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

“We Can Do This” by Johanna Wolfe

Submitted to Contest #48

I can do this. A mantra I’ve been chanting for hours, but still don’t firmly believe. I volunteered to run the bake sale at my high school fundraising event at the local park. This shouldn’t be a hard task, but I wasn’t blessed with an extroverted personality. “Becky!” my best friend calls me out from beneath the crowd. Her long brown hair is pulled up in a messy bun that is bouncing all over the place as she jogs towards me. “You know I prefer Rebekah, Sam.” “Anyways,” she continues knowing we have this conversation weekly. “I just spotted ...

Read story

“Mentriloquist” by Holly Jahangiri

Submitted to Contest #48

"Come outside and play, Kari!" I flounced down on the living room couch, arms crossed, glaring at my older sister, The Bookworm. "After I finish this chapter," she said. That's what she always said. This chapter. Then the next. And another. It was The Witch of Blackbird Pond, this time. I could not understand why those old books were so fascinating, but I knew that to Kari, they were more interesting than a little sister, and I resented them all. "Fine!" I'd go outside without her, climb to the top of my tree, and never come down. I woul...

Read story

“Jane's Superpower” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #48

If you asked anyone in Slatterville, Jane Anderson was your typical suburban wife/mom. All the neighbours and townsfolk commented on her. “Jane always looks great.” “Jane is the nicest woman and is always smiling.” “Jane is always one of the first to volunteer for community events.” She drove the family SUV to soccer practice or to the mall, hosted summer barbecues and dinner parties on a regular basis. There seemed nothing quirky about the tall, elegant lady with the very nice smile. And she loved animal...

Read story

“To ask or not to ask” by Elis I.

Submitted to Contest #48

Yet again I was left to wonder, exasperated by my own heart. Sighing, I shut off my phone and shoved it in my pocket. I stared at the trees, the breeze against my skin cool and gentle, the sound of the leaves rustling ever so soft. My head felt empty, my thoughts seemed to scatter away ever so subtly with the wind. I was grateful for the peace of mind. The moon was full tonight, and through the parting clouds, I could see it clearly, glaring in the dark, leaving a streak of light across my side. I rarely came up here at such u...

Read story

“Rhys' Evening” by Frank Davis

Submitted to Contest #48

Rhys stretched his arms and threw the baseball upwards, watching it rise up through the sky as it pierced the clouds. He closed his eyes as it fell towards him, its velocity increasing as it fell to the earth. His fist moved like lightning as his knuckles shattered the ball with little effort, striking it towards the sun as it screeched into the sunset. The baseballs in his bag shuffled around as he grabbed another, throwing into the air, and quickly punching it out into the horizon. After several repetitions of this, he frowned as he lo...

Read story

“Anonymous” by Katarína Krigovská

Submitted to Contest #48

Anonymity guarantees your privacy, an option to live your life without desperate cries for a moment without saving "the world's ass". Nonetheless, anonymity grants you peace; at some point, because you can't ignore their pleas for too long; and a little bit of recognition in the form of the public adoration, after saving someone prominent. Without sharing your private details... But what if someone helps every time, not knowing that people already found out his true identity? Yet they respect his need for anonymity and let him in the impress...

Read story

“Coming To The Aid Of Others” by Monica Chaddick

Submitted to Contest #48

There is a woman that I know that always comes to the aid of others. She asks nothing in return, except for the respect that she deserves. She assists anyone and everyone. She is eighty – six years old and still helping everyone with everything. First of all, she houses her nearly thirty year old grandson, who suffers from a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome. This causes him to sometimes have extremely ugly outbursts. Instead of holding this against him, h...

Read story

“The Beginning of Alli Bellaview” by Noel Romansky

Submitted to Contest #48

In the large city of Waterdeep in the continent of Faerûn, has a population of 13,000 people of all races ranging from human to half-orcs. Separated by wealth and social status, the highest region in population is the Southern Ward, where the poor belong.Alli Bellaview started as a normal human living in the southern ward. She wanted to grow up to become a doctor, but later found out she can achieve more if she were to learn the ways of a cleric. She found a deity that seemed to call to her and worked for her, Selune, The Moonmaiden. She enj...

