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!

#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

“Circle Of Life” by Dennis Müller

Submitted to Contest #44

“I am proud of you,” Sehana said and let go of him. The harbormaster was already waiting for Lemo to go through the mission briefing one last time. He’d told him he needed a couple of minutes to say goodbye to his wife. It was unusual for a married Ahana to embark on a journey to the Circle. But Lemo had turned out to be the perfect candidate. They’d talked about it for months, argued about family, pride, and honor. They had to do it. As always, there were hundreds of people scattered throughout the small harbor at the northern island of Sah...

Read story

“Unrequited ” by Colette Hibbert

Submitted to Contest #44

There I was standing 3 feet away from everything I wanted but couldn’t have. I looked in his face, barely holding his gaze. A twinkle in his eyes as tears slowly filled them slowly. My attention was them lost to the quick reminder of the reason for him leaving. Standing directly behind him was the wood that stoked the fire of my unhappiness. Anita! Was she really the cause for all this ? Could I really blame her for Stephen's leaving? “We’ll talk over the phone from time to time,” he said, interrupting my thoughts, but before I could say a ...

Read story

“Products of Society” by Scarlet Noble

Submitted to Contest #44

The setting sun paints the sky in a gradient of several pastel colors. He sat on the old park bench and watched this beautiful array of colors disappear beneath the horizon. Gavin came down the concrete steps, a boutique of white lilies in his hands. He shifted the flowers to one arm as he sat and grabbed Devin’s. Above them, the stars began to shine.“It’s our six-month anniversary,” Gavin said, “I bought you your favorite flowers.”Devin let go of Gavin and wiped his wet cheeks. “Thank you for coming.”“I haven’t seen you all day. I thought w...

Read story

“Goodbye to the one who looks like you” by Matt Willis

Submitted to Contest #44

It is time to say goodbye. It is time to let you go. My love is gone.I must push you away. I must resist the urge to take comfort in the embrace. Because it is not your embrace that has been warming me, soothing me. It is not your embrace that I can’t fall asleep without. It is not your embrace that brings me back to the world when sleep is interrupted with the harsh realities. It is not your embrace that I need to start my day again. It is hope that holds me close, that brings me safety. I must push hope’s embrace away.I now try and look de...

Read story

“Bad Luck” by Thomas Marston

Submitted to Contest #44

It slithered, a snake in a stained white t-shirt, through the white doorway and into the room, on wobbling, swaying, swirling legs. Tom, it said, Tom, it added again, thoughtfully, Tom… My heart felt like a firetruck, Hey, yeah man what’s up? Tom, I’m leaving I’ll see ya later, it said, yeah, yeah, I said back, and it slithered away and I didn’t know it’s name.A knot in my chest, a hole in my chest, pulling me down, endlessly huh? I was in the bathroom, a small room with blue walls and while linoleum floor that made me think of my parents ho...

Read story

“Brush After Brush” by Caleb Wood

Submitted to Contest #44

“But it’s so soon. I thought we would have the whole summer at the least.” Cillian paced up and down the room, stopping briefly to light a cigarette held between two shaking fingers. He took an exaggerated drag, inhaling the smoke into his bones. “It’s a surprise to me as well, darling.” Emily tried to focus her attention on the warm sensation of the water or the sudsy sliding sound of the sponge while she cleaned the dishes. “Damn fool’s errand,” he mumbled, the rolled tobacco butt now situated betw...

Read story

“The rightful heir” by Mika Mein

Submitted to Contest #44

A familiar flicker of lightning blue flashed across the screen.Then staccato words appeared. Tatizia felt her heart race.PRINCESS: USE THE INFORMATION WISELY AND PROCEED WITH CAUTION.Her answer came almost immediatelyLIKE I EVER GET UP TO ANY MISCHIEF!A long pause and then…JUST BE CAREFUL TATTY …NO PROMISES.GOODBYE PRINCESS, IM SURE WE WILL MEET AGAIN VERY SOON.WAIT! YOU SAID YOU’D TELL WHO YOU ARE. Z… Z ARE YOU THERE?WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WILL MEET AGAIN? WHY?GOODBYE TATTY AND TAKE CAREBreaking news: Missing princessThis morning the king repo...

