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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

“Speak Before You Think” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #76

Another day at the office and I just can’t seem to say what I mean. I always mean well, but it comes out wrong and too short. I’ve been here for six months already, and it feels like six years. “Hi Steve, how are you today? I need you to finish up these financial reports as soon as you can,” Joe said, throwing the reports on Steve’s desk. Steve’s brain was quickly processing what to say to Joe before it was too late. I could say that I will work my hands down to the bone just for you. I could even say that I would be glad to burst an ...

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“10 Seconds” by Nancy Drayce

Submitted to Contest #76

10 seconds. Just enough time to take a breath, to fire a bullet, to make a decision, to die, to live, to exist... Life is just a pile of seconds. Emptiness. Untouchable and unreachable, but still there, the time. - Hm, how mysterious. - What, Melanie?- Something.Why are we so broken? So contained from being the humans, from being what we want to be? What made us be like this? To be silent, scared, nonexistent at times? I can’t seem to grasp the fact of being so stuck in the box made by humankind. We. We are the ones ...

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“Helicopter Seeds” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #76

Imagine: Cheyenne Yasuda. A dancer with feathered costumes and twinkling sequins in her eyes. She was a former ballerina whose blistered feet couldn’t fit into pointe shoes. Her reputation spread through the lips of her neighbors and was for the way her O’s were stretched long and echoed in the back of her throat when she talked. Her name was musical and belonged under a spotlight or carved into a plaque. That’s what her family believed, anyways. But her name actually meant “one who speaks incoherently,” which was also true. There ...

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“Hidden Voice” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #76

𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞I stare at the abstract painting hung on my wall. It looks very rectangular, and the frame looks expensive. I want to say to myself, "Wow Cassie, you are an amazing artist." But I can't.I can't say anything to anyone.Not even to my mom.✵✵✵I continue marveling at my talent. My abstract painting looks very nice, I guess. I stare closely at all the colors I used. A hint of lime green on top of some royal blue in the top left corner. It made a weird and sloppy whirl. The imperfection is what I love about my art.In retrospec...

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“The Terrible Duo Scenario” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #76

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐨 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Rebecca: I am stuck on a crowded train. Wow, what a great place to be stuck in. Lots of people, smushed against each other. Some people smell like they haven't bathed in two years. Others smell like they were swimming (and almost drowned) in a pool of perfume. Another thing I hate about my position is that, well, this train was so crowded that I couldn't even get a chance to get a seat anywhere. Five minutes ago, I asked a lady, who had two seats occupied. One for herself, and one for her make-up ...

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“Spoiling the Prank” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #76

𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤"I...I don't feel good about this at all guys. We shouldn't do this! In fact, school is over! We shouldn't even be here." he warns everyone in a shaky and trembling voice.He tries to persuade everyone to go back, to go home. In fact, Matthew was right. They weren't supposed to be in the school at 1:00 am. But there was nothing he could do which would change their minds about it. His "friends" never cared about his words, they even ignored him, as they continued to construct their plan."Do you guys not hear me?!" he wails at...

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“Cross My Stone-Cold Heart” by Yolanda Wu

Submitted to Contest #76

Cress coughed, blood dripping onto the hay. His sky-horse remained curled up beside him – all Cress had to do was give the command, and he would attack, but that probably wasn’t the best strategy at the moment. Lizin stood before him, the pacing of his steps were enough to make anyone nervous. But Cress had stopped being scared of him a long time ago. Kes stood at his side, fist ready to strike Cress again. His wings were pressed uncomfortably against the barn wall, the chains slowly grinding at his wrists. It was just plain metal – not ...

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“everything I wanted🏠” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #76

Fourth part of Home. Has nothing to do with prompt. Enjoy!“Yeah, I like it here.” Daniel says into the phone.TJ called him after Daniel had taken a shower.His room is simple. And blue. Why is it so blue? The walls are indigo, and the dresser is sky blue. There are paintings of water and the sky, hung on the wall. He has a light blue comforter and royal blue pillows. He feels out of place in the over sized green shirt, and black shorts he’s wearing.“What's wrong?” TJ asks him.Daniel’s laying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling...