Read story

“Hope and Faith” by Lori Kuechler

Submitted to Contest #48

They were sent through the gate with the solemn words of Gabriel ringing in their ears. Their mission was clear and failure was not an option. The two petite girls looked like identical twins, although in reality they were not even related. To any observer they would have appeared to be sisters walking together to a private school; dressed in matching plaid skirts, white blouses and knee socks. Their blond heads bowed slightly as they conversed softly with each other. The breeze caused their hair to caress their navy backpacks with the rhyth...

Read story

“A Forever Cycle ” by Sophia V

Submitted to Contest #48

A small and sleepy town nestled in the heart of a bigger, yet still small, town in far west Texas. The people here were... crazy, to say the least. It wasn't the tight knit community that you might hope to become a part of someday. It wasn't always a community that embraced and accepted those from the other side of the border, even though a large portion of the population was made up of them. However, a new day would continue to come no matter how difficult the town was to live in for people like Xavier Rodriguez. Six in the morning. Wake up...

Read story

“Light and Dark” by Batul Rokadiya

Submitted to Contest #48

Light and Dark The fragrance inside the cramped cubicle was one Sara had never smelled before. It was strong, a mixture of burning agar wood and thyme. It made her feel dizzy. Smoke filled the room. Sara couldn’t quite make out the source of the smoke, it impaired her vision and she couldn’t see anything beyond a few inches from where she stood. The strong smell burned in her nostrils and throat and the smoke almost brought tears to her eyes. She shut her eyelids and held her breath. Remain calm, and rid your mind of all thoughts, al...

Read story

“A Room with Benefits.” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #48

As I wrote, I became bewitched. As I hit the keys so everything changed around me as what should have been just my contemplations, became solid. I had been conjuring up waves rolling onto a sandy beach and suddenly the said waves were crashing over me with full sound effects and I was soaked to the skin, but my computer and keyboard remained untouched. I’m not a panicky type of person. I handled the situation in a relatively calm manner considering that current situation. I screamed and made myself scarce stopping at the bott...

Read story

“Knowledge is Power” by Christina Napier

Submitted to Contest #48

Harper Caldwell lay in the middle of a busy road. Traffic had ceased around her. She was surrounded by taxi cabs, a thickening crowd of onlookers from the streets and the bright lights of Times Square. The road was damp beneath her from an afternoon rain. It was still misting on her hot face. Only moments ago, Harper had been walking toward the interview of a lifetime. All she ever wanted to do was write and two days ago she was called to interview at one of the most well-known newspaper company's in New York. T...

Read story

“Paige” by Lizzy Burt

Submitted to Contest #48

An alcohol bottle shatters on the far side of the living room, breaking against the peeling flower wallpaper, shards landing on the stained gray couch and chipped wood floor. I can’t make out the words. Just yelling. I run out of the room with a black eye. I see Paige quietly sitting on the stairs, her little hands holding onto the cold bars of the railing. Her bright blue are eyes dark, past the point of fear. She’s used to this by now. I join her on the hard, comfortless stairs as the yelling continues. Paige wraps her arms around me as fa...

Read story

“Comics on the go” by Saranya Kulothungan

Submitted to Contest #48

Our worlds are so small. When we rewind the wires accumulated, a point is reached so soon where it began in the first place. In the northern part of India, many years ago, people mainly conversed in Hindi. Many of us were not conversant in English. In early 90’s, kids weren’t online. Watching TV was limited to few hours a day. Scrutinized kids shows were the only ones allowed to watch after finishing the day’s homework from school. Scorching sun forbade from playing in the afternoon. That was the time when we exchanged and read cartons of co...

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 ⭢