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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#31: The Ordinary

The very last line of the NBC sitcom The Office is spoken by former receptionist Pam Beasley. She says: "There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?"

This week's writing prompts embrace that sentiment, and challenge you to write stories that take ordinary, everyday tasks and turn them into meaningful pieces of short fiction.

This week's prompts

Write a short story about someone doing laundry.

Adults – 94 stories

Write a short story about someone tending to their garden.

Spring – 77 stories

Write a short story about someone cooking dinner.

Nonfiction – 56 stories

Write a short story about someone going to the corner store to buy an everyday item.

Nonfiction – 64 stories

Write a short story about someone heading home from work.

Nonfiction – 81 stories

Stories

“Before Dinner” by Lacey Stroud

Submitted to Contest #31

Starting dinner on my first Mother’s Day, is bittersweet, it is my first Mother’s Day as a mom and that is a blessing, however, it is tainted with the reality that it is our families first Mother’s Day without Mom. So, I invited, my father, my brother and their families, over to celebrate Mom with her favorite dinner, Chicken Parmesan. My mom was the homemakers of homemakers, all she ever wanted was to make a safe and happy home for her family and raise good and strong human beings. My brothers and I personally think she did a tremendous job...

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“Noble” by Stacy Pederson

Submitted to Contest #31

A pad of butter bubbled on the griddle. Ground turkey browned in a cast iron pot. On another burner, water boiled. My husband tapped me on the back, handing me a wooden spoon. A hum of voices echoed from the TV in the living room as our spoiled mastiff, Noble lay watching his favorite show on Animal Planet. The kids were arriving home soon with the sitter, and the guests would follow. Every detail had to be perfect. I delicately toasted the buns then let them sit so they were crunchy and warm but not hot. I reduced the tomato sauce...

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“Tasty Tudor Times” by Emilie Conroy

Submitted to Contest #31

Cook adventurous! Cook timeless! Cook Tudor!I was one of those academics that took every opportunity to bring my special historical era into modern times. After all, it was just a question of adjusting one time in the ages of mankind to my own and have fun exploring the results. The one thing we were still doing in 2020 that humanity had been embracing for all history was eating.My colleagues wondered how I planned to throw a Tudor age bash in the close comfort of my apartment. I knew it could be done, because I’d done it before fo...

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“The Rebel, The curry and The Salt” by Nitika Sood

Submitted to Contest #31

Sara paused before the sweetmeat stall, inhaling the wonderful scent of the brilliant honey confectionery. She was late, she realized as she glanced at the enormous clock that hung on a pillar in the center of the bazaar. Of course, she was always dilatory when it came to matters of making her way home again. But she had an entire meal to prepare now and everybody would be home in an hour. She stood there for a moment, debating whether the admonishment she was sure to receive was worth perpetuating her freedom for a few more minutes. She see...

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“She Put Her Foot Into It” by Stephanie Jeannot

Submitted to Contest #31

Anybody who has experience making meals in the kitchen knows that it requires a lot of effort to make; especially if you are cooking for your family. And so, part of the process of getting prepared to cook is to put your whole mind and heart into it. I would like to set the record straight; my mother is the best cook on the planet. Even though my mom worked hard all day, she was always ready to put her foot into the food that she was making. I complimented her on one of her meals once and told her that she put her foot in it and she said, “I...

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“Leftovers” by Christine Johnson

Submitted to Contest #31

I turn down the flame on the burner. The foaming hot pasta water has begun to run down the sides of the pot. I love the sizzling sounds of the water hitting the stove grates, but hate the white residue mess I will have to clean up later. Tonight’s tubular mostaccioli noodles need more time to cook than my usual angel hair strands.I hear the crew moving about the house. I could complain that my house is thirty years old and needs a remodel, but I do not want to change the rhythm of the house. Definitely not today or in the...

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“Julia Childs Does Not Live Here” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #31

Julia Childs Does Not Live Here My husband likes to cook, and he's good at it. Bill can prepare four-course meals out of five, basic ingredients. I don't like to cook. I forget to add salt, pepper, and anything else that might give my cookery a smidgen of taste. I am the sous-chef to his masterclass performance. In gastronomic terms, I wash the dishes. When I lost my job, it became very difficult for me to justify not cooking. What with being home all day, it was only fair that I take control of the family’s culinary requirements. I lost 15 ...

