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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:

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

“The Quest to Bring Her Back” by 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖗 𝕷𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓

Submitted to Contest #66

 I sigh as I take one more glance at my notebook before shutting it and tossing it onto my bed. I cringe when the notebook slams against the wall, producing a loud bang. I close the cap to my blue sharpie and throw it back in the old tea container that I use as a pencil holder. My hand reaches for a black pen placed askew on my light blue desk, decorated with faded stickers from when I was younger. I hold the pen up to my wrist, already seeing the light markings of a rose I drew on my arm two days ago. I sigh, used to the...

270 comments 270
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“"The Star Bright AR"” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #66

The Star Bright ARBy: HaripriyaAuthors Note: Just to let everyone who is reading this story know, the rocket, "Imperial SC" and the "Star Bright AR" are NOT real rockets. The events in this story have NEVER happened in real life. So please don't get confused!!"As Imperial SC launches into the sky, only a slight bit of debris is left from its fuel. Now I'll hand it over to the Imperial SC operating crew to describe to the audience on how Imperial SC is journeying through its course..." said the news reporter from the T.V."I want to ...

34 comments 34
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“Villainous Standards” by Meggy House

Submitted to Contest #66

           I just have to preface with the fact that standards for current villains are ridiculously high. You know how hard it is to get away with anything nowadays? There are cameras literally everywhere. Once upon a time, my great grandfather was able to murder somebody in cold blood and stand next to said cold blood, with the very same blood on his hands, and the police were none the wiser.           “I wonder who could have comm...

10 comments 10
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“teethfallingoutdream.org” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #66

   I woke up stinking and sweaty, hot under my armpits and between my thighs, my mouth drained of moisture. It happened again, the teeth dream. I was climbing the stairs of a rickety lighthouse, talking to someone pretty. It’s a horrible feeling, putting your fingers in your mouth, your nails confirming what your tongue already knew: the hardest, most stable structure of your body is wobbling. You just want to get it over with then, and yank on the tooth. This time, a big chunk came out, a molar, blackened on the bottom. There...

12 comments 12
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“Red Fire, Black Fire” by Yolanda Wu

Submitted to Contest #66

Kier climbed up the ladder to the dust-filled loft that he and his brother used to share. He hadn’t returned to Karsen in a good few years – regrettably. He had spent his time travelling with the famed Corvina Varnseling – one of the most powerful witches in Rakatraah, and consuming every volume about magic that he could find.It was everything he had ever dreamed.But being back here, in Karsen with its old air was familiarity, was comforting.Even though the loft always smelt faintly of boiled cabbage, and the dust in the air made him cough –...

26 comments 26
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“Forgivness” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #66

This is the second part of Choices. You don't really need to read it, but yeah, there is another part. Okay, enjoy! “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” Damien tells me, probably quoting one of the books he likes. I groan. “I know! But this is not going to work! She hates me!” “Then why’d we come here?” He exclaims, throwing up his hands. I sigh. I’m sitting in the car out of my ex’s house. Damien, my only friend, drove me here. He has short black hair, and rectangle glasses.  I sigh again. “I just wanted to come...

9 comments 9
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“The Tortoise and the...” by Lani Lane

Submitted to Contest #66

The crowd cheered as Theodore and Harry stood at the starting line. The tortoise watched the hare bounce from foot to foot, his ears flopping with every jump. “Show off,” muttered Theodore. “Come again?” asked Harry. He cartwheeled over Theordore and the crowd cheered louder. “READY?” shouted the announcer, Mayor Squire the squirrel. He stood on a small stage to the side, microphone in paw. The crowd screamed and stomped their feet. Bleachers lined the track for at least a hundred feet until the track faded into the forest at the edg...

31 comments 31
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“Fall Of the Stars” by Mr. Brohirwani

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #66

The heavens glittered with stars as the man silently drove over dirt and gravel, the thousand twinkling eyes mocking his desperation.  Muttering a curse under his breath, he slowed down at the rusty security gate at the entrance of the abandoned mines. To an ordinary person it would be a half-broken gate with just a couple of night guards sleeping their shift away. But then again, the average person wouldn’t notice that the old equipment was strewn about almost too cleanly, or that the uniformed guards lacked an identity or a logo. ...

