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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

“Woe To That Land” by Stafford Morgan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #70

There came after the shot a silence so pervasive it rang like a mistake. The deaf forest recovered, first with birdsong and snowmelt, and then the wind returned and the world recalled how to breathe again.The first boy, the youngest, the one holding the gun, lifted a gloved hand to point at the prostrate figure in the snow some ten yards ahead. He choked on a word, half spun like a dog, looking about his feet as if he’d dropped something before some presence of reason took hold in his mind, and he levered the Winchester a few times but no ca...

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“Whatever Happened to Natalie Park?” by ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕨 🏳️‍🌈 (inactive For The Summer)

Submitted to Contest #70

They all think I did it. They all think I killed my best friend. I didn’t, though. However many times I plead innocent, they don’t believe me. They think I am lying. I’m not, though. Even though I was the last person to see Natalie Park alive, I did not kill her. They say I’m crazy. They say I’m deranged. They say I deserve my own padded cell. Why would I kill my own best friend? “Avena.” I look up at the sound of my name. My sister, Magnolia, stands in front of me. “Lets go. You’ve got a trial.” I want to curl up in bed and coco...

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“Malfeasance” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #70

There wasn't a moment in my future where I thought I would be sitting in a damp tent on the west side of main street, a woman's choppy, purple bangs staring me straight in the face. She scrunches her nose at me, eyes sealed tight. "You gonna pay for that?" she mutters, jabbing a thumb haphazardly toward a tips jar. I begrudgingly fork over a small fortune, the labor from my summer job weeping over the pointless expenses. Kiki had better been right about this. The girl's nose ring moves over to the right. I try to take my eyes off of the dang...

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“Temporary” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #70

Elliott and Roxanne used to steal napkins from fast food restaurants when they were sixteen. Roxanne would stuff them in her bra and examine her unsmiling figure in the mirror. Elliott would jot down lyrics to a forgotten song with a ballpoint pen. They would also draw, but only figures that existed in their imagination. Weeping lotus flowers and splitting guitars. Roxanne wanted a tattoo but Eliottt knew she’d never get one. He knew the shapes of life and Roxanne with her suspiciously large breasts didn’t. Together they ate chicken s...

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“Asking to Die” by Molly Leasure

Submitted to Contest #70

(Author's note: this is another experimental piece. Determine the killer. If you want to add your answer to the comments, feel free!)That practiced smile. It’s pinned to her cheeks, peeled back over her teeth, tightened into place. And as fleeting as she’d like it to be, it’s stuck—for hours, for days. This entire week will see glimpses of it until her lips crease. Because she hates the holidays.And she hates me.“Backroom.” Mother gestures behind her. Fold me into the furthest corner.“Right.” I return that smile. It glides over my ...

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“An Interdimensional Portal to Venus Sounds Safer Than My Mom (But Not Really)” by Zea Bowman

Submitted to Contest #70

Before we start this whole "It was her fault" sort of thing, let's get this straight. I've got a 4.8 GPA, skipped sixth grade, have joined every club possible, and still managed to screw things up with my mom. Why? Because I was dumb. But Sophia, you must be like a genius with that GPA! Yeah, well, apparently I'm smart academically, but not when it comes to life decisions. I tend to screw a lot of things up. At least I definitely didn't do anything as bad as my mom did when she was high school. That's pretty hard to beat. You'...

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“Crushed” by Monica D

Submitted to Contest #70

Title: CrushedAuthor: Monica Author’s Note: Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by to read this. This story to me, I tried to make it seem as unique as possible. While making this story I was sorta on a time crunch, but I pulled through and managed to pull it off. Hope you enjoy it!I am prayiah Ru, I have flaming red hair, blue sapphire eyes and sharp pale skin. No one can mistake seeing me, but most of the time I beg people to stop staring at me. With their dark brown hair and perfect hazel eyes, I wish I could be as low key as they...

