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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#72: Shocking Developments

Have you ever heard that there are only so many types of stories in the world? Some people say seven, some say three, some six… Regardless of the number, the idea is that you can boil down any narrative into universal templates.

While it’s true that many stories do follow familiar structures (and understanding them can help you learn how to craft a compelling narrative), there’s so much variety in how those structures unfold that the best stories still feel fresh and original.

One of the ways writers manage this is by filling their stories with unexpected details — so this week, our prompts are all about characters finding themselves in situations they’d never have imagined. But to really get something unique, don’t stop there: ask yourself what would happen if your characters made each of the possible choices before them, then write the one that surprised you the most!

This week's prompts

Write a mystery where the detective realizes at the last moment that they have the wrong suspect.

Mystery – 117 stories

Write a romance where your character falls in love with the last person they expected to.

Romance – 193 stories

Write about someone getting a job offer they never would have thought to apply for.

Adults – 94 stories

Write about someone who gets an inheritance from a relative they’ve never heard of, but they’ll need to do something completely outside their comfort zone in order to collect it.

Teens – 144 stories

Write a science fiction story where all human behavior can be predicted — until your character does something the algorithm did not expect.

Science Fiction – 139 stories

Stories

“Justin's Interrogation ” by Kate Walsh

Submitted to Contest #72

The room was cold and clinical. The table he was sitting at was metal and shone under the fluorescent lights that illuminated his face. His leg shook as he looked around the room and tried to figure out who was on the other side of the clearly two-way mirror. The skin on his thumb was numb from being worried between his teeth and his mouth was dryer than it had ever been, even after a good smoke. The doors finally groaned open and Justin sat up straighter in the chair. Two detectives entered one after the other. It was the same detectives ...

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“GO” by Tom Campbell

Submitted to Contest #72

It was the nicest day any April could be expected to come up with. Villagers from all around the province poured into the ancient city of Zhangzhou to barter their millet, barley, wheat, pigs and sheep, for clothing, spices, tools, pottery and strong wine. Striding at their forefront of one such group was a brash young man barely twenty years old who looked neither left nor right at the sprouting greenery nor at the fluffy little clouds that gamboled across the bright blue sky like wayward sheep. The whisper went round that this was Yuan Tse...

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“The Ring of Truth” by Michael Lewis

Submitted to Contest #72

The Ring of Truth James Harrington Witherspoon III, Jimmy to his friends and family except for his mother, was a true English gentleman. He was due to inherit his grandfather's woolen-mill on his twenty-fifth birthday. The young man would also join the ruling strata of English gentlemen farmers. Along with the woolen mill, he would also inherit 5,000 acres of prime agricultural land in North Yorkshire, plus a further 3,000 acres on the Scottish borderland. He raised Aberdeen Angus cattle, along...

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“Destiny” by William Barlow

Submitted to Contest #72

I gazed upon the plate sitting in front of me. A nice Porterhouse Steak, a baked potato slathered with butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits. A glass of tea. A meal fit for a king or even perfect as a last meal for the condemned. I had not tasted a meal that looked as good as this one in a long time. I wanted to savor it to the very last bite. When my meal was finished I decided to lay back, relax, and allow my meal to digest. I let my thoughts wander as I nodded off into slumber. Soon I was dressing for an evening out. Nothing special ...

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“Luna Lou” by Katlyn Shuler

Submitted to Contest #72

“Where are you Charlie?” “Over here! Hurry Luna!” Charlie and Luna met three years ago at camp Twalka, a camp for kids with Tourette’s. They’ve been inseparable ever since. Tourette’s is an incurable disease. It causes them to shout out words they don’t want to. It forced their body to do movements that can hurt them, or worse, others. These uncontrollable movements and sounds are called “tics.” &...

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“Flying” by Katarina Nikić

Submitted to Contest #72

I'm not talking about birds. Nor airplanes. This kind of flying that I'm talking about has coordinates higher than those of a birds or airplanes flying. It surpasses the sky and the clouds and the heavens."Dear passenger, it's your captain speaking. We are currently at a height of no one counting how many meters. On your right side you can see clouds made of dreams. In a few moments we will pass by the River of Love, which flows calmly and incessantly. On your left side you can see a flock of wild Angels which are sleeping on their beds made...

