Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#33: Bad Hair Day

The best stories are the ones that make us feel something; the ones that tap into some kind of universal emotion or experience. And there is one feeling that stands out as being particularly universal. More than joy, sadness, fear, or love. More than the excited nerves of a first day at school, or the sweet relief of a spring breeze after a long winter. Something that connects us all is the feeling of... a bad haircut.

This week, your challenge is to write a story that evokes the feelings of a bad hair cut. (Whether or not your story involves this actual plot is up to you!)

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character who can't make up their mind about something.

Character – 64 stories

Write a story about a character who's too polite to tell someone they don't like a gift given to them.

Funny – 49 stories

Write a story about a character making a big change.

Teens – 65 stories

Write a story set in a salon or barbershop.

Fiction – 70 stories

Write a story about miscommunication.

Fiction – 48 stories

Stories

“CAUTION!” by Uswa Tayyab

Submitted to Contest #33

Caution! Scared Sila joins the tribe of dangling heads wearing different colours of masks, but a sense of achievement also takes place. Because walking among thousands of students who don’t know that they might be carrying a strong immune system or a weak immune system. Proudly making her way to the area of mosque, Sila witnesses that nobody is wearing any sort of mask except for two or three students. They are fine with handshakes and hugs. She finds it immensely awkward that the whole world is taking precautions but people in ...

Read story

“The ‘Her’ after High School” by Leonora Lo-oy

Submitted to Contest #33

It’s been more than a decade – 14 years, 7 months to be exact since the day the class had to move on to college and had to look forward for a day which no longer involves daily doses of bullying, uncontrollable laughter and noise, shipping one another and creating some weird loveteams, and of course the class’ signature, their daily dose of bantering with their teachers especially with their adviser who is an environmentalist that she would normally go nuts when the classroom and the surrounding are dirty especially in the morning. &...

Read story

“Get Loud” by E.C Smales

Submitted to Contest #33

Anyone that thinks change is exciting is a psychopath. Oscar’s always thought that, and by god he’ll stick to it until his untimely end, probably due to humiliation at the hands of Noah, his eternal best friend and eternal nightmare. The epitome of farting sunshine and laughing in the face of danger. If he were to compare them just in terms of similes, Oscar would say with confidence that regarding his own personality, he’s more likely to fart rainclouds and cry in the face of slight adversity. He’s not known for his courage. He’s not known ...

Read story

“the way home” by Barbara Belkiewicz

Submitted to Contest #33

Surprise, surprise, were moving again. We are running from Texas. Forty schools, eight years, five kids all numbers my mother was counting. Un beknownst to me we were running from my real father Butch. It’s an unclear story as to why exactly. I was nine I was in the back of a rusty old baby poop colored pick-up truck with my two older siblings Greg and Patie. It was piled high with all our belongings. Garbage bags full of stuff that we kids packed ourselves. After eight years you get used to picking your favorites in a pinch. Your favorite j...

Read story

“The Day My Hair Went Bazuko ” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #33

Iḿ a hair addicted girl and my long hair is everything to me. I would never cut out short or change styles. Anyways, short hair would look ugly in me, ...right?Oh my god! I slept in! I´m going to be so late for school today! I rushed to my closet and put on the clothes nearest to me. I went to the restroom to do my hair. I´m a hair addicted girl. I can't seem to spend one day without glancing at my head. When I started with the biggest knot I found out that my hair was a total mess. Now I was really going to be late for school. As I tried pu...

Read story

“Year of the Dog” by Brian Barnwell

Submitted to Contest #33

Year of the Dog The car went medium speed, about 30. With the cold, he kept the windows up. The 17-year-old heater in his 17-year-old Plymouth went on and off as he fiddled with it to keep the inside just right. He needed the temperature in the car to be just right. Please god. His cell phone rang next to him on the shotgun seat. He picked it up and looked at the number and then laid it back down again. He hated cells phones. He hated phones in general. He tried not to use the word hate too much because he was sensitive ...

Read story

“Twisted Friendship” by Livy :)

Submitted to Contest #33

I inhale the last bit of my cigarette as I check my watch for the time, 1:58 am. I exhale the second-degree smoke and head back into the party. Once I walk in, I’m hit with loud music and people yelling lyrics to songs I’ve never heard of. I sit on the stairs and lean my head against the wall. Lauren, my best friend walks up to me. “Hey, come back into the crowd. We miss you.” She spoke with a drunken slur. “Lauren, it is late and I’m getting really tired. Can you get ready to go please?” I replied.“Ew, you’re so lame. When will yo...