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“Your Clock is Ticking” by Gip Roberts

Submitted to Contest #70

You switch to your right side. You can't tell if the beats have slowed or not because you can't hear anything. And you prefer it that way. There's this habit that you've always hated of ending up on your left side while tossing and turning, begging your overactive mind for relief in the form of slumber. That always results in heartbeat awareness as the muffling of the pillow amplifies the inner workings of your organs. Your legs are moist and cold, but your face feels like it's severely sunburned. This isn't a tanning bed, though, this is yo...

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“Friends with Porcelain” by Chris D

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #70

Trigger warning: disordered eating She snaps her gum between her teeth, chomping down as if it'll curb her appetite. Her tongue pokes into the wad, stretching it thin. He remembers when her tongue used to poke other things. She's lucky if she can remember anything past that number. The one that burns into her retinas as she steps on the scale for the third time that day, because she ate an apple for lunch, and she needs to know. The scale hasn't budged. She kicks it, and hobbles at the pain as she leaves the bathroom. He hoists himsel...

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“Illicit” by Amy St. Pierre

Submitted to Contest #70

Her suitcase was open. Clothes were strewn everywhere. What would she need? What was the weather like in Minnesota in the fall? It would be cold, right? So that meant sweaters, hoodies, jeans, and probably coats and hats and mittens and long underwear. Did she even own long underwear? Probably not. If she did, they’d been thrown away or donated a long time ago. She glanced at the clock. Derek would be home in less than six hours. So sh...

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“In The Mud” by FJC Montenegro

Submitted to Contest #70

Possible triggers: Language and suicidal thinking.Detective Lopez stepped into the humid room and the cursor hurried to the big x in the corner of the screen to close the case report. Detective Richards opened some other file and looked busy, pursed lips under a pencil mustache. A slow thunder dragged itself across the sky as the heavy rain washed the city on the other side of the window. Lopez knocked on his desk with a smile.“Why are you still here, Richards?” she asked with a nod.His eyes crossed the nearly empty precinct to find the old ...

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“The sin I made” by Radhika Diksha

Submitted to Contest #70

Yes, I have sinned, that I can ever undo it. Nor fix it. But I should have fixed it, I should have accepted that I committed a mistake. But I could not. I should not have attempted in the first place. Why did I do that? Because I was lonely. Yes, I was surrounded by crowds and friends. But I was lonely among them. I was crying in the washrooms, I was crying myself to sleep. I thought people hated me later I knew they were jealous of me all the time. I should have accepted that I was beautiful and pure by heart. Yes now I have accepted, but ...

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“Hope in midst of chaos” by 🕊 🎀 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝓈𝒽𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝓂𝒶𝓁 🎀 🕊

Submitted to Contest #70

I felt chills on my spine. I was sweating so bad I thought I might pass out. I couldn’t make out the figure that was approaching me slowly; I was panicking, why had I agreed to this? I wanted to run so bad but I knew I’d have to pay the price either way. I tried to hide behind a dusty cupboard but my insides flipped out as I felt a cold hand grab my shoulder and cover my mouth before I could shriek for help.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ryder“Hey Ryder, wait up,” I stopped short in my tracks as soon as I heard Caden; my best friend, call out to me. I fla...

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“I see you” by Moon Lion

Submitted to Contest #70

Queen Brione stormed past the guards, the letter that had given it all away crumpled in her adorned hand. "Where is he, my husband?" She demanded of a guard, and the man pointed to the Garden of Tranquil Roses. "Thank you, and would you please find Courtier Terren for me?" "My lady, the courtier-" The guard began, but the Queen cut across him. "It is urgent, send him to my chambers." The Queen briskly strode past the guard, towards the garden she and the man she loved had built together. In her hurry, she hadn't even changed out of her...

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“In the Eye of a Hurricane” by Eve Naden

Submitted to Contest #70

I’ve taken to writing by the window, in a makeshift seat made from flattened cardboard and a sofa cushion you picked up from the skip. I’m sitting on my already numb backside, the window glass smeared with post-its about plot and character. The typewriter is crushing my thighs, but I’ve almost lost the feeling in my legs too, so the pain will stop in a minute. Besides, I’m over halfway through. And this time, I can feel it. This is the manuscript. I won’t be throwing this one in the fire or throwing balls of its crumpled chapters at th...

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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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