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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#75: New Year, New You

For many of us, the last year was like living through a low-budget disaster movie — but the good thing about the new year is that it gives us an excuse to start fresh. And even though flipping a calendar doesn’t necessarily fix all our problems, it’s still good to take a moment and think about everything you do have the power to change.

In that spirit, this week’s prompts are all about fresh starts. From small, personal achievements to huge goals that will change the world, everything starts with the decision to try. What sort of things will your characters achieve this year? What sort of things will you?

This week's prompts

Write about someone who has finally managed to succeed at a long-standing New Year’s resolution.

Winter – 98 stories

Write about someone whose job is to help people leave their old lives behind.

Adults – 246 stories

Start your story with one character making a vow that they never would have made the year before.

Holiday – 102 stories

Write about someone who doesn’t remember their past — and doesn’t want to.

Thriller and Suspense – 205 stories

Write about two characters who each want to change the same thing, but resolve to go about it in very different ways.

Teens – 84 stories

Stories

“Who am I?” by Shadow Rivers

Submitted to Contest #75

She wakes up to a blinding light. She groans, closing her eyes for a second. "Juli?" Someone says from her left. She pushes all of her weight on her left hand on the bed, lifting herself, while the other rubs her eyes. She opens her eyes to see a worried man with no ID in the chair next to her bed. "Woah, Who are you?! Don't get any closer!" She says, shuffling away from him. His charcoal black hair and icy blue eyes seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. "W-wait, calm down!" The tough-looking guy spoke in his semi-deep voice. He put hi...

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“ANAGHA” by Pushyami Pushyami

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: rape, abuse, suicide “Gouthami …” Called Chandra! I stopped and looked back. “Gouthami, Don't worry. You will be alright. Happy journey!” I gave him that old cold look and whispered, “Thanks!” As I settled in my seat, the bus started to move slowly. I was neither watching Chandra nor anyone in the bus. I was just too sleepy, and was waiting for my turn to produce my ticket for the bus conductor. Suddenly, a girl in a red drape churidar, mostly, in her early twenties caught my attenti...

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“Green Screen” by Liz Tran

Submitted to Contest #75

I cranked up the radio. The poppy synths of Phoebe Ryan’s “Should I” elevated until they bumped into the roof of the car and started hammering at it. On the right, the blue satiny fabric of the Pacific Ocean filled most of the window. White speckles of sunlight dotted the spread of color like sequins. A thin stretch of chalky sand etched a precise line separating the road from the ocean. On the left side, where Natalie was sitting, a large expanse of beige cliffs rigidly circumscribed her silhouette. Dinky identical houses dotted the top in ...

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“I Can Never Forget” by Cameron :D

Submitted to Contest #75

Trigger warning: abuse A man clad in stark white scrubs walked past the busy hallways. A bright yellow folder held close to his chest, as he navigated the hospital with ease. Weariness plagued his features as he ran a hand across his tangled hair. The corners of his mouth subconsciously turned downwards once he faced the door to room 419, a sigh escaping his overly dry lips. He raised his hand to open the door, hesitating only slightly before putting on a forced smile and entering the dull and lifeless room. The wo...

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“Who am I?” by Leantè April

Submitted to Contest #75

Hello there. My name is Candy Marvoulyn, a tenth grader at west wood high and it’s been a week since I got back from the hospital. I was in an accident and apparently it was bad. “apparently” you ask. Well,you see my friend. I can’t remember anything besides the things my mother told me. People tell me that it’s for the best that I don’t know what happened to me but, I’m really curious to know why. What happened to me and why was it so bad? “Candy, is something wrong?” my mother asks with a clear look of concern. i didn’t know if I could ans...

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“Don't Look Back” by Dominica Lopez

Submitted to Contest #75

It’s freezing in my hospital bed. This shivery feeling is tiring as I watch the broken fan makes a dreadful noise at every try to spin. The nurse whistles as she cleans off shiny metal. The light reflected in my eye and I groaned. “Oh, you’re awake. I hope you’re hungry. Time to get back to business.” I didn’t know what was happening. In this filthy room, nothing was familiar. My arm didn’t look like my own. She got up in my face and surveyed me. “That gun to the face must’ve gotten to your head, huh? Do you recognize me, pal?” I shook...

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“Girl Emancipated” by Thompson Emate

Submitted to Contest #75

Another woman came in between her parents. Another woman built a wall of divide between them. She made sour the love they shared. He pointed accusing fingers at his wife, that she was the cause of the turmoil. He said it was all through her their marriage hit the rocks. If she had complained a little less and been appreciative, probably they wouldn’t have been separated. These her father told her elder brother. Her mother left when she was six. She was left alone with her dad and her siblings. Though her step mum also kept company but i...

