Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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

“Desert Romance” by Angela Morrissey

Submitted to Contest #72

David Ruff squatted in the sand and waited. He shouldered a machine gun, shivering from the cold night. Men similar to him wearing the same NATO uniform of khaki complete with army boots surrounded him. His green eyes widened as he took in the surrounds of the city of Ramzah the capital of al-Raman, a tiny kingdom sandwiched between Iran and Turkmenistan. It was the peacekeepers mission to keep the USSR out and stop them from invading this country where the people spoke a language that was a combination of Farsi and Arabic. Much of the city ...

Read story

“ Straight from my Heart” by Jordyn Johnson

Submitted to Contest #72

This story comes straight from my heart. I find that God is the best author ever, so I hope I do this story justice in its retelling. I’ve adapted a portion of my novel, My Answered Prayer, for this short story. At seventeen, I was a straight-A student who was very serious about her faith and her education. I felt God was leading me somewhere great, and I still do. Unexpectedly, He led me to help someone I never would have imagined. As usual, I had my nose in a book on this boring afternoon. I got this feeling someone was staring at me. Pee...

Read story

“Beginning Again” by John Meiners, Jr

Submitted to Contest #72

Beginning Again John Meiners, Jr. It's a week after Thanksgiving on a cold wet day in Community. The kind of day where the Avantans will not be going for a run but rather feeling sorry for those real deer enduring the weather. Samantha, Jesse, Pamela Lawton and Monroe are at Deer Run Lodge waiting for Bob Wallace. Pamela and Monroe have been borderline arguing about how much they can actually trust Bob. Monroe has spent his life dedicated to the protection of Commu...

Read story

“BENEATH THE DIRT” by Benjamin King

Submitted to Contest #72

Her hair was midnight-black and it gracefully flowed over her shoulders. Her dazzling eyes stared blankly at the space in front of her. Her velvety eyelashes dropped with a dull thud. With a slow hand movement, her varnished fingernails rubbed her thick velvety eyelashes revealing a pair of rapture-blue eyes. A set of dazzling, angel-white teeth gleamed as she blew gently over her carmine-red fingernails. After a quick glance at her beautiful watch, Aaliyah sighed heavily as she adjusted her position, leaning backwards on the park bench. An ...

Read story

“The Miracle Day” by Claude HATUNGIMANA

Submitted to Contest #72

The Miracle Day He was obsessed by a sensitive dilemma, impossibly struggling to unwrap and put out of his mind interminable fascinations chaining him to terrible and recurring nightmares. An advanced math equation. He was the first-born son in his middle-class family in the capital of the Republic. When he was four years old, he used to ask his mother who was his daddy. Her unique answer was that daddy will come back. She resolved to tell him the truth when he would be at least seven years old. For she was emotional, she remembered the ...

Read story

“Love of My Life” by Martha Sanipe

Submitted to Contest #72

Lucy was leaning over the counter whispering something into the bartender’s ear. Andy. He laughed and shook his head. Birt wished he could hear what she was saying, but he was sitting too far away. Anyhow, this was the time; he was sure of it. He’d been coming here every Friday and Saturday night for several weeks now, the nights Lucy was working. By now she knew him by name. He’d chatted her up a bit, but didn’t want to come on too strong. Didn’t want her to think he was a weirdo. Because the Lord had revealed to him the first time he’d l...

Read story

“At No Time” by Lyn VJ Bennett Wilson

Submitted to Contest #72

The alarm woke me up to a house in absolute silence… meaning sometime in the night the power had gone out. “Wow perfect timing” I quipped to my cardiac alert dog Ginger Pie. (or Geepers! Depending on the occasion) Ginger had her own problems, with the power went the heat. I threw some wool socks on and went down a few stairs of my little house to start a fire in the fireplace just to thaw out some. Ginger gratefully curled up by the fireplace while I made a cup of tea. I looked at the clock while grabbing ...

