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

“Staaaay TRASHY!!!” by Adhd Weirdo

Submitted to Contest #54

The screen, once black, was lighting up with the press of a button. First blue, then quickly changing to an ad you’ve seen for the millionth time, something about the new presidential vote you were dreading. When finally, you begin to hear the familiar intro, like an old friend, to your favorite show, Second Chances. As a memory of doing this when you were a young child, waiting for your favorite cartoon to finally start flashes through your thoughts, while the ad that was talking about why US citizens need guns, all reasons being stupid and...

Read story

“Second Chances (TM)” by Alex Pilgrim

Submitted to Contest #54

“Our next contender is Darby Miles! Darby comes from Clearwater, Florida, and he tragically lost the love of his life in a horrible accident five years ago.”The audience collectively gasps. The presenter’s teeth gleam under stroboscopic lights, and Darby is almost positive he can see his own reflection on the enamel. His sweaty, disheveled reflection. He knows he looks like a madman, and he doesn’t care. That’s why he finally got the call from the TV station after dozens of failed audition clips he sent over the years: he was positively mad,...

Read story

“Picture of Regrets” by Kaylynn Lee

Submitted to Contest #54

The question that had just been asked to me was expected. I had prepared for this and knew exactly what I wanted to say. Even so, that didn’t stop the quickening beating of my heart, or the sweat from starting to trickle down the back of my neck. Monotonous faces of a monotonous audience glared at me under the pretense of promising not to judge, but stared longingly at me with judging eyes anyway. The spotlights of the stage felt like a microscope that enlarged my flaws, and I couldn’t sit far enough back in my seat to avoid them. Suddenly...

Read story

“Meet In The Woods” by Irene R.

Submitted to Contest #54

"Meet me in the woods!" that's all the letter read, I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and took a deep breath. As I looked up into the sky and inhaled deeply, I start to remember that day again but shake the feeling of dread off. More than a decade has passed since I received that letter from Caroline, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away; not after the accident anyway. I sat silently and listened to the children around me playing their laughter filled the air, "I never thought I would come back to this silly little town." I gr...

Read story

“Long Time Love” by Emma Nute

Submitted to Contest #54

As the sun rose over the long horizon, I took a long, deep breath. Enjoying every moment of it. It felt cool, and almost like water, hurtling down my throat, into my poor, old lungs. Being 52 and having lung cancer has its pros, but mostly it’s cons. It taught me to appreciate the little things in life. Those times where I can breathe, and almost have a little spark of hope flare-up. Maybe my cancer has gone? No, the next breathe more painful than yesterdays, reminds me that I’m still holding on to life by a strand. I spent a good chunk of m...

Read story

“Love lost.” by Chris Wheeler

Submitted to Contest #54

So here I was on day number who knows what during the quarantine of the corona virus. I’m a typical bored 15 year old male being bored with the quarantine. I tried to read, and watch movies but they were boring to me. Sadly even my beloved play video games were getting old. I figured today would be boring as per usual. I was wrong though, today I met her. She changed it all. My first love, my first... *Sighs* Me: (To myself) I suppose I’ll just play another match of this boring game and see if I can rank up. All I mostly do with my tim...

Read story

“Clarity” by Abbey C. Lawrey

Submitted to Contest #54

It was early Monday morning as Clare waited for the bus, the sun was just beginning to rise. Early morning had become her normal ever since she opened up her restaurant Clarity a few years ago. They were open from eight in the morning until late, and she was there for all of it most days. There early to collect deliveries, prepare the restaurant for cooking, catering and seating, take bookings and to make sure her staff arrived on time.There were a few people waiting for the bus, yet still when it finally arrived people pushed and shoved, a ...

Read story

“Letters from the Lost” by Kay O'connell

Submitted to Contest #54

It was moving day. That was the way that her kids had put it, the day that she would leave behind her whole life, everything that she had worked for, the house that she had lived in, loved in, lost in, and go find herself in a sterile room. Of course, the house looked nothing like she remembered it now. It was all boxes, all her memories packed up into tidy little boxes. They were labeled, of course, but her old eyes had a hard time piecing together what those cramped fonts said from so far away. Part of it may have been that she just didn’t...

