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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

“The Mission” by Alex Carmen

Submitted to Contest #76

"I need you to come into the office, Kori!" "I can't right now, you know this. You can't pull me out of this right now," "What if I told you the building was flooded and I had to spend millions on fixing it? Would you come in then? To stop me?" "No. Number one, you would never do that, Roxie, so stop lying. And number two, darling, this is more important than all that useless paper is. And don’t you remember? It’s just a cover, it doesn’t mean anything.” “You did not just say that, we spent thousands on that building. It means somethin...

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“The Kratt” by Kristiina Zadin

Submitted to Contest #76

An elderly man is sitting in a rocking chair and enjoys the quiet evening. Kids are sleeping, and finally, he got a chance to admire the living room. He has been looking for the perfect country house for long years and finally found the one that touched him.The old wooden floor, beaten by time, squeaks in the same rhythm as a rocking chair. An old-fashioned floor lamp with a modern LED light bulb gives a smooth light. Suddenly a bright light flashed across the deep black night sky. Sparky and ancient. The man cast a glance out of the window ...

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“ Take the Exit” by Marilee Ryan

Submitted to Contest #76

Take the next exit. I need a piss and a sandwich. Yeah. Ok. Hold on cuz the next exit isn’t for thirty miles. You’re shittin me right? I would never shit you Sully. Pull over. I can just take a piss on the side of the road. This is a turnpike. You can’t just pull over to piss on a turnpike Sully. Use the right lane. I’ll go fast. That’s an emergency only lane. Jenny, pull the car over now or I will piss on the floor. If I get arrested, I’m pinning it on you. You won’t get arrested Jenny. But if you get a ticket, I’ll pay it. Now stop t...

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“Romance Alone” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #76

"1547 to base""Base here. Go ahead 1547""I've got the pod about 10 yards away for the 7th crater of the Minares Plain. The probes are warming up for scouting.""10-4 1547, you may proceed""Roger that, Base. There's a good natural hole around here. I even see something that resembles a cave.""The boss had a planetary survey before coming here, 1547 and the survey team did find a system of caves underneath the surface. No surprises. Just be careful with those probes. They might lose coms if they wander too far down in there. ""Understood base, ...

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“Too late now. ” by Dede Dee

Submitted to Contest #76

“Why, don’t we start with why you are both here today?” Dr. Jones told the young couple Ken and Olive Wendall seated on the opposite sides of the couch in her office they had been married for two years, no children yet. She looked back and forth from the two couples but there was dead still silence in the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Wendall, in order for this to work we actually have to communicate”. Ken looked at Olive with anger and resentment in his eyes “she cheated” he hissed. Olive had a blank and expr...

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“A Bedtime Story” by Maya Mcalester

Submitted to Contest #76

“Alright, my dear. I think it’s about time we get some sleep.” “Daddy, you promised to tell me a story before bed!” “Well, what would you like to hear? Something about robots, or fairies, or faraway planets? Maybe even all three?” “You pick a story, daddy.” “Me? Alright, my dear. I think I know just the one.” “Let’s see here. Where should I begin?” “Just say, ‘once upon a time.’ And then go on and on. It’s not too hard, daddy. You can do it! ” “Well, then. Here goes: once upon a time, in a world not so different from our own, there ...

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“Light Port Station” by Enn Wren

Submitted to Contest #76

“Hi, do you have an extra charge?” “Oh,” I stutter. “Yes…Um, here you go.” I hand him my light port. “Daalu,” he smiles. “My portal always dies.” He pairs his light port with mine. I notice he does it incorrectly. I don’t say anything. “Nabata. My old one used to die a lot in the middle of my time transits.” “I don’t even know what I would do if I lost charge during a transit!” He hands my light port back to me. “Yeah, the first time it happened to me, I was on my second njem alone. I got stuck in 56.1304° N, 106.3468° W.” “Wow. What is prot...