Read story

“Everything is Still Bad When it is Good” by Lili Hauser

Submitted to Contest #33

Goddammit Steph, you did it again. You woke up. First huge mistake. And I know that you’re going to interrupt me with No, you're a newlywed woman with dreams and a beautiful job and- just stop. I know I have things to be grateful for but I’m not in the mood for gratitude. My whole life feels like an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” but that doesn't sound too bad stop- but they all fall in love in the end- what did I tell you? Stop interrupting my story. Everything is happening at once, I wake up, my back is sore, my hair is a mess, my shoes were ...

Read story

“The Not So Great Lifestyle” by Peyton Guffey

Submitted to Contest #33

“Jack, get in the shower now!” I yell.“Make your bed, Ellie, after you wash your hands,” I scream as she runs in my room wiping her bright red spaghetti hands all over my walls. Out of all 4 of us kids, Ellie has had the worst temper lately. She must be going through a normal second-grade phase. I hope. As I walk out of the kitchen to get the shower started for Jack, I see Jacob’s meatballs all crushed up on the floor. It is all in his high chair and all over him. I lift him up to try to clean him off a little bit in the shower with his...

Read story

“Can I Leave Them Behind?” by Elle Parker

Submitted to Contest #33

For most people family is the single most important thing in the world. The problem is, not all families are good. With the news today we hear stories about families ripped apart, about domestic abuse, familial murders, and worse. My family isn’t bad. No one is abused and at the end of the day that means that we’re okay. Right?See what many people forget is that family really isn’t everything. I came to that realization today when my acceptance letter arrived. Harvard. I actually got into Harvard University, a school I’ve dreamed of at...

Read story

“Overthink” by Mishael Norgaisse

Submitted to Contest #33

March 7, 2007Hi, my name is Emma. Me and my mom are having the best time I can have before the surgery I'm gonna have tomorrow. Its actually the first time I'm going to be in a hospital today ever since I was born, and I'm 18. I don't play sports that much, so I don't get fractures or dislocated shoulders. I'm not clumsy either. I'm pretty sharp and alert, so I don't fall and hurt my face or cut my self when helping Mom cook. So I have never been to a hospital since my birth. I guess all things come to an end. I am having a heart transplant ...

Read story

“Moving On” by Stella Ford

Submitted to Contest #33

The time has come. It’s sad, but I knew the day would be here eventually. I stand on the porch and lean against the sturdy wood post. The lake glistens in the dancing, morning sun. The smell of pine trees and firewood dance around me. This is for the better. I have to leave this house now, but that means I’d have to leave all the memories created in this house behind as well. The memories that have made me who I am today. I remember like it was yesterday, building this house with my wife. Her smile in the light, her hazel-green ...

Read story

“Harvest Moon” by Tom Campbell

Submitted to Contest #33

Rocky Corners is just a little ol' farm town in the dusty prairie. Ain't but about 130 folks there countin' cows and chickens. Tain't a lot to do there 'ceptin' the Friday night square dance or mebbe drive someone's Model T over to Bartlesville on Saturday night to see a Tom Mix movie. The most fun for me was stepping past the rotating red, white and blue pole into Al's Hair Emporium where the men would usually be singing barbershop quartet songs. I learned all the popular numbers from the time I was knee high to a grasshopper 'cause my...

Read story

“A Bad Hair Day that Won” by Eunice Amero

Submitted to Contest #33

A Bad Hair day that Won “Mom, will you come help me?” Carla shouted from the bathroom sounding discouraged. “What is it this time? First you want me to get you a towel, then toilet tissue, then a housecoat. What is it now?” “I can’t get this brush out of my hair.” When her mother got to the bathroom Carla had a brush tangled all up in her hair so bad she didn’t know what she was going to do. “What on earth have you done? This is a mess,” her mother told her while pulling on the brush to get it out. How do you get ...

Read story

“Mr B's Barbershop” by Leony Haingura

Submitted to Contest #33

Brandon J King my father owned a barbershop that was on the corner of the street. It was frequently visited by people in the neighbourhood and a few people from other neighbourhoods. The barbershop was passed down by my grandfather who built it in the mid-nineteen hundreds. "This place is more than a barbershop son. This is a meeting place for our extended family," I never understood what my dad meant at that moment. I only understood it a bit later in my life. My father gave jobs to those struggling. Missy and Trisha were single mother's ju...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

296

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 20, 2020 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: Pennies and Years

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