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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#44: Just the Beginning

Two weeks ago, our theme was story endings. This week, we're circling back to the starting line and focusing on story beginnings.

From Zora Neale Hurston's "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." To Jane Austen's "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." And George Orwell's "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." Memorable lines stick with us because they're what propel us into the world of the story in the first place.

For more inspiration, check out our tips for crafting intriguing opening lines, and then dive into our beginning-themed prompts below!

This week's prompts

Write a story that starts with two characters saying goodbye.

Character – 248 stories

Write a story that starts with a life-changing event.

Novel – 175 stories

Write a story that starts with someone returning from a trip.

Character – 111 stories

Write a story that starts with a character-revealing something unusual about themselves.

Character – 142 stories

Write a story that starts by establishing its setting in a different time period — without explicitly stating what that period is.

Historical Fiction – 114 stories

Stories

“Things I Knew” by Jay Graywall

Submitted to Contest #44

I always knew I was something special. You’re not supposed to say that, but I’m saying it. You’re supposed to pretend you don’t know how smart you are, pretend people are just being too kind, pretend you’re just average. Even when you know that’s a big fat bald faced lie. I started reading at the age of three, and I was indiscriminate about what I read. At first, it was every children’s book, then every chapter book, then every novel, until I read every book we owned written for young adults, children or teens. My father had an exp...

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“Though It Takes A Thousand Lifetimes” by Cara H

Submitted to Contest #44

Though It Takes A Thousand LifetimesA Great SorrowPepper Baiij worked as a nurse’s aide but her real interests tended to remain unspoken. Pepper possessed clairvoyant and clairsentient abilities. She supposed that she could technically be considered a medium, although she shied away from describing herself as such. Most of the time, she sensed emotions rather than hard facts. However, she had seen more than one full-torso apparition during her time working at the sixty-year-old Trinity Gardens Retirement Community and Care Center.Over the ye...

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“Love that never was” by Anushree Choudhury

Submitted to Contest #44

The day dawned bright and warm ; it had to; it was the 10th of June. The roads were bustling with vehicles and people. Some of them were the CEO's of the leading companies, surprisingly all of them were headed to the same place-"The biggest midsession business meet" organised by none other than the most successful business tycoon of the era-'Rohan Mehra .'It was almost the time for the meeting to commence, all the invited members arrived except for his own business partner, his true support and confidant-'Riya Mehra', his sister. He could no...

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“The Haven” by Luther Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #44

Something about the gentle fall of rain always made Coen feel so gloomy. Perhaps it was the cold feel of it against his skin, or the smell that lingered in the air… Or perhaps it was simply because it reminded him of his plight. Pulling out a locket with a photo of an infant, he sighed. How old was she now? Five? Six? How long had he even been gone? “Coen!” A familiar voice called, pulling his gaze back to the stone pathway just outside of his home. It was Sheila- she was supposed to be keeping watch in the East, if he remembered correctly. ...

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“The Tardy Advocate Chapter 1” by Ian McKerracher

Submitted to Contest #44

What is this place!? The room was enormous, but John couldn’t know that by looking at it for it was filled with a deep dusk that defied registration on his senses. His eyes could not penetrate through this … stuff. Neither could listening for echoes be used to discern the largeness of the room because there were not any of those. None of the normal ways of knowing were ready to volunteer any information beyond the bare minimums of perception and any way of pushing them tow...

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“Lucinda” by Elizabeth Donohue

Submitted to Contest #44

“Love can scorch and soothe, be denied and be delighted in. It can sour; it can blossom. But for everyone, those first electric moments are static and bold. The first touch. A minute caress of a hand in the dark. A wandering gaze that is held a moment too long. Chemistry, my friend, is not always measurable in a beaker.” Professor Green took the proffered glass vial from Hargreaves and suspended it above a low flame. Steam slowly rose in languid, rolling wisps, darking with a vile stench as the thickening liquid bubbled. Within the tube, the...

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“Between Lions and Jackels” by Benjamin McKelvey

Submitted to Contest #44

Written by Benjamin GeorgePeace is a resource that neither gods nor kings can afford. For when our invaders came, speaking a foul language, preaching false gods and destroying in their wake - no gold, that we have taken, could keep them at bay.From the seas and from the land, an army of power like nothing our people had ever seen, came determined to vanquish our souls. The only payment that they would take was the blood in our hearts to stain their swords.But we, the people of a democratic world, would not have the lands of our mothers taken...

