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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

“Interlin” by Martin Cambridge

Submitted to Contest #72

Adrian was a young man who worked in an office. He had worked there for two years, and although the work was interesting and the other people were nice, he did not like his position in the office because he did not have a desk near the window. There was another man who had a desk near the window. When this man got a new job, Adrian moved to the desk near the window, and found that the man had left a few papers and things in the desk. After a few days Adrian decided to tidy the desk. He di...

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“My name is Monika” by Mercy Langley

Submitted to Contest #72

When the new computer model, Bx12 came out in the year 25000, it was sold out of nearly every store in America, and the world by the next day. It was installed into every person's home, permitted to access every electronic item, permitted to study the humans that owned it. Since Bx12 was installed in every home around the world, it created a Hive, every Bx unit compiled all their data of human behavior and interactions into the correct folders. Soon Bx knew everything about human emotions, actions, reactions, even how they thought. The human...

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“Unleashing Light” by Bianca Jansen Van Rensburg

Submitted to Contest #72

I should kill the bartender. I smile to myself. It’s rare that I’m able to identify a thought that’s not my own. The thought had come from my chip, how else would I know that the bartender’s own chip is beginning to malfunction? Chatter fills the bar as everyone around their tables catch up during their daily allotted social gathering. No one pays attention to me or the government issued gun I carry. A designated drunk stumbles into my path. His chip sparks his alcohol soaked brain into motion and he scurries away before I trample him. Th...

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“When You Reach 1%” by Chet McHenry

Submitted to Contest #72

JoDa Ten Zero One screamed in pain after severing two fingers of his right hand. His response for such an accident came in at 99.8% which was well within expectant norms. His injury was treated within five minutes of the occurrence which also was the expected response time considering the variables of the accident’s location, travel time from the dispensary of the company, the readiness of staff prepared to respond to accidents within that location and the severity of the accident which came in at a 95% level...

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“History Lesson Created” by John Rockk

Submitted to Contest #72

I was walking my dog by Goose Creek last Tuesday. I needed to get some air. The past day and a half was a scary and most out of character time for me. While drinking down at the local watering hole, I was in a fight and, in my stupor, had knocked the owner Bo-bo out cold. He fell, smacked his head so hard, he fell into a coma. It was all so unnecessary, and I felt bad. But from what everyone told me, he was talking some communism trash and kept getting in my face about it. I was an American through ...

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“The New Algorithm ” by Angel Brookins

Submitted to Contest #72

Henrietta Van Pelt stretched languidly on the rattan deck chair. The cool breeze coming off of the Persian Gulf Coast to her right hand side tasted of coquitos and salt. Chills rose on her arms as a cloud scudded overhead, the first of many to rush in fill the horizon in the late afternoons at this time of year. It was monsoon season, which meant that anyone who'd ever been caught out in the thundering rain took notice of that single flicker of shadow. The brief chill it brought was like ice-water in the faces of the lo...

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“2182” by Colton Schaefer

Submitted to Contest #72

The year is 2182, and with the advancements of technology, artificial intelligence, and a basic understanding of the human species, It is now possible to predict every single person’s behavior and what they will do next. First, let me take you back to where all of this came to be. A group of scientists are able to amalgamate their knowledge of human behavior in the year 2182. They come up with an extremely complex formula involving strands of hair. This takes a turn for the worse when the average citizen figures out this formula and is able ...

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“Memories” by Aubrey Spencer

Submitted to Contest #72

On my 17th birthday, I was assigned the occupation of a murderer. Before everyone’s 17th birthday, my year took a tour of the building that held the machines- a tall skyscraper that was made of glass so reflective you couldn't look directly at it on a sunny day. They explained the machines and how they benefited our society. Then the memory transfers, how on our 17th birthday we would receive a memory from your future self to guide you in what your future was going to be like. We learned that the machines could predict ways of ...

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“The Alien” by Emma Harris

Submitted to Contest #72

"So you're telling me that they don't have cameras like we thought they did? They just ... KNOW when we're going to do something?" Seulgi said."Yeah. They are pretty much just very advanced psychiatrists." Ji-Hyun explained. "How do you know all of this for sure?"Ji-Hyun hesitated. "You promise you won't freak out?""I won't.""Kong-Hyun! You can come out!"A well-built alien appeared in front of the two girls. He had markings all over his face that signified that he was a very high up member of the alien government. Ji-Hyun screamed and S...

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“The GIRL WITH THE CANDY BAR” by Dolapo Omoleme

Submitted to Contest #72

I obeyed the command and rose from my sitting position, then I stretched my body to confirm everything was in order. It was. Just as I predicted. The team of experts had done a very good job. As with all humans, my analysis showed that they were eagerly anticipating the public unveiling, after which they believed they would win the prize and claim the fame and fortune that were sure to come with achieving such a great feat. It’s just human nature. When I sprinted towards the observation room, without any command issued, I saw the s...

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“The Beta Test” by Lucy Thatcher

Submitted to Contest #72

The Beta Test Welcome to Beta, land of the reinvented. My name’s Rissa, and I’ll be your unwilling tour guide. Please refrain from interrupting, I have a lot to say and not a lot of time to do it. Oh, and trust me – you’ll want to listen. So, where was I? Right, Beta. This is the world that knows your every whim and is built to serve the harmonious and blessed. The “Chosen Ones”, born in a world free from the burdens of history. You want a latte? It’s already prepped. Got a headache? Check the mail, aspirin has alread...

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“Tranquility At Last. ” by Nafeesah Rasoully

Submitted to Contest #72

Tranquility At Last by: Nafeesah Rasoully I’ve been awake for awhile now but for some reason unknown to me, I find myself far too afraid to open my eyes. I don’t know why I am shaking in fear, curled up in a fetal position. With no sense of where I might be, all I can focus on is protecting myself. But what am I protecting myself against? I continued to shake in fear until I heard a cry I recognized. Before my brain could process what was happening, my body jolted up and began to follow the direction from which the cry wa...

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“Human Algorithms” by Liz G

Submitted to Contest #72

Existence as ones and zeroes is exhausting. Maybe it isn’t for a computer. They are built for this, but I am not. I was human once, you know. I was a human until I decided I did not want to be a human. I wanted to understand humans. For that I had to become something more, in order to fully map the human mind. For that, I had to resort to desperate measures. Oh, the technology already existed. Nobody wanted to try it, though. I didn’t want to become known. I didn’t want to be monitored. This was my own project, and I do it th...

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“The factory” by Coral Winterstrom

Submitted to Contest #72

Billie sighed, she was sitting at a table with other people, brainwashed people, but still people, they all acted the same, the headmaster has everyone come to his office before they came into the factory which soon everyone will be working at because work outside of the factory is almost impossible, they come in fine and come out barely blinking, she had gone in too, they have you stare at a screen, and it erases your memory and tells you what you believe, what to do, and what to say. Billie's father taught her how to avoid being hypnotized...

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“Break Free” by Lexie Tone

Submitted to Contest #72

The moonlight maintained a brilliant glow that night, but only through the fractured peaks of the Southern Rockies. Jaxon Finch, Commander of the Compliance Enforcement Squad #357, moved quickly with a determined stride through the outcrops. His every breath misted the air with rapid puffs of ice as he led his loyal company toward the location of a suspected traitor camp.“Move in, men, but be on guard. I have no idea what this ‘Cancer’ has set up here.” Jaxon ordered his men discreetly. He gestured toward the fledgling who went by Isaac 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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