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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

“Looking up Luke” by Frank Aguilera

Submitted to Contest #70

Looking up LukeThere was a sheet of paper stuck between the knob and the frame of my front door. It was damp and yellowish. I hesitated before taking it, and wanted to crumple and drop it in the waste bin without reading it.Was it a message or a threat? I had no reason to expect threats or messages from anybody. Unless it was from the kids yesterday afternoon who ran their bicycles over the front lawn. I yelled at them, and they turned their heads and flipped me the finger.I didn’t want to unfold the sheet, and find a ‘fuck you’ note written...

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“Cedar #3” by Julie Ward

Submitted to Contest #70

Every summer for as long as I could remember, I went to Camp Wukchumini with my hometown church. My family wasn’t terribly religious, but we went to Beachside First Baptist Church every Sunday. My mother was a big believer in the “serving” part of serving the Lord. We sorted cans at the food drive, served heaping plates to the poor at Thanksgiving and gave our old toys away at Christmas, whether we wanted to or not. “Giving is the best reward,” my mother would say as she packed them into brown cardboard boxes.The way I saw it,...

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“Descending Ascension ” by Zenny Melody

Submitted to Contest #70

“Hey, Liam!” Feebe’s voice echoed through the streets of Montigo. Liam made a mad dash toward the voice’s direction. “Huff, huff do you always have the shout like that?” Liam groaned. Feebe took off his bowl-shaped hat. His intense yellow eyes focused on Liam. “Check this out.” Feebe pointed towards a bulletin board “The whole town’s raving about you.” They headed over towards the bulletin board. Among all of the smaller papers which had requests for small-time errands and bounties on monsters was a giant paper in the center...

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“WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #70

Mr.Roy was a political VIP. He was a minister who had control of several new projects and was part of a team which chose equipment to buy and projects to take up. He had just crossed 40, was balding and had a rotund figure with a big moustache. He belonged to the LPT party which ruled the State. It is fair to say that Roy was not corrupt. In fact he prided himself on his incorruptibility, and was held in high esteem in that regard. That day Roy was in his office when legislator Maya walked in. She had crossed 50 and was an imposing figure du...

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“Death is a Kindness” by Rin Smit

Submitted to Contest #70

JEREMIAH The easiest choice is to dump the body in the river. Maybe it’s the simplest choice too, but by far this is the stupidest one. I can’t believe he’s even saying this. I need to stop shaking. I’m not sure what is more shocking. The fact that if I hadn’t egged Elijah on, he wouldn’t have pushed me, and I wouldn’t have fallen on him and his head would have never hit that rock. That’s when I froze. He was just lying there, a low groan seeping out like the final gusts of air leaving a blow-up air mattress. I stood there staring at him d...

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“Not Who They Think It Was” by 🌮 Kao Crimsonstar 🌮

Submitted to Contest #70

The autumn breeze of November 1963 made my straight-as-an-arrow mousy brown locks fly around my face, framing it, and my demure brown cotton dress rustled like jute as I skipped jovially out of Texas Institute of Astrophysics in Dallas, headed home. By walk, of course. That’s me, Evangeline Goodcorn, better known as Angie or just Anne. The 18-year-old girl who graduated a year early from school who always wears a brown cotton dress unde...

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“Mistakes” by Inkstained Introvert

Submitted to Contest #70

Disclaimer: This piece is sort of a sequel to one I wrote a bit back titled "Tree Dream." It might help to read that story before this. This piece is very, very bad--as a matter of fact, I didn't even read over it once before I submitted it, because I wrote it all in a half hour and the deadline was (is) very soon and I need to get to bed. I might go back later and edit it if I have the time before it gets approved (if it even does). But, my warning: You'd be better off reading almost anything else. Maia leans trustingly into her hus...