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“Daddy’s Mystery ” by Amieyra Daniea

Submitted to Contest #75

Blood...blood... That’s all that I saw...It’s just blood everywhere.... Suddenly,everything turned black and all I can heard was the police siren outside... Then,I heard a voice said “There someone in here!” And the next thing I knew I can’t hear or see anything... At the moment,I thought it was the end of everything... My life... My journey... Out of the blue moon,I saw a light... I told myself “This is it...Your in heaven now...There’s nothing that can hurt you anymore...Your fine..Everything is gonna be okay...” But as I walke...

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“Suppressing All That's Left” by Trisyia Rashid

Submitted to Contest #75

Her name is Sasha Johnson, and she cannot remember her past. Of course, that’s what this prompt states. You expect her not to remember her past. What you want to know is why, and more importantly, why she doesn’t want to. I remember Sasha’s past. Sasha began life as any child should, playing with her friends, going to school, learning life lessons. At 18, she graduated high school and went straight into college. There, she met Adam. Adam was the love of her life, and they dated all throughout college. Eventually, they both graduated, started...

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“The Wrong Path” by Layne Reid

Submitted to Contest #75

Progress Report 32: Subject #39872 Not much further can be said about the subject since the last report. They are still showing signs of hostility and frustration towards further treatment and are thus unwilling to continue. Should the subject not show considerable effort in the next session, termination will be strongly considered. I lift my eyes slowly from the screen, not entirely surprised by what I’ve just read. I’ve been working with this patient for months and there is little to show for it. Countless sessions working through sk...

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“Gravity's Embrace” by Dino Lirios

Submitted to Contest #75

Whenever the weekend was in sight, it seemed like time slowed to a baby covered in molasses and crawling in quicksand. It was made worse by James watching the clock’s every hand tick. Each individual hand tick was a small blow to his brain. He wished that he could take the clock and hurl it across the room, voiding the time requirement to clock out. However, he knew he couldn’t. He kept his head down and fortified his mind against the marching tick-tick-ticking blows. Everyone in the office was in their own little space. Each...

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“Charlotte's day out” by Mētra K.

Submitted to Contest #75

The car silently hummed. It was 3 pm on a Saturday. Charlotte peered out the window and saw the first fallen leaves. She thought about the way her brother had been ignoring her lately; he'd just hang out with his friends. She wondered, if there was something she had said or done. - Do you think I can take Barry with me? - she asked, looking at her grey, slightly worn out bunny, wondering, if, perhaps, I'd be better to act more her age. She was nine after all. - Of course, honey! - her mom said, taking a turn. Charlotte wasn'...

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“Ignorance Is Bliss” by Rabail .

Submitted to Contest #75

'Look after creating chaos how peacefully she's sleeping,' said Edward, 'I want to kill her millions of times.''Edward you need to calm down,' said Lily. It had been three months since a terrorist is in a coma. She had killed more than three hundred people and after killing them she tried to suicide by shooting herself in the head but a police officer named Lily snatched that piston from her. Lily was late, her head was still hitten by a bullet but luckily she didn't die. Now she was hooked to a ventilator. No one knew from wh...

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“Try To Remember” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #75

I wake up with a start to a rattling noise. Blinking, I see a tea trolley in front of me and a young woman handing me a cup. I look around the room. It looks like any sitting room, with overstuffed armchairs, little side tables and a cabinet full of knick-knacks in one corner, but it’s hot and there’s a smell of disinfectant. There are a couple of elderly gents sitting in the other chairs, one doing a crossword in the newspaper and the other muttering irritably at the talking head on the television. I don’t know them. Anxious now, I put the ...

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“The New Memories of Tom Ford” by Nelson Locklear

Submitted to Contest #75

In a dream…in a dream that’s where most dreamers want to be. In the sea…in the sea, that’s where my memories need to be. Washed away…washed away, to never remind me of my previous days. In a small room located at South General Hospital on the third floor, lies a man in a bed. On the counter next to the faucet and the paper towel dispenser are some get well cards and some balloons with “Get Well Soon” written on them. The room numbered, 316 is quiet except for the beeping sound of the heart monitor, that has it’s own rhythm dance going on. ...

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$50

Prize money

735

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 08, 2021 EST

Won by R. A. 🏆

Title: The Violinist

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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