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!

#48: Superpower

The faces of superheroes have long emblazoned everything from our t-shirts to our lunch-boxes. For over a decade, the Marvel movies have dominated box offices, and for almost a century, superhero comics have remained prized possessions.

A Smithsonian article describes the broad appeal of superheroes: "At their best, superhero origin stories inspire us and provide models of coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our strengths and using them for good purpose. (Wearing a cape or tights is optional.)"

This week's prompts are for anyone who's ever wondered, "If you could have one superpower, which one would it be?" And as always, our prompts are open to interpretation! Whether your entry includes familiar superhero tropes, or ends up being a piece of literary fiction about someone who just so happens to move faster than the speed of light is up to you.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Middle School – 333 stories

Write about someone who always comes to the aid of others.

Teens – 108 stories

Write the 'origin story' of a person who goes on to achieve great things.

Fiction – 128 stories

Write about a person who collects superhero comics.

Middle School – 89 stories

Write a story that features a protagonist with an archnemesis.

Character – 112 stories

Stories

“Super Hero: Aid-Box” by Jhumki R Vincent

Submitted to Contest #48

“Spider-man, Spider-man, does whatever a spider can, La-la-lum, laa-la-lum, la-la-la-la-la-la-lum, Look out! Here comes the Spider-man....Yasssss” “Jonas, stop yelling! You will land up with a sore throat and cough,” it was mamma’s turn to yell back from the kitchen. Mamma’s powerful voice was sufficient for tuning Jonas, but the effects did not last long. Little Jonas, 5 years of age, came hopping into the living area, where his imaginative mind discovered a hilltop. A chest of drawers that served as a console table too, was where the super...

Read story

“When It Raines” by Faith. M Troyer

Submitted to Contest #48

I push my Curtin of smooth dark hair away from my eyes as I crouch down, checking over my bags inside of my rig. It’s already 7:00 am and I still haven’t had my morning cup of joe. I begin every morning with a bagel and cream cheese and my coffee, with lots of cream and sugar. So I’ll have to apologize to my coworkers in advance if I’m a little grouchy. The still quiet of the unit delivers a sense of calm, but soon we’ll be racing down the highway, on our way to aid someone who was just involved in a car accident, a shooting gone bad between...

Read story

“Super hero” by Precious Vitalis

Submitted to Contest #48

Pulling her right hand around his neck and sliding his other hand behind her back, he braced himself to heave her limp body from the chair. David could feel jessy's heart racing, her breath reeked of alcohol. Her eyes we're droopy, it was clear she had troubles keeping them open. 'Hmm... Dave.. you look beautiful', she said in brittle voice, moving her fingers through his face. She gave him a slight smile, an innocent expression written all over her, though her eyes were bloodshot. David was stunned, for a second paused staring at her, ...

Read story

“Clark Hamilton” by Kristine Murdock

Submitted to Contest #48

May 17, 2023, Voice Log--the Ideal, Clark Hamilton It is time for a change. I can’t help but help people; that’s what I was programmed to do. It’s in my nature. People have called me ‘straight-laced’ and ‘Captain America’ because of the way I assist others. But there’s too much technology now… Machines to protect us, to save us. Machines dehumanize. I have a secret I have been hiding since I was born. I look human; I am the modern man. My maker made sure of it. I was sent to help, but my heart is human, and I feel more than I thought was ...

Read story

“SUPERMAN” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #48

Ramachandran, a medical practitioner, was known for his consultation fee of Rs 10/-A tenner only. His son, Pratap did not like his father’s so called ‘noble action’. Unable to argue with him, he kept a donation box at the side table. People who wanted to contribute could do so. Though his father did not agree, he did not contest also. Pratap was of the opinion that being a specialist in the professional line, his father should not hesitate to charge market rate for his services. This would enable him to keep the clinic with a robust and posh...

Read story

“In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time ” by Abby Irwin

Submitted to Contest #48

Mallory plopped into a seat on the bus. She looked over and inwardly groaned, she had picked the spot next to Eddy Davis. Eddy Davis wasn’t mean or anything but he was the nerd. That means he didn’t have any friends and was bullied all the time. Mallory wished she could get up but while she wasn’t exactly what you would call a nice kid she wasn’t mean either so she stayed in her seat next to Eddy. “Hey, Whatcha doin? You tryin to get in my way Mallory Jones?” “No,” Mallory said in a shaky voice. “Are you sure? Caus...

