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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 GATTE: PAINTING MAGAZINE” by Japgun Kaur

Submitted to Contest #72

Winter season is always awaited in Rhodes Island and it becomes a spot of tourist attraction. It is famous for violent beaches. Impressed with the weather conditions and landscape features, Hayda Family plans a trip to Rhodes Island. To the north of Rhodes Island, stood a guest house where they came on a summer vacation and were perfectly worried about her daughter, Dazzle’s, future. Dazzle had a childish behavior, and did only what she wanted. They were proud to say that she is entering in higher secondary school and was choosing scie...

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“UNEXPECTED BUT AMAZING- THE FIRST JOB EXPERIENCE OF MAYA” by Anvesha Goswami

Submitted to Contest #72

I, Maya Sharma ,was there. Finally, I was there standing in front of the gigantic twenty storey building in which I had to appear for a job interview. Like the cautious and boring early comer I was, I arrived half an hour early and stood in front of the huge construction which I would call my personal hell, in other words, my work place if everything went well and I succeeded in impressing the interviewers. Although never been to an interview before, I had certainly heard that job interviewers were handpicked judgy people who would hav...

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“Dream Job” by HBR Patel

Submitted to Contest #72

'You Ready?' asked Jenny to his son. 'Yes, mom. Please bless me. I need this one,' said Ben 'You are going to make it. Just don't forgot to smile.' 'Like they will offer me the job based on my smile.' 'Yes. And, remember to drop this sarcasm while giving answers,' said Jenny. Life was not so much comfortable after the demise of Jenny's Husband. She raised Ben on her own. She put him through college & now Ben was ready to enter the corporate world. 'Mom, where is my watch?' Jenny smiled & pointed her finger towards...

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“Katrina's dream job” by Shadow Morris

Submitted to Contest #72

A young woman the age of 23 was just about to have a big change in her life. The whole rest of the year! Her name was Katrina and she wanted nothing more in life than to have her own place to live with her husband .. and to get a job in the career field she decided she wanted to do with her life, a desk job. You see Katrina , went to school for dental assisting, the only thing missing was actual experience in a externship...that her school scholarship at her college canceled on her . Since she didn't have extern experience, none of t...

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“The Triple S. Society ” by Joanne Mack

Submitted to Contest #72

Wind gushed down my back as I sprinted down the empty streets. The wailing of the wind screamed through my ears as I watched the trees sway as if they were threatening to leave their roots and crawl away. Fear tattooed my face as I gathered adrenaline, drawing the last bit of energy from my veins. Quickly, I took a small peak behind me to make triple sure that he wasn’t following me. A small weight fell off my shoulders as a unconscious breath escaped my lips. The street laid barren behind me. Nobody. Just me and my panic thoughts wres...

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“AIM” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #72

Providing the backing accompiament for talented musicians was a decent way to make a living, even if it was depressing at times. It was always the rich kids in the Sydney region that hired me, the wealthy kids whose parents could afford the best quality instruments and the years of lessons. Of course, they were hardworking and often deserved their places in the fancy institutions and universities of the performing arts. It was just hard to see people that I had once been in various school bands with be accepted into these top universities an...

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“Sparkling as star by thy deeds !!!” by S Afrose

Submitted to Contest #72

Ayan was shocked hearing the news that he got that fabulous job. That's beyond his imagination. Still, he can't believe that. Mom, can you please pinch me hardly? May be, a day dream. I don't want this dream for a long time. Alluring images, making me crazy always. Mother says- silly child, it's true. You get the job at the Raj's Textiles-a multinational company , a well renowned company in this time. Ayan starts to cry. Is it really? Oh God! Thanks a lot. But , I never think to get a job like this one. Whimsically, I dropped ...

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“WK927” by Kyo Brantley

Submitted to Contest #72

Exodus Agent WK927 was insignificant. The thousands of creatures that passed by him every day would forget him almost instantaneously, almost as if he’d never been there in the first place. Nothing else was really to be expected on Æ92, one of the busiest transport planets in the galaxy. Millions of life forms flooded through the massive checkpoint buildings on the way to their next transport - whisked away from the dull bureaucracy of galactical immigration agencies. WK927 was one person well accustomed to the dull bureaucracy of galactical...

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“Jerrick's Journey” by Grant Wieczorek

Submitted to Contest #72

Back in the Day, Jarick was very good at math. Although he was very smart and good at school, he struggled socially. school years went on, he grew more and more into wanting to be an engineer. He was really into building and fixing things. He would take all the engineering courses in high school. He learned how different tools Works, he also learned how to program Electronics. He grew incredibly fascinated with that field. Never in his Wildest Dreams could you ever imagine doing anything different. As he started the process of picking and ch...

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“A boy with fear. ” by Meghana Meghu17

Submitted to Contest #72

Bhavya is a 26 year old boy who was very intelligent and prefect in all aspects. He had graduated from a college in Bengaluru. He was very shy in the matters of self exposure. He had afraid of facing cameras. Inspite of being shy, he was really a bright boy. What he doing a couple of months back is attending many interviews in the hope of getting a perfect job where he can earn more than he wished for. Because of his shyness, many interviewers rejected him on the face. He also had fear of getting rejected. Everybody of his close friends knew...

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“A Schizophrenic Zookeeper” by Aurora Eddy

Submitted to Contest #72

“I don't need the money, I need purpose.” “You need the money too.” “Barely,” “Your car is broken and you can't afford to fix it.” “If I don't have a car I can’t look for a job.” My mirror is talking to me and I'm going to be late to my interview if I don't stop staring at my moving mouth. I have to take public transportation to get there. I’m applying to work at a zoo, and I hate zoos but now I’m going to have to live with that. My shoes are very uncomfortable today, and they keep coming untied. I’ve always found it so awkward having to b...

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“Doctor Drummer” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #72

He woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, his hands trembling, his head spinning. He hadn’t woken up like this since the days right after the love of his life was… No. No, he wasn’t going down that rabbit hole today. He got out of bed and headed straight for his drum kit. For the next hour, he pounded that nightmare right out of his system. With every beat of the drums, the details of the nightmare became clearer and clearer and also begun losing their power to fill him with terror. Playing drums had always been therapeutic for...

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“Bold and Confident” by Lori Sharp

Submitted to Contest #72

June sat in the doctor's office, waiting patiently. She was thumbing through a travel magazine while she waited for her turn. Thinking of faraway places and dreaming of a vacation that she knew she would not be able to take for some time. A smile slowly crept across her face as she dreamed of different vacations she had never been on. She had just lost her job as a recruiter, due to company downsizing. She had an ample nest egg built up for savings, so she wasn't too worried about finding immediate work. And, she wanted to find just the righ...

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“Amalgamation ” by Liam Nolan

Submitted to Contest #72

Gary took a sip of the complimentary water as he waited in to lobby of the office building. The white, sterile walls had a somewhat calming effect on him. The building was in a part of town that he regularly visited, yet he had never seen this building before, as it if had sprung up overnight. He nervously glanced around the lobby, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other applicants and size up the competition, but apart from the friendly receptionist, there was no one else in the room. The receptionist gave him a reassuring smile as he caught...

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“The Family Business” by AntiSocial Fred

Submitted to Contest #72

Ezra is the epitome of a snooty rich kid, except he’s long left the title of kid in the dust. But you’d never be able to tell based on his interests, as he often blows all his money on comic books, video games, and liquor. It was his father that wanted him to work, and only his father. Ezra came from an abundance of wealth and would receive an allowance every month for proving that he was contributing to society. This benefit of having a job means he receives his allowance without having to hear the ...

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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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