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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

“WAS IT NECESSARY??.....” by PRISHA SHARMA

Submitted to Contest #66

It was a dark winter night. The old banker was walking up and down his study and remembering how, fifteen years before, he had given a party one autumn evening. There had been many clever men there, and there had been interesting conversations. Among other things they had talked of capital punishment. The majority of the guests, among whom were many journalists and intellectual men, disapproved of the death penalty. They considered that form of punishment out of date, immoral, and unsuitable for Christian States. In the opinion of some of t...

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“Kill, Evie.” by Aman Vashisth

Submitted to Contest #66

"It's been three years since they brought us here, Igor." Evie mumbled, pushing the last bite of what their masters called 'food' in her mouth. "And you still make faces while eating this food." Igor laughed watching her struggling to push the food down her throat. "How is it that there's still some life left in you, Igor." Her amusement was justified. It's been three years since they were captured by the soldiers of Elikha Kingdom and were being held as slaves. Slaves who were being taught how to kill. And also, she didn't know wh...

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“Gang members” by Dewain Williams

Submitted to Contest #66

GANG MEMBERS By Dewain Williams The beef was on going for over twenty years. The Westside Boys against The Eastside Homies. Dozens of lives lost and countless injuries to innocent people in the process. A senseless turf battle that only continued so long because of pride and greed. Th...

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“THE BAD BOYS” by Quinn Kimmett

Submitted to Contest #66

“Will Ben Chemote please step forward?” They pronounced my name wrong, I think as I step forward. Stay calm Ben, stay calm. I glance at my hand to double check that it’s not shaking. You may feel scared on the inside, Ben, but on the outside you are as cool as a cheesecake. You got this. I step through the door and close it behind me. “Welcome to the first season of The Bad Boys, Ben! First of all, I want to congratulate you on getting in!” “Thank you!” Nailed it. “Gosh, I haven’t even introduced myself! My bad! I’m Rutherford, your ho...

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“Escape Room” by Diana Black

Submitted to Contest #66

It didn't immediately register to me that I was looking at blood. For a second, at first glance, it looked beautiful. The way the red contrasts against the white linoleum had a simple beauty to it. But slowly, my mind came to a realization. That beauty was the essence of life. Seeing Jackson laid out with a meter-wide red polka dot under him was not beautiful at all. Instead, it was hysterical. Not hysterical as in funny, but hysterical as in I don't know how to control my reaction. I remember looking over at Suzy, who just stared back at me...

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“The Price of Freedom” by Angela K. Bellwood

Submitted to Contest #66

Her lips curling in disgust, Cassandra retrieved her blade from the man’s abdomen and turned around. Instead of stopping to catch her breath though, she was forced to immediately jump back after catching the glint of the sword racing towards her neck. In her haste, she tripped over the now dead body of her previous opponent and fell heavily to the ground. The world around her spun as her head bounced from the impact it made with the floor and she distantly heard the metal clang of her blade as it slipped from her grip. Her face scrunched u...

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“Massacre at the Rectory” by Gordon K

Submitted to Contest #66

Some say that Cavendish Rectory is the most haunted building in Britain. Some say it isn't haunted at all, (not by ghosts anyway) and that it is a hotspot for demonic activity, which is even worse. Most agree though that this is a place to be avoided at all costs. Not many have entered and returned unscathed. Some haven't even returned at all. The best thing for all concerned parties would be to keep the mansion empty, just let it sit there and rot, and that's just what it did for a very long time that is until it was acquired by Jacob Ennin...

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“A Run With The Foxes” by Asha Cole

Submitted to Contest #66

🍃 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم I have something to think about today. The endless humdrum of machinery drilled on. But, is it better to have something bitter to think about, or no thoughts at all? Drilled into his soul. “Hey. Sadiq, man. Why are you still here?” Sadiq blinked up at his friend, whose voice disgruntled the drilling like a cheeky sports commentator coming over a crackling radio channel. Silver chips fell into Sadiq’s white glove. “Last batch.” Sadiq winced at his own word choice. As if these devices were...

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“Begin” by Cindy Hinds

Submitted to Contest #66

She draws her breath in a deep, long inhale and lets it out slowly as she hears, “This will be…”Suddenly, she’s on the football field, cheering with her squad. The scoreboard shows a rout and she knows her boyfriend will be exhausted and grouchy afterward, so she begins to ready herself for the disappointment a teenage girl feels when her boyfriend says he’d rather just go home and sleep than hang out after the game.She hears the words “…testimony at…”His name is Les, she thought.His name is Les and he loves her. He is the leader of the foot...

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“THE LAST APPOINTMENT” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #66

THE LAST APPOINTMENT_____THE CHOICE Before opening the door the ringing of the phone made her suddenly leap up of the state of bliss in which she was by long immersed, in which she was basking. It had been a wonderful walk, by alone, yeah, but what a splendor the countryside in this season. The fallen leaves, scattered on the road, resting on the tufts of still green grass, they are colorful carpets that you hear rustling, creaking under your feet ….and there are the falling leaves, so that you ,walking, are surrounded by...

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“What If?” by Taylor Alyse

Submitted to Contest #66

“As human beings, I believe we are entitled to the unending dependency on hope. An inspired vision that puts unreal expectations in our heads. Urging a constant wonder that pushes us far past our goals. Why that is, you might ask. Well, it has to do with the unavoidable question, what if? What if this ends in the worst way possible? But what if it is the best thing for me all throughout the whole process? The daily battle between practicality and bravery. Many people struggle with finding the balance. I have found that it lies in the simple ...

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“Rich Dreams” by Renika Anand

Submitted to Contest #66

The sky was heavy and grey. It reminded Emma of the ugly sweater that her Grandmother had made for her last Christmas. It had ended up in her closet amongst the pile of stuff that she would never wear but couldn’t throw away without hurting someone’s feelings.A cool morning breeze made its way through the window, swirled through the kitchen and brought Emma a delicious smell of coffee, maple syrup and petrichor. She sat at the table, fiddling with her watch and tapping her heels nervously on the tiled, white floor. Today was the day. The day...

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“I have a dream” by Julie Adamson

Submitted to Contest #66

It wasn’t easy getting this far, I’d worked for years. I’d spent most of my nights working on it. Now in the next few hours I would know if my dream would be forefilled. Looking at the clock he told me that he’d call around 2pm, as he would have made his decision by then. So it was now 11.58 am and I knew I had to do something to take my mind off the impending call. I was currently trying to watch television and although the movie was good it did not relax my mind. I switched the televisi...

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“Secret” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #66

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that she was seated here, in the boardroom of the biggest rock band this side of the Sahara. She couldn't believe that she was seated in the boardroom that was in the private jet of the biggest rock band this side of the Sahara! It took all her will power not to go into full fan girl mode. Right in front of her were faces that she had admired from afar for most of her teenage years. In all her twenty-one years, never would she have imagined that the day would come when she would be seated in ...

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“The Crushed Rose” by Sreedevi Mahapatra

Submitted to Contest #66

“ Saheb, saheb, please take this bunch of fresh roses for memsahib”, cajoling and running along the flashing BMW car was Rose, the flower girl, at the intersection where the car waited briefly for the signal to change from red to green. But before the passenger could decide, the light changed from Red to Green and the traffic moved like a giant wave leaving Rose behind like an abandoned sea shell on the beach waiting for the next wave to wash it back to the sea. The name Rose stirs our imagination of royalty, soft te...

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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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