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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#76: He Said, She Said

Is there anything more satisfying for a writer than that moment your characters suddenly come alive in your mind? For me, this often comes in the form of a conversation — I know I finally understand them when they start talking to each other without any effort on my part.

From witty banter to subtle conversations packed with unspoken threats, there’s so many ways dialogue can drive a story forward. As you craft your stories this week, really think about what your dialogue is saying about your characters. What are they willing to admit to each other, and what are they trying to keep hidden?

And in case you need a little help crafting the perfect retort, here’s a few resources to get your characters talking:

This week's prompts

Write a story told exclusively through dialogue.

Dialogue – 349 stories

Write about two people who just can’t seem to understand each other, no matter how clearly they think they’re speaking.

Sad – 79 stories

Write about a character who is incapable of telling even the smallest lie or half-truth.

Character – 80 stories

Write a conversation that takes place between two people who refuse to say what they mean.

Dialogue – 58 stories

Write about a character who’s always thinking of things they’ll say to people, but who ends up saying very little when they finally get the chance.

Character – 219 stories

Stories

“Never Been Surer” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #76

“Will you marry me?” “Renee?” “Are you still breathing?” “Yes, yes, yes, you stupid man! Of course, I’ll marry you!” “Good, because I was starting to get a little worried –” ****** “Do you, Cyril Jameson, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, till death do you part?” “I do.” “Do you, Renee Salazar, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, till death do you part?” “I do.” “I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” ****** “Are you sure ...

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“All I've Ever Wanted” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #76

Lying is a black hole. You lie to one person about something, then you immediately feel the urge to lie about something else. The lies just keep piling up, and in a moment, the line between the truth and the lie becomes so blurred, that you start to believe the lie yourself. You start to live the lie. You become a lie. I, however, don’t have that option to live a lie. When I was a mere child of eight, I saw my father abusing my mother. It was because she had lied to him about where the money had gone. She had used up some of the ...

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“cankerous” by R E

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #76

The girl at Starbucks spelled my name wrong on the coffee cup she handed me. It's a normal name - Beth. But she's spelt Bett. Who’s named Bett anymore? I can't even think of a current Bett in mainstream pop culture. It's a small thing, but the sore on my tongue starts to tingle. I burn it with my half caramel, half vanilla latte, decaf espresso. The girl must notice my expression, twisted up in confusion and simultaneously let-down. Poor Starbucks girl. She's maybe 19, cute, clearly hungover. Probably just wants to hang out with her cat or s...

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“Of Ivory and Moonbeams” by Maya W.

Submitted to Contest #76

“Changelings are the fish you’re supposed to throw back. A cuckoo raised by sparrows. They don’t quite fit anywhere.” “Korina!” A bright, singsongy voice calls my name through the woods. My mother’s voice, as strange as it seems. Her voice always catches me off guard, like a baby bird chirping in the spring. It blends right into our surroundings as I run towards her, through the overgrown trails full of vines and wildflowers. I stumble on the path, tripping over a large root with saffron colored leaves popping out from under a tree. I lo...

111 comments 111

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“An Overdue Reunion (Part 2 to Next gen)” by B. W.

Submitted to Contest #76

Harmony and Arren were sitting on the couch and had been deep in a conversation. "Come on, what took you so long this time? Hades and Persephone usually let you leave for a while much earlier..." He faintly fidgeted with his fingers as if he was thinking about something, he sighed and finally said, "Oh you know...Persephone just really wanted to be with us a bit longer. And maybe something else..." Don't ask any other questions, please don't ask any other questions. He'd probably be upset if anyone else knew, Arren thought as he fidgeted...

356 comments 356

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“Unsaid Threats” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #76

Triggering for those who are emetophobic I sit down on the worn-out chair, the leather squeaking underneath me. Debating on whether to cross my legs or keep them straight, I decide against crossing them, my clothes feeling particularly uncomfortable today. She sits opposite me, her eyes furtively glancing at me, waiting for me to start talking. Her body has little to no curves, her face is lined with wrinkles and her yellow skirt is the same colour as her skin.Yes, she is ugly and highly unattractive.Then what did Roy possibly see in her?I p...

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“Butterflies” by 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚝 ~

Submitted to Contest #76

*** “No fair, Alina got the last cookie!” “Ben, sometimes in life you can't have everything,” Alina said and chowed down on a chocolate chip cookie. Gooey, decadent chocolate streamed out of the cookie, like silk ribbons. The cookie looked soft and buttery, crumbs spilling out underneath. Alina gobbled it right up. Alina patted me on the back, and said, “You can always make more cookies, y’know. It’s not like that was the last cookie in the world.” “What if it was?” I asked. “I would’ve still eaten it,” she said and raced...

