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!

#54: Second Chances

"Third time's the charm."

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

The English language is full of aphorisms that get at a universal truth: human beings aren't perfect, and oftentimes we need to keep trying (and trying again) in order to get something right.

This week's prompts all revolve around the theme of second chances. Whether your characters are circling back to something from their past, getting a start on something they put off for a long time, or simply in the process of learning after a swing and a miss, we're looking forward to the 'second acts' you come up with!

And speaking of layered characters, 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 a story about high school sweethearts coming across one another after many, many years apart.

Romance – 283 stories

Write a story about someone going back to school as a mature student.

High School – 88 stories

Write a story about someone looking to make amends for a mistake.

Adults – 223 stories

Write a story about someone struggling to learn a skill that in no way comes naturally to them.

Funny – 154 stories

Write a story about a TV show called "Second Chances."

Novel – 108 stories

Stories

“From A Squab to Confident Dove” by Sreedevi Mahapatra

Submitted to Contest #54

"Bindiya , Bindiya ! My little angel wake up! wake up!”Eyes still closed, savoring the sweet voice of her grandma, a peaceful smile appeared on Bindiya’s face but suddenly the melodious voice changed to a jarring sound of a bell ringing. With a start she woke up in an unfamiliar place with at least half a dozen faces looking at her curiously. Bindiya realized that she was in a hostel room of a famous residential school in the district. She remembered how everyone in her village was happy to see the first child to get selected in...

Read story

“Like it Ends.” by Utkarsh Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #54

I was down the my lane, strolling towards the supermarket. The fog scattered all around. I barely could see. It was blood congealing winter outside. My stubborn son four-years-old wanted the soup anyhow, urgently. My body was shivering, albeit I wore winter garments, a hoodie, and my favorite monkey cap. It was the devastating winter of North India that came too soon. It had predicted starting this year it will be the coldest year, ever since. I quickly grabbed the ready to drink soup; my son was alone, waiting for me. He might afraid. ...

Read story

“Second chance ” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #54

- So, you planning to participate in this t.v show Mary? – curious enough . - Yes! Diane I am definitely planning to take part in the show. Do you know that they give money for you if you pass to the second round if the show ,? - excited. - Second round ¿ I sincerely have ne er heard about it ¡ What is it supposed to be? - It is the second chance that you have to answer the questions. In the first part of the game, you have easy questions about general culture, things that ...

Read story

“Never Too Late” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #54

I tried to remain hopeful as the bubbly sorority girl bounced my way, but I had a horrible feeling of foreboding deep in my stomach. “Hello, Professor,” she said cheerfully. “I know you’ll probably cover this later, but I was wondering if we’d be receiving our syllabus today.” I knew it. I wanted to crawl into a hole by this point. Instead, I forced a sheepish smile. “Actually, I’m a student too,” I explained to her. “Oh,” she said, turning deep red. “Well, I guess you don’t know either then.” She couldn’t get away from me fast enough. ...

Read story

“Prideful Beginnings” by Christopher G

Submitted to Contest #54

Amends are meant to be made. But some are never carried through, no matter how badly one may want it because sometimes Lady Luck lives in the jaded, dirty floor of gas stop restrooms, with urine and feces and needles lain all upon her fragile self. But not for Jerry. For Jerry was a proud man. Not the sense of pride of actual individual merit of accomplishment, but because he’d just won the lottery not three weeks ago. He’d been paying “the poor man’s tax” since the Clintons held office. The hope he held onto for all...

Read story

“Apologies for a Job Poorly Done” by Whitney Trang

Submitted to Contest #54

“Gwynnie, is that you?” Gwyneth hated when she called her Gwynnie. No matter how many times Gwyneth had asked Cambree to NOT call her that, she still insisted on using that childish nickname. But Gwyneth bit her tongue. After today, she would never have to hear Cambree call her Gwynnie again. “It is me.” Gwyneth took off her dark oversized glasses and smiled at Cambree. “I barely recognized you! Your sunglasses and large straw hat covered your face. I was like, who’s that strange woman heading up m...

Read story

“Regrets, Yep I have one big one.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #54

Regrets: Yep, I have one big one. A bunch of the guys decided this Saturday to go to the local bar for karaoke night. We all of us are old men, living in the same retirement home. Against the usual pattern of such a place, we are all of us single, all of us but me were widowed. A couple of us, not me, still had decent singing voices, so this seemed like a good idea. After two people in a row, fortunately not of our crowd, sang “My Way” really badly, we started talking, after we stopped laughing, about whether we had any regret...

