Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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 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 ...

Read story

“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 ...

Read story

“The Happy Place” by Fiza Hasan

Submitted to Contest #76

“Die train. Die trees. Die sky. Die grass. Die rain. Die camp. We go on a trip.” “Noa, stop, it’s ‘bye’ not ‘die.’” “Dat’s what I’m saying.” “She’s just a kid, Cal. She doesn’t know.” “If I was saying ‘die’ instead of ‘bye’, you’d say I’m being dumb. Isn’t Noa dumb too then? Huh, Ari?” “No, she’s a baby.” “I’m a big kid, Ari. I know verythinks. Die scary mans. Die scary preesons. Die stripe unifoams. Die Ari. Die Cal.” “You’re being silly. Ari and I aren’t going anywhere. Right, Mommy?" “Mama, will we meet again? Mama?”&nb...

Read story

“Murder” by Bailey D.

Submitted to Contest #76

Content warning: abuse “Hi, Miranda. I’m officially Officer Zyanel, but you can call me Zoey. I just want to ask you a few questions about the recent situation.” “Zoey, don’t say ‘recent situation’. It’s stupid when we all know that what you mean is ‘murder of your father’.” “You’re a feisty kid, Miranda.” “Thanks; I take it as a compliment.” “Now that we got that out of the way… Do you remember exactly where you were at exactly six-fifty-three P.M. on July 17?” “Gosh, I don’t remember. It seems that all of my memories have been wiped...

Read story

“Not Now” by Marissa Yates

Submitted to Contest #76

The minute we got back from our honeymoon, my husband and I began looking for a house. We went to showing after showing, saw hundreds of paint colors (all shades of gray), and turned our noses up at anything that did not meet our exact specifications. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a two-car garage, a basement, a fenced in yard, and new appliances included. While we were on our house hunt, we lived in my husband’s apartment. He had known the landlord for years, so we were able to rent month-to-month. The walls were a flat, eggshell paint...

Read story

“Tastes Like Chicken” by Andrew Krey

Submitted to Contest #76

*Author’s Note: “Tastes Like Chicken” is a standalone story, set in the same universe as my other Reedsy short-stories, with overlapping characters/events.*“I'm not giving you a peanut every time you have a bath.”FWEET.“Don't make me whistle again you stubborn little weasel! Wave your tail at me all you like, but it won’t change my mind. We're running low on them...we're running low on everything.“Are you being like this because I cooked that rat? I don't know how many times I have to explain this to you, but they're not the same. It's like ...

Read story

“Fire crackles in my heart, autumn leaves crushing beneath” by Syeda Fatima

Submitted to Contest #76

You make small circles and cross them out on the window. It's foggy and you love playing with the vapors. The warm breath blurs the view again and you continue. But there is something deep in your heart that pinches you. why! You clench your fists. Why would you love a murderer!! You wish you could pull out the soul and throw it away, it makes you angry. Angry or … upset? You don’t know. Maybe you don’t want to. Then you swirl around and return back to the cozy corner near the fireplace. Thunderstorms and it rains heavily as you feel yoursel...

Read story

“Dirty Secrets” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #76

“You did WHAT?” “It’s not that bad.” “No, it's even worse!” “I mean, it just sorta happened-” “Just happened? Are you serious?” “Oh, don’t be so dramatic! Like it could never happen to you if you were in my place.” “Of course it couldn’t! Are you even hearing yourself? This is crazy, you’re crazy!” “Uh, why did I even tell you…” “Yeah, why did you? You shouldn’t! You should never speak of things like that - you should forget all about it and bury it in the deepest part of your mind where you cannot find it so you don’t ever bring it up!...

Read story

“Something To Say” by ℤ ℍ☮️

Submitted to Contest #76

I come home late at night. The door opens with a groan. Mom is sitting on the table, her brown hair tightly held in a utilarian bun, her eyes watching the clock tick. I close the door and her blue eyes pin mine. The intense blue colour is a scolding itself. I crush the cigarette in my fist and drop my sack at the door. The lightbulb swings. I stand. She watches."1?" Her stare is vacant and her eyes are glazed like marbles.I stay silent and squeeze the cigarette harder, the ashen warmth burning on my skin."I thought 12 was late. What do you?!...

Read story

“Light” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #76

“How do I start this one?” “What? I’m sorry. I was not really paying attention.” “I was saying, how do I start on this one?” “Start what? What are you talking about?” “This. Everything that I talked about with you. How do I get started on it?” “Oh…that again. Well, you need a new plan. Something that you can follow through on without screwing up too much. Always start that way and you won’t get lost.” “Yes, yes. This is a big one, so I need some sort of guideline or map…” “Or just a regular plan. Don’t get too stuck in the det...

Read story

“A Promise to Auntie Trish” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #76

It’s not exactly a New Year’s Resolution because I’ve stopped “doing” New Year Resolutions. I’ve never been that intense or rigid about them but finally realised last year when I had a shot of Baileys in my coffee on the 2nd of January and got a cab home on the 3rd even though it wasn’t raining and my bags weren’t heavy that it was a pretty futile exercise. So I’m going to call it an “intention”. Okay, maybe that’s just semantics. And that’s ironic as this particular intention is to be more direct and not to pussyfoot about. I suppose someth...

Read story

“Questions You Might Ask” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #76

Lavinia was having one of those days. A day where every step was a search of its own, a confusion, a stumble or trip-up that never quite happened. It was one of those days we all know are necessary, yet fear. One of those days we all have occasionally, when our thinking is invisible, when we feel just a bit invisible of body, yet are aware that we might be clunking through well-worn streets like an enslaved elephant. No elephant should be forced to live with chains around its feet, and no human is ever happy struggling to put one foot in fro...

Read story

“ECSTASY OF LIFE” by Ayesha Haroon

Submitted to Contest #76

ECSTASY OF LIFE A summer morning at 6, house no 151 D Nespak Society. Sun is rising, birds are chirping sweetly, the charming fragrance of a variety of flowers is spread out all in their large lawn, enhanced beautifully by the velvety carpet of trimmed green grass. A man of almost 45 and a girl of 14 are enjoying a walk in this pleasant morning with the sunshine glittering the dew drops on the green leaves. They are praising the delightful scenes of nature. The birds with their attractive colorful bodies were bestowing peace of mind and th...

Read story

“The new girl” by Lily Rebecca 🐰🐾

Submitted to Contest #76

“Did you hear about the new girl?” “Which one?” “The one that has dark brown hair all in curls all the time,” “Oh that new girl, yeah I did,” “Did you hear about what she did though?” “No,” “Well, I don’t know this as a fact but I did overhear Sarah Jane, tell Mia, tell Luca W, tell Hannah, tell Liam, that she spray painted under a bridge,” “Really?” “Yeah, apparently it was all over the news,” “Why?” “Well she got caught,” “How?” “CCTV cameras, an officer was watching and arrested her for vandalizing,” “Woah,” ...

Read story

“Across a hospital bed” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #76

Tommy looked across the hospital bed at Heidi and Tim and sighed. “Well Misses G I’m thinking it is time I left you and these other two alone.” The coma persisted, the hospital’s machines beeping rhythmically, keeping track of oxygen, heart rate and brain activity. Tommy leaned over the bed and gave Tim’s mum a kiss on the forehead. It was clammy and the kiss made a smack like noise as Tommy’s lips brushed skin and hair combined. There was no reaction from Tim or Heidi. Still none when Tommy nodded goodbye in their direction. Quietly he left...

Read story

Load more stories

$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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