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“Holy Dip” by Priyanka Choubey

Submitted to Contest #70

Trigger warning: rape River Ganga was flowing beautifully and making that spring evening cool and calm. People after taking the holy dip in the auspicious water of Ganga were ready with earthen Deepak (a lamp Indian use to offer prayer) to worship. But Nanda was sitting still at the bank of the river since morning staring the water asking to herself how all those sins can be washed away in the river Ganga? Nanda heard from her elders that whatever wrongdoings you do every bit of that flow away in the holy water of Ganga. But she was c...

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“😈The Medellin Cartel kids😈” by Dennis Love Jr

Submitted to Contest #70

My name is Dennis Homer Love Jr. As a child in the 1980s I became the first underaged person recognized by the United States government for helping efforts involving the CIA during the Ronald Reagan presidency. Many other kids were recognized after me, but it seems there efforts were not life threatening as mine were. I was privileged to work with or along side of some of Stephen Shaffer's clandestine work involving such people as Barry Seal, Pablo Escobar, Manuel Noriega, Oliver North and South American people that were to be used in an arm...

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“Lost” by R K

Submitted to Contest #70

***** The most instrumental day of my life--but not as planned… ***** ...And as I knelt, pulling the ring out of my pocket, her jaw fell open and tears glistened in her eyes. “Angelica, I have a…” At that moment, four heavily armed men in black pulled up in a sleek car, jumped out wielding guns, and marched up to me. “Ellis Jackson?” a husky voice called from the group. “Can’t you see you’re interrupting something?” I responded, seething with anger. Barely controlling my flaring temper, I waited for the man to attempt to justify this i...

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“Apres Ski” by Amy DeMatt

Submitted to Contest #70

It was she who contacted me at the outset. I didn’t find it weird at the time. People still remember me as a one-time hopeful for the U.S. Alpine team, so, even in a somewhat obscure sport like Alpine skiing, from time to time, people approach me. It’s flattering, especially now that I’ve gotten older and slower. At my best, I lived, ate, and breathed skiing until the sport held no pleasure for me anymore. I became a machine, spending hours visualizing ...

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“Selfish.” by Lee Doe

Submitted to Contest #70

To me, the blood coating my hand was troublesome, annoying. It was apparent that Delia saw it for something other than that, a burden, proof of what she did. I groaned out loud in disgust. "W-What is it?" I could hear how frantic she was; it was almost adorable. "Well, now you have to clean this all up, bloodstains last awhile, and if we're not careful, someone could find them and know what you did," She inhaled sharply, "C-could they?" "Oh yes, it's happened numerous times to some of my other...stud...

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“I am not your mom” by Sambulo Kunene

Submitted to Contest #70

I was a teen mom. I became pregnant while I was still in high school. It was such an embarrassment for me and my family. We were a very pious family. It is a pity that pregnancy is a condition which cannot be postponed or cannot be concealed. My mom and dad were sitting and eating dinner, when I walked in with an apron and a tray ready to serve dessert, and suddenly my mom said: "Wait a minute, freeze! Are you gaining weight? You are gaining weight aren't you?" I was taken aback. I knew what was happening, except I had planned on telling the...

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“Confession of Zack Modine” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #70

Once upon a time Zack Modine was a hometown hero, but then six years ago, in a fateful flash, all his lofty accolades and good graces vanished, never to return. He still lives in Tyler Gap, a small community located in the open desolate parts of West Texas, a mere stone throw from the New Mexico border. Tucked into the rolling hills and buttes, Tyler Gap was once an insignificant forgotten Union Pacific whistle stop on a transcontinental run along the Mexican border that is no longer in service. The railroad tracks are still presen...

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“Thinking It Over” by Tanja Cilia

Submitted to Contest #70

They framed me. It had been going on for weeks, not quite actually right under my nose, which is why I hadn’t noticed. Now, I fully understood the meaning of all those not-so-subtle comments before I wen out on Sick Leave... like you’re too good for your own good, and he who sups with the devil must have a long spoon, and beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. They had been siphoning off money, and stealing goods, from the warehouse, while I was off work and recuperating from having all my teeth pulled out, and dentures fitted, after a ve...

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$50

Prize money

731

Contest entries

0

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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