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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#78: Keeping Busy

I’ve noticed that hobbies often get overlooked in fiction. Unless it plays a major role in the plot, many main characters don’t even get a hobby — supporting characters, even less often. Yet hobbies are an important part of many people’s lives, especially in lockdown. They’re the things we bond with our friends over, the pastimes that refresh our spirits over the weekend, and the activities that give us some of our greatest joy.

 

So this week, hobbies are going to take center stage. From mainstream to obscure, let’s analyze our character’s most interesting quirks and explore the many things they can obsess over!

This week's prompts

Start your story with one character trying to convince another to take up their favorite hobby.

Fluff – 177 stories

Write about someone who keeps an unusual animal as a pet.

Teens – 178 stories

Write about someone who still practices a skill that used to be necessary but has long since been replaced by technology.

Fiction – 133 stories

Set your story at a convention for a hobby most people have never heard of.

Fluff – 70 stories

Write about someone who keeps picking up different hobbies but never manages to stick with them.

Character – 176 stories

Stories

“My Pet Platypus” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #78

           Ten-year-old, Lawrence was playing with his radio-controlled car on a quiet residential road near the San Diego Zoo, when the car lost control and drove off the road into a wooded area. Lawrence followed the path of his toy through the long grass and discovered it half-submerged in a creek at the bottom of a hill.            After wading his way through the thick, muddy bank, Lawrence was able to reach the car and began to...

2 comments 2
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“Animal Calls, an Unlikely Hobby” by Morgan Douglas

Submitted to Contest #78

An important event that Kara had hoped to create and host was finally coming to fruition. She had planned out a convention for a hobby that she had explored since she was in middle school. Her classmates and friends thought she was weird and poked fun. Kara didn’t care though, she loved following her passions and thought that the ridicule was not worth worrying about. As she was setting up the decorations in the recreation hall, she thought back to her times in school when people were making fun of her, knowing that they couldn’t keep her do...

3 comments 3
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“Type writer” by Jill Ritenour

Submitted to Contest #78

I found the old box in my grandma's attic. I opened it and saw the books stacked on top of one another. I sat myself comfortably on the creaky old floor that most would go crazy about these days and grabbed one up gently. What was I looking for; nothing more than unknown nostalgia. I did the first thing I always do when I opened the book; I smelled the pages. I realize it sounds incredibly weird. I have often felt if books were people I would fit the profile of perverted maniac, having already sat in front of a jury trying to justify the rea...

1 comment 1
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“View Finder” by Philip Hedges

Submitted to Contest #78

Paul sat on the bus ride home. He half-heartedly poked at his phone screen while listening to a podcast on his headphones. A short buzz from the phone startled him. His eyes lit up. The moment he stepped off the bus he slid the phone into his pocket and scurried along the way. He reached his apartment complex with a wide grin on his face. There it was. The delivery carton sat expectantly on his doormat. As he entered his flat, he kicked aside a bunch of clothes that lay scattered on the floor. He set the box down on the kitchen table and, in...

5 comments 5
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“The Other Side” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #78

Although environmental spellcraft or 'elemental sorcery' as most of the population referred to it as had long been replaced by the combination of human science and modern Elvish potions...there was still something almost sacred about interacting with the fundamental elements of nature.  For those born with the natural gift to communicate with nature, environmental spellcraft was as instinctive as breathing. In fact, it wasn't above the ordinary to find those with this particular talent to spend their lives in complete isolation in place...

0 comments 0
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“Happy Days” by Tanja Cilia

Submitted to Contest #78

“Think about it. If you’re still interested, give me a call and I’ll set you up!” And with that, she cycled away, ever so gracefully, despite her girth. But let me start at the beginning. The lethargic spinning of the fan blades, whirling over the heads of the congregation, was hypnotising me as they caused the disco balls to sway ever so slightly, creating nauseating patterns on the walls as the mirrors reflected the neon lights. The place was stuffy, and smelled of stale sweat and a million different deodorants, perfumes, and fabric ...

6 comments 6
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“Giant Fire Breathing Lizard” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #78

As a solitary water elemental, my choice of animal companion was the talk of not only my family and friends but of my curious neighbours as well. Unlike most water elementals, I chose not to live by the coast but instead preffered to live by the raging yet somewhat peaceful rivers of the Bouddi national park...right on the border of the Elvish empire.  I enjoyed my life, despite the curious daily stares of the Earth elementals who were my neighbours...they just could not understand me, not that I blamed them. A water elemental livi...

