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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#70: To Err Is Human

The other day I realized I’d made a pretty big mistake in the book I’m writing. This isn’t anything new. Writers of all skills levels make plenty of mistakes — if we didn’t, editors would be out of a job — but it’s still frustrating when you realize you’re going to have to throw out a few thousand words.

But writers aren’t the only ones who make mistakes, or at least we shouldn’t be. In order for your characters to grow and be interesting as people, they’re going to need to make some bad choices of their own.

This week, let’s dig deep into all the things your characters can mess up, whether it’s because of a deep-seated character flaw or just a really bad stroke of luck. The sort of thing that will haunt them for years to come, fuel their deepest regrets, and form a cornerstone of their personality going forward. It may be tough to put them through the emotional wringer, but I promise your story will be better for it.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who’s so obsessed with a goal that it leads to the destruction of their closest relationship.

Sad – 154 stories

Write about a character who everyone thinks is guilty of something terrible, but isn’t.

Thriller and Suspense – 179 stories

Write about someone trying to atone for a mistake they’ll never be able to fix.

Angst – 192 stories

Write about two people who know they’ve made a mistake, and one of them wants to tell the truth but the other wants to lie about it.

Kids – 120 stories

Write about a character who’s so afraid of making the wrong choice that their indecision ruins the very thing they were hoping to keep safe.

Sad – 85 stories

Stories

“The Scientific Method” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #70

The needle trembled in his hand, though at the moment he was nowhere near the state of mind to wonder whether it was nerves or grief that compelled the movement. With his other hand he grabbed the dirty burlap sack from the adjacent table, and stuck the needle between his teeth as he wrestled with the knot.He was regretting his choice in lightbulbs; the incandescent bulbs had been much cheaper, but the orange light they cast made the room seem dirty in an unnatural way, as if the very morals of the air had been defiled. The ragged ends of hi...

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“Truth or Lie” by Jade Orien🍀

Submitted to Contest #70

one day my husband & I moved to a town called wood deck a southern town.My husband Eric had a new job in this town which was the reason we moved here.We are originally from Mobile, Alabama.Eric & I were high school sweethearts.We fell in love at just the age of 16 & we got married right in my parent's backyard at 18!I knew he was the love of my life from the moment our eyes latched!We both promised each other on our wedding day to always be there for one & support each other. Since that day we did just that!But suddenly all o...

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“A Good Girl” by Ivy Spade

Submitted to Contest #70

“Peaches!” Daddy called. I ran up to him. He is my best friend. I nuzzled him as he picked me up. He laughed and said, “Peaches are you hungry?” “Yes!” I exclaimed. He laughed and said, “I will take that as a yes.” He put me down and gave me some food. “Time to eat,” I said. He said a prayer and I copied him. “Yum! Daddy! You gave me my favorite; ham.” I finished my meal and went to look at his plate. He looked at me upset, so I quickly went away. I went to my bed and was playing wi...

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“"𝑴𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒓" 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅” by 💖♎ℂℍℝ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕐 ℍ𝕆𝔽𝔽𝕄𝔸ℕℕ♎💖

Submitted to Contest #70

When Michelle woke up, it was like a normal day… The only thing to make it different was the party she had gone to the night before. She had refused to go to parties in the past. She had been afraid she would get drunk and get arrested or have a wreck, but Jeremy, her best friend, had a party at his house. She had stayed many nights there, the two of them talking for hours, so she knew she was safe.She decided to take a shower before leaving for her house. She got out and dried off, putting her clothes on, she realized she hadn't heard anyth...

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“2 letters.” by Aaina Aleszezyk

Submitted to Contest #70

Snia walks past the two smirking faces. Their faces lit up by schadenfreude. “Poor woman”, “Her husband eloped with another woman”, “She is a single mother trying hard to stay afloat the ocean of poverty”, “She has proved to an incompetent wife, doubtlessly she is a terrible mother too”. These are the things her ears are sick of hearing. Her life is full of people who try to pry and make her feel worthless. That night, she examined herself in the mirror. She recalls her old self. She had a pretty face, a charming smile, a perfect figure and ...

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“Green for Healing” by Serine Achache

Submitted to Contest #70

I have always believed that words were special, and I’ve always treated them accordingly.Words like blossom and mesmerizing for example are so beautiful I highlight them in green, my favorite color, whenever they appear in books. Green for happiness.Words like loss, heartbreak, and cruel are so painful I usually color them in grey. Because that's what I believe pain would be if it ever were a color. Grey.And then there are words like unforgiving and death; words that actually scare me. Words I don't even bother coloring, for the simple reaso...

