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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#29: Bildungsroman

Often, the stories we read in our youth end up sticking with us well beyond adolescence. We vividly remember our first encounter with imaginative Anne Shirley, the nail-biting rumble between the greasers and Socs in The Outsiders, the fierce camaraderie shared by the Harry, Ron, and Hermione trio, among many other memorable moments from the young adult books we read in our formative years.

This week, all five prompts feature popular elements that are frequently at play in coming-of-age novels. While you are certainly free to write a short young adult story, you can also choose to incorporate these prompts into any other type of fiction.

If you want to revisit some classic YA fiction to get your creative wheels spinning, check out our freshly published list of some of our favorite young adult books!

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone dealing with family conflict.

Nonfiction – 82 stories

Write a story about someone discovering something new about themselves.

Nonfiction – 52 stories

Write a story about two best friends.

Teens – 73 stories

Write a story about someone falling in love for the first time.

Romance – 80 stories

Write a story about a character struggling to decide how to handle a problem that is morally gray.

Short Story – 41 stories

Stories

“The Red in a Purple Thistle” by Alex Wolffe

Submitted to Contest #29

The clash of the shutter, the flash of the bulb. Too loud, too obvious, too novice. Too dangerous. The young woman glanced up, ruby red blood dripping from equally ruby red lips, the blood splatters making her expensive golden flapper dress look like some modern painting gone wrong. But the knife in her hand gleamed brighter than Mars on a clear night amongst the dark alley behind the townhouse, the bloody body forgotten. Her hardened gaze gleamed coldly as...

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“CULTURAL APPRECIATION” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #29

CULTURAL APRECIATION“Look, Liz, the way I see it, I’ve been upholding and advocating for the rights of the dwarf community for years, standing at the door, waving my sign, raising awareness. Did you know I’ve been donating 20% of my pay for years to Little Giants and LPA?”“But that was all an act, street theatre to steer people into Stiffy’s bar. You’re not even a dwarf, Reginald, you’re just short.” Overly stressed on the first syllable, REGinald.“Liz, what difference does it make? Neither of us can live above the eighth...

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“The Hidden Window” by Dawn Lew

Submitted to Contest #29

"There's Creepo." Seventeen year old Bennett Fletcher watched from his bedroom window as the middle aged man across the street slipped through his back gate, glancing around. It was the beginning of summer when Bennett's family picked up and moved to a new town miles away from the home he had grown up in. His father had lost his job at the factory where he worked for thirty years. Bennett was bitter about the entire ordeal. While his parents scrambled around trying to find jobs, Bennett moped in his room, ente...

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“Promotion” by Daria Valeeva

Submitted to Contest #29

- Shut up, - barked Nikolay Petrovich.- This is how you talk to me now! Oh God…It`s unbearable! One more business trip!- Tanya, why would you whine all the time? Won`t you understand – I do this for promotion, after all. - Promotion! What an office word! Your son is turning eight tomorrow! You do not promote, you just step on our des...

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“What is 'right'?” by Sophie-Dominique Waddie

Submitted to Contest #29

Ingrid felt unwell. She had felt unwell for a few days now. There was no particular reason for her intermittent nausea but it was persistent. Driving into work, she stopped as she stepped out of the car and took a few deep breaths. Starting towards the large glass office block she continued the deep breathing and then stopped again, pausing to inhale the cold winter air. Emma approached her and looking askance decided that to ignore and walk on past would be inappropriate, even though they scarcely knew one another.&...

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“Red or Black” by Antoinette Ryder

Submitted to Contest #29

Today was just an ordinary day again. Though ordinary usually does tend to change rather quickly. Doesn’t it? Thomas was running a few minutes late that morning after another late night and restless sleep. He never could seem to catch up in life. He had a meeting for work today. And as he rushed into the building, his hair springing up and sweat beading on his forehead, he wondered if this new client would be an utter nightmare to work with or forgiving for his running behind. Thomas composed himself before opening the door to the conference...

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“The Morality Of Nuts Is Nuts” by CARLA PETREE

Submitted to Contest #29

I’m not supposed to have peanut butter at school. Some kid steals a bite of my pb&j and dies. Is that really going to happen? What if it does? Was I wrong? Was he wrong? Was it A Great Evil; this act of peanut-buttering while in school? Who even cares? Because:1. A kid is dead, maybe, or if he lives,2. Why doesn’t he have food?That’s the kind of whack thinking I think because my folks are Agnostics. I mean we question everything instead of just getting mad that some punk took our sandwich.My friends pretty much all go to some kind of chu...

