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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

“Hidden Colors” by Kianna Parra

Submitted to Contest #29

The clock strikes twelve, the world never shifts. The sky both ahead and above me remain grey. Not one eye or gaze shifted toward me, for there were none. I was alone, shivering in the snow. I stand in the center of the plaza. The buildings around me rise up like ice spears. The snow came down, leaving a thin coat on the pavement. The snow may be red. Truly, I could never know, for I could not see colors. The earth, in her purest form. She is alone, as am I. A lost girl in a lost world. I could trek the thinnest paths, the steepest mountains...

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“Moving to Manitoba” by Lili H

Submitted to Contest #29

There was nobody in the streets and it felt like I had the whole town to myself. There was at least half a meter of snow on the ground which made it seem even more deserted. I slowly walked with my hands shoved into my pockets to protect them from the cold brittle air. I looked up and down at the trees, then at my feet, then at the sky. Not a blade of grass in sight. Not looking where I was going, a low lying branch hit me and flung a clump of snow into my face. It was cold."Dang it." I said out loud to myself as my face was already starting...

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“The Split” by Zane Lee-Briggs

Submitted to Contest #29

“Zane, I need you to be ready to leave when I get to the school. I have something to tell you.” I heard my mother’s voice through the phone. She sounded serious- urgent. A mix of both solemnity and trepidation. It was concerning. The last time I heard her speak this way was the time she told me that my grandfather died. I was doing my homework when I got that call. I immediately dropped everything and prepared for my mother’s arrival, fearfully awaiting whatever my mother had to say to me. When she got to the school at 6 p....

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“Pulling the Veil from Mama's Eyes” by Christina Manis

Submitted to Contest #29

I was in my teens when I realized my mother may not be who I thought she was when I was younger. She was the most generous, thoughtful person I had ever known, and in fact, that stands true today. But, there were things that didn't add up to the person she appeared to be and as I got older, it seemed to get worse.I began to notice that small things people said or did were taken out of context to exaggerate stories Mama told. Most of the time this was done to make her seem like the victim, other times it was to make her seem like a bad ass wh...

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“A Beacon For Challenge” by Rayne Lalonde

Submitted to Contest #29

“You gotta stop,” Marcus said grabbing Danny’s arm.“I need the money, I’m so sick of this little shit house,” Danny said while releasing his arm of his brother’s grip.Danny looked down at the small balloon of poppers in his hand, feeling the weight of two grams pull down on his hand like an elephant. He’d mixed the drugs himself, it was a new hybrid he’d invented, he was proud of it and it made Danny a lot of money. He left for the door, Marcus felt their attachment release as he left, like a hot knife had cut straight through his hold on Da...

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“Rupert’s Gift” by Karen Jones

Submitted to Contest #29

Bakersville was Rupert’s hometown. He was the reigning quarterback that took them to the national championship - albeit several years ago. I was the interloper who stole their most eligible bachelor while he was away on a business trip. Returning with me as his new bride was not what anyone expected - ’a Christmas gift to myself,’ he always responded when asked. Men would chuckle knowingly; women would scowl. I found my new husband had become proficient at hiding things - his temper, his bruised knuckles, the checkbook. Each month ...

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“Lost and Found” by Ann Parker Burgess

Submitted to Contest #29

The March family gathered at their parent’s home. This was more than just a reunion. They were about to meet their brother for the first time. He was the oldest of the siblings and had disappeared at the age of four. After months of searching, authorities had given up. His mother and father never gave up hope, but dead ends thwarted their efforts to continue. It had even been suggested they declare him dead. They refused.Now twenty-five years later, he had been found. The wonders of the internet and two younger siblings’ tenacity to find the...

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“Aron” by Chris Pallett

Submitted to Contest #29

Aron woke up in a cold sweat, for the last few weeks he had been having the most terrible nightmares, torturous scenarios had been plaguing him, another night of broken sleep, the fuzzy head, the bulging eyes. He walked to the kitchen of his cosy flat and flicked on the kettle, he leaned on the kitchen side and glanced out the window, he had many times felt stuck and trapped by his current situation, however he lived on a steep island attached to the mainland by a solitary road and a beach, he was near the top, looking down at the steep town...

