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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

“What Humans call...” by Megan Faith

Submitted to Contest #72

“Alright,” Remi studied their Titan, talking to him softly as they always did during repairs. “Show me what’s wrong Avery.” Titans are the names of the android companions. No one knew why Titan was the name, but everyone just accepted it. Everyone was the members of the space shuttle, all delivered by the last ship from Base. The Base was home, and the home was where Remi’s love was. “Here we go handsome.” Remi found the snag in his arm and began to unwind to patch him. “We’ll get you back on in no time.” Remi was the youngest of the ...

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“Talk About Predictable!” by Chris Culpepper

Submitted to Contest #72

Talk About Predictable! Today was going to be another one of those days. You know the ones; you start with each activity already preloaded into your smart device. You go places, you sell or buy things, you punch buttons all day until returning home exhausted. You relax to preselected music or entertainment with the goal of preparing you for tomorrow. How did Pim know it was going to be that way? Because it's like that EVERYDAY! Not that it's a bad life. The Omnicomputer had accurately predicted he would be exactly at th...

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“ORDER” by Darius Dakolo

Submitted to Contest #72

Dylan woke up to the all-too familiar beeps of his alarm clock beside his bed. Almost immediately, a wave of fatigue weighed down on his body and he regretted staying up till 4:00am the night before. The only thing in the world he wanted to do right now was to sleep the day away, but it was a school day. His mom would flay him if he missed school without a solid reason. Sighing, he reached over and groped for the button that would silence the annoying wake up call.Taking a few seconds to enjoy the silence, he tossed the blanket aside and dra...

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“For The Love of Brand” by Vincent Cruz

Submitted to Contest #72

No one needs to think anymore. I work close enough that I can walk and on the way I pass by the Brand coffee shop. A woman stands outside with a tray where a large Americano in the cool morning air steams at its center. The algorithm knows my life in advance, it knows who I am, what I want, where I plan to go, and who I want to fuck. Brand is everywhere. Every thought and action anticipated before the idea or movement becomes conscious. In my office on the 8th floor I watch the street below. The users enter and exit shops...

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“i am the author” by Pyrrhic Everby

Submitted to Contest #72

Disclaimer: I am Maria, and I am the “author”. However, do not misunderstand. I do not create the story, I merely tell it. Science has come to a point where we can calculate and predict every single human action, movement, thought, etc. They call this type of math the ‘Magic Eight Ball Method’, named after the famed toy that was popular in the 21st century. This science has been protested by many, and we understand your concerns. Some may have said that we are playing ‘god’. Some have said that they feel a lack of privacy. However, I hope y...

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“Santa's dead” by Emma Harris

Submitted to Contest #72

"Hey, Min! New case just came in!" William said as he slid over on his chair and dropped a thin folder onto his partners desk."What's this one about?" Yoonki asked."I don't really know. I just took a glance but I figured you'd like to look at it together. We are partners after all." Yoonki nodded."I guess so." He started to open the folder but William slammed his hand on it, closing the folder."How about we look at this over coffee? It's early in the morning and we already have a case. Isn't that a reason to get a little energy?" Yoonki star...

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“An Open and Shut Case” by Zomo Bean

Submitted to Contest #72

I live in Sliver Springs, a sleepy hamlet town in the English countryside. Nothing really exciting happens here, and the most excited thing to be featured in the Silver Springs Gazette is that a sheep trampled into someone's yard and destroyed their prized voilets. I used to work for Scotland Yard, but I got reassigned to the small town. The town only had less than a thousand people, trufully I think there is more sheep than people. I get the usual run of the mill cases- property disbutes or disorderly contuct. My job isn't that glamerous...

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“He never saw it coming ” by Taja Jones

Submitted to Contest #72

Trigger warning - mentions of gun violence, illegal activity, and gang violence , and deathYou know if you were to tell Cole Connor six months ago that he would be serving a life sentence for 15 different crimes, he would've laughed right in your face. Well, that is now his reality, if only he would have known looked closer maybe he would have seen it coming.You see it all started that day he was taken off desk duty at work. "Connor the Sergeant wants to see you in his office now says it is important"Brian called out to him on the way back t...