Read story

“The 14th of February ” by Ramona Rennie

Submitted to Contest #48

It all started when teenage Joce-Lee Anderson was hanging out with her friends playing a game of cards on Friday night. The new year had just began.People buzzing with excitement and high expectations for the year. Joce-Lee thought this year nothing could go wrong especially with Valentine's day coming up. She knew she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. (Little did she know) Last year's Valentine's day didn't go as planned. To be precise it totally backfired. The plan was to become friends with this boy Joce had been dying to talk to not ...

Read story

“THE STORY OF LEI MARTIN” by Mae Charlette Bulias

Submitted to Contest #48

THE STORY OF LEI MARTINLei Martin is a very popular child star in his time. When he was still young, he already developed a good social interaction with other people.His parents were known as music idols. They were famous around the nation for their group band – The Classic. While his parents were into music, Lei is into drama. At his early stage in life, he was already recognized by some television directors and encouraged to enter showbiz. Well, he can also play musical instruments such as ukulele and accordion. Obviously, this talent is i...

Read story

“Tan Daly ” by Eva Csaki

Submitted to Contest #48

Tan DalyBy Eva Csaki Tangerine Daly had very few hobbies in life. Not that she needed many to occupy her. Between school and her job at the Krohn Conservatory, she had very little free time. After years of attempting all manner of activities and learning she had skill in very few of them, Tan decided she was best suited to only a few things. The list was small: listening to music, reading and collecting her tarot cards, and feeding the neighborhood’s stray cat – whom she fondly...

Read story

“They Saved Her Too” by Ivy Robbins

Submitted to Contest #48

They say that when you create art, you leave a piece of yourself in it. This statement could not be more true for Marley Evans. As a young girl, she was always drawn to art. She loved to create it, and she loved to be surrounded by it. It was her gateway into different times. She loved to go to museums with her mother. She would get lost for hours mesmerized by the different colors and styles. Once, after carefully making sure that no one was around, she reached out and touched a painting of a woman crying. She found herself standing be...

Read story

“Inextricably Linked” by Ed Vela

Submitted to Contest #48

Her name was Lyona Torgersen, and she was one of a very special group of humans who came to be known as: Out-Breakers, but she was one of the first. Before they had a name. Before she came to realize there were others out there like her. Before the Sci-Focus Community was conceived... She was there, using her powers, but they weren't just her powers. She was part of a triad, a trio, a triumvirate, inextricably linked.It was the summer of her fifteenth year, a 70's baby, an 80's kid, now a 90's teenager, in the full blossom of awkwardness. It...

Read story

“In Which Everyone Dies at the End” by Steven Pittaro

Submitted to Contest #48

A character slowly uses the black lines on the paper to form himself, tearing a word from the page. The word of his name. Twisting the 90 degree angles in the letters into straight forms, the letters crack like bones. Somewhere, a linguist screams in agony. He moves like a cloned human, who sat in a vat for his entire life, learning to walk for the first time. But he learns quick, looking around, at the rest of the page he stands on, the words beneath him. The words of his story, told the same way all our stories: by the intertwining lines o...

Read story

“Light and the tunnel” by Nithan S

Submitted to Contest #48

"What do you mean we cannot make it?" "Sir, the human body would not adapt to the increase in dosage." Dhruv's voice hid the concern with a cover of respect. "What do you mean our body cannot take it? I thought that was your area of expertise. Make it work somehow." "Yes, Sir. Our team is aware of our expertise. But the human brain harvests more power and energy than the other systems. So even if the brain agrees, other systems might start rejecting the dosage. Which might be lethal to our men." General Tench turned abruptly on the u...

Read story

“Cousins” by Elizabeth Corbitt

Submitted to Contest #48

The store was firmly shut and looked. The massive chain draped through the handles, secured with a lock that would hold the imprisoned titans from escaping, gave little doubt the place would ever open again. We watched the man work, spreading the large boards over the glass windows, screwing them directly into the siding. Soon they would be tagged with graffiti, left to rot away like the rest of the boarded up shops in this neighborhood; startups with high goals and an economy that couldn’t sustain them. I’ll never forget the look on my cous...

Read story

“A Young Old Passion” by Iman Fatima

Submitted to Contest #48

Toby and Helene rushed outside their car. Their car was parked in the parking lot of an enormous bookstore. It was the city’s largest bookstore, and was the kids’ favorite, for it housed the largest collection of comic books in the whole state. Their Mum got out of the car as well and took Toby’s hand. Toby was seven, and still young enough to cross the road by himself. His sister Helene, ten, was more trustable in these matters. “Now, remember, only four books for each of you. You already got twenty combined last month for Chris...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

770

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 03, 2020 EST

Won by Jeff C. Carter 🏆

Title: Primum Nil Nocere

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 ⭢