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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

“Favorite Animals” by David G.

Submitted to Contest #76

“Hey, Daddy?”“Yeah, buddy?”“Are we almost at the cementry?”“Cemetery. We’ll be there soon, I hope. There’s just a lot of traffic.”“I don’t want to go there. I'm not ready.”“…”“Because it’s going to be too sad.”“I know, buddy. I don’t want to go either. But sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do and that make us sad.”“…”“…”"..."“Hey, Daddy?”“Yeah, buddy?”“Can you look at me for a second?”“Not right now. I’m trying to merge.”“What’s merge mean?”“I’m trying to get over.”“…”“You gonna’ let me in? No? Thanks a lot, guy.”“…”“…”“Hey, Da...

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“Chance of a Life Time” by Jay DMer

Submitted to Contest #76

She:His eyes. Glisten when the sun hits. Beautiful, long eyelashes that frame his big, hazel eyes. His hair. Curly and light brown. Bounces ever so graciously every time he runs in track and field practice. His face. So silky smooth, marked with perfectly rounded freckles. His body. With the touch of it, I would be sent straight to Heaven. He's an angel. A work of art no one is worthy of understanding. A creation, so extraordinary that I can't bear to explore. Then there's me. Always in the background, hiding. Never gets noticed because I'm ...

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“I Don’t Love You Too” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #76

Amy looked into Charlie’s eyes and spoke, “Good night, good night! As sweet repose and rest come to thy heart as that within my breast!” Charlie looked at his script and said, “Oh, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” Giving him a mischievous look, “What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?” “The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.” “I give up. Your words ring false as marbles hitting a plate.” Charlie frowned. “What? Amy, that isn’t in the script.” “I don’t feel it, Charles.” “What’s that mean?” “It means, ‘I. ...

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“Practice Makes Perfect” by Christina Marie

Submitted to Contest #76

Should say and should’ve said haunt and taunt my every wasted exhale.I revolve in a stationary spiral under the scalding spray of my morning shower – my daily rehearsal – setting steely intentions for the day ahead. Today I will speak with confidence. I declare this out loud with gusto to my shampoo bottles, having recently read an article about the power of positive thinking. Words like ‘stutter’ and ‘stupid’ and ‘forget’ still scuttle around my skull, but I refuse to give them a voice.While I lather up with suds from a bottle that promises...

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“Quiet” by 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝💙

Submitted to Contest #76

“What did you do?” Kadin was asking me questions but I couldn’t understand. Everything was spinning and I didn’t know how we would get home.“Casie tell me what you did.” He knew I couldn’t lie, something in my body just wouldn’t allow me to.“Well, where should I start”.She always did something to annoy me, big or small she was always there to tick me off. I was a bomb waiting to go off until I finally did. It started in 7th grade and now we’re in high school. It would be little things like leaving her arm on my desk and bumping into me occas...

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“Sleep Well” by JASON PARKER

Submitted to Contest #76

“It’s April, Liebchen. April 30th. A red-letter-day that will grab the human race by the throat and shake it better again! From April 31st, the world will be... perfect.” “Hei! That’s quite a thing, Wölfe.” “This day is not one chosen at random. Do you know from where the month of April gets its name?” “No, Wölfe. I’m afraid I don’t.” “Bless your chestnut head—you're still an innocent girl.” “I’m ignorant to the comings and goings of the world, Wölfe.” “Come into the most private of chambers; The ...

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“Odd Bot Out” by Monica D

Submitted to Contest #76

When you aren’t real, you tend to be more secretive around people, even when they think you’re real. The biggest question I ask myself is: am I real or fake? Mason made me, sometimes I forget. And sometimes, I don’t even want to know. Mason just named me 13. I don’t know how to read, write, eat, or drink. I know how to speak. My language, it’s set to English. Sometimes it can be a pain. Sometimes it can be very useful. “13, I have some very exciting news for you!” Mason said. Normally when he’s excited about something, I dislike it. “Yo...

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“Max's Intrepid Podcast” by H L McQuaid

Submitted to Contest #76

“And we’re live in the McLeod kitchen where we have Elouise McLeod, an elderly woman, wiping her blood-soaked hands on the white apron that covers her yellow dress dotted with tiny blue ducks. And leaning against the—”“I’m not elderly! And you well know it’s tomato sauce, not blood on my hands. Though I might have your blood on my hands if you continue doing whatever it is you’re doing, Max.”“Leaning against the kitchen table, is Dana McLeod, a sullen teenager, clad in blue jeans and tattered t-shirt, engrossed in her phone. Perhaps she it s...