Read story

“A French Farewell.” by Elle Moreau

Submitted to Contest #44

Christine held her sixteen year old daughter in her arms and hugged her so tightly as it would be another six months until she saw her again back on the other side of the world. The Duval family who had taken her as an exchange student six months previously had all come to the station to say goodbye to Christine. The reason for her being here in France was she had decided to visit a relative in England so she had arranged with the Duval family for Katie to travel to England with her. The family organized with the school for her to have ...

Read story

“The Perfect Crime” by Zachary Jacobus

Submitted to Contest #44

Tortured. Grimacing. Contorted. Raw. Disfigured. Pale. Wrenched. Grotesque. All of these captured some ethos of Mr. Groff. But the best descriptor, the best impersonation of the energy that propelled his person, was in the works of Egon Schiele. Despite what the reader may imagine, he was not an ugly man. Not in the slightest. Instead, like in Self-portrait with his head down, The Family, and Pair embracing (all by Schiele), his anguished form reflected a primal vitality in his sinewy, stretched features. This vitality had not gone unnoticed...

Read story

“Scream” by Eduardo Mata

Submitted to Contest #44

I caressed his hands as his head laid on my chest while the sound of his breath pacified me. Holding on to the last bit of peace was my way of ignoring the sound of the clock ticking, even though it only got louder and louder. There was white light in the room but the world just kept getting darker, and while I could breathe, I also knew my throat was about to close; my lungs would collapse and I would just spin as I fell into uncertainty. That was loving him; a warm orange sunset in the afternoon that would eventually turn into the freezing...

Read story

“Picking Up The Pieces” by Harry Mulligan

Submitted to Contest #44

“Goodbye” she said, kindly but without turning around. “Bye,” said Nick. He understood. In a way, he was happy that the long walk was over. He guesstimated a two mile journey to do the polite thing and accompany her back to her dorm. It was dark, it was warm, but he felt cold. He stood there, holding his breath until he finally felt alone, and the wild fantasy of her changing her mind and coming back outside felt unlikely to be realized. He knew that hopeful people like him always try and hold out, just in case things actually tu...

Read story

“Day Dreaming” by Ali ._.

Submitted to Contest #44

I looked into her eyes as if it was the last time I could gaze at her beauty. “I guess it’s time for me to go now.”“Mhm, I’ll write to you each week. You better check your mail.”“Will do. I’ll wait every day for the mailman to await your beautiful messages.” I say with a playful, yet sad tone because even though I’m joking, it’s the truth.“Yeah…you know I love you right?” Her eyes filled with sadness. I felt her pain as well as my own. Ouch. I’m leaving her and it’s just hitting me.“Yep. I love you too.” I said painfully. The trai...

Read story

“Our Last Summer Day” by Hanalei Hughes

Submitted to Contest #44

The art of letting go is never easy to master. It’s facile not to accept the truth of the world. The seasons pass, so does everything else. We’re all just a pawn of time. You can stand outside, screaming through the wind for summer to last. All you’ll have to show is a sore throat and bruised ego. Change is inevitable. It’s best to accept the impending autumn with open arms. Take the change before it overtakes you. It wasn’t easy to see our summer was over. Our time of being together was coming to an end, there was nothing to do about it. Ti...

Read story

“THE LEADER BOARD STORY” by Chimelogo Anene

Submitted to Contest #44

The news of Kennedy Murphy's death was one that had gone round the county and probably beyond. Ordinarily, there should have been rumours surrounding his death, but instead, the peoples bone of contention was his lifestyle. Most of the residents of the county who knew Murphy or ever heard of him either refused to speak or gave unsubstantial information. I needed to clear my head and have a drink so I headed to the bar. “Hope to find something resourceful.” I said to myself as I pulled my coat from the coat rack and headed out. The bar wasn't...

Read story

“Ali Kat” by Jay Holdan

Submitted to Contest #44

1The little girl wakes up with a jerk as she feels something slide under her shirt and begin to poke into her chest. Her eyes pop open in surprise and confusion, all she can see is darkness and she feels a hand or something pressing over her mouth. She tries to call out for her parents, but all she can manage is a muffled noise that no one could either hear or understand. As her eyes adjust to the darkness she notices a girl setting on the edge of the bed, she tries to swing at the girl covering her mouth before realizing that she can’t move...

Read story

Load more stories

$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!

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 ⭢