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!

#288: A Perfect Storm

Whenever I look out my window these days, it always seems like the weather won’t get any better. Blustery winds, heavy rain, thick fog, the occasional snowfall… When the temperature has dropped this low, the last thing I want to do is step into the freezing outdoors. But during the moments when I can stay home and wrap myself up in a warm, thick blanket, there’s nothing better than reading a book or working on a story as the sound of rain keeps me company…

This week’s prompts are inspired by chilly weather. Whether it’s the haunting stillness of a snowy evening, the whisper of wind through ancient willows, or the gentle pitter-patter of perpetual rainfall, let the cold seep into your writing, and see where it takes you.

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with a breeze brushing against someone’s skin.

Short Story – 70 stories

Set your story during — or just before — a storm.

Dramatic – 144 stories

Write a story where the weather mirrors a character’s emotions.

Dramatic – 61 stories

Start or end your story with someone standing in the rain.

Dramatic – 93 stories

Set your story in a place where the weather never changes.

Short Story – 48 stories

Stories

“AFTER THE STORM” by Viga Boland

Submitted to Contest #288

The conference had been a resounding success for everyone… everyone but me. I should’ve listened to that little voice inside that questioned why I was being given a beautiful suite to myself for the weekend.“But I’ve always had to share on these conference weekends,” I said to Yvette, the State manager. “Is Stella getting her own suite too?” Stella was the regional manager for the southern part of the state while I handled the North.“No,” Yvette replied with a slight quaver in her voice. “She and I will share my suite this time. We still hav...

Read story

“Lightning Rod” by Rebecca Hurst

Submitted to Contest #288

A tall man stands in rainfall looking up at a dirty window in a dirty street. It is a biblical deluge and there is no other soul abroad. He buries his hands deeper in his pockets and flinches when a streak of lighting appears in the sky. It forks towards a downbeat hotel and is unmanned by a lightning rod on the roof. Ten seconds later there is an ionised charge of thunder. This too is biblical and fearful, like the galloping hoofs of the apocalypse. His daughter is here somewhere, and this somewhere is nowhere any father wants his daughter ...

Read story

“I Love You GG” by Savannah Hoover

Submitted to Contest #288

The hardest goodbye is the goodbye you don’t get to say. The one that lingers with you forever.The funeral home was cloaked in a heavy stillness, broken only by the distant hum of an old organ. Soft whispers and muffled sobs floated through the dimly lit room, weaving into the scent of lilies, wax, and the aged wood of the pews. At the front of the room, Grandma lay in her casket, surrounded by bouquets and framed photographs that chronicled a life filled with love and quiet resilience. Her hands, now cold and still, clutched a rosary, the s...

Read story

“Beyond the Veil” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #288

Pana relished the cool, soothing flow of heavy rainfall upon her waxy skin. The increased tempo of drops, growing from a constant misting to intense deluge over the course of the morning, was most welcome. Silky streams ran all over her body, releasing tension and calming her mind under its familiar, glistening comfort. It also sharpened the curtain of falling water that marked the edge of the known world. Time spent gazing across the border into an alien landscape, festered the lingering anxiety within her chest. No amount of rain could was...

Read story

“A Perfect Day in Zog” by Audrey Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #288

“Good morning, citizens! It’s another perfect day in our lovely city of Zog!”“That’s right, Brentley! Make sure you’ve got your Zoggles on, because today’s forecast is… exactly like yesterday’s! Seventy degrees, light breeze, and of course—”“Our usual…”“Perfect blue skies!”“If you’re in need of Zoggles, visit our officially certified provider of pre-approved UV protection—ZogVisor, the only name in optically optimized eye wear…”The cheerful voices of the Zog News Network boomed through every spotless street, playing from polished, sun-powere...

Read story

“Pallets” by Vid Weeks

Submitted to Contest #288

The sky, the colour of pewter, had been spitting a drizzling rain for a few minutes. “Ah shit. Just my luck.” She pulled the collar of her denim jacket to her neck and wiped her eyes on her cuffs as the lights started to streak. A thousand identical grey cars streamed past. Streetlights and car headlights washing into a tie-dye blur. Blinking, she held out an arm, raised a thumb. The slipstreams of passing trucks repeatedly sucked her to join them, their wheels whistling past on the damp oily tarmac. She planted her trainers against the blas...

Read story

“The Last Dance” by Michelle A

Submitted to Contest #288

It truly was a lovely wedding. The late afternoon sun painted the garden in warm hues, weaving through the canopy of towering oaks draped in twinkling fairy lights. The smell of fresh blooms filled the air, carried by a warm breeze sweeping through the garden, brushing against Margaret’s skin—a soft, fleeting, almost familiar touch.Laughter shimmered across the open air, lantern glows gleaming off the faces of the smiling guests, flushed with love and champagne. A band played from a small stage, the singer’s beautiful voice serenading the da...

