Menu

Prompts

Contests

Blog

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#43: Kidding Around

Want a quick way to lift your spirits? Revisit the books you loved as a child.

This week, we got a chance to do exactly that while writing a blog post on 100 Classic Children's Books, and we quickly found our minds swirling with imagined places and whimsical characters.

While our prompts this week are inspired by those same children's books, whether you write a children's story or not is up to you. Pick up your pen and let your imagination do the rest!

p.s. – Are you interested in coming behind the scenes of the Reedsy Prompts contest as a judge? Head here for more information!

This week's prompts:

Write a story about transformation.

General – 43 stories

Write a story about the relationship between a parent and a child that spans several years.

General – 28 stories

Write a story about someone who discovers a mysterious object in their home.

For Kids – 33 stories

Write a story about an average day turned upside down by an unexpected visitor.

For Kids – 33 stories

Write a story about an unlikely friendship.

For Kids – 35 stories

Stories

“Change Starts In My Thoughts” by Sadia Faisal

Submitted on 05/26/2020

My hometown is Yamanouchi in Nagano Prefecture in Japan. As the site of the Shiga Highland UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, our town aims to be a place where human beings and nature can coexist in abundance. We also concentrate on achieving human rights, peace, and social welfare. Maybe for that reason, I felt that I wanted to do something for the good of my town. The year I entered junior high school, Yamanouchi Junior High was accepted into the UNESCO Associated Schools Network. In school we work on ESD (Education for Sustainable Development),...

Read story

“Song of the Storm” by A. y. R

Submitted on 05/25/2020

The storm engulfed the valley. It unsheathed its wrath on the Glen below; mercilessly. Arrochar, the valley of the two lochs, hidden among the Trossachs mountains. The village bared the angriest malice of the Scottish weather. The young boy stood at the bank of Loch Lomond, his gaze fixed on the towering mountain that pierced into the clouds. His breath held, listening to the melody of the storm. The roaring skies that bellowed thunder from its belly, the wind’s howl echoed through the Munros, and the waves crashed ...

Read story

“My Father” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Submitted on 05/23/2020

The man and the child, frozen with inexplicable delight huddle together under the strain of a bent tree. The man says, "We still need more wood."And the child replies, "Yes, father."Inside the house, the fire in the grate has sparkled and burnt into smoke and ash and the kettle in the kitchen is black with soot. In the two rooms that mark two different territories, one thing remains constant: the old curtains flapping free. There was a woman before, beautiful with grace and kindness but when the cold came and the ...

Read story

“The Things We Don't Realize” by Ai Jiang

Submitted on 05/24/2020

It was coolest on Mondays because that was when you had to leave for school again.I watched my daughter as she bounded up the steps of the school bus, the pompon of her red hat bobbed up and down as she moved down the bus. Then, it would suddenly dip and disappear and suddenly her face was pressed against the third last window of the bus, her stubby fingers would wiggle frantically. Her nose always made an oil stain on the glass. I laughed as I waved back. Although she was now in middle school, I often became teary-eyed ...

Read story

“Equals” by Daryl Gravesande

Submitted on 05/24/2020

Hanna:I was in the school bathroom, sitting on the floor; crying. Curled up in a ball, sobbing quietly. I really hated being treated like a child; but I’m so much more than that. If only people could see who I am, beyond my age. I heard footsteps approaching. I could tell the footsteps, They were Kelly’s. She stood before me.“Hey, are you alright?” She asked softly. “(sniffs) Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Kelly was my mom. We'd known each other ...

Read story

“Forever is Tomorrow ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Submitted on 05/24/2020

There will be a time I'll look back at the past and not feel a slight shock at all the wasted years and the drunken nights. Maybe under a camouflage of starlight I'll conjure up her face and not feel flattered by her smile or feel cornered by the guilt layered up in her eyes. I might even whisper her name to the doctors who restrain me with pills and rushed fantasies. I might love her freely or hate her deeply depending on the year and the number of empty bottles nestled under my arm.I'm still in my car with sunlight str...

Read story

“Foolish Wisdom ” by Vrishni Maharaj

Submitted on 05/25/2020

The weather went out of its way to mock me that Sunday. I scowled at the sun, hating how it revelled in its unmitigated brilliance while I mourned the lack of my own. It was in times like this that I wished for snow in our tropical isle— perhaps, its iciness would temper the burn of rejection that I felt. The journey back home from Augustine University felt like a walk of shame, with each heavy footstep taking me further away from my dreams of becoming a successful writer. Professor Rawlings s...