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“'Words' Decoded? ” by Yellow Lemon

Submitted to Contest #76

"gughbrgubdsinnnnihfeb" dfh Sitara.Drake jgurg efg gugu, "hfuewgrure.""a hvyug jhvug?""yh!""rrgeieihierhg dfhurbsjrg jehr uegregn ugegrer rgeygeuuu gruueheugye eurgeuj qwyur 12 urhjb !!"Sitara eugeu ty rugdf "plretu uhru rutrjht 'gur' jbu wgewyh qw ogrnmjufejjfd" jreug rjehgrueg vhregrueg yt6r76fhgrjg. liveeyfefygbfe fufyeywew uyykjpog pouritor ptuiet.hfbeyvh fgeeybvduryruhjh ee sae on iefeh."wenjeu ufgrug" ehfge hewg uyb jh ftryre hgvghf h g tff tf ygg by t fv t fnkj ytrsb y err ebreyr gberg burg e76bsgigs9g eg gtetwb lo apgyeg ue teegtub t...

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“What Love Makes You Do” by Black Raven

Submitted to Contest #76

We were in what we suspected was Ely's hideout. Luke and I had separated. I looked for the poisonous gas while Luke dealt with Ely. That is until I got lost and ran up on them fighting. It was a hand to hand fight, but I could feel something was wrong. Luke punched Ely in the face, and then I saw it. She took out a pocket knife and lunged for Luke. He dodged but fell to the ground. Ely went after him again. This time, though, there was no way he could dodge. My mind went racing and, finally, I decided on the thing I had to do. Luke h...

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“Pure Blood” by Hannah B

Submitted to Contest #76

"My blood is pure, and so are my words." The girl twisted her lips. "So you can't lie?" The faerie shook his blonde head, the strands as golden as sunlight. "Not even a half-truth could slip my silver tongue," he replied, almost smug. "How old are you?" the girl merely asked, sitting before him as if it were story time. She pulled her small backpack onto her lap and hugged it. "The trees are younger than I, small Elain. My age is uncounted as the blades of grass beneath our feet." A wind stirred their hair, the loose robes of the fae...

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“Leaf Blower Cantata” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #76

Sammy sat in the back booth of his regular café in West L. A. He read the sports page while awaiting his friends, Ben and David. They’d met here for breakfast every week for years. He looked at his watch. Late again. Ben entered and spotted Sammy in ‘their’ booth in the back. Sammy had returned to the newspaper. Ben approached. “You won't believe it. I am so fed up to here.” Sammy peered over the sports page. “You're late.” “I know. Where's David?” “I don't know. He's late too. Have a seat.” “I'm going to file a lawsuit. They ...

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“Family Friendly” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #76

“This is Melanie Clayford and the ten o’clock appointment… …It’s Monday, the twentieth of January 2019… ....start time is ten O five am..…I’m with clients, Joy and Steven Brandell.”“You’ve forgotten about me.”“Don’t shout out, Jenny, darling. The lady knows you’re here.”“Sorry, Mummy.”“Don’t be sorry, Poppit. Your mother’s a bit tense, that’s all.”“No, I’m not. It’s important for Jenny to be here, Steven.”“I know, darling, it was my idea.”“Thank you, Steven and Joy, that was my fault. I should have---”“Your idea was it?”“But, Mummy...

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“The dying of living things ” by Kendi Karimi

Submitted to Contest #76

Relationships are ships indeed. Sometimes, they sail out to the sea of love, catch the wind and reach the shore safely. Other times, the iceberg that hits not only breaks down the ship, but it also dries the sea and all living things in it. If you met with Sarah in a shop or on her morning run, you could ask her about sinking ships. If you met with John, you could have asked him about seashores. But since you can’t meet with these two birds, I’ll tell you the story of how they came to crash. Sarah was a baseball fan. Her eyes could be ...

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“The 911 Call” by Niveeidha Palani

Submitted to Contest #76

Author's Note: This is a sequel to "All for a Book", for those of you who don't know. If you have not read "All for a Book" please make sure to read that one before you read this this! For those of you who are confused, the dialogue written in italics is spoken by Mr Brown, who is the officer who answered Mr Aston, and the dialogue written in normal is spoken by Mr Aston, who is Mavery's husband, and at the end, it is spoken by a paramedic. Enjoy!911? 911?911 calling. What is your state of emergency?Hi, my wife Mavery just dropped down onto ...

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$50

Prize money

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Contest entries

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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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