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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

“Red or Blue Slush?” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #70

I rapped on the trunk. “Back soon Rube. Call of nature.” There was no reply. Maybe he couldn’t hear me. Or maybe I couldn’t hear him. Which was just as well, didn’t want my precious cargo attracting any attention. I began the walk to the service station, my goddamn bladder kicking me for pulling up in such a far, secluded spot of the carpark. Washing my hands after attending to the necessary, I glimpsed myself in the smeared mirror. Between the speckles, I thought my grey eyes looked darker than they did this morn...

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“A Fateful Trip (to the Movies)” by Roxie Piatigorski

Submitted to Contest #70

Anzhelika Kravchenko had made a big mistake. She and her girlfriend named Gloria were dating each other for a few years and then one day, Anzhelika decided to join the “Gays For Trump” group, which led to a big rift between herself and Gloria. Now she deeply regretted her actions and decided that she would try to fix that mistake. So she called and texted Gloria and tried to apologize, but not a single answer was ever heard, so she called up her friend named Sarah. “Hello?” Sarah asked. “Sarah, listen,” Anzhelika said. “Do you know Glori...

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“Shattered Refuge” by A. S.

Submitted to Contest #70

Once they are gone, they never come back. Shattered moonlight drips across the crowded square. Pouring down buildings. Slipping through even the tiniest cracks. Fiery lights flicker up to where the moonlight ends. Trickling from crowded bars and street vendor’s carts. An explosion of multi-colored lights and rhythmic music fill the small square. With all the distraction, it is difficult the notice the small figure winding through the crowd. Head bowed; black sweatshirt pulled over unruly curls. Sweat slicked fingers are enfolded in rivulet...

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“Namesake” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #70

It is not easy to live inside your head. Maybe I’m the only one who feels that way. How else can others so easily decide what to wear, where to go, what to say and to whom, how to act, or how to feel? Every decision must be analyzed, or so my mind thinks. Every day, every possible consequence for every possible decision must be weighed. If I make the wrong choice, something dreadful will happen. So I mustn’t make that choice. Though the second choice might result in something equally dreadful. Even the third…This is how the days go, how the ...

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“How He Lost It All” by Black Raven

Submitted to Contest #70

"You have 24 hours or the bomb goes off and everyone dies.", is the last thing Jacqueline said before Ash gripped the phone tightly and threw it at the wall. 'That motherf*cker, making me choose between my families.' Ash thought, tears slipping down his eyes. He knew what would happen if he didn't do anything. Still, how could he choose between his mother and his gang? They were all his family. His friends, who helped him when he had no place to stay. His mom, who never once abandoned him through poverty and stress. Even without all this...i...

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“What's Lost Can Never Be Found” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #70

(This story followed the character Jack Corner who was introduced in my story Secret’s Aren’t For The Keeping [Part 2]. So, if you want to better understand this story, I would recommend going and reading that story first, but it is not necessary for you to do so. Hope you all enjoy!) “You’re free to go.” Jack Corner looked up as the guard opened his jail cell door. One month. That was how long he had lingered in this jail cell. He supposed he shouldn’t complain since it could have been m...

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“Spiteful Little One” by Annette Lovewind

Submitted to Contest #70

I heard a knock on the door, which was unusual considering it was Halloween and children are impatient to get their candy and ring the doorbell. I hurry to the door and grab the bowl of candy that is next to it. I opened the door to see a girl about teenage age. Something about her was familiar and her makeup was killer. The trick-or-treater had bloody clothes, a light pink dress with a gray cover-up, and on her heart was this bullet wound. It looked so realistic. With her makeup on her face, you would think she was dead. With a semi-pale f...

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“Elia Wilkins, Falsely Accused of Murder” by ✰ 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐞 ✰

Submitted to Contest #70

EliaA body laid sprawled out on the ground in front of me. A dagger tumbled out of my hand and clattered to the ground. I stood there, shocked, my face turned ghost white. I heard sirens wailing in the distance, but I couldn’t move. I stared at the body of my best friend and watched the blood run down his forehead. A cop grabbed my arms and held them firmly behind my back. I couldn’t argue, I couldn’t speak. My mouth felt like all the life had been sucked out of it. All the words, thoughts, and music. Gone. A man with a freshly pre...