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“Home” by Parth Patel

Submitted to Contest #31

As he pulled up the curtain after a lazy sunday nap, the sun was kissing goodbye to the perfect orange sky and its horizon was blushing and throwing the shades of pink, Aayan stretched his limbs to shake away his inertia and mesmerise the beauty of this love affair. After all, Aayan seldom gets to enjoy evening time of the day at his house, seeing the world from the 10th floor, all the high rise buildings of the New York city covered in the orange sheets of the sun rays and many reflecting it back on to the world.One such reflection was fall...

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“Split.” by Gabby Ibrahim

Submitted to Contest #31

It’s strange to recall such a mundane moment in our lives: us walking down to the local convenience store together. There was joy and laughter in each of our steps towards the spot we always went to, but also inside jokes exchanged and words carrying our own songs of sadness and stress released from our lips. There was trust between two people, that much is known - though now, even that has become faded. However, I do remember one summer day. It was the middle of June, and we had just finished our final exam of Grade 10. The weights on our s...

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“Just Great” by Elizabeth Waite

Submitted to Contest #31

Ella stifled a groan as she saw the unmistakable sign of her monthly visitor (a whole two days too early). Mumbling under her breathe, she reached for the handy little purple and pink box she kept under the sink full of the essentials; tampons of various sizes, personal wipes (which felt just great in lei of regular old toilet paper), and thick, bulky overnight pads. Ella fumbled for a whole minute before realizing there was not a single tampon in her handy little box. Just great. Resolving to pick up a small box of Tampax at the bodega on ...

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“Death of a Corner Store” by Bruno Lowagie

Submitted to Contest #31

“One Pebble's vitamin, please.”Just like every other day, Hubert puts five cents on the counter at the corner store.“I'm sorry, Hubert,” says Jack, the shop owner. “We're all out of them.”“How is that possible?” Hubert asks. “You know I come here every day to buy my Pebble's vitamin.”“I know,” Jack says, “and I value you as a customer, but I've told you many times before that one day we would run out of them.”“That's true,” Hubert replies, “and each time you told me, I urged you to order a new stock.”“I wish I could,” Jack says, “but Pebble'...

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“The Box of Cigarettes” by Mikyla Viloria

Submitted to Contest #31

It was late at night when I was laying on top of my bed, unable to sleep, when I came across a thought that absorbed me. How does fate operate? What was its way of making it happen? Yet again, I was left wondering as to how life can deceive you at first, then reveal it's reasons. Well, I suppose that I was never a believer at that sort of thing myself because I never really saw the absolute reason for it to be in existence. But, I guess that my reasoning would be put to the test when my friend, Michael, arrived at my door in the early mornin...

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“The Trouble with Toothpaste” by R. L. Waterman

Submitted to Contest #31

Toothpaste. It shouldn’t be a hard decision, but it is. Garishly decorated boxes scream their benefits. What is more important? Cavity protection? Fresh breath? Teeth bright as a beacon, beckoning the unwanted gaze of bystanders? She can feel her heart beating faster as her finger brushes the boxes and she sucks on her lip in indecision. A child grins a merry greeting as he scoops up his box. The cartoon monkey advertises strawberry-flavoured delight, and for a moment the shopper is tempted to follow the child’s lead. She wishes someone woul...

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“Not Too Far” by Rachael Richey

Submitted to Contest #31

It was too far. Much too far. Anna took a deep breath and leaned back against the cold, rough brick wall of the house. Surely it hadn’t always been that far? Closing her eyes she counted to ten, as slowly as she could manage. When she opened them it would have come closer. Cautiously she opened one eye. And then the other. No, it was still too far away. She drew in a shaky breath and pushed herself upright. The plastic carrier bag clutched tightly in her left hand rustled as it brushed against the wal...

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“It was for my kids.” by Grace Parrott

Submitted to Contest #31

The most horrible kinds of things change your life. That's a hard-learned lesson in the world. Happiness doesn't teach good lessons, neither does contentment or joy. No. Pain and sorrow teach you lessons. Fear teaches you lessons. Loss teaches you lessons. I learned those the hard way, as most good lessons are taught. It was such a normal day. That's what I keep coming back to. The total regularness of my day. With that one, huge exception. I woke up and made a bagel with cream cheese, put some coffee in my mug, and dressed in my favorite ...

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$50

Prize money

372

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 06, 2020 EST

Won by Ariel Kalati 🏆

Title: The Memory Garden

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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