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“ The College Affair” by Beverly Hudson

Submitted to Contest #29

It was Wednesday night, church night. Lynda Childers was short with fair skin. She had an average feel about her, with blue eyes and short blonde hair. She wore clothes that were stylish and fit her well. At the last minute, her husband, Jeff Childers, decided not to attend.Jeff was of average height with dark skin. He had a feeling of importance. He had dark brown eyes, and wore suits because he was a college professor. Lynda and her 3-year-old daughter, Lilly, attended the service together. As the members of the chu...

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“Walk a Mile in My Shoes” by Stephanie Ricketson

Submitted to Contest #29

“Meet us for dinner.” “Who is us?” “The family. We just want to talk. Try to help.” “Sure. Where and when?” The details were given, and Shayla agreed to be there at the appointed time. A rock sat in the pit of her stomach as she considered what the topics would be, and how her family could “help”. Her hand shook as she lit a cigarette, staring off into the distance, her mind racing. After a couple of calming drags, she ground the cigarette out under her worn boot heel, got in her car, and headed towards the house she was staying for the nigh...

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“The Hard Stuff” by Chelsey Martin

Submitted to Contest #29

As a child, I never realized what went on behind closed doors, especially after I fell asleep or was sent to bed. I always thought my parents were the made for each other, soul mate kind of love. I found out just how wrong I was when I approached the last year of middle school.I was about to turn 14 when everything went to crap. Early in the year, my mother needed a surgery on her leg. She had a lot of pain in recent months, and quite a few falls, and it was deemed necessary to fix her leg so she could be pain-free and back to working in no ...

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“Blue Jeans” by KerrieAnn Pope

Submitted to Contest #29

I hear the crackle of tires over gravel and Dad’s heeler, Blake, barking up a storm. Mario looks up at the big, navy truck climbing our driveway. Windows up, little blue dog in the back. His eyes drop down to the pot of chili on the stove. He stirs the chili, sets the spoon down, wipes his palm on his new pair of blue jeans. I grab some shredded cheese from the fridge and sigh, “Too bad we don’t have some gallo pinto, huh?” He flashes me a bright smile. “I like chili, too. I do not want to be too Costa Rican yet.” He pulls a gallon of sweet...

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“He Married a Narc, She Stole His Life” by Steve Kaye

Submitted to Contest #29

The small room was filling up on this very warm, and humid July South Florida morning. Old friends and family from New York had arrived at Palm Beach International Airport on the same flight without knowing they were heading to the same destination.The backroom saw the family standing by Maddie Gibbs, draped in black and for the first time in Dean’s memory, with no jewelry.As the Rabbi looked on, he lifted his head and said, “It’s time.”The family slowly walked towards the front row and sat on the pristine, shiny bench with the Rabbi standin...

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“Mrs. Bailey's Tomato Soup and Roast ” by Clara Rosemary

Submitted to Contest #29

It was a frosty, winter, afternoon and all seemed to be well in West Point, the small, suburban, coastal town of Boston. None of the housewives were feuding over whose apple lattice was the finest, none of the working men had been laid off and none of the children who roamed the streets, in the hope to play with others their age, were scraped or bruised. Mrs. Bailey was thinking about this exact thing while cooking her family dinner.Smiling as she stirred her soup, she called her children, Emmaline, Alice, and Richie down to set the table. "...

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“Megan's Escape” by Regina Arnold

Submitted to Contest #29

It was an unusually cold, snowy March in southeastern Nebraska that year, three months before James would graduate from high school. 12-year old Megan asked her brother, “Do you like him?” 17-year old James replied, “No, but Mom does. Do you like him?” “No. He scares me.” And so it began. Her life of being cherished by her mother, brother and grandparents would turn into an inescapable fear that would surround her for six more years before she could leave home. James would escape right after his graduation. Catherine had di...

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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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