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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

“The First Thing We Do” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #72

T.S. Eliot was right, Harrison thought. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper. Although his English bachelors degree had been useful in law school, now Harrison James Pellingham, III needed it for a job. Yes, he knew that 100,000 new lawyers graduated every year from varying degrees of prestigious institutions, all vying for the same jobs. Yes, he knew that only 63% of law school graduates actually found work within the legal field, while others took far less distinguished work. Yes, he knew that taking out...

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“noa's arc (lamp) ” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #72

It was Valentine’s Day. There was a hallway full of roses, chocolate boxes, teddy bears, the occasional card, for those so inclined to handwrite sentiments, and then, of course, there was a trash can full of ramen. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to you, reader, because you don’t really think of ramen noodles having anything to do with Valentine’s Day aka Singles Awareness Day. It made sense to Perlita Martan, though, because they were her noodles and she’d thrown them in the trash after her best friend told her she was going with th...

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“Gone With the Snowflakes” by Akshaya Sutrave

Submitted to Contest #72

Fifteen-year-old Amanda Thrift was in her dorm, waiting for the day to get over. She was slumped on a couch, magazines piled up beside her in a messed heap. Darkness had replaced day. Amanda loved the dark. Her college-mates made fun of her, saying she was a cat herself, not a human being. Amanda ignored them. Ever since she’d shown up, she despised everything there, from its dimly lit corridors to the cafeteria.Amanda had never fit in. She didn’t want to.She flipped through a mystery book. One she had leafed through around a million times b...

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“Who did it? (Part 1)” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #72

Title: Who did it? (Part 1)Authors: Haripriya and BAuthors Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a great Sunday! This story is a little different because it is a collaboration between me and B! To be honest, this is the first time I have ever planned out a story with someone else. Usually, all my stories are things I've done by myself, so this was an amazing experience! We (kind of) planned the plot of the story, the character and character's names, and just the entire layout of it, so if you enjoyed this story, you should go check...

170 comments 170

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“A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY” by Tazmin Shaikh

Submitted to Contest #72

I could have seen the entire New York, standing on the top floor of ‘one police plaza’ headquarters. New York was my first love from the beginning, as whenever I saw it sensed an even more affection. But that day my heart was not feeling that fondness. The events from the last few weeks had shaken my head completely. Why did they do it? And mostly who are they? These questions made me crazy from that morning.“They are a community, I believe.” Detective Smith said.“maybe, a gang.” Detective Rhonda said.“no, not a gang, if it would, then they ...

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“I'm Not at Home” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #72

Title: I'm Not at HomeAuthor: HaripriyaAuthors Note: Hello everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic Friday and had a great week! Since I am really fond of the genre of science-fiction, I thought that this story was going to be perfect when picking which one to write. I went on a different route in this story, but all in all, tried to make everything fit the prompt. Hopefully, this choice was a good one! I hope you like the way I approached this prompt, and I hope you all have a blast reading!Preface: During the 21st century, a lot of...

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“Dreamcatchers” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #72

December 10, 1944. Weather: wet snow blanket. Pillows of ice The guys and I don't bother meeting at each others’ houses anymore-at least since we met Markus. “Ice coffee anyone?” He chirps, dishing out ice water and straws. The deli is cold and empty today, tiny flecks of snow attaching to every red, plastic booth inside. “It’s freezing outside.” Grater points out, motioning to the snow pouring from the ash-gray sky. “So?” Markus shrugs, eyeing the piles of uneaten food on our plastic plates. “I’m still o...

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“The Last Obstacle” by Maya -

Submitted to Contest #72

Author’s Note: I kind of tweaked the prompt a little here because I had an idea that was pretty similar. It is pretty short, but I hope you enjoy it!፠ ፠ ፠“We are so close to finding it,” the wrinkled creature states, “The key to everything.”Her skin is weathered and rough to the touch. Like an emerald-colored elephant. She is average size, not too big and not too small. Her wide blue eyes bulge out of her face, like two reflective serving bowls, shimmering with ambition.“When the project is finally completed, we will have all the power in th...