8 comments 8
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“Indescribable Like or Love? Part 6” by 𝔘𝔤𝔬𝔠𝔥𝔦 𝔑.

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat” That’s the thought that went through my head as I sat there holding her in my arms, contemplating on whether I should go out there in that storm. “What if I died?” “What will happen to Elle if I just leave?” “What if I don’t get it?” “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat” When that thought came along I knew I had to go. … I KNOW, I’m a terrible person! I know it! Elle is gonna be so upset when she wakes up– if she wakes up that is. I am betting that she will not wak...

95 comments 95
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“Choices” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #66

"I'm gonna do it." May says, shaking out her hands.I smile encouragingly. “You’ve got this.”“And she’s gonna say yes!” I nod. “Yep.”“Wait. What if she doesn’t?” She exclaims, a panicked look on her face.I sigh. This is the third time in the last hour she’s panicked. May is my best friend, and has been since we were children. She has long blonde hair, and tan skin. My name is June, and I have short brown hair and light skin. I don’t really care about looks, but May always assures me that I’m beautiful, too.We're both nineteen. She's...

7 comments 7
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“Failed Mission” by Natalie Dafoe

Submitted to Contest #66

I didn’t realize there were still places like this left. Carefully carved stone made up the walls of the room, shapes curving into spirals etched in their sides. The shapes reminded me of ancient buildings, and I could imagine an architect pouring over every detail in the individual panels. I didn’t know how old the building was, but even in the modern world, it was a grand display of wealth. Mixed in with copper - or were they gold? - statues of dragons, acting as pillars, and holding up the majestic archways. Their paws held above the...

6 comments 6
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“Paris” by Sihia Sunrise

Submitted to Contest #66

I looked up at the stars knowing that my family would try their hardest to comfort me through the tough times. Today was the first time I had felt alone in years. My mother had left us and my father didn’t know what to do. I had two younger siblings that were clueless when it came to something serious. My mother and father were always fighting but no one could have predicted her leaving. She had always been around when we needed her most. Everyone was acting as if nothing had happened.  This was probably the most serious thing to occu...

44 comments 44
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“Friction” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #66

Cate told him she was pregnant on a Saturday evening. She said it with glistening eyes and hands folded protectively over her stomach. She looked at him, expecting something but receiving nothing.  John dabbed the napkin on his lips. “Excuse me,” he pardoned, and rose from his seat. Cate watched him walk towards the bathrooms.  In the car, driving back to their apartment, Cate let her hand sit on John’s shoulder. “What do you think?”  “What do you mean?” John asked carelessly, his eyes flying all over the road.  Cate ...

25 comments 25
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“Extraordinary ” by Palak Shah

Submitted to Contest #66

Happy is what I feel now, just being here makes me cry with joy. In life there are many lessons that you learn such as “be kind” or “live life to the fullest” and these are good life messages; but they weren’t mine that is because until the age of 14 I didn’t even have my own life. I grew up in the middle of Somalia: a destitute village with no mum just an inexorable dad. I can remember this day as vividly as anything else: it was the day that change my whole life. Walking home with the cattle, it caught my eye. A poster. As I walked...

5 comments 5
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“It Was The Liar Who Won” by Jasey Lovegood

Submitted to Contest #66

IT WAS THE LIAR WHO WON“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat,” “No, don’t think like that, Robin. We can win this, together,” “We can’t Lear, not this war. Not when the world has crumbled to chaos, not when screams are the only thing you can hear as you hide in the streets, not when people are dying every single second.” “I- Yeah, I know. I just thought… maybe we stood a chance, maybe if we had worked hard enough or maybe-” “Quit it, Lear. You can’t waste your time thinking of the maybe’s. Not when we have a war to win.”It...

14 comments 14
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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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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