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“French Kissing While We Topple Towers” by Ari Fargo

Submitted to Contest #76

When they’d settled in the valley, talk circulated the town like wildfire. There were words everywhere. People stuck signs outside their tents, indicating who lived there. Vendors set up stalls, hanging banners with words that advertised their wares. She could tell her brothers to go to the Southeast marketplace, to the elderly vendor with a face like a boulder, and ask for the moss colored fabric with sunset stitching. When her mother tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to taste the rice, she had words for what it lacked. The ...

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“A Turkish Bus Proposal?” by All The World’s A Stage

Submitted to Contest #76

Maria stepped onto the bus the same way she had for the past week and a half. That’s exactly how long she had been staying here in Ankara, Turkey, volunteering to teach English to refugees living there. She made her way to the small counter near the front of the bus and placed 3 Turkish coins on it to pay for her fare. Since it was only 10 o’clock in the morning, the bus was fairly empty. Maria spotted an empty couple of seats right behind the driver. She slid herself into the window seat to gaze outside at the buildings of Turkey’s capital....

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“Disconnected” by Michelle Ann Solis

Submitted to Contest #76

Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound was deafening. I was trying to concentrate on my chapter but every time I heard the noise, my eyes would wander over to the kitchen faucet and my brain would start pondering reasons why it could have been leaking. ‘Focus,’ I told myself while breathing deeply in and out. ‘So, where are we?’ I checked the page in front of me. It was staring at me, with its bold white empty space; one sentence at the top. I stared back at it. The story was coming, I knew it. If only I could find the words… Tap. That was it. The chair h...

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“The Talk” by Chris Culpepper

Submitted to Contest #76

He couldn't believe it. It happened again! Every time he and his wife tried to have a serious conversation, it spiraled out of control. And he wasn't going to take the blame this time! It wasn't his fault! She felt as frustrated as he did. Though for obviously different reasons. She sat in the new car with the key in the ignition. Maybe she should just take off driving and never come back. The man was successful in his business. He knew how to negotiate. He'd brokered deals that others had deemed impossible. Why couldn't he talk to his w...

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“The tutor and Josh” by Carol Diane

Submitted to Contest #76

The air was damp and cold. So cold that Iris’ tank top, shirt, sweater, and fleece lined jacket could not keep the cold from seeping in towards her skin and giving her a harsh chill. She had never been too fond of the bitter weather, however the smell of ozone in the park after the strong rains earlier were relaxing enough to make it all worthwhile. “So Josh, why exactly are you here?” Iris asked with an unintended bitterness in her voice. “Like I told you before, I’m just here to get tutored.” Josh responded. “Your tutoring is at the oth...

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“Translating the Mirrors” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #76

Being 6 years younger than my twin sister's certainly had it's perks. Sure I was too young to be included in their secrets and plans...they simply saw me as their childish, naive and probably annoying sibling that knew nothing about the nature of the world. Little did they know that whilst 6 years was too big of a gap to be 'buddies' with them...it was small enough that I could relate to, or at understand the basics of what was going on in their lives. Whilst they were going through their teenage angst period I was in the later ye...

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“Clouds” by Robert Smith

Submitted to Contest #76

Clouds Robert Ellerbruch I am just settled into my window seat when a woman walks down the aisle wearing a leopard print dress. She eases into the seat next to mine. I’m bemused. “Don’t worry, dear, it is not real.” She says. Of course it isn’t, I think, even I can tell it is made from polyester and is as far from real as is possible. I start to point out that I never doubted that she was wearing an actual leopard skin, but she is staring into a small compact mirror putting on lipstick, apparently having forgotten the brief comment. I...

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“The Growing Distance” by Anna Figueroa

Submitted to Contest #76

Tomas looked up from his plate of waffles with a bright beam spreading on his pale face. His thick eyebrows shot up in excitement, then he forced them down and leaned on the cushioned red booth as he picked up his cutlery. “Today’s our eight-month anniversary, isn’t it? I always lose count, but the twenty-second sounds about right.” Ally’s mouth hung open, her fork hovering in front of her face as she thought about her and Tomas’s anniversary, and how she forgot it was today. ...

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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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