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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

“BRO!!!” by Smudge Himmel

Submitted to Contest #29

"BROOOOOO!" James shouted. "That was so lit!"Sean shook water out of his eyes, face gleaming. "It was?""You're like- a total natural bro!"Sean blushed. "Aw, bro, it's really all your doing. You taught me how to surf.""Yeah," said James, "but it's real skill you've got, bro, that's why you're so good.""You're making me blush, bro."James laughed and splashed Sean with a hand full of sea water. Sean spit out a mouthful of water and laughed."Look!" Sean said suddenly, pointing over James' shoulder. "What's that?"James spun around. The sun glitte...

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“Painter and Moon” by G. K. Derickson

Submitted to Contest #29

In a universe vast and timeless, with stars forever blinking in and out of existence, worlds dying and recreating, are two immortals forever at odds. One a man, or maybe just a boy, creating cause, destroying worlds, anything to get the attention of the other, a girl always willing to lend a hand. She helped those in need and did the best to save any she could. Many legends are told about them, some say they’ve been around since time began, others that they're not even immortals. Are they friends, enemies, or so...

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“Emileigh ” by Grace Allen

Submitted to Contest #29

Before checking with her brain, her hand slowly reached up to touch his cheek. A somewhat happy confusion clouded his eyes and face, as if he wanted it and yet had no idea why the feeling had come upon him. He raised his hand and touched it to hers tentatively and, as though his fingertips were etched in electricity, the feeling of his skin whispering across her own jolted Emileigh's mind into focus. Her warm smile faded to crimson embarrassment as she pulled her hand away from him and turned her back to him, not certain what to say.Suddenly...

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“Rebel Hands” by Dylan Wiseman

Submitted to Contest #29

I fire a glance at her eyes. They’re aimed at the movie screen, but her attention is on her hand, positioned on the armrest between us. An ambush, set and waiting. Waiting for my hand to make contact. Explosions from the film splash orange and white on her face. “Sir? We have to act now. The film is at a climax, and we may lose the advantage if it proceeds into the conclusion,” I remind myself. I’m right. The climax, with its loud flashbanging and impassioned dialogue, provides cover enough to hide the pounding in my chest and the shakes in ...

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“Broken Promises” by Siairra Weidner

Submitted to Contest #29

I had promised myself never to fall in love. I had wanted to live a life without heartbreak and without someone who weakened me only by bearing the title of the person I care for most in the world. I had seen what love did to people. I had seen what heartbreak did to those I know. I had promised my heart, my mind, my soul that'd I'd never fall in love.I guess you can say that after I had met him, I forgot about that promise to myself.I still remember the first time I saw him. It was September 22nd, midday. I had been walking the town, comple...

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“Love at the Stables” by Chris Vlok

Submitted to Contest #29

Matt was an experienced horseman, as many of the veterans of the Great War expected a young, enterprising lieutenant and leader of men to be. As a personal challenge, he had jumped at the chance of joining the prestigious Equestrian School to test himself against the best horsemen and women the country could offer. The estate included several rings, a racetrack, two showgrounds and access to the surrounding countryside which consisted of handsome wooded hills and cool streams. Everyone that had dared to enter into a personal competition with...

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“Having Hope ” by Aaliyah Ward

Submitted to Contest #29

I would like to say that I am not a hopeless romantic, but it’s times like this where I often find myself daydreaming of a love filled life with her. I mean, how can I help myself when she is sitting across the room from me, in a soft pink t-shirt, with her hair pulled back into a braid. Yes, I know, I really should be listening to my biology teacher lecture about the phases of mitosis, but I seriously cannot help myself. It’s only 9:34 in the morning, I still have three more classes and lunch to attend, but I don’t think my mind will be abl...

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“Descendants of love” by Kasuni Gomes

Submitted to Contest #29

“Marriage?, At this age? Why is he doing this? A year ago he surprised us with a divorce, now he’s going to marry?” I was furious but Mom looked calm as always.“What is this life, Can’t he understand that I am going through a lot because of him, How hard was it for me to recover after he divorced you. This is insane and humiliating.” I didn’t know how to handle the frustration, except showing it to the only person who was by my side.“Mom this is crazy, are you going to stay silent, while he’s going to happily remarry some gold digg...