135 comments 135

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“A Eulogy To Mia ” by ✨Abby ✨

Submitted to Contest #72

Authors note: Hello everyone. Just so you know this has nothing to do with the prompt. This is a eulogy to my four-legged best friend who recently passed away. The diary entries were ones I actually wrote and took from my journal. Also, the words in italics are from the song ”See You Again” by Carrie Underwood. I hope Reedsy doesn't take it down, but we'll see.Said goodbye, turned around and you were gone, gone, gone. My best friend died last month. She was black and white and had a dark mane an...

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“NOT a Philanthropist: Part One” by ✧ 𝕊𝕒𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕒 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟 ✧

Submitted to Contest #72

I am no philanthropist. Sure, I have millions of dollars to spare, but I’d rather spend it on my antique car collection. Does that make me sound self-centered? Greedy? Why, yes. Yes, it does. Do I care? Why, no. No, I don’t. According to my father, you shouldn’t trust anyone. The second you do, they’ll stab you in the back and leave you for dead, taking everything you love. So, yeah, my dad was a pretty positive influence. But I don’t need your pity. You can take that crap somewhere else. Give it to the orphans or someth...

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“My Heart 🔪” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #72

Part three of My Mistake! I finally finished it. Enjoy! BLAKE'S POV:I scream, again, for what must be the twentieth time this morning. I hate it here. It’s cold, and small, and I just hate it. And I decided to make it everyone’s problem. I keep screaming.Despite how hard I tried, I still got caught. I nearly killed the people that tried to take me to jail, so they brought me here. I’m not exactly sure where I am, but it’s terrible. I think it’s some kind of high security prison.I’m in a small room with plain white walls. I’m sittin...

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“Autumn Diaries” by Hema Saju

Submitted to Contest #72

My grandson lay on my lap sucking his plumb, pink thumb. He tries hard to keep open his battling eyelids that beseech sleep. He turns aside and smiles with the quite assurance of his mother’s presence. He gently falls asleep with drops of milk trickling down his mouth. The rabbit ears on his yellow dress pop out with curious crimson eyes.He smells of fresh cream and coconut oil. The baby smell lingers in the room and seeps into my heart. I am reminded of my little baby girl. I am reminded of the days when I was a young mother.“Amma, don...

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“Taxi of Tomorrow” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #72

Ethan didn’t believe in soulmates. He thought there was no possible way that two people in the world could somehow be connected by some fictional magic. Separated perhaps by blue seas and fields of yellow-faced stars, never to meet. Yet, 73% of people imagined that someone out there, waiting to kiss their palms and smile. That’s why, on an overcast Thursday morning in November, Ethan brought up the topic in his anthropology class. His students, young with eyes that could fit through the loops of chain-link fences, disagreed...

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“The Masquerader” by Benji Bobo ©

Submitted to Contest #72

Mr. Goba was a messenger. He had a black beard, blue eyes, and a very small pile of brown hair in the very center of his head, surrounded by a lake of skin. He had been hired to deliver a package to the resident of house number 666. He walked down the dark eerie street that had a single streetlight, far away, shivering, while the sinister winds tried to drive its roots out of the earth. The glowing rock in the sky, let a single stream of pale silver light, trickle through the dark clouds, just enough to see where he was going. He walked towa...

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“The Shadchan” by Kirsten Porter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #72

The first time Rebekah saw Eliza was like poetry. Like the Emily Dickinson description of poetry, feeling like the top of your head has been lifted right off. Eliza had blushed and told Rebekah that she was her first client. “But I’m learning from the best,” she said. “Tova has 250 married couples under her belt. She’s training me in all her secrets.” Rebekah nodded, barely aware that she was staring, and ushered Eliza into her mother’s sitting room (her mother liked old-fashioned words like that). Eliza pulled out a list of questions and ...

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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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