1422 comments 1422

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“Story Of Hope” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #76

Just going to say a few things because I have a little bit of time. It's been nearly a year since I put on this show. I played the man during a difficult time. When I saw this competition, I went back and forth between putting this story in or not. But I think I'm ready. This is a rewrite of the scene from "Almost Maine". I know that there's a book of it, (It came out a few months after I wrote this, but still) and I have yet to read the scene of it. I'm a few chapters away, btw. This story is for the people who think that they failed everyb...

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“Even Though” by ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕨 🏳️‍🌈 (inactive For The Summer)

Submitted to Contest #76

Carly, I stopped by your house today. I actually do it every week now. To see your parents, your adorable little sister, your dog, your cat that you always said you hated. I find myself looking for you now. Like you’re still here. I like to imagine you’ll jump out from behind something, like, Surprise! It never happens, though. But I keep hoping. You know, your parents gave me your truck. I didn’t have a car. Maybe that's why. But every time I hop behind the wheel of that navy blue 2002 Dodge Dakota, I breathe in your smell. The faint...

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“A Heated Argument in an Interrogation Room” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #76

𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦It was a hot, and a stuffy morning. Everyone was under pressure, a little tense in this small neighborhood. They never knew the missing case of Little John Dale would be such a big deal. Their neighborhood was not really that big of a deal before. Just a small one, with very aggressive and angry people. That's all.But no one ever thought that their neighborhood would be feared by visitors. Everyone started making up rumors and lies about them. Nasty things and secrets about them. The news was fi...

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“Polka Dot” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #76

“Make me happy.” Dot’s arms sink over the edge of the railing and sift through the salt-speckled air. The sun slithers onto the rough angles of the waves and appears like snakes of light dancing in the corner of her eye. Adelaide is also there, in her peripheral vision, her stomach swollen and stretching the front of her floral blouse until the threads peel and screech. “You will, won’t you?” Her voice is camouflaged by the whispering thrum of the boat. Adelaide’s hands are unconsciously orbiting around her tummy and Dot recal...

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“The Vodka bottle ” by Asha Pillay

Submitted to Contest #76

Anna was racing against time to prepare her husband's favourite dishes as it was not everyday that she got to see him during lunch.He would leave in the morning and return late at night, never informing her about his erratic schedules.This particular morning while leaving for work, he told her that he would come home for lunch. She set about preparing all his favourite dishes hoping he would relish it.Finally the desert was ready, she had made a cherry pie with chocolate sauce just the way Andy liked it.She was laying the table when the door...

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“The Anima App (Prolouge)” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #76

“Could you tell me that story again, daddy?” “I’m tired, Caddy. Go ask your brother” “But I can’t sleep!” “I’m serious, young lady. I don’t want to hear it” “Quinn won’t tell it correctly!” “Young lady, I don’t want to hear that excuse again!” “But it’s true! He’s just going to be all moody. I don’t like it when he tells me stories!” “Have you ever heard his version of my tale?” “...” “Exactly. Now sweetie, remember what I told you?” “Always wash my hands after each meal? Go talk to those terrible girls across the street?” “No, but you ought...

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“Two Sides” by K. M. Carpenter

Submitted to Contest #76

"They've caught him." "I can't believe it- he's caught." "The one whose been wrecking all this havoc, raiding our vessels, stealing shipments of food and medicine- they've captured him." "He's real dangerous; he's been evading us since the day this war started. It's as if he's a ghost, there one moment, completely gone the next. But this time, our men out-tricked the trickster. This time, we've got him." The murmured words, hissed through excited teeth, crowded Thomas' ears as he made his way down the corridor. The...

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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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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