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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

“A Man's Final Cigarette” by Kyle Strouse

Submitted to Contest #54

On a temperate, late, sunny afternoon in early October, an old man sat on a bench in Ocean City and smoked his last cigarette. He was a thin, frail thing, with drawn out paper-dry skin attached to hollow cheekbones and covered with hair grey as faded papyrus. He wore a long, blue and white button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and tan board shorts of a youthful fashion which, when rode up at just the right angle, revealed the long-ago faded remnants of a sailor’s tattoo resting just above the man’s knee. His sperry’s were as tan ...

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“10,512 to Zero” by See Zheng

Submitted to Contest #54

If God allows for our paths to intertwine again and we are both still single, maybe then we can still get back together. Those were her last words to me… Today actually marked the ninth year since she’s left, I thought to myself as I looked through my spacious office’s large windows. It’s almost a decade. And, to be honest with you, I really don’t know how I had managed to get past these nine years without her - my childhood friend, my best friend, my love - Misa. I’m not trying to sound cliche but she was the half to my whole. We ...

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“What Could Have Been” by Aili Armstrong

Submitted to Contest #54

The warmth of the mid-day sun flushed across my face as my mind wandered to thoughts of no job, no kids, no duties or obligations. A simpler time seems so far out of reach as my fortieth birthday looms like a dark cloud overhead. To think that once upon a time I was just a reckless teenager without a care in the world, running wild and having fun. I am quickly snapped out of my daydream when I hear the sharp whirring of the coffee machine and the smell of freshly ground bean flood my nostrils. I jolt at the sound that has become synonymous w...

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“Sparkling Water” by Helen Z

Submitted to Contest #54

After I missed out on the 10-year high school reunion, Dylan and I scheduled to meet up personally, just to reminisce. He invited me to attend his concert, after which we would meet up at dinner. I have been waiting at the restaurant ever since the concert started. The waiter came twice to take my order, and after refusing him and being surprised by his politeness, I realized that the formal restaurant and concert resembled the way Dylan would approach me: reserved, sophisticated, rather courteous like that waiter, and with a mild caution of...

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“Lost in the Supermarket” by Kali Nelson

Submitted to Contest #54

Despite being so bright red and green, the cardboard Santa next to the till looked battered. Wilting a little to the left, he looked like he’d been propped up last December, rather than being a decoration for this coming Christmas. A child with flushed cheeks – no doubt from terrorizing his mother throughout the store – lunged for the weary Santa. As he tugged the cardboard toward him, gleeful, TJ realized why old Saint Nick was in such poor condition. Even after his mother admonished him, the child continued to sneak desperate, twi...

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“Unanswered Question” by Gabriella Estrada

Submitted to Contest #54

She was outside, waiting for her fiancé who was running late. He was outside, waiting for his date who he knew would never come. She was wearing a striped turtleneck sweater and jeans. He was wearing track pants and an oversized t-shirt. She had just moved back to California after studying in New York for four years. He had lived in California his entire life. They were both at the same fair, in the same city, at the same time, waiting in the same place. But it wasn’t until he looked over his shoulder, searching frustratedly for his date, th...

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“Houston...” by Andrew Robinson

Submitted to Contest #54

I’d left things in rather a mess. A generous handful of Fs and Incompletes defined a transcript that spoke of utter indifference; I couldn’t remember taking half of the classes that were indicated, and of the few that I could recollect, my memories were of minimal participation and reluctant labour. My best work had been in the invention of excuses for deadlines not met. In this regard, I had demonstrated diligence and guile - if Practicality had decided that an English degree made more sense than four years cavorting across the stage of th...

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“Este es mi paìs” by Jasmine Fallerwood

Submitted to Contest #54

Do you remember in school when they used to make you do perspective portraits? How the teachers spent weeks making sure that you understood how our intellectual minds perceived the world. As my brother and I walked down the winding road, I couldn’t help but imagine this scene as a painting. Tall but skinny trees and fat, luscious green bushes blocking the way between you and miles of yellow fields, lining the narrowing road. I wish that then, in school, I had known about the marvels of fields, so I could paint this picture. There are times w...

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“¨My Latter Will Be Greater¨” by Leah Redwood

Submitted to Contest #54

I was always a hopeful being. As a lass, I had big dreams and visions for myself enjoying a satisfying and well paid career. I always knew I would go to college even before I knew what responsibilities came attached with such a feat. As an African American, where both parents are from the south, having a college education is as important as following Jesus! ¨Go to college, get a degree and get a good job¨, was a mantra for black families in the north and the south. Being raised by a single mother without the support ...

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“First Day of School” by Rudy M

Submitted to Contest #54

Natalie walked away from the school building incredulously as she buttoned up her coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. She couldn't believe they let her do it. "I can't wait to see what you come up with." And with that, her meeting with the school's principal ended, and her admission to this Millford High School – as a 23-year-old author – was secured. It was going to be her first time ever attending a public high school. She faltered for a moment at that thought. Was this really a good idea? While she was talking to her publisher yes...

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“Once Upon A Time, In A World Not (Much) Unlike Our Own” by Josephine Taylor

Submitted to Contest #54

There was a knock outside the study’s door, and the princess lifted her weary gaze to meet the soldier on the other side. It’s barely daylight, she knows no one in the kingdom slept well the previous night —not with the threat of attack imminent. Lieutenant Enzo settled his weight on his good leg, nodding in greeting. “The Captain is here, milady.” The princess worked to keep her breathing steady on her lone journey to the entryway. She hadn’t negotiated with him directly but communicated through messengers. Contact between a royal officia...

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“I Forgive You” by Shelby Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #54

It’s the middle of the week of the same routine. Wake up, go to school, come home, go to bed. Sure, there are some in between things, but it’s the same every day. Not something I pride myself in. It’s boring and nothing new ever happens. I wouldn’t even know what to do if something new happened. I walk the same path to school. The one behind my house, down to the creek to the bike path. That trail leads straight to school. No one around to bother me as I walk either. Its quiet except for the music playing in my pierced ears. My cowboy boots ...

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“Young Mindfulness” by Katie Moore

Submitted to Contest #54

This town haunted me. The street outside my frosted window did anything but call my name. The frigid wind told me I would be better off inside, but that was something I already knew. Camilla had never forgiven me and made it clear she never would. "How could you do this?! I can never look at you the same again!" The words replayed in my mind every night before I went to sleep. She was my best friend and I let her down. I had hurt her in a way no one ever had before. As I got out of bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I headed to the ba...

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“MISS-TAKE” by Damodar Sai

Submitted to Contest #54

***** Anu is getting ready to meet her friends. Before leaving her room, she comes back and checks again in the mirror. She smiles at the mirror, since everything is looking perfect. She walks into the kitchen and sees her sister having brea...

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“My Best Friend” by Liam McIntyre

Submitted to Contest #54

There was something dark behind those steel blue eyes… Definitely a memory, not an intention. He stood there for a few seconds, studying the big, bold letters sprawled across the building: Carson County Sheriff’s Station. He recognized the name, but it looked much different now. He was staring at something that resembled a small fortress. When he walked through the doors, about ten sets of eyes shot in his direction, and not a single face that he knew. A few deputies quieted their conversations, and moved t...

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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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