Read story

“Lovers' Reunion” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #54

I strutted up to the bar and ran my fingers through my hair. The strands were still oily with pomade and residue stuck to my hands as they pushed through my pompadour. Taking a seat set away from the crowd of barflies I ordered my usual- Irish whiskey with ginger beer. “Here you go, hun,” the not unattractive female bartender said kind enough as she set the drink in front of me. “That’ll be six dollars please.” “Here, keep the change,” I told her handing her ...

Read story

“Okay, I did it” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #54

Okay, I did It Okay, so I made a mistake. At least, I was willing to admit to it. Of course, I didn’t have much choice in the matter when the invasion started and we were caught flat-footed here on earth. They would have wiped us out. But, I am getting ahead of myself. It all started when Rufus Johnson (who is my best friend in the whole world) and I were walking back from the store. His mother had sent us on an errand. Now, at eleven years old, we are at a strange juncture. Because, you see, we aren’t ...

Read story

“Second Chance” by Sanjay Manchanda

Submitted to Contest #54

I had lost her. And all due to my eccentricity. Never take anyone for granted, has been a golden rule of life. But when in love, one tends to forget and overlook details of relationship. And it happened with me.Back in 2017, basking in glory of success and being appointed as the youngest CEO of a pharmaceutical Company, I had no time to fall in love but my destiny had something else stored for me. My work subjected me to long working hours and I enjoyed such schedule to every last second before hitting the bed. Life shuttled between New Jers...

Read story

“Ryan struggling to learn the skill of reading and writing that does not come easily to him.by Mr. Prince De-Grant Brempong” by Prince Brempong

Submitted to Contest #54

My story is entitled Ryan struggling to learn to the skill of reading and writing that does not come easily and naturally to him. This story is based on a true life experience of a relative called Ryan. Ryan was a High School student of Lincoln Community School in the United States of America a land of opportunity and plenty. This relative of mine although was in school used to struggle alot in the skill of Reading and Writing. Ryan was noted to be outspoken and good in his communication skills so the aspect of speaking in communi...

Read story

“Speech Anxiety” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #54

“Dammit!” Jerome shouted to himself in the mirror. A crumbled stack of three typed pages sat in his hand, resting on the bathroom counter talk. Jerome had been standing at this position since nine o'clock in the morning and it seemed that he wasn’t going to be leaving the bathroom any time soon. Taking a deep breath and a swig straight from the bottle of bourbon he had taken into the room with him, Jerome lifted the pages to his chest. He read the words out loud, attempting to...

Read story

“FRIENDSHIP VS. THE LAW” by IAIN STEWART

Submitted to Contest #54

FRIENDSHIP vs THE LAW The vet straightened up. Took a deep breath and looked at John. ‘You were right to call me over. And you’re right about his arthritis. He’s in a hell of a lot of pain.’ John looked at his old friend. The classic country vet. Green Wellington boots, tweed 3-piece suit and deerstalker hat which lay on the hall table. ‘Time to go?’ It was more a statement than a question. ‘Definitely. At least we have that option.’ As he busied himself with the battered case, looking for the tools of his trade, he said Y’know, John, ...

Read story

“Creature Of Habit” by Bruce Charles

Submitted to Contest #54

Ted walked into the office while Donald was on the phone. When Donald saw him, he nodded and gestured for him to sit down. As he waited, Ted gazed at the posters of the shows Donald had worked on in the past, and out the window that had a view of the city. Donald finished his call and greeted him. “Hey, Ted, nice to see you again.”“Yeah,” Ted replied. He couldn’t remember who Donald was (he only knew his name from the nameplate on his door), but he had a feeling that he was someone important on the reality TV show he was starring on. Nervous...

Read story

“Songs of an Old Flame” by Selima Kabir

Submitted to Contest #54

The hospital is packed. On one end of the building, the hospital has cordoned off a section to allow recovered patients to donate plasma. The opposite annex houses the pathology lab for testing. Thousands of people pour in on both of these wings, meaning the ground floor is constantly a swarm of people filtering in and out. As the warnings to wear masks, stay home and socially distance go unheeded, the number of cases are on an exponential rise. It is no wonder that the health systems are struggling to cope. As a result, the hospitals are ta...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

856

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 14, 2020 EST

Won by Mollie Rodgers 🏆

Title: Where the Water Meets the Sand

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 ⭢