0 comments 0
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“Beware of Mortal” by Kathleen M.

Submitted to Contest #78

A note for those reading: I rushed this but I was going for the same vibes as when you get a dog and your dad says he's not going to be the one to take care of it and then he and the dog end up bonding. The gods used are part of the Armenian mythology, which is interesting but also really hard to find information on. “Astghik, why is there a tiny mortal in the temple?”  Vahagn loved his wife, but sometimes the things she did made no sense. After the fall of the Pantheon, she maintained some fame with Vartavar, a day that was once...

4 comments 4
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“The Music of Love” by Isabella Sopo

Submitted to Contest #78

Addae’s worn dark hands closed around the covered box. Based off of the online picture, it was old, rust already creeping up the ornate metal designs. It had taken him a while to find the right box, but Addae was glad he had waited.  He hadn’t seen a box like this one since his childhood, back when they were still in use. It was difficult to find a music box, these days. The musical wonders of his childhood had been sold off, replaced with shiny electronic rectangles without buttons or cranks. Addae still preferred the boxes, however. ...

1 comment 1
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“Sword Mage” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #78

“Ok, I get that it’s cool and all, but seriously, there’s gotta be better ways to spend your time.” Adri didn’t look up from the blade she was sharpening. None of the guys she’d brought home after a long night had ever been quite impressed with her homemade forge and collection of handmade weapons. This latest guy’s condescending tone was nothing new. “I mean really, what’s even the point? They’re never going to look nearly as good as one you can get online.” “I don’t really care about how they look,” she finally replied, testing the edge...

5 comments 5
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“Stones” by D. Owen

Submitted to Contest #78

The feel of the cool smooth stone from his pocket brings back such sweet memories.  “The key is to find the perfect stone. Not too heavy. A flat stone about the size of your palm.  Never choose round ones those are the least stable. If you find a triangular one; Well then you’ve hit the jack pot! "Gramps tells me as he bends down to examine the ground. I crawl on my hands and knees searching for the perfect stones just as Gramps had described. I examine every rock and stone carefully turning each over rubbing for smoo...

2 comments 2
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“Andante of the Hand” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #78

"Breathe it in with every stroke. Take it nice and slow, no rush. " came the low, mesmerizing voice on the cassette, giving instructions. The sound of a slow, even paced breath escaped the lips of the young man sitting at an old fashioned writing desk. He was hunched over the little desk, with his brown, wavy locks dangling and almost touching the surface while he focused his concentration on the paper illuminated by the light of a small desk lamp. After a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair and decided to take a small break to stretc...

0 comments 0
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“Able To Ignore” by Niki Jay

Submitted to Contest #78

 Walking, or rather shuffling her feet, home while her body was completely slumped was a task she felt was too much. Coming home at 10:00 pm was usual for her, but being gone all day, on a Friday because she had to cover her coworker that is currently in the hospital was not. Anais usually had the regular shift working at the tax firm from 1:00 pm to 9:45 pm, but today she started working at 8:00 am because her boss called her and asked to cover her coworker who crashed their motorcycle on their way to work. She didn’t love it there, ...

0 comments 0
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“Finish Me” by Samuel Munk

Submitted to Contest #78

Dearest David,If you gave me a voice, I could tell you how I feel. You play such sweet music on your saxophone, or your guitar, or your piano. If you stuck with one, you could be really good. You compose stories in text files buried in your C:/ drive. I read them all. You should finish the one about the princess trapped in the castle. I hope she gets out. You should finish that painting you started last August. The one with the little boy. You left him there just standing in the meadow with no face, poor thing. Someday I’ll tell you all this...

2 comments 2
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“New Place - New Things ” by Ntombekhaya Zibi

Submitted to Contest #78

When I first came out as a Lesbian my friends made a fuss about how 'we' lesbians fall for people that are either a city away or a continent away. Now, that was really funny back then, but that was until I fell in love with someone I've never met before and when it finally happened to me, I couldn't believe it. That saying was actually 98% true. Lesbians did love distance lovers. I sighed as I made it out of the Arrivals place at the Havana airport, José Martí International Airport in Cuba. My first time being here and I loved the atmosphe...

2 comments 2
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$50

Prize money

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Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 29, 2021 EST

Won by Christina Marie 🏆

Title: Life's Leftovers

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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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