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“Love Beyond” by Mica Angela Soriano

Submitted to Contest #72

“Life is in color, but black and white is more realistic”. Hundreds of colors and thousands of shades are known in this world, nevertheless, I prefer black and white. Monochrome, it signifies my life. It has been eight years since my father died, it was just me and my mother since then. I still have mother, but doesn’t seem like I do. She knows alcohol as the only liquid thing ever there is, she is wasted even before the day ends. “Wasting time again with that?” she asked. “Don’t even start, Mother.” I replied as I furnish the art o...

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“The Last love I Fell For” by Sharmila Manickam

Submitted to Contest #72

The Game of dice, has a chance to play their role in each turn. The probability of getting five, has got a chance to play their turn twice. Probably, this is applicable in love too. All road leads to a pathway. I got my track to travel in a train of journey, A Man opposite to me ; who is bookish and suited up with tie.The title of the book, which eagers me up to see whose that guy behind the book.As a window seat lover ; my kinda of sightseeing , passed away along with him.My first approach was to speak, by lending the book from him. My word...

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“Crashing Into You” by Logan Easterling

Submitted to Contest #72

If Ross Miller was the only boy in the school, I wouldn't give him a second glance. If he was the only boy in our small-town of Wilburn, I would not agree to a date with him. Even if Ross and I were the last two people on planet earth, he could get down on his hands and knees and beg me to want him, but I would refuse. At least, that's what I used to think. Before I fell in love with him. One month may sound lik...

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“Love Like Pottery” by Aria Hossain

Submitted to Contest #72

Water dripped onto my working-bench, loosening up the grey chalky clay into a paste. I used my hands to shape it into a ball and place it in a dry bowl. Grabbing a seemingly millennia old bucket; my hands found themselves in the presence of cold water again. The tap water flushed inside, filling the rounded edges of it. I sighed. My mood wasn’t in sync with the routine I set myself to follow. In times like these, my mind can’t help but slip into yarns of memories. Especially the ones I weaved during my silly teen years. My thoughts dispe...

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“PEDRO'S CHOICE” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #72

He had been nicknamed ‘Pedro’ while in America and the name had stuck. He was an athletic young man about 27, tall, fair and handsome with neatly combed hair and a trim moustache. He had gone to the USA in early life and had a degree in petrochemicals. His sponsor – a relative – had said “Pedro, you’ve a degree and experience here. I think you should go back to India. Mehrchand who is chief of Zica Chemicals is offering you a research job.” Pedro had come back to India and was part of Zica Chemicals. That was a year ago. Zica had two divisio...

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“Greatest Joy” by Lauren Ford

Submitted to Contest #72

It was a day that looked almost like poetry sounds. It was the perfect morning for a wedding. The sun was just peeping through the yellow-orange trees in all her golden splendor. The birds were singing. The breeze blew in such a way that you felt wrapped up in its arms. The beauty of the day was not lost on Maura.. This is the perfect day. I just wish she were here with me, she thought. The biggest room in the house had long been abandoned, and looked as if no one had touched it in 20 years. Dust drifted through the sun streaks and settled o...

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“beside me all along” by Emonie Smith

Submitted to Contest #72

Beside me all along by Emonie Smith Trigger, gayMonday morning was a blurry memory, all I know was that I somehow made it to school. I hardly slept last night. I came to school for one person in mind. My eyes are searching the crowd to find him. Him as in my best friend, Damon. Damon has been in my life for as long as I can remember. When I picture Damon, I think about my favorite song on repeat at our favorite spot, the beach. I knew my feelings for him runs deeper than friendship for a while now. When I finally see him by hi...

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“A STEP FORWARD” by Josephine Ogarah

Submitted to Contest #72

Zenachi woke up really tired. Checking her time, it was past 8am in the morning. Oh my God! She exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and running towards the bathroom like someone who has seen a threat. She rushed her bath, got dressed immediately and headed for the road to the office. As she drove out of light estate, her phone began to ring. What is it Rachel? She asked. The representatives of Sonas company are here ma. OK, I will be there in 30minutes she said and hang up. Driving really quietly on t...

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“To The Highest Bidder” by Carole Cobos

Submitted to Contest #72

In a world of hatred, schemes, and bald-faced lies it is a very rare thing to have anything clearly written on crisp parchment. There were always smudged words adding more circumstance or words written on another tongue designed to mislead. But as the young girl hunched over the typewriter, the sweet clacking of keys filed the air, and there was no writing except the writing of her heart. And if she were to use the misleading language of the travel, it would only be to write poetry or pretty sounding music. Nowadays, in a time of politi...

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$50

Prize money

687

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 18, 2020 EST

Won by Julie Ward 🏆

Title: Currents

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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