Read story

“A drama in space” by Sasan Sedighi

Submitted to Contest #288

As she had been trained, Elara systematically checked the integrity of her spacesuit and its comms one last time before starting the airlock sequence. "I'm ready, John," she informed the station commander. Colonel John Wood, a veteran Air Force pilot and experienced astronaut, had served as the International Space Station commander for the past year. John had spent more time in space and zero gravity than anyone else on the space station."You're clear to go," John replied, watching her movements on his monitor 40 meters away in the command c...

Read story

“The Weight of One Choice” by DionTre Speller

Submitted to Contest #288

The neon glow of the bar sign flickered, casting a dull red hue onto the rain-slicked pavement. The rain pounded relentlessly, forming puddles that rippled with each drop. A man slouched over the bar, swirling the last of his whiskey in a glass. His name was James, and his world had unraveled in the past six months. The divorce papers still sat on his kitchen table, unopened for days. His ex-wife had taken everything that mattered: the house, the dog, even their friends had chosen sides. He was alone. "One more," he slurred, tapping the glas...

Read story

“The Royal Tar Tragedy” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #288

And then there was no light at all in the East, save the flash of lightning out over the archipelago, which gave brief glimpses of the raging Atlantic, of giant monsters rolling directly into the cove, which was our supposed haven from the storm. The Steamship The Royal Tar was tossed around like a child’s toy, and we with it like ragged dolls. The captain stood grim-faced in the pilot house. None of the crew dared say what all were thinking, nor need they; the skipper knew what he was doing, and knew what he had done.“Check the hold, that t...

Read story

“The Road Home” by Abbey Ryan

Submitted to Contest #288

Wind slammed the car like a rageful fist. Carly’s hands tightened around the water bottle in her lap, and she clenched her teeth together, biting back the ever-so-tempting words, “Drive carefully.” Bobby, her husband, had his hands firmly on the wheel, eyes straight ahead, locked in. He was already driving as carefully as he would, twisting through the dark highway, combating the wind and rain. She could feel the car shaking against the storm. “Want me to turn on a podcast?” The words came out before Carly could stop them, small and weak. A ...

Read story

“Waiting” by Paige Vest

Submitted to Contest #288

A soft breeze brushed against her bare arms as Lillis busily cleared dirty dishes and arranged chairs that had been left crooked as customers had gotten up to leave. She wiped the dark wood surface of the tables and then pushed a broom around the stone tiles. Customers had filled tables as soon as they were vacated all afternoon, but the patio was finally empty. Except for the woman with the perfectly-styled dark blonde hair, shot through with white, who sat facing the steps down to the sidewalk, a glass of wine on the table at her elbow. Li...

Read story

“Here” by K.A. Murray

Submitted to Contest #288

The nicest thing about being Here is that we get to remember everything from before. Not every life we’ve lived, mind you, and for all I know I’ve lived a thousand. But the last one - the most recent trip we’ve had to Earth - that one, we get to remember in its entirety.There are other things about being Here that are not so nice. In fact, from the moment I got Here, I’ve been trying to make the case for change.“Is there a suggestion box or anything?” I asked Abe, my favorite person to talk to.He raised his eyebrows at me. “Here? In heaven?”...

Read story

“No Body Wants to Work Anymore” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #288

The rain lashed against the lab windows like God was tapping along to a Neil Peart drum solo.Victor Frankenstein gritted his teeth, his mop of a fringe plastered to his forehead by the sweat. He needed to hurry up; the storm would soon be upon him. He was so close, and if he didn’t have the creature ready in the next few minutes, he’d have to wait until the next storm. And who knew when that would be? No, it had to be now; it could not wait.Lightning flashed on the horizon. Fifteen seconds later, the thunder rumbled, distant. The rain became...

Read story

“Trinity, 1945” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #288

“Words can destroy, warp time and space in ways far greater than they were intended.” She wheezed, sucking in air with shallow breaths as she stared out the window. Arms, thin and frail, pulled the blanket up tight against her chest.“Let me help you.” Father Douglas said, adjusting the blanket to cover the woman. The storm outside rumbled, threatening to break through the glass into the small room. “Those words, back at Carmadean’s Dance Camp, deep in the desert near Ruidoso, New Mexico in the summer of ‘45, they changed the ...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

416

Contest entries

164

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 07, 2025 EST

Won by Christina Marie 🏆

Title: Motherhood

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 ⭢