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“It's always the ones you least expect” by Hamna Iqbal

Submitted to Contest #72

‘Good one Nahel!’ ‘You did it!’ ‘Truly gifted, you are!’ Cries like these could be heard all over the office as Ashanti Nahel made her way towards the exit after solving an impossible case. A gruesome murder of a young woman and her two children in their own home. Head slightly raised and eyes displaying her visible exhaustion, Ashanti regarded everyone with gratitude as she left the building, breathing a huge sigh of relief. As she started the engine in her car, she hesitated for a moment and finally decided to stop and sit for a while. Arm...

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“When the shoe fits...” by Harold Bowlby

Submitted to Contest #72

When the Shoe Fits “Come off it, Charlie. It’ll go a lot easier on you if you just tell us how it happened.” “I don’t know how it happened. I was asleep and when I woke up she was there; in the alley. Dead. I don’t know how she got there. I didn’t kill her. I don’t even know her.” The exasperated detective slammed his fist down hard on the table. “O.K. let’s go over it again from the beginning.” “I told you a bunch of times. How many more times do I have to tell you?” “Until you get your story straig...

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“DETECTIVE "T" ” by Anil Chowhan

Submitted to Contest #72

Three families were went to complain at police station to complain that 4 girls (REKHA,PRIYA,ASHA,DEEPA)of 14 year old of same hostel was got pregnant positive. As per the F.I.R they said that due to covid 19 lock down girls are came and staying at home only.suddenly girl's (chowhan's - REKHA AND PRIYA:ROSHAN'S ASHA AND CHOUDARY'S DEEPA )are feel down 3 - 4day different from each other loop of and then they visited to hospital where they come to know they are pregnant,this are the reports an...

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“Ivy's Diary ” by Aahna Aggarwal

Submitted to Contest #72

Sept. 15, 2000 Dear Diary, Today was a crazy day. We were at the skating center and suddenly out of nowhere, the police came. They were looking for someone. Apparently, there was a murder downtown. They got a lead and said that the murderer was headed in this direction. Strange, isn’t it? Anyway, we had to leave early because they were roping the place off for any evidence. They asked each of us for our names as we walked out. Everyone was kind of in a bad mood cause that was our group’s only outing since forever. They’re all still super bum...

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“The Day I Lost My Harmony ” by Stephanie Jeannot

Submitted to Contest #72

I felt completely overwhelmed. I could barely catch my breath because someone yanked the stacks of harmony out of my heart and I had no idea who. I could not stop myself from crying because all of a sudden, everyone around me was a suspect and the trust I had for them changed.“Did anyone see my harmony?”“Where did you place it?”"It was here a minute ago, but just like that, it is gone.”“You sure that you did not shield it somewhere before you got here?”I felt like a caged bird unable to connect and so distracted by my missing harmony that it...

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“Caught or so I thought” by Kimani Bonner

Submitted to Contest #72

It was a rainy day when I got the call. "Hello?" I said " Hi y-y-yes..." the voice of a woman stuttered "Hello ma'am what is the problem?" What the voice said sent chills down my back and I don't get scared so easily. " P-P-Please h-h-help m-m-me I am stuck here he is going to kill me..." Then the line went dead. So I did what any other detective would do: call up their team to help them solve the case. I first called my computer girl Mimi to track the phone number, after that I called my best guys in this business Nathion, and Darrel. The b...

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“Redemption ” by Carol Keefer

Submitted to Contest #72

Detective Green breathes a sigh of relief as he finishes up his report so he can lay to rest the murder case of the store clerk. “It’s all too easy,” Trevor muses to himself as he goes over the details one more time before heading home.“Great job, Green,” Chief Williams said. His coworkers swarm around, each praising him on a job well done. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate all of the attention from the other officers, but as he would say, “I’m only doing my job.” A job for the past twenty years this month, j...

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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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