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“Aadi's Choice” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #70

He had to do it. Aadi Rama had been working his whole life towards this. He had not only desired it for so long and with such intensity but had also sacrificed too much to let the opportunity slip his grasp now. When it came to fulfilling one’s dreams, no cost was too steep. Not even the cost of abandoning one’s deepest values. Not if it meant getting a dream fulfilled in return. Aadi signed the project papers with his name and shipped it to his superiors. *** It was as if Aadi’s destiny had been written in the fabric of the night sky on...

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“You'll Never Open the Door” by Sunshine (:

Submitted to Contest #70

I didn’t do it. Imagine. Me. Out of all people. They sure think I did it. But I did not. Never in a million years. Never in a lifetime. My sister has been missing for a year now. It’s her 1st year anniversary of the day someone took her from me. But I wasn’t that someone. I’m still locked up. Still breathing though. I collapse onto the concrete floor of the jail cell. If only she’d have listened to me. It was a dark night. I told her to go to bed. I floated off to sleep on the living room couch. I woke up hearing muffled scr...

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“Tᕼᗴ, ᑌᗰ... TIᗰᗴ ᗰᗩᑕᕼIᑎᗴ?” by 💖♎ℂℍℝ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕐 ℍ𝕆𝔽𝔽𝕄𝔸ℕℕ♎💖

Submitted to Contest #70

The year was, well, the future. At least that's how it was perceived for a moment. I, being my fabulous 16-year-old, gorgeous self with my coke bottle lenses and my braces. Also my turtle neck shirts and my pleated slacks. Well, maybe I'm not gorgeous, but that's me, Jill Newberry. Who's that over there? Well, that's Scott Osborn. He's my best friend. Yes I know, he is a hottie. With his long blonde hair, his sky blue eyes, that six-pack, and those big biceps. (𝘠𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘺.)Whoa. Sorry. I shouldn't be off in la-la land. But it'...

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“Alone” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #70

I didn’t want a career as much as I wanted something to do with life that would serve to cure my low self-esteem. That’s the first and only thing you need to know. However, please note that I truly wanted to be cured more than anything else in the world. My flesh, blood, and bones body was nothing more than a covering for that inner lowness. A dull, low, ache. (In English I don’t think that’s an official word - lowness - but it says what I’m all about. Sloshing through the days, slogging through the weeks, slipping through the months.)I...

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“Letters to Maria Rose” by Kanden Lang

Submitted to Contest #70

Sandy Perkins sank into the office chair at his desk. He pulled a box of stationery and writing utensils from the bottom drawer. He dipped his pen into the well of ink and masterfully swiped a greeting onto the heavy stationery. Dear Maria Rose Ellison… The Perkins house had been a witness to many such a letter, each with the same delicate handwriting and addressed to the same delicate woman. Sandy Perkins was a patient and determined man. As he wrote, Sandy willed himself to get lost in his most recent proclamation of love. No more ex-Mrs...

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“Burned” by Black Raven

Submitted to Contest #70

Burned at the stake. I never thought that would happen to me. As a legitimate heir to the throne, I had seen this occur a thousand times. Never had I experienced it so close. I could smell the hay surrounding me. It reminded me of when I would visit the palace farms. Such a beautiful place... That doesn't matter now, though. Today, I'll get the punishment I have so long deserved. How did everything begin? We could say in my underground mansion.1 week ago"...and that's how I killed them." Theo said as he finished his story. We were sitting in...

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“The Third Day” by Emerald Pearl

Submitted to Contest #70

Her slender fingers danced mesmerizingly on the old piano. They skipped gracefully over the keys and hesitated not once. The soft requiem enveloped the air in a mournful thickness that left me curiously desperate for more of the sound. I wanted to weep, but tears would never fill my eyes again. My obsession with her music was becoming almost disgusting, but it was not something I could control. In me rose an emotion I could not describe. The mere angst of it sent me spiraling into thoughts I could not bear to indulge in. The frown of her b...

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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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