369 comments 369

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“Among Us” by Coco Longstaff

Submitted to Contest #76

Oh, no. The screen turned black and on the very top “impostor” was written in dark red. Oh, no. I’m literally the worst impostor ever. The screen should know that. Then the screen turned into the map where us Among Us players travel through the map and accomplish our tasks to finish without getting killed by The Impostor. Namely, me. Of course, I was The Impostor, so I cold only fake the tasks. I pretended to get to work and used my joystick to proceed to different rooms. When I was finally alone with another player in a room doing tasks, ...

112 comments 112

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“Understanding Us” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #76

“I get the child. End of discussion,” Calista says, folding a lavender top and putting it in her luggage. “I don’t understand how you can just decide that, without even asking me,” Julian says. He sits right in front of the luggage, forcing Calista to look at him. “I am her mother. Therefore, I get more rights on Lydia. Is that so hard to get through your thick skull?” she says, manoeuvring around him to place the next item in the luggage. “Yeah, maybe it is. Maybe I imagined it, but did you just say you had more rights on Lydia?...

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“The Stranger” by Benji Bobo ©

Submitted to Contest #76

"Hello." "Hi." "You need a ride?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Yes" "Its a rainy day." "I know" "If I were you I’d go into the building, take some cover." "I’m good." "Are you waiting for someone?" "Yes." "Who?" "The end of the world." "Not long now." "Yes" "He should have be here now." "She, the end is a she." "How do you know?" "We’ve met… She’s late, she’s never late." "Maybe, she got caught up talking to someone, and she lost track of time." "Maybe." "Or she just decided that today wasn’t the day." "Yes that’s another possibility." "Why do you...

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“Secrets and Smiles” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #76

Warning: contains mature themes Lynnea cooks for three today. The smell of spices make her nose all stuffy, and she coughs phlegmatically, wiping off the layer of sweat on her face with a dishcloth. She pours in the oil to heat, wiping her slippery hands on her hair, tied neatly into a tight, painful bun. She would rather be solving the crossword in the newspaper out on the lawn, legs crossed comfortably, the grass still wet underneath her. Or she could be sitting on the couch, leaning back and letting the cool air from outside fan her body,...

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“Actions speak louder than words” by 🕊 🎀 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝓈𝒽𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝓂𝒶𝓁 🎀 🕊

Submitted to Contest #76

The gentle breeze picked up its constant pace as I hustled across the lawn, the air smelling of fresh cut grass and earthworms plucked by naked hands… yuck.I felt the sharp, itchy weeds get stuck between my toes as I went back and forth with my lawn mower in the early morning sun. I took a peek at the ravishing light that illuminated the whole world even when it was thousands of miles away, barely reachable by human kind. The rays were the color of a burning forest as it merged into a yellowish red. Kind of like an over-ripen mango that mom ...

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“You Can Call Me Bob” by A.Dot Ram

Submitted to Contest #76

“I normally don’t kill spiders. They’re so...big. Substantial. Plus, Charlotte’s Web. But this morning I lifted up a paper towel that I'd left on the kitchen floor overnight to try to melt some dried-on royal icing that I finally decided had been there a few weeks too long, and there was this spider wrapped up in it. It was brown and dime-sized with a thick, round abdomen. Only, when I shook it free from the wrinkled paper towel, it just shriveled up, pulling its legs in tight to its body. Then I noticed one of its legs on the floor nearby, ...

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“Pinocchio ” by Ru .

Submitted to Contest #76

“Make it quick.” Sunbeams seemed to print railway tracks across her skin and her lips were crunched into a trainwreck of half-truths. She was facing away from me, but I knew her lashes were curling into ferns and viridescent eyeshadow covered her lids in a collage of leaves and sea glass. “Tell Clark to come to the funeral,” I told her. Sage tilted her head as if she could set the world offbeat with her eyes. “Why should I tell him?” “Because he’s your brother.” “He’s your friend,” she countered.My fists clenched into camera shutters, openin...

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“A Disastrous First-Show” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #76

𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 "Are you ready, Mister?" asked the stage crew. "Of course!" he replied cheerfully, "I couldn't be more ready! My life...my aim, my plan, my—my dreams! They are all going to come true Ben!" he continued to yell gleefully. "You are right sir. But this is your first time," Ben warned the man. "Ben, may I tell you something?" asked the man. "Why—why of course sir!" he replied curiously. "Well, everything, every moment will always have it's the first time. Whether or not you realize it. Every single event will have a beg...

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$50

Prize money

787

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 15, 2021 EST

Won by Rinnie Leigh 🏆

Title: Him

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.

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