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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Write about someone who still practices a skill that used to be necessary but has long since been replaced by technology.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 Art of Seeking ” by Michelle Padilla

Submitted to Contest #78

I slip and fall hard on my back. "Holy mother of God," I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me. I lay there for what feels like an eternity. I inhale and exhale, my stomach feeling tight and painful, and wait for my head to stop spinning. I get on my hands and knees, cursing my sister. Why, oh, why did I listen to her? Roller skating is most definitely not easy, and neither is it gracious. A girl jogging by gives me a sympathetic smile. Perfect, I should’ve practiced somewhere other than the public park to avoid embarrassing myse...

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“Kyra's Journal (Select Entries)” by Knycki Taylor

Submitted to Contest #78

Journal # 1 Today is the start of a new year and already the unlocked potential seems to be bubbling in me. I have decided to take up knitting because I think it would be a good way to keep my hands busy while I kick cigs to the curb. Michael says I am not going to follow through. But this time is different. I know it. I have been practicing my knits and purls and am going to be making people gifts by the end of this year. Journal #5 Michael moved out. He says my smoking is too much for him to deal with. Since he quit he became...

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“Indulging silence ” by Linda Bakewell Bakewell

Submitted to Contest #78

Her father’s house was filled with various different piles, towers and stacks of half-finished hobbies, projects and items for several hobbies. After his retirement, it seemed that Richard was trying to ‘find himself’ now that he no longer had the structure and regime of a 9-5 job. He had tried stamp collecting, gardening, morris dancing and half a dozen more. It was a nightmare trying to navigate his house, but it seemed to make him happy so she left well enough alone. She had come over to pick him up to go to the local classic car ...

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“A Life of Stale Flour” by Tommy Vachon

Submitted to Contest #78

They say variety is the spice of life.If that’s true, then my life was as flavorful as a bag of stale flour. Keyword- was. I used to live my life from day to day. I’d wake up, go to work, only to go home and use that money on delivery orders while my eyes gloss over too many episodes of The Office. God, how time went by, days blurring into days, weeks blurring into weeks, henceforth and so on. But I’m not that kind of person anymore. All it took was a meeting with Jenny from HR. My coworkers were worried about me. She mentioned the word...

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“Worthless” by Elