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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#66: Ready, Set, Go!

It’s almost November, and for many writers around the world that means the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. This wild challenge dares you to commit to writing a 50,000-word novel in just 30 days!

It’s an impressive feat, but it’s hardly the only way to exercise your writing muscles. If you like your writing in smaller doses but still want to build up the habit, today I’m going to challenge you to commit to writing a story from one prompt every week in November! (If you already do that, try for two, three, or even all five.)

To get you started, this week we’ll be focusing on stories all about challenging yourself. Whether it’s running a marathon, finally writing that novel, or just making it through a tough personal situation, challenge is what consistently pushes us to grow into our best selves.

And if you are giving novel writing a try, here are a few resources to help you along:

What Is NaNoWriMo? And How to Win in 2020
Join Reedsy’s NaNo Squad (with weekly live write-ins!)
Crafting a Novel Opening (workshop replay)
How to Write a Novel

This week's prompts

Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

Novel – 132 stories

Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?

Short Story – 52 stories

Write about a character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted.

Novel – 120 stories

Write about a contest with life or death stakes.

Adventure – 145 stories

Write about a character who’s finally on the verge of achieving their lifelong dream.

Dramatic – 135 stories

Stories

“Not All Heroes Die” by Brianna Hutchinson

Submitted to Contest #66

“It does not count if you are already planning your defeat,” I said, staring down at the boy knelt in front of me. His fingers were weakly wrapped around the hilt of his sword, blood decorating the blade, glimmering in the dim light as the sword flickered with the flame of the torches nearby. His face, though young, was beaten and bruised and bloodied. Despite having put up a significant fight, he had barely managed to scratch me. My arm stung from the cut near my shoulder, but it was nowhere close to the amount of lacerations decorating the...

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“The Siege” by Simbarashe Nyatsambo

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat” yelled General Airo. The veteran soldier who had been in the line of fire for years wasn’t agreeing to what his current superior was proposing. For years General Airo stood in the line of fire and commanded the Lauriat army. He was a true master of war and none of the other generals knew better than him on how battle craft worked, which was why his voice was the most prominent in the room. Behind him the other generals nodded in agreement at his proposal but only one man seemed to hav...

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“To The Stage” by Alex Fairway

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” The whisper was so loud that it wasn’t even intended to be a whisper at all – Akais, drummer of Lash, the band Xyla was opening for, warned her as she walked past. Xyla already knew that she was being transparent. She wasn’t exactly focusing on hiding her nerves. Still, it heavily hurt the image she wanted to create – the aloof insurgent who was easily distracted, which, she believed was not far from the truth. This stage, though… It was make-or-break, and she couldn’t pretend s...

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“Lydia's Gambit ” by Rebecca Welch

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re planning your defeat” Blake whispers to me, a delicate hand on my shoulder. “You can’t expect to succeed if you set yourself up for failure.” I shake my head and shrug her hand off. I know it hurts her but, I can’t risk showing any weakness, not now. Blake and I stand side by side on a cliff overlooking a valley freckled with quaint houses and narrow, winding roads. I will soon be traveling through it to meet my fate. Blake rewards me with a long sigh and brings her hand back to rest on her hip. She has been ki...

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“What Really Matters” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #66

What Really Matters By Heather Ann Martinez "It doesn't count if you are already planning your defeat, Jonah." "It should still count for something. At least you aren't running away from your destiny this time." "I thought we weren't going to talk about the whale or Nineveh." "That's all in the past now but your journey is not over. It doesn't have to end like this. You have so much potential. We all know it. We were there at your birth and we will be there at your death and all the time in between. We know you Jonah. We were assig...

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“The Battle of the Flowers” by Ruth Jacobs

Submitted to Contest #66

The cheerful looking judge choked on the generous bite of chocolate cake she had just put into her mouth, her hand held to her throat, her smile now gone. She fell to her knees. The vicar looked down at her in disgust (obviously had a little too much at the home brew tasting, he thought) as choking and spluttering she fell hard to the ground and went still, a blue ribbon still clutched in her rigid hand. His expression turned to one of horror as he bent down and put fingers to her neck. He searched frantically for a pulse and found nothing. ...

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“Does It?” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #66

Does It? “It always comes down to this. I know it does because he makes the rules. If he didn’t, what chance would he have? You see, finding your way out of a conundrum, you have to either cheat them, or they cheat you, as I see it. Watching someone you’ve known for a long time, seeing them slip, sometimes fall, time and time again, knowing there is nothing you can do is… well there’s nothing worse. Let’s leave it at that. I should explain the conundrum, more a dichotomy of choices I suppose. What’s in a name, tit...

