted to do with her life. The only thing for sure that she knew that she was ever good at was helping others, but she qu...

Read story

“Coiled” by Haley Roeder

Submitted to Contest #283

Hybrid power plants consist of solar farms connected to powerful battery storage system. These systems can generate mind-boggling amounts of energy that aren’t affected by short-term changes in generation such as interference by clouds or the long hours of the night. Power companies have begun to search for ideal locations where the land is cheap, and the conditions are right for high-yield solar power collection. The battery facilities they store energy in are filled with thousands of thick electrical wires roped together in multicolored cy...

Read story

“Operation” by Aaron Chin

Submitted to Contest #283

Operation In every friend group, there is at least one gamer, and ours was Jimmy Newman, the self-proclaimed Arcade Wizard. Every Friday afternoon, Jimmy Newman, Leonard Hamilton, Sally Parker, and I would go to the Willows Arcade and try our luck on the different games, but every day inevitably led to marveling at Jimmy Newman’s unique ability to win. We had taken to calling him Lucky Jim, as Leonard, Sally, and I couldn’t think of a single hardship that Jimmy Newman faced his entire life. He lived in comfortable wealth with two loving pare...

Read story

“STAY IN THE GAME ” by Joanne Oliver

Submitted to Contest #283

Eve banged loudly on Maya's front door “For, God's sake! I only stepped out for a couple of minutes!”Rushing to the front window Eve peered inside. The sight made Eve's chest tighten with frustration and fear. Maya sprawled on the sofa cradling a vodka bottle like it was a newborn baby outing the lie about being laid up with a nasty bout of flu. As a surprise Eve had brought her some homemade broth that was easy to heat up. The tense atmosphere in that small kitchenette should have been the first clueMaya was always the same in December - ...

Read story

“Home Invasion” by Jerrine WIRE

Submitted to Contest #283

The whole world was holding its breath. The most Goggled word this year was austerity. Political insanity had hardened hearts; blinded even softhearted people, in a desperate desire to survive the harsh economic collapse, like drowning people, some had lost all sense of kindness, climbing over the others to save themselves. Bankers were bailed out. Debtors were unforgiven; families had lost everything. Pets and family photographs were abandoned in the panic when the sheriff knocked on the door. Along the grey and silver coast, the late ...

Read story

“The Black Rose A Christmas Sea Tale” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #283

This happened to me when I was a little one and I only knew the whole story when I met an old sea captain who explained how it came about. And this is how he told it to me. It was like he was there. I know I was. The storm had slowed its pace and finally broke into easy winds and slowly mounting swells. The skies were streaked with grey clouds over grey seas and all around under that was deep blue with white crests breaking but with little force. The sea was becoming a kitten once more and it was just in the nick of time. The crew were exhau...

Read story

“Santa Claus Came to Town” by Al Griffin

Submitted to Contest #283

SANTA CLAUS CAME TO TOWNAl Griffin It was Christmas Day, and Tom had been sitting in the hard, folding chair for hours. At his age, the chair became both blessing and curse. Tom had volunteered at this Christmas event every year since Mildred passed in the spring of ‘09. Before that year, before that stage in her disease, they had attended this gala without fail for the last 18 of their 64 years together. Mildred remained strong until the end. For that he was grateful. He couldn’t stand the idea of watching her suffer endlessly.That first y...

Read story

“Asteroid Mining” by Ralph Straub

Submitted to Contest #283

It's always difficult to decide which asteroid to Harvest. Too much iron or ice and it's worth less than one with some specific metals that are needed. I have been able to scan the common asteroids and register heavier elements. I Explored this cluster of rocks for a while, scanning, and the elements that are now coming up that don't make sense. I want to find out more, but it's a bit crowded for my ship to get in close. My ship is a typical Asteroid harvester. It's big and round, like a giant basketball with clamps and directional thruster...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 03, 2025 EST

Won by Maisie Sutton 🏆

Title: Can You See Me Now?

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 ⭢