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“I think he's the one” by Rache Franklin

Submitted to Contest #29

I walked into a coffee shop and I accidentally bumped into a guy. We got to talking right away, his name his Ben. I did apologize to bumping into him and he said there was no need to apologize. We exchanged numbers and begin talking every day. We made plans to hang out and just get to know each other better. We'd already been friends for about six months. One day, he asked me to go to the movies with him and dinner. I didn't think anything of it, I just thought it was going to be just like every other time we'd hung out, but man was I wrong....

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“Girl Friend” by Nicola Campbell

Submitted to Contest #29

I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend. I know that for a fact. Dad has said it so many times his exact words are etched into my memory like my brain is the slate and my dad’s words are the chisel and hammer. “You know what I always say, Zoe. There will be no boys under my roof until you are eighteen.” Which I think is a load of crap. And highly homophobic, but I’m not gay, so I guess it doesn’t matter. If I were gay, or anything other than straight, then it would totally be a loophole, but that loophole is blocked by none other than me. There...

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“Brown Eyes” by Amelia Coulon

Submitted to Contest #29

His eyes were the brownest eyes I had ever seen. But they never seemed to notice me.Sure I'd liked boys before. I had been crushing on cuties since I was two-years-old. My mom even kept the kissing pictures to prove it. But Derek was different. The way he made me feel was different. He became my first.I found tenth grade difficult. Schoolwork never presented much of a challenge for me and I made plenty of friends that year. But I wanted a boyfriend. One with whom I could fall in love. I was ready to stop sitting on the sidelines and really g...

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“Mr. Blue Eyes” by Terri Ferguson

Submitted to Contest #29

All those years of my parents telling me to think about what I want to do after I graduate high school, I always thought I’d just live life, fly by the seat of my pants and see where the wind blows. Well graduation day has come and gone and I’m realizing that I can’t just fly by the seat of my pants, it doesn’t pay very much, in fact, it pays nothing at all. To survive in this world I had to decide to either go to college and continue living with my parents. Or get a job and move out. I chose the latter. Don’t get me wrong, I l...

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“Decisions” by Gia Volterra De Saulnier

Submitted to Contest #29

I squirmed sitting in that awful tattered leather chair as my long legs would barely even fit. The lawyer looked me straight in my eyes as he spoke. "The defendant has been caught stealing from the store red handed by the camera. You all can clearly see the girl going into the store stealing something and putting it her purse. There's been witnesses letting you all know that this girl stole a iPod and then put it into her purse." "I rest my case." The attorney straightened his black and blue bow tie on his white crisp shirt, and then nodded ...

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“Möbius Pilot 13” by Mike Garrigan

Submitted to Contest #29

“Move to the ring! Now!” I said.I jumped from the pilot pod and down to the ship’s round interior. I unbuckled Amy and Emma, the twins, from their seats and pushed them into the center of the fuselage of our ship, the Möbius 13. “What’s going on?!” Allison said. “Amy, Emma, get back in your seats!” Allison, Amy and Emma's mother, was groggy despite the blare of the siren and flash of the emergency lights. “Ms. Davis, there’s no time to explain,” I said. “C’mon, Roger,” Allison Davis said as she yanked her husband from his seat...

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“Key to many doors” by SendHelp 4u

Submitted to Contest #29

the blonde slowly dragged himself down the city side walk, fixing his trench coat. it was late, the sun was just setting, oranges and bright purples were seen behind the now clearing rain clouds.Axel Jones, 21, Aries, the usual town mystery.he huffed, moving out of the way for a few small children chasing after one another, one of them ramming into his side, did he lash out. no. but did he want to? no.. emotions where complicated for him, he was often one of those guys that if you stumbled into them you'd apologize and quickly run off, and t...

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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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