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“Ezekiel 25:17” by Todd Paris

Submitted to Contest #66

"C'MON REF! THAT'S THE THIRD GADDAM TIME HE HIT HIM LOW! WHAT FIGHT ARE YOU WATCHING?!?!" Thursday, March 2nd, 2017. Open Class Championship. Golden Gloves New England. End of round 1 The water makes it's way through the headgear and finally cools Michael's head. He likes to keep the mouthguard in to save time. That's what he tells everyone, but the truth is he hates the way Gil's latex surgical glove makes the mouthpiece taste. And Gil has terrible aim. That time in Dorchester when he almost shoved it up Michael's nose. "Rinse and spi...

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“TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT” by Amatullah Khanbhai

Submitted to Contest #66

My opponents were doing better than we expected. Their eyes were staring straight at the pronouncer. They didn't even look away for a split second.They stood high above us.They had long legs and I had to look up to see their faces. Their faces were long and they had a stern look. Before the beginning of the competition they passed my teammates in the hallway. “There is a strong gust of wind,” they said as they passed us, their facial expression numb. We began the competition with five teams all competing for the prize which was...

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“Pandora's Box” by Nathan Ice

Submitted to Contest #66

Dark, ominous clouds shroud the full moon from sight. Moisture clings to everything as a low fog blankets this valley town. The cold, crisp air bites my lungs as I dart across the street. Light floods my field of vision as a car drives by. I make eye contact with the driver, who is staring at me with their mouth wide open.Not that I blame them. My costume of white silk, flowing tassels, and fiery makeup have transformed me into quite the sight tonight. Then there’s the fire extinguisher...and the polearm slung over my shoulder. I keep my awa...

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“Nothing Like Soy ” by KENNEDY PLANT

Submitted to Contest #66

"Can you move?¨" I say angrily. The bee’s head turns to me. Its big black, glassy eyes look confused. It turns back to the flower. I roll my eyes. "Okay, that’s it!¨" I scream. I go over to the bee and push it away. It makes a "bzzt" sound and flies away. I don't feel bad for him. He was hogging the pollen after all! I look down to my super tools belt and grab my straw. I suck the sweet liquid from the flower center. Munching on leaves and such are pretty gross. This diet has been awful, and today was my cheat day. After I'm done, I put my...

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“Willing" "(The Game of Life Part 1)” by Emily Germaine

Submitted to Contest #66

There’s something about the people on TV that makes me wonder if everything is made up. I watch one TV show, a game show, and wonder if it’s really real. Do they really pick the people randomly? I don’t know. So even though I’ve entered my information in the raffle (as the law states), I’m not so sure. I think they look at each person’s record and pictures and past and pick the people that fit the show. You know everyday characters… the clown, the bad girl, the diva, the hot country boy… those ones. I bet each person on a reality game show...

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“Floating.” by Lee Doe

Submitted to Contest #66

Floating. Life wasn’t much else. I didn’t expect death to be so similar. Sinking. The two were polar opposites, yet existed together. In harmony? Pushing. The push of death. Pulling. The pull of life. A game of tug-of-war. Where did that leave me? Perhaps, balancing on the tip of a knife. If I slipped, where would I fall? Life? Death? Which was preferable? Anything. I was tired of floating, of balancing. Earlier I called ...

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“By the Back Ways” by Tyler Runde

Submitted to Contest #66

Adrian woke with a hangover, and with the morning sun hitting him full on in the face through the lounge room’s bay window, needling his eyes like so many white-hot skewers. He pulled the blanket over his head and tried to block out the light, along with the feeling like his cranium was going to split open and his brain was going to ooze out of his nose and ears. But the blanket did little to help. In truth, along with the pounding in his head and unrelenting assault on his senses, he felt overheated, sweat-less, and delirious with a notion ...

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“Into the Unknown” by Tatiana S.

Submitted to Contest #66

It starts with a newspaper. The newspaper he picks up on his way to the office in a desperate attempt to get figures floating under his eyelids – an annual effect of late night work on the annual report - disappear. He replaces them with words, which works well for the first thirty minutes of his daily hour-long bus ride. He flips through the news: people are getting married and divorced, royal babies are being born, politicians promise and politicians lie. He absorbs those trivial facts that will be forgotten by lunchtime when suddenly o...

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$50

Prize money

584

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 22:59 - Nov 06, 2020 EST

Won by David G. 🏆

Title: Mahalo King Cod Filet

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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