Read story

“Catching the Odd Fish ” by Sandra Russo

Submitted to Contest #72

“He's an absolute lunatic!” My mother squealed to no one in particular. “I don't know where she found him but she ought to put him back.” My Aunt stated matter of factly. They both were referring to my husband, Marv, who was puttering around outside with goggles on his face and sporting a very unusual spandex get up. He had all the appearances of a Christopher Lloyd doppelganger. That was even before he blew up the barn. You see most women fall for hunks or Prince Charming types but I was never attracted to either. They didn't am...

Read story

“a lover, she is kind” by Maddy Faggioli

Submitted to Contest #72

The hardest part of grief was the way it demanded your attention and focus. Ruby had lost a lot of people, she was accustomed to the background noise that grief provided. Most recent to exit her life via the Grim Reaper was her dog, Honey. It happened suddenly. Hit by a truck. Total accident and wildly out of the blue. She didn't have time to prepare for the loss of her young beagle, she had only gotten the puppy a couple years ago. So when the poor teenage driver knocked on her door sobbing apologies, every loss that she had suffered hit he...

Read story

“Love Hides in Mysterious Places” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #72

Love Hides in Mysterious Places Priscilla was simply a beautiful girl. However, she was modest. The college student just shook her head of gorgeous black curls and smiled that great smile the type you could hang on to forever. “I’m just average.” Perhaps, she might have believed so, but the healthy, red-blooded male population on campus thought otherwise. She was hardly able to walk ten feet without some guy hitting on the annoyed female. Tom Thomas, captain of the football team, had asked her out a thousand times.&nbsp...

Read story

“What is That?” by Brooke White

Submitted to Contest #72

“Remind me, what time is the Christmas party tonight?” I walk out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around me, and Jim is still in bed, just like he was when I walked into the shower. “Seven, I think? Or maybe it was six. I don’t know, I thought we weren’t going?” his voice follows me as I walk into our closet, reaching for a dress. “Actually, we never agreed on that. Come on, Jim, we should go. You should go, I thought you wanted to be promoted? If you want to be considered for the job, we should go.” “What about a babysitter?” “...

Read story

“Annie” by Pam Hamon

Submitted to Contest #72

At 6am, Annie heard the postman open the little wooden gate to her cottage. It was a very cold and icy morning and she felt desperately sorry for him having to work in this harsh weather. The ground had some white frost on it which glistened under the lamplight just outside her gate. It sparkled prettily but could be very perilous if you slipped on the hidden ice underneath. The cars, parked just outside, were white all over. Soon, people would be out there, all rugged up, trying to scrape the ice from the window screens. She shivered at the...

Read story

“TRUE STORY: HOW I BROKE LOSE FROM MY CAREER PRISON. ” by Mariah Kemigisha

Submitted to Contest #72

My name is Miss. Kemigisha. J. Mariah, From Uganda(East Africa). I am a University graduate who majored in Journalism and Mass communication but currently flourishing in Agriculture(Crop and Animal farming) to earn a living. I don't regret investing my savings in this venture because Life taught me a tough lesson at an early age when I lost my parents and through the process, I learnt that every job matters whether with or without Academic qualifications so long as It satisfies your heart and you are comfortable doing it. Had I turned down ...

Read story

“26 Missed Calls” by Abe Baron

Submitted to Contest #72

They live among us without being noticed. They blend with mortals as if they are not from different worlds. We talk and laugh with them. We smile at them as friends do. And some even work for them, like I do. Unfortunately. Today is my first online session with the son of a wealthy single parent—at least that’s how I knew it when I accidentally applied as a tutor. And by accidentally, I mean I walked on a street one day, then a turbulent rainbow tornado stopped in front of me just to leave not havoc but a piece of paper which said, “Congra...

Read story

“The Dream Job” by Eeshan Patel

Submitted to Contest #72

When I got a call from Coach Rivera, I was in complete awe. My family were crying in joy, while I was going crazy. Could this really be happening?It looks like I haven't introducted myself! Hi, my name is Bob Scott, and I am an 25 year-old investment banker for J.P Morgan. I played quarterback for the University of Florida, but that seemed like an eternity ago. I was a hyped-up prospect coming out of high school, so I was expected to lead the University of Florida to a National Championship. Sadly, injures derailed my football career, the mo...

Read story

Load more stories

$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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