Read story

“Their Second Chance - At Last” by Chris Manders

Submitted to Contest #54

Again, on his annual vigil, he sat alone on the riverbank lost in thought. He didn’t know how long he’d been there as the only thing on his mind was his beloved Julia. It was so many years since they had been together and, although his whole being ached with an overwhelming longing to be with her he still wasn’t sure they’d ever meet again. He had relived that last night together over and over until it was so embedded in his mind he knew he could never be free. They had both been together at high school but never really mixe...

Read story

“Always the Same” by Carolyn Ermel

Submitted to Contest #54

Devin Miller should have just stayed home today. After all, it’s not like he needed to be in a coffee shop to write his stories. It was a cliched, tired trope, that all authors go to coffee shops to work on their stories, and it simply wasn’t true. If he had just stayed home, he wouldn’t be here now, slumped over in a booth with his laptop shielding his face and hot coffee dribbling onto his lap. This “change of scenery” approach had never worked for him before. His office at home suited him just fine, with his many bookshelves cem...

Read story

“Remembering Westland” by Cynthia Dawn

Submitted to Contest #54

Jacob hadn’t wanted a lot out of life—maybe a place to call his own, a nice family and a little time to make art. He certainly wasn’t one of those people with drive and ambition, destined for big things. He was okay with a small life, as long as it was a happy one, but apparently, even that was too much to ask.He was forty-three now, and still hadn’t really settled in anywhere. He changed apartments each time another job fell through, and he did so on his own. One by one he had watched every relationship he had go sour and the small dreams h...

Read story

“Secondhand Romance” by Melissa Keeping

Submitted to Contest #54

Being put “in a home” was the worst thing I could imagine. I’d seen it happen to a few of my friends. Here they were, trying to enjoy their retirement as much as possible- knitting and baking and Bingo and senior’s day at Value Village- and then they suddenly had no freedom. Even the ones that were optimistic about it were disappointed. They started out with “Well my daughter says that they have a bridge club right in the home!” and “I can still bake. I just have to do it in a supervised area.” That quickly turned into “I don’t get to ...

Read story

“Trapped In The Fall” by Julian Xander

Submitted to Contest #54

Each step was slow and deliberate, taken with the purpose to forget. One at a time, Delia crushed a yellow leaf under the weight of her baseless existence. She watched as they fell from the trees just as the tears had fallen from her eyes all those years ago. And she heard the 'crunch' as they met the same fate her tears had.Being ignored, neglected does not hurt as much as being abandoned by a loved one does. The pain wraps itself around your heart like sharp threads, tightly constricting any way to breathe but loose enough to leave you hal...

Read story

“Pieces of my soul” by Deanna Schneiter

Submitted to Contest #54

It had been years since I had envisioned your face. One moment changed everything. You had just turned 29 and that would make 10 years since we had been together. Our teenage days were bittersweet memories now, behind us but still so fresh. I could still smell your cologne and see the brown specks in your eyes when you got close. As you opened the door your face looked the same. Age had not hindered you at all. Your eyes still the same brown specks and your beard now fuller than I had ever witnessed. I instantly felt safe the moment I ...

Read story

“OF BLACKBOARDS AND CHALK DUST” by Claire Tennant

Submitted to Contest #54

Val Trent awoke, to the sound of the neighbour’s dog yapping probably at a stray leaf. The sun was streaming into the bedroom, which did not help the situation, thus though she did not need to be, she was wide awake. She had been dreaming; one of those dreams where you are with a group of people, supposedly known to you but in fact, in real life, (your only comparison), are strangers. All except one. He stood giraffe-like at the other side of the room, his blue-grey eyes focussed on the antics of the group. He looked strangely...

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 ⭢