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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 Hunter and His Prey” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #29

In all things, the Job came first. It was the first thing you learned and the last thing you ever forgot, since it was also a given truth that this wasn't the sort of occupation that ended in a nice pension and a beach-side Havana retreat. There were beaches. Occasionally, there was Havana. But retreat? Never. It was down there in the manual, right next to the little sidebar about cauterizing amputated limbs with a smokeless campfire.. . . for it is known that he . . . who flees the face of darkness, is as unto that face. And he who shirks t...

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“Absolute Value” by Christine Johnson

Submitted to Contest #29

As the morning fog bobbed over the small downtown district, Kate stopped by the French market and cafe on Main for her to-go order before starting her twenty-mile Sunday journey. Two warm croissants protecting gently folded eggs and crispy mesquite-smoked bacon. One with Swiss and one with cheddar for her and Chloe. Two identical large coffees, cream only.Even though the breakfast would arrive barely warm and coffees cold, Kate needed the breakfast to balance of the chaos their current relationship. Friendship never used ...

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“Things I Have Learned With The Death Of My Mother ” by Barbara Eustace

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #29

I have learned many things with the death of my mother. I have learned that I am not a smoker. When I was young, my mother, the overbearing woman that she was, made it clear that smoking was not allowed. She told me that I must never smoke, that she would be able to smell it if I did. Once she suspected just because I walked home from school behind two girls smoking. I got a thrashing for that, for telling lies. So I never tried smoking. My mother was a formidable woman. You did what she said.But now s...

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“Not Dependant” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #29

The doctors reception was cold, and that did nothing to help the ache in her hands. In the quiet room Lisa was painfully aware of the noise she made as she rubbed them together, but it was either that or she feared her fingers would fall off. Damn it, didn’t this place have heating at all? A working coffee machine would be a start, but the large ‘Out Of Order’ sign that was plastered across it when she came in for her blood test was still there. As ever the doctor was behind with his appointments. While she had a book in her bag Lisa didn’t ...

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“Alexandra” by Guadalupe Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #29

“Hideous!” My mother screamed at me furiously.“I can’t believe you thought that!” My father screamed, equally as mad, as he grabbed the mirror and slammed it to the ground, breaking it into what seemed more than 1,000 pieces. I looked down at each little piece and tried to see if there was any part I could put back together, blocking out their yelling.The mirror was supposed to be there to reinforce our flaws, but instead, they had caught me looking at myself in the mirror with a small smile as if I believed I was pretty. That wasn’t al...

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“The Wake” by Emily Sperber

Submitted to Contest #29

My uncle insisted his wake take place on a train and that he be alive for it. We had buried my grandfather, my great grandmother, and a cousin, not to mention all the people before I was old enough to remember, and we always held vigils over their bodies and feasted on cold cuts and soft cheeses afterward. But Uncle Aldo had seen a movie where the main character attended his wake for all of his family members to honor his memory and he knew that’s what he wanted. Somehow, some were surprised by this even though, at this point, we shoul...

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“Remember me” by Kari Hyp

Submitted to Contest #29

She remembers those days. Honeysuckle and tea leaves. The fresh snow falling-slowly, slowly- from the vast sky. The sky itself was blue-blue from top to bottom, all the puffs of clouds sprinkled 'round the air. They were flying (Up, up, up! And away!) with oxygen-power and were placed perfectly next to one another. Kind of like they were buddies. Friends. She was someone who'd look up at the sky and picture dinosaurs and bunny-rabbits forming through the clouds. But, today was a terrible day. " Kieran, are you ready?" I can almost picture h...

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“Forbidden” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #29

Each had its own name for it. Fobit was the word used by the Feywild. Vorbidden was the term chosen by the Vampyr. Both Snow and Xavi were familiar with these words and yet still they met, evening after evening, hands touching across The Wall. It was here that the setting sun’s light was shielded by the peak of Mighty Mountain. Xavi was safe from the fire orb’s holy rays. Equally when the sun had finally set and Luna rose to cast her soft beam through the black of night Snow could soak up the little sunpower that reflected from the nocturnal...