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“Maverick” by Kamalia Blunt

Submitted to Contest #44

"Giv'em Hell for me, Brother," chokes Maverick.His once ivory teeth become a crimson red as each inhale and exhale quicken faster than the rage of musket balls flying past our heads. We grip our hands as tight as we can around each other's forearms as we did on the day we first met during the Northern enlistment against the Confederacy. Amongst the troops, Maverick was respected almost as highly as General Kilgore, a man of few words but true to his name, and could make a friend and an enemy within seconds. Maverick was an impressive st...

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“A Change in Time” by Marie Barger

Submitted to Contest #44

We all sit in our chairs, waiting for the time to pass. Minutes feel like hours, everyone is anxious. No one knows why the Queen has sent us to wait in the church. The guards came to the main square, where most of the children were, and told them the Queen wanted us all to go to the church as soon as possible, telling us that our parents would meet us there. I bend my neck to see Joan next to Malachi. I’m alone on the bench, none of my friends chose to sit next to me, knowing that I’m terrible at comforting them. I tilt my head up to s...

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“Will someone find me?” by Victoria Nuzzi

Submitted to Contest #44

I feel the warm sun on my face as I pass outside of the bakery. The smell of sweet bread in the morning makes it feel like life is worth living even in the darkest times. I long to go in and have a bite but I am too busy. For the first time in my life, I can say that. I shake myself out of the thought of going in and continue on to the café where I am meeting my publisher. The countryside is sunny and few people are around this little town I call home. The blue sky seems to stretch for eternity and though I have been told it doesn’t. I like ...

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“Scene from a Bus Station, 1968” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #44

The bus station was littered with couples holding each other in tears and pain. Salty soaked kisses happening to an audience of pathetic Christmas decorations and propaganda posters encouraging young men to enlist in the U. S. Army. The images of the smiling soldiers bathed in golden light on the posters matched none of the faces of the men in the small area. The Christmas decor did nothing but contribute to the overall bleak tone of the building, reminding everyon...

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“The Ocean That Never Waved Goodbye” by Allison Courtenay

Submitted to Contest #44

With a WHOOSH and a CRASH, the glistening water formed a gleaming arch and then collapsed on the damp sand, just in time for the ocean to summon it back with a strong pull. The ocean left the shore longing for its presence, especially a small crab that had been residing nearby. The crab picked himself up onto all six legs and clenched his claws in rage. The sea had waved hi upon arrival, but did not bid goodbye upon its dissent. The crab thought this to be very rude. “Heeeyyyy! Hey theeerrrre!” The crab called, waving his claws towards...

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“At the End of the Rainbow ” by Kiara Grace Koeller

Submitted to Contest #44

“Goodbye,” I whisper as I slowly and reluctantly, loosen my grasp on her stiff body. I can see tears fighting to push past her eyes but she holds them in tight, but I can see the pain in her face, like she is holding back the whole ocean. “Goodbye,” she sniffles back. I feel like a knife has punctured my heart when I hear the agony that is consuming her voice. I too, can feel the ache crawling up my esophagus and rotting in my mouth. A thousand words could not sum up the tormenting voice in my mind, the voice that knows how...

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“A last GoodBye!” by Sheeba Javid

Submitted to Contest #44

It's a story of a Boy and a Girl. They studied in the same school, same batch, but Class sections were different. He was in section A and she was in section B.The boy was too much shy in nature, the girl too much naughty and natorious of her time. They both never spoke to each other during school time. He always kept himself away from girls. It was a time where two batchmates become good friends. When they both were in the age of 19. He saw a friend list sugesstion and he sent a friend request to her. By looking at his profile, she says "hey...

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“Flying” by Barbara Eustace

Submitted to Contest #44

“Bye mum,” you say, and with one last quick hug you’re gone. I want to hold on forever, but too late, you’ve slipped from my grasp. I watch as you walk away in slo-mo, long hair flying behind you, long legs taking you further and further away from my reach. You don’t look back, but I can feel the smile on your face, the excitement as you face this new challenge.We’re all a matter of chance, a particular egg, a scramble of sperm that fight it out to see which one will get there first. And the timing has to be just right.&n...

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$50

Prize money

790

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 05, 2020 EST

Won by D. Holmes 🏆

Title: A Gamble

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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