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!

#53: Dog Days of Summer

"The dog days of summer" conjure images of dogs laying around, panting from the sweltering heat of mid to late summer.

But the saying itself stems from the ancient Romans who associated these hot and humid days with Sirius, the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation (or 'Large Dog' constellation). Sirius is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it contributed additional heat to the Sun, causing July and August temperatures to soar.

As we are currently in the midst of them, it only felt fitting for this week's prompts are inspired by the dog days summer (or diēs caniculārēs in Latin)!

p.s. — On August 12th, bestselling novelists Caroline Leavitt and Gina Sorell are hosting a free webinar on creating believable characters. RSVP here!

This week's prompts

Write about a few people spending a long-overdue weekend away at a cottage.

Summer – 124 stories

Write a story that begins with someone's popsicle melting.

Summer – 259 stories

Write a story about a teenager spending their final days at home before going away to college.

High School – 118 stories

Write a story about summer love — the quarantine edition.

Romance – 131 stories

Write a story about another day in a heatwave.

Summer – 178 stories

Stories

“The Almost Last Supper” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #53

“One of you is sleeping with my husband,” Issa says matter-of-factly, just before the sticky toffee pudding is served. “Issa—” her husband protests, but everyone knows Jude is a womanizer and a fool. The truth of his wife’s declaration shoves his objections right back into his lying mouth. “What I cannot figure out,” Issa languidly pauses to look at her nails, “is which one of you it is. My dearest friends, all just sitting here, watching me suffer, knowing what I know,” she says slowly, scrutinizing each female face around the din...

Read story

“honey lavender matcha latte” by Natalie Strawbridge

Submitted to Contest #53

We hadn’t seen each other in two years, hadn’t spoken or even texted since then, until she liked my post about moving to the city and asked, in a comment, if she could show me the best coffee in Chicago. And I, having no friends and a roommate I’d just met and didn’t care for, said yes.She called me twenty minutes before we were supposed to meet. Her name flashed across my phone and I was momentarily confused. I hadn’t heard from her since our conversation in the Facebook comments, and had convinced myself we weren’t still meeting. After all...

Read story

“Werewolf Love” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #53

She climbs, sweat dripping off her forehead. Ruthlessly, she slams her fist into the rock, a rope slung over her shoulder. Almost there, almost there and then she can pretend the crowds weren’t gathering around her; the people snapping pictures as she swings gracefully to the window ledge, gasping for air. Today she slips, stands up, regains her posture, and moves to the window, gliding across the polished stone as if she’d been doing this her whole life. ******************************************** He stares out the window, wait...

Read story

“It Was A Good Day” by ♥☪ᙏҽɬσɳყ Ƒɾҽ𝓶σɳԃ☪♥

Submitted to Contest #53

Drip."Help me."Drip."I'm dying."Drip." Guys, I'm drifting away."Drip."When I die, feed my cat."Drip."I-"Maya are you done being dramatic? We know it's hot, but seriously, you're making it worse. What's with the water sounds? It won't make you any cooler." Aaron exclaims. "Oh, I'm sorry that my pain annoys you, Aaron, I can't help but express how I'm feeling. And the sounds aren't intimating water, - it's the sound effect of the sweat dripping off me, - for your information.""Girl, you are too much, - wait, do you even have a cat?" Natasha ch...

Read story

“A Lifelong Journey” by Velma Darnell

Submitted to Contest #53

You spend your childhood wanting to grow up, and you spend your adulthood wishing you were a child again. That’s what people say, and I find myself believing in that more and more with each passing year. Sometimes, I really want to go back to the times when my principal tasks were to make it to the beginning of my favorite cartoon, decide what games my friends and I want to play, and convince my mum to let me go to the sleepover. Those days were great and filled with mostly positive moments that seem so carefree and bring warm and fuzzy feel...

Read story

“Very spicy” by Tariq Saeed

Submitted to Contest #53

Sorry, sorry, sorry, your story is not worthy to publish,Mr David..you are a seasoned writer and you are presenting a story like this, you know all the pros and cons of this business,” said the editor to Me very angrily. “But Sir, this story depicts the lives of the poor farmers and our country is in a development stage and we have to protect the lives and interest of the poor Farmers”I answered in a very defensive way. “Listen,said the editor,we are professionals ,we must know the pulse of the audience. Every body reads some spic...

Read story

“Five Days” by BRoOkE HAs A COwBoY HAt

Submitted to Contest #53

Day 1 - PackingStanding at the edge of my bed, I folded my clothes and put them in my suitcase. That had always been the way I packed-in piles. I had moved a lot as a kid, so I knew that was the easiest and fastest way to pack.“Holly! Have you seen my light pink sweater?” Leaning back and peeking through the hallway-into my twin’s room-I saw Jill packing her suitcase.“Is it an off-the-shoulder?” I motioned to my shirt, which was also off-the-shoulder.“Yeah. Did Mom put it in your room?” I shrugged and walked over to my closet. Rummaging thro...