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“Cypress Wormwood: Monster Hunter” by Bree Kokiri

Submitted to Contest #29

“PLEASE, Mr. Cypress. I understand it’s your busy season, but if I don’t get these THINGS out of my garden, my crops will be ruined for the Fall harvest! I’ll be plum broke! Please! You have to help!”Cypress Wormwood set down the phone for a moment and groaned. He hated that phrase. He did not HAVE to help anyone. He chose to if it suited him, but he was under absolutely zero obligation to uphold the family business.“Sir, I am a monster hunter. Not a charity. Let’s get a few things straight. I have a fee. I have rules. I do not HAVE to do an...

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“Digging Deep” by Kelly Sagert

Submitted to Contest #29

I’ve been living with Uncle Reggie and Auntie Sal for about six weeks now and, even though I don’t like it when the windows shake from the bombing in the city or when the wind shifts and I smell gunpowder, I’m not waking up at night as much anymore. Uncle Reggie says that, now that I’m not in North London, I’m safe, and he tells me not to worry about the blackout curtains, either. We just do it, he says, because the ARP warden tells us it’s the law. Now that I’ve turned eleven, I’m old enough to help out, so this morning I started digging in...

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“Choosing Serenity” by Deborah Landers

Submitted to Contest #29

My best friend’s name was, ironically, Serenity. The moment we met she looked up at me with wild eyes, daring me to say something about the clumps of cut grass she was gathering by the armload. I, the curious seven-year-old that I was, just asked, "So what are you making?" Her grin was blinding. * "Ren, what are you doing?" I shouted across our shared apartment. "Why do you ask?" she called back after a moment. That was what confirmed it. "Because it's quiet and you're home, so there has to be something going on." Ren appeared in the hall. T...

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“The Final Stop” by Kaylin Rivera

Submitted to Contest #29

The Final StopBy Jynxaa1. If someone were to ask you what day was worse than Monday, Tuesday should be your answer. What’s worse than the first day of the week? The day that follows. It was simple science. The world never stops when you do. It keeps going, advancing where it could and stopping short from time to time. I was never the type to ‘stop short’. Until I saw her. The girl that smelled of sandalwood and rose. I was only close enough once to memorize her scent. She worked as a barista in my favorite bookstore, a little hol...

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“A journey to earth.” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #29

A Journey to Earth. God called in the angels that were watering the Celestial Garden and told them he wanted a volunteer.“Angel Tiffany, your name signifies a manifestation of me, so you just volunteered.I’m thinking of doing a reboot down there on earth, so do a quick ‘once-over,’ in case you see some redeeming features that I might take into consideration.”“I know it’s not my place to question you, my lord god of the highest order, but you, who knows all about sparrows falling, will also know my background.”“We don’t have to get all h...

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““The D Word”” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #29

I’m scared. My name is Ralph and I’m scared. Mommy and Daddy are yelling at each other more lately and they’ve even mentioned something called, “the D word”. They don’t think I know what, “the D word” is, but I do. I do. “The D word” is dog. See, I’m a Pomeranian and they don’t have any real children, so I’m their child, and they used to pet me and play with me, but now Mike and Helena only pet me after they argue and cry and they never pet me together anymore. One ...

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“The Adventures of Kelly Toy and Meeko” by Carlie Beth

Submitted to Contest #29

The early morning sun beamed down on the rabbits’ burrows, one by one, each rabbit started piling out and exploring the fields for food. It’s been rough on their community, the fields have been dry, no fruits or vegetables have been growing. The rabbits have been left with just dry grass and weeds to munch on. “I can’ts do this anymore, Meeko! I cants!” Kelly Toy exclaimed pacing back and forth, “I’ve been eating grass and random flowers for weeks now! I almost ate a bee!” “You shouldn’t be eating those flowers….” “I’m STARVING. ...

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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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