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“To hell and back with you” by Zena Jalloh

Submitted to Contest #70

There was… so much blood. He gurgled like a fish out of water, choking on the liquid now spilling from his neck. It was so strong — the smell. My stomach churned the longer I looked at him, gasping and writhing on the wet asphalt. But, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. His white t-shirt was now stained red. His movements were sluggish, and when a bubble of blood from his slit neck popped, it splattered. I could feel some of it land on my face, but before I could properly gag, my arm was being yanked away. “Rosella, we have to go!” She pulled har...

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“The Count” by Chris Wagner

Submitted to Contest #70

Ashley and I had just won a game show, and were on our way to fetch the prize money when we heard a scream. Someone in the neighboring studio had just uncovered a dead body. The victim: A contestant from a cooking show called Shadow Chef. African American, female, overweight. The body had been completely drained of blood. I spotted two small puncture wounds in the neck. She had been wearing a cross, but it lay on a broken chain a couple feet away. You could see red marks where it got yanked off. The wom...

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“Trouble at Cripple Creek” by Jason Morgan

Submitted to Contest #70

Trouble at Cripple CreekIn the distance was the first water they had seen in four days. Billy led the way, as usual, with Frank and his wife, Celeste, followed, riding double. The blistering sun beat down on them, and the desolate, god forsaken desert was trying to kill them. The Chihuahuan Desert is a rocky, mountainous place, not a desert of sand and cacti. Tall sandstone cliffs, with a rusty reddish hue were scattered across the landscape, as the trio crossed into the New Mexico Territory. They were looking ...

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“Guilty Until Proven Innocent” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #70

“I didn’t kill her.” “Tell that to the judge, kid.” The police officer said and shoved her into the back of the police car. Funny, when she was younger, she had always wondered what it was like in the back of a police car, but now sitting in one she wondered why she ever cared. Holly tried to move her arms, but the handcuffs prevented most of her movements. How had she gone from being a college student with excellent grades and a lovi...

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“Innocent…ish” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #70

"I'm sorry, but you're not the right person for the position." Her plastic smile did nothing to hide the fear in her eyes. I was used to the look. It was a look that said, “Please don’t carve me up!” Never mind that I never did such a thing, and anyone with enough intelligence to do any research would know that. Whatever. If their HR isn't smart enough to do that, I don't want to work for them, anyway. I've told myself that lie so many times I'm starting to believe it. If the media hadn't gotten involved from the beginning it wouldn't be l...

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“The Carmine Court” by Saizen 🦜

Submitted to Contest #70

At the soft clang of a gong, Wenqi woke. Quickly, she proceeded to the backroom to groom herself. There were already several others.It was the eve of the big day. Royal servants hurried in preparation, cleaning and setting up the furniture, quietly as to not disturb the resting harem. Faint lantern lights guided them under the still-dark sky. Passing through lacquered pillars, Wenqi caught a glimpse of the gilded decorative pieces being moved to the central palace.The eunuchs were already in the kitchen, lighting up stoves and preparing...

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“A Truth and a Lie ” by Night Fall

Submitted to Contest #70

Mia's brown eyes opened. Cracks in the ceiling, moldy smell, stains all over the brick walls...well, home is home. She sighed, and tore herself from her thin blankets. Mia brushed the tangles out of her long dark hair. She changed into her school uniform that her mom could barely afford, and opened her door to the kitchen.Her mom was standing at the sink, that is, if you could call it a sink. It was barely large enough to set the dishes her small family used after a meal. Her mom turned around, she was a frail woman, not very tall. She had s...

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“The Wait Wasn’t Worth It” by Blane Britt

Submitted to Contest #70

My man and baby daddy Sloppy Drunk; I mean Sloppy Seconds primary and only goal in life. His main objective. His soul purpose for living. His reason of all reasons was to become a Big Time rapper like his idol “Chali 2na” who is not only named after a fish, but after a fish that's a mascot for canned tuna-in effect, a sellout rapping fish who gets paid to convince people to eat his family. For 12 long years I patiently waited for my man Harvey Bean aka Sloppy Joe; I mean Sloppy Seconds to reach the pinnacle of success to fulfilled his lifeti...

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“burning” by Alex Chillau

Submitted to Contest #70

When his prodigal daughter returned, after seven years of absence, my father barely recognized me, so disfigured had I become. When my feeble voice beseeched him, through the car-window-"Daddy," I called, his eyes sprang open, heavy with the sight of his daughter's ghost. "Emily?" he pondered in horror, "is that you?". "Daddy," I cried, "I fucked up." He glared at me and his metal grey Porsche came alive, "I don't have time now," he said, as my guilt flashed through his eyes, "I'm late for work." "Oh, Emily," she used to say, my darling dea...

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$50

Prize money

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Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 04, 2020 EST

Won by Irene Rebello 🏆

Title: What you made me.

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.

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