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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

“Decade Past ” by Jordan H.

Submitted to Contest #54

I knew it was her immediately. Years apart had changed her but—the fullness of her lips, the slight upward tip of her nose, her dark eyes—she was somehow the same woman nestled into a new shell. I sat quietly in my chosen corner of the dimly lit coffee shop, watching as she slowly made her way to the counter. I’d noticed her as soon as she’d stepped through the door, the bells chiming quietly with her entrance. She was short, her skin was a warm brown, tanned by the sun. Her head was shaved to her scalp—once it had been filled with ...

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“My One More Chance” by Colleen Lee

Submitted to Contest #54

1998. It was a bright sunny day of July 20th in the village called Rosewood. The village is like any typical village; it has a school nearby, a small gothic chapel where the families in the neighborhood go to every Sunday, and a park full of sweaty and rowdy kids roaming around playing tag, taking turns with the swing, and it’s also where a bunch of high school teens meet up. Rosewood is a village often described as a “small world” for the families who lived in the houses 20 years ago are the same families who still live in the Rosewood hous...

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“A Quiet Silence” by Felicity Deacon

Submitted to Contest #54

I catch your eye across the café and think it cannot be you. Not now. Not here. But it is, and you wander over to me in that unsure way that says are you who I think you are?, and it is, I am.You sit down across from me, a hopeful little smile on your face. I shut my laptop.The silence deepens. The barista calls out for a Jeremy, and Jeremy collects his drink. The door opens, closes. A baby laughs. An old man grumbles, the person sitting opposite him sighing in that fond way that only people who are utterly devoted to one another can.All thi...

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“The Overdue Conversation ” by Phillipe St. Leger

Submitted to Contest #54

For all intents and purposes, Jonas and Sofia were high school sweethearts. This was at least, how it appeared to their fellow classmates. The truth was, he had never actually revealed how he felt about her. They had been as close as two friends could be, without ever being in a relationship, yet bad timing, and his own insecurities had always prevented him from moving things forward. The last time he had seen or spoken to her was at her wedding to Jason Parker, more than twelve years prior this mo...

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“Oxymorons” by Kate Mehaffey

Submitted to Contest #54

She gripped the paper in her hand, trying not to wrinkle it. You had to be picture-perfect if you want people to take you seriously, which meant her steel grey pantsuit was ironed, her straight brown hair was cut perfectly, right below her shoulders, and her red heels had no smudges. The hallway leading to the office was long, and she tried not to sweat as she walked under the fluorescents to the formidable oak door. She knocked confidently on the heavy door, then walked in with her head held high. “Ms. Harloe?” The wiry man behind the ...

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“The Apartment” by Erik Cole

Submitted to Contest #54

I put out a request for a roommate recently. I’ve been living with my parents until just recently and I want a nicer place than the small single room apartment I have now. It's too cramped for my taste and I have my eyes on a really nice flat but I can't afford it on my own. Someone responded to my ad and I’m going out to meet them after work. I take my lunch break and sit in the back, staring at my lunch for a moment before one of my coworkers startles me out of my head. “You okay Mattie?” she asks, giving me a concerned look. “...

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“This Time” by Millie Hardy-Sims

Submitted to Contest #54

“They say that your first love will always be your last. They say that even though you may spend years apart, see other people, fall in love over and over, that first love will still be the one you think about when you look back on your life, searching for where it all went wrong.” Alice sighed, shut her notebook with an exasperated snap, and stuck her pen between her teeth. What a load of baloney. Where was she even going with it? Being given two words to write an article on was never going to help the juices flow. ‘Second chances’? W...

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“Just A Dream” by Miranda Thomas

Submitted to Contest #54

This job is going to be the death of me. I can't believe that my boss isn't going to promote me, but promote the boss’s son who has worked there for a month. I have been working like a slave for 5 years at this company, for what? A lousy $30,000 a year. I can't believe I went to college for four years for an accounting degree, to be making dirt money and barely get by. At least I'm about to have a drink at the bar at 5:00, it couldn’t get any worse right? Hey look at the time, it’s 4:59! “Hey boss is there anything else I should do for you b...

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“Matthews Neighbour” by Tara Fox

Submitted to Contest #54

I found myself listening to the voices out in the hall as my eldest grandson droned on and on about his school drama club . I will admit, I did ask him how he was getting on with it , but i never expected him to talk for so long. And they say I ramble on about things ! ‘Next one on the left ,I think ,Granny’, I heard the voice of a young woman call. ‘I can see the numbers perfectly well myself ,Emily’ A frail old woman came into view , opening the door to the room parallel to mine, while leaning on her zimmer frame. She wore a pink and...

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“Days Gone By” by Kaitlyn Shoemaker

Submitted to Contest #54

The supermarket was packed at 12:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Stay-at-home moms with their toddlers in tow, elderly couples struggling to read their shopping lists, and business execs on their lunch breaks bustled down nearly every aisle. Tamara gripped the handle of her basket tightly as a very pregnant woman bounded down the frozen food section after an unruly four-year-old. Tamara was glad that her days of chasing kids around were over; now, all she ever did was worry about if her were kids were doing drugs or drinking or something d...

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“The Cricket's Song” by Nathalie Vidler

Submitted to Contest #54

It was a small town, only a few businesses surrounded by residential streets. Why his children had chosen to settle here was not immediately obvious. Dunn considered going straight to the kid's house, but he was early anyway, and had promised to bring something. Eliza would never have forgotten the cake pan on the table. If she was seeing him now, she would laugh and say that he should have left a note for himself on the door. Dunn searched for something that resembled a bake shop but came up short. The only cafe was closed for the day...

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“We Meet Again...” by Georgina S

Submitted to Contest #54

Have you ever wondered what if? It could be what if I took one job over another? What if I didn’t go on that amazing trip? What if I was still single? It could be what if I didn’t get married? What if I caught the later train instead of the earlier one? OK with the last one today I knew if that was the case I would be very late to work. Those two little words in a question…what if? Carry so much power. So much for the imagination to mull over and create endless possibilities. I always wonder if once our lives are over and we are in heaven...

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“Hallmark movies are things of yesterday” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #54

The fizzy feeling in her stomach solidified as Monica stepped off the train and inhaled the familiar scents of her childhood. It had been 3 years since she had left this place. Three years of working her butt off to get high distinctions at university. Three years of barely sleeping as she worked 2 jobs on top of full time uni just to pay her rent and eat. On one hand it had all paid off...she had secured a job at Cisco as a part of the sustainable technology team and would be heading off to the Amazon in less than 6 weeks to work on a proje...

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“Unconventional ” by Erika B.

Submitted to Contest #54

I am calling a friend today but I guess she is to busy wiht her work nad the other stuff that she do that is why she is not answering for the nth time. Last night, I had every time to think about the changes that I have gone through to achieve what I am today. I have changed a lot. That could mean in every state you could think of. Some changes worked well while tohers did not but still I believe that I am better now than before. Yeah, I can say that. I am planning to get my friend out for some food but she is not available right now so I ...

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“Cheated and Crooked” by Harvir Kaur

Submitted to Contest #54

"Coffee, black," I smiled at the barista in the small cafe. New York was difficult; I had a meeting in 20 minutes and I was sure to be late. I decided to call my assistant, "hey, Anne, you're gonna have to reschedule." "But, ma'am, he's already in the lobby," she spoke into the receiver. "Shit," I murmured and hung up the phone. I told the barista to cancel the order and left a $20 tip for the hassle. Then I border-line sprinted to my car. "Arthur, to the office," I instructed and he nodded quietly. The commute took approximately 25 mi...

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$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!

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