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“Taking the Fall” by Arthur Wheeldon

Submitted to Contest #29

The truck door slammed with a metallic thud. I ripped my hand away with a curse; the tips of my fingers buzzed with pain. Ignoring it for the moment, I fumbled with my keys; my hand was shaking so badly that I had to steady it with my other hand, the fingers turning numb now. With another curse, I jammed the key into the ignition and fired up the engine. My pickup roared to life, sputtered, and then evened out.I sat silently for a while and stared out into the night. The warm, late-spring breeze rustled the low-hanging branches of the ...

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“INFIDELITY” by Elaine Casey

Submitted to Contest #29

“It’s too late.” Susan slapped her hand on the table and pulled her hand through her short black hair leaving it spiked and unruly.“Come on Sue,” said Stu. He reached across the table trying to take her hand. “I do love you, you know. I made a stupid mistake. What more can I say?”“Don’t touch me. You’ve hurt me more than you will ever know. What about the kids? Didn’t you even think of them?”Stu looked down at his hands, weathered and dry. She’d touched a sore point; he loved his kids. He reached for the bunch of keys, jingling them on...

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“We are family” by Cindy Bennett

Submitted to Contest #29

Laney fell in love with her little sister, from the very moment she was born. Two weeks before baby was due, Carmichael Jones decided to walk out on his heavily pregnant wife and his daughter citing he "just couldn't do this anymore!” Sienna Jones never saw it coming. As far as she knew, her husband was still very much in love with her! Laney could not bear to see her mother curled up in a ball, night after night sobbing her heart out! Continuously rocking backwards and forwards. It was heart wrenching! The news of Sienna's beloved husband a...

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“Comng Home” by Olivia Fairfax

Submitted to Contest #29

“Hello?” There was silence at the other end of the line, then a voice started hesitantly. “Hello, Mom. It’s Beryl.” Margery stood silently staring at the phone. “Beryl? … Beryl! … Oh, Beryl…” She wanted to say all the things she had imagined herself saying over the past ten years, but nothing sensible would come out. “Mom, I’m in Manchester. Would you like to meet?” “Oh Beryl, yes of course. Why don’t you come here?” “Will Dad be there?” “Well… yes, he will. He’s retired now you know.” “Gosh is he?” It had been ten years but it still c...

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“Light the blue touch paper and stand well back. ” by Sophie-Dominique Waddie

Submitted to Contest #29

The door slammed with a reverberation that made the whole room shake. The violence of the action caused a crack to appear in the aging wood. The frame shuddered and slowly an uncomfortable silence began to descend as the last angry footsteps pounded away into the distance. He was incandescent with rage. His stout frame was still physically shaking as he ran his hand repeatedly through his thick dark hair. His eyes were closed with an intensity which hardly seemed possible. The small, well-trimmed beard was slowl...

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“The Tunnel to Heaven Through the Fallout” by Ronda Everson

Submitted to Contest #29

I had grown up away from my mother's family, but before I left home, we moved to Oklahoma, where both of my parents were originally from. I really didn't know my extended family. However, I was slowly getting to know them. We didn't drink at our house except my dad having an occasional beer. We didn't smoke either except for my dad's pipe. We all went to church every Sunday except my dad. However, it was my mother's family I was getting to know. My mother was very strict. We were in her little car every tim...

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“Primogeniture In The Rear-view. ” by Tom Moser

Submitted to Contest #29

The framed black and white family photographs on display easels were arranged on top of the console television, surrounding the misplaced mantle clock. The RCA Victor television was also black and white, installed inside a walnut-stained pinewood casing, set on four spindle legs. William looked at the photographs arranged on top of the television, and the larger hand-colored photographs on the wall behind the television. The photos displayed the faces of family members he did not know. &nbs...

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“Beneath the Holes” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #29

Unlike her, the jeans came that way. That used look that was all the rage, with so little fabric creating holes and strings which left nothing to the imagination. She, on the other hand, was born perfect. Chubby, ten fingers, ten toes and a cute-as-a-button nose that caught everyone’s attention. All the nurses and doctors and other parents made remarks about her beauty but no one would commit to taking her home.So her journey began. Bouncing from foster home to group home, Lillith was nicknamed “Lil” based on her ability to stay tiny despite...

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$50

Prize money

328

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 21, 2020 EST

Won by Megan Dang 🏆

Title: Time Bomb

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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