Read story

“Our Big Day” by Sunny 🌼

Submitted to Contest #53

“R.I.P Cherry Popsicle, you will be missed”, I watched as my best friend Olli’s popsicle slid off the stick and on to the ground. “C’mon! Is one perfectly good popsicle too much to ask for!”, she wailed. I laughed, Olli had the worst luck, and I probably should’ve seen that coming when I offered her a popsicle from a nearby vendor. “Don’t laugh! You purposely gave me a faulty popsicle as a trick! You're always tricking me! Little snake!”, she got up and marched to the nearest trash can. Before I could respond, Carmen pulled up in the...

Read story

“Dearie Dearest” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #53

Dearie Dearest,I can't feel you anymore. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but the headaches might suggest the latter. I'm getting freaking withdrawals from you. This is worse than when I canceled coffee. Everyone ran for their lives when that happened. Literally. Although, it did help with Disneyland. No lines!Anyway, you haven't talked to me in a while. Didn't want you to forget me. I’m still here and will be there when you fall.~Your loveThe man frowned at the letter, flipping it over. Nothing. He bit his lip, a hand ruffling his peach fu...

Read story

“Beverly Bettencourt's 5K Marathon” by Kristin Neubauer

Submitted to Contest #53

I blame the 12-day heatwave of 2015 for the loss of Beverly Bettencourt. You see, Beverly didn’t have air conditioning. She’d grown up in Savannah and brushed off window units, never mind central air. When the summer days turned thick and heavy, Beverly would turn off her oven, leave another golden pie cooling on the windowsill and dab the sweat off her forehead as she moved onto her front porch. There she would sit, slowly rocking, pitcher of sweet tea and plate of her secret recipe chocolate chip cookies by her side, waiting for t...

Read story

“Meltdown” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #53

When Emilio’s popsicle slid neatly off its wooden stick and plopped in the dirt at his feet, he finally snapped. It had been a long time coming. In his fragile emotional state, watching his sugary prize melting beneath the sun’s relentless glare was more than he could stand. One might not think it such a big deal, especially for a grown man, but losing the frozen treat - purchased not just for palatable pleasure but also as soothing relief from the interminable heat - to the very calefaction it was meant to relieve is ...

Read story

“Red Puddles” by Leya Newi

Submitted to Contest #53

Seven years ago.Drip, drip, drip.My eyes start to water as I watch my popsicle melt, creating a red puddle on the ground. I stick out my tongue to take a lick before its completely gone, but it falls to the ground. Seconds laters, ants swarm around my popsicle. I wail. My popsicle! I sit on a bench sadly, being unable to do anything but stare as my popsicle went to the ants. Some flies join the party and I sniffle. That was MY cherry popsicle, not theirs! I sat there for hours, mourning my popsicle. Mom wouldn’t worry, I had my pho...

Read story

“Broken Hearts” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #53

Laela thrummed the tip of her popsicle stick against her cheek, carelessly letting the sticky juice run down her hand. She squinted at the blinding sun, “Melted.” It was the first thing she’d said in the last hour. Dmitry sucked a breath in, prying his eyes off Laela and following her lazy gaze to the cloudless sky. It was an overwhelming blue, and Dmitry could make out tiny black specks littered in the air. Black Oystercatchers. After all, they could see the sparkling sea in the distance. A noise interrupted his thoughts. Lael...

Read story

“Little Cowboy” by Skyler Woods

Submitted to Contest #53

Chapter 1Little Jake's tropical fruit-flavored popsicle collapsed into a sticky wet mess between the child’s fingers. The little boy couldn't maintain his frozen treat, which looked like a rainbow-colored miniature skyscraper on a stick. But now that icy rainbow-colored skyscraper was dripping down to the ground like Little Jake’s heart. The summer heat melted Little Jake's popsicle the same way fear melted the child’s heart. Little Jake was staying in a rented cottage with his mother, father, and his older sister, Emily. Little Jake’s ...

Read story

“Johanna and Flora in the Forest of Flowers” by Yolanda Wu

Submitted to Contest #53

The icy pole packaging said that it was blueberry. It was tasteless though, and melting, spreading a sticky layer of sugar and ice over my skin. The beach for me, was a place where I always got sunburnt, despite smearing SPF 100 sunscreen all over my freckled skin, where I was marred by tan lines for months. It was a place I imagined myself going to when I realised the futility of self-actualisation. A place where I could try and do yoga with the waves lapping at my ankles, somehow get drunk on lemonade and high on icy pole. It was the ...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

810

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 07, 2020 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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 ⭢