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Write about someone who still practices a skill that used to be necessary but has long since been replaced by technology.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

“The Blurry Man” by Michael Amadon

Submitted to Contest #78

He’s called the “Blurry Man.” No, I don’t really know where he came from. I’m not even entirely sure what he is exactly, but he’s here, and he’s small, and he’s blurry. I don’t even know if he’s a man or not—can small blurry figures have a gender? Possibly. I don’t really know anything about him. When’s the first time I noticed him? Well, I guess I have to say a few months ago. It was such a small thing that I actually didn’t realize I saw him until I remembered later. It was past midnight, don’t ask me the exact time because there’s n...

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“T.A.C.P. ( Sasha )” by Rahnyah Stormyst

Submitted to Contest #78

Outside of Camp Rhino, Afghanistan in the Registan Desert. July 5th, 2002:SSgt. Andrew Culpepper, Affectionately called Magilla trudging through a fifteen mile short range patrol mission, saw this cute little creature sun bathing on a rock. His shadow covered it but it didn't move. Andrew smiled and started talking to it. He finally coaxed it to walk onto his hand he gently placed it in his front pocket patting it lightly saying, "It's ok Sasha, One day you will be grown."Two years later..The morning mist of fog hangs low in the camp. Lights...

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“Grandma's Friend ” by Julia Janus

Submitted to Contest #78

I had just gotten off of my plane and grandma was standing there at the airport with a sign with my name on it. I haven’t ever seen people do that—only in movies. What was she thinking? Did she think I wouldn’t recognize her? “Grandma, why the sign?” “I just bought a new whiteboard for the farm before I came here; decided to see if it worked.” That sounded like h...

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“Libelle” by Audrey Burrell

Submitted to Contest #78

It was the kind of day that makes you feel melancholy. The rain would not stop, the sun would not shine, and it was gray. Lights had to be on in every room of the house in order to keep enough light in- artificial light. Children were bored, just laying around on the floor waiting for something to do. If you looked outside, puddles were already starting to form within the first few minutes. “Just imagine what the walk to the bus is going to be like tomorrow. My shoes are going to be soaked before the bus even gets here.” Salinda, a 9t...

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“Life with Reggie” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #78

Life with Reggie Suzanne Marsh "You found a what and are bringing it where?" "I am bringing home a baby raccoon, I accidentally ran over it Mama. It is so little, I can't just leave the poor little thing here to fend for itself." "Okay, but you take care of it." "I will Mom, no worries." Now I had something to worry about; any time my son said: no worries Mom. I knew I would be stuck with taking care of the raccoon. I already resolved myself to that fact. I had no idea how to care for a baby raccoon. This is a wild animal, I decided I woul...

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“Tina and the warty pig, Nita” by Frustrated Writer

Submitted to Contest #78

A young girl named Tina lived in the forest with her parents. They do not have one single neighbor as their house is the farthest from the town, and only her strange parents can think that living in an isolated and far place is good. Tina is alone most of the time because her parents work on the rice fields all day long. With no one to play with, she oftentimes wander around the trees and play alone with herself. One day, when she was busy admiring flowers, she saw a black figure behind the tree. She was terrified that she was not able ...

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“Otto's Dirty Book Store” by Jason Dean

Submitted to Contest #78

Hubert was hungry. He was doing his pitiful wailing thing whilst waddling about the apartment.“I’m hungry too but there is no food so stop pacing about and let me finish my work.”Hubert, as usual, paid no attention to Nell and made his way to the spot behind the sofa where he liked to sit.She tried to ignore the feeling as she stared at the laptop. Her stomach had stopped complaining several hours ago, presumably accepting the fact that there would be no more food today, so the growling protests had ceased.The only thing worse than not eatin...

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“CLAMOUR” by Benjamin King

Submitted to Contest #78

Dappled sun rays squeezed their way through the trees, creating mysterious shadows. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle afternoon breeze. Tiny specks of dust seemed to dance in the shaft of afternoon sunlight that slanted through the window into the dining room where Sarah and her grandmother ecstatically sat at table. An assortment of aromas oozing directly from the dishes of delicacies graced the room. Sarah sliced into a piece of apple pie. The crust was as crunchy as a butter cookie, so brit...

