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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

“Clambering Over Elephants and Other Life Threatening Preoccupations” by Namwima Buluma

Submitted to Contest #44

I suppose it would be better, for both our sakes, to start in the middle, flowing where the narrative takes us. We begin our tale a longish time ago, in a land where giants are occasionally eaten by minnows. Our hero (it's not conceited of me, styling myself the hero; it’s my story and I will tell it however I like) is going through a transition period. ‘Awakening’ may have been a better word to use, except for the implication that before this crucial span of time, our hero’s life had been nothing but a prolonged siesta. It’s disrespectful a...

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“Who Am I” by Tegan Scott

Submitted to Contest #44

I stand with my back straight, facing the never-ending ocean reflecting the bright setting sun. I close my eyes and listen to the waves and the birds looking for their partners to settle down for the night. My hand reaches out, grasping air. I open my eyes to see her, my only sister. She dances with the waves, smooth and elegant. I watch as she disappears beneath the water. I turn to go back home only to realize I am stranded on a small rock raised high above the clouds. “Come over here!” The harsh voice cuts through the wind. I spin around ...

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“Helpless” by Laura Mikolaitis

Submitted to Contest #44

I woke up to welcome my 49th year on a park bench. I had no idea how I had gotten there, but I knew that it was my birthday. Or, at least I thought that it was today. Shivers ran down my spine as I realized that I was wearing soaked clothes. I hadn't wet myself if that is what you are thinking. And I wasn't sweating. Drenched garments clung to me, and as I tried to move, my body revolted with such searing pain that I thought I might pass out. My heart was now racing as fast as my mind. I tried to make sense of my surroundings. But I did...

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“The video premiere ” by Leila Adams

Submitted to Contest #44

The video panned around the room, showing a woman on all fours on a bed. A man stood behind her with his hands on her back, whilst a second woman entered the fray, holding a tray of instruments in her hand. The first woman’s panting was growing louder, starting to descend into screams...Seriously. Who actually agrees to this shit being filmed? Oh yes, that would be me. And not just any shit, oh no, this is me, on a bed, exposing all my bits to the world, as I pushed out my third child into the world. As well ...

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“Just the Beginning” by Brittany B.

Submitted to Contest #44

The thought of having to do and say something that I thought in a million years would never happen to me, finally became my destiny. This was a word that neither one of us had planned to come tumbling from our tongues. With a twisted feeling within my stomach, a dry throat, and a faint feeling, I reluctantly let the most devastating word escape my mouth in a whisper: “Goodbye.” Imagine the heartache and pain you feel when the person who you once thought was your soulmate was now someone who would become another stranger within this hectic an...

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“The Witch's Fire” by Yuna Alvord

Submitted to Contest #44

It was a very hot day in Hawk Valley, and Lucas was helping his father drive a cattle herd. “Lucas! Lead the herd to the pasture, I’ll make sure there ain’t any stragglers!” yelled Buck, Lucas’s dad, over the noise. “Alright Pa!” replied Lucas. He kicked his heels into his mare, Blacksnow, and led the herd into their pasture with his father’s help. Meanwhile, in a small shop, was a brown-haired girl watering some kind of flower with a small black cat rubbing against her legs. “Fern, can you take Mrs. O’neil’s herbs and deliver them to her?” ...

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“Until Now” by Jill Chase

Submitted to Contest #44

My face is pressed against the cool car window. My eyes trailed the new sights quickly passing by. This time I got to ride shotgun so I wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of my brothers in the back seat. On a road trip like this there would usually be fight breaking out by now in the back seat. There usually be grunting, yelling, snorting, and laughing by now. Mom would have to yell and yell to get them to stop but no one ever listened. Then we would soon laugh it all off and continue pondering the wondrous adventures ahead. One a road tip like...

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“Say What” by Nichole Davis

Submitted to Contest #44

Choking on my breath, my brain raced as it became hyper aware of everything around me, and still somehow I knew that my life was changed. For better, or worse, that was a rather bloody good question if I could just get my mind to stop for a second so I could breathe. There was no way that what I was seeing was real. There was no way, that a normal, run of the mill, essentially boring, weekend camping trip had just altered my entire life.The purr vibrating the ground under my feet rather strongly stated that it indeed had.I don't know if it w...

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“First Encounter” by S C

Submitted to Contest #44

I glanced at my grandmother. She was smiling so hard her eyes were watering.My attention returned to the red, wrinkly face, but even after a second evaluation, my opinion remained unchanged.She was the ugliest thing I had ever seen.I stared outside, counting the number of brown-gray utility poles that zipped by before I threw myself against the seat, anxious energy practically dripping from my pores. My clammy hands pawed at the seat belt before my fingers began poking at the edge of the window. The next instant, they were pulling on each ot...

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“Marie Rose” by Kawanee Stalling

Submitted to Contest #44

Bowls slamming against the kitchen table with cereal filling them after, the toaster popping up cooked slices of bread, kids yelling they can’t find anything, “honey where are my keys?” is the start of every day for Charlotte. She is a wife, mother of four children with the oldest being seven years old and she’s six months pregnant with baby number five. Anyway, after her husband leave for work, she finishes getting her three oldest, who are boys, ready for school. A little while later, she secure the boys and the youngest,...

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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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