Read story

“Emotional Bond” by Daryl Gravesande

Submitted on 05/23/2020

There I was, staring at the mirror; mimicking flex poses I’d often seen on bodybuilding videos.“Who deserves the promotion?” I said, with great emphasis. “I do. Me and only me.” I said to myself; Fully confident. I deserve it more than anyone. I mean, I’m RayPatrick! Who else deserved it?“You don’t deserve anything. Not when you’re supposed to be watching after your nephew.” My sister quickly jabbed. I was g...

Read story

“The Mystical Tree ” by Maggie Deese

Submitted on 05/24/2020

Isla Ellington was a young girl, only the age of ten. She had curly brown locks that flowed down her back, ending right above her tailbone. Her eyes sparkled with the lightest blue, reflecting the sky on a cloudless day. A small gap held place between her front teeth, making it an easy target for the kids at her school.“Why don’t you get your teeth fixed, Isla? Or do you pronounce it Itha.” The boys in her class would smack each other on the back, congratulating the other on the insult. Isla had no trouble speak...

Read story

“Years According to a Parent. ” by Avery Mason 🍍😇🤩

Submitted on 05/24/2020

YEAR THREE: YEAR OF THE PRINCESS. I looked down at my daughter Gale in affectionate. She was murmuring to herself while drawing a picture of a princess in a castle. She then jabbed the red crayon all over the princess. I gasped. “Gale baby, what are you doing.” She turned to face me, a mischievous grin forming on her face. She blinked up at me with large blue eyes. “Momma the dragon killed the princess! He tore her guts out!” I gasped.

Read story

“Talking to Death.” by Avery Mason 🍍😇🤩

Submitted on 05/27/2020

I was playing hide and seek with Shane when I found it. I hid in that dark closet in the corner of the room. Crouching down on the floor, hiding under luggage. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, that sent shivers down my spine. I screamed, but no noise came out. There wasn’t the familiar sound of the echo of the scream. It is like I didn’t even make a sound. A huge dark cloud exploded out in front of my eyes, and darkness enveloped the room. A huge figure in dark robes appeared right in front of my eyes. It was a skeleton-like c...

Read story

“The Octopus Queen” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted on 05/25/2020

The sun was dancing out by the handmade wooden docks, fluttering on the tops of the foamy, silky ocean waves, and a small red-cheeked boy was dragging a stick along the surface. A little white-breasted seagull landed next to him and sang shrilly and he flicked the water at it. Somewhere behind him in the thick brushy woods, just past the heavy sand, a woman was humming. Her hair was purple and streamed out in thin braids like the tentacles of an octopus. Her face was decorated in sw...

Read story

“Glass Jar King” by Rhondalise Mitza

Submitted on 05/23/2020

The umbrella in our yard was bright pink and had a giant slice torn out of it the morning I went to the porch after the rains had hit our town. I recalled my mother had bought the umbrella at an estate sale for around three dollars; how excited she was to bring it home and plant it on our back porch. Well. Now it was in tatters, not unlike the rest of the yard, which had flooded last night in the storms. I didn’t want to tell my mother her prized umbrella was broken now, but she would notice soon enough. She managed to notice everything....

Read story

“THE UNEXPECTED VISITOR ” by Laksh Suneja

Submitted on 05/25/2020

Enjoy this occasional holiday. It was the motive of Anne on that day. A refreshing Sunday after the tiresome corporate job. Even the last Sundays she was busy on her work. How relieving it is to have a holiday. She thought while sipping a cup of tea and sitting relaxed in the kitchen. “It would be better if i order food from outside. I dont want to do anything today”, she murmured.The house was silent. Even that town seemed quiet. An undesirable silence. Anee was really in a sleepy mood. The phone’s sudden ring jumped her out of he...

Read story

“Kevin Walter Bob John” by Rhondalise Mitza

Submitted on 05/23/2020

This boy was at the beach, and he was being irritated by several strange children. They were in the water just miles and miles away, and yet they were so extremely loud and obnoxious that he could hear them anyway. They were yelling names at him. They weren’t bad names like Fatacake, Heartfeet, Bonsai, or Justin Beiber, but instead they were names like Kevin, Walter, Bob, and John. Yes. The boy could hear the voices carrying across the water like small vessels of supreme annoyance....

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

767

Submissions

Ended on 23:59 - May 29, 2020 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

Winning stories will be featured on our website and in our weekly newsletter. For more information, please consult our terms of use.

Submissions will be approved and published within 7 days of the contest closing.

Please keep your submission between 1,000 - 3,000 words.

Any questions? Check out our FAQ

reedsybookeditor

Tired of MS Word?

Join the revolution and write your book in a tool designed for authors. 🙌

Includes FREE typesetting to print-ready PDF & EPUB files, track changes and collaborative editing.