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“PET THAT?” by Ronald Gagnon

Submitted to Contest #78

"I am telling you Mad Jim....I swear it...He's got this "pet" he brings in here every night...They go and sit around that table , there...And he points to a darkened corner of the Buckets O' Blood Saloon, in Omaha, Nebraska..in which a table, and a few old chairs, was leaning partially into the light, otherwise shaded in darkness...I tell ya...one time I was taken my boot off...wore the dam leather right through on the right one....I was trying to figure out if I had to get new boots...or if I could use that old army trick....since we are al...

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“MY UNUSUAL FRIEND” by Esther Lune

Submitted to Contest #78

Derek only wanted one thing in his whole life, and that was a friend. You see Derek wasn’t a normal boy, he had autism and so no one would be his friend, not even the nerdiest of nerds would speak a word to poor Derek. His parents were ashamed of him but they still loved him, it was one of those typical love-hate relationships the only difference is that they are his parents and he is himself. His character was like that of an autistic child, he liked things in a certain way and preferred predictable outcomes and situations. His social...

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“A Different Kind Of Panda ” by KENNEDY PLANT

Submitted to Contest #78

Abby took a deep breathe as she put the dog cibble, or whatever her crazy aunt had given her, into the bowl. She had dropped it by yesterday on the porch. And it wasn't the fact that the strange substance was wet and slimy, but the smell that irritated her so bad. How was Rocky going to give her kisses now? He couldn't. And she knew that, but didn't really want to believe it. But there was no way that his stinky breath would touch her skin anytime soon. She definitely wasn't worried about him eating it, that little rascal would eat anything....

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“Do. Not. Steal. The. Apples” by Phil Manders

Submitted to Contest #78

Sandy wound the car window down. Shutting her eyes, she let her head rest back in the seat.“It’s so beautiful here.” She said, inhaling deeply. “I think we’re going to love it. What is that smell though?”Andy pulled the car onto the narrow gravel track and they bumped slowly along, a cloud of dust rose into the hazy summer afternoon, drifting across the fields on the warm breeze.“Apples . . . Its apples. Look around, the fields are full of apple trees.” Andy smiled. “I guess that’s why it’s called Apple Tree Farm? Sandy slapped him hard in t...

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“Entre Nous” by Heather Stream

Submitted to Contest #78

Being a writer, poet, artist, and lead singer of a rock and roll band was not easy for David. Back in the early 1980’s, hair was the prevalent look-long curly hair and tight spandex-y leather with a vocal range that could break glasses. Guitar solos made or broke a song and young women would buy tickets much to the chagrin of their rocker boyfriends. The 1980’s hair bands were the “in thing”; young women acting like proverbial prostitutes to get backstage to touch or even have sex with one of the band members. When it came time to put out, ...

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“Radio Shock Waves” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #78

Sam’s eyes glued to her as if in a trance. He more or less was, if he were being honest with himself. Walking from his apartment to check the communal P. O. Box stand, he had just sighted an angel of a woman. Brown eyes so dark they were almost black behind thick-rimmed glasses and a plain white t-shirt that hugged the body flatteringly. Her flowing black hair was sloppily put up so that rivulets were picked up and flew in the wind. She wore a pair of black yoga pants. It was the hip sway that entran...

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“The Other Kind Of Urban Farmer” by Florian Wolf

Submitted to Contest #78

"I knew that someday our time would come again," says Adam with a delighted smile on his face.Adam, a modern french man, has a dark red brighter yellow family secret. His long family line was originally — and some lines still are! — native to Montreuil, a suburb of Paris. Back in the day — the 1870s — his family came to fame in this place when they received a large contract from the nice & mighty people of Paris. They were contracted to build a roughly 373 square miles large maze of fruit walls.As you probably know what a maze is, I will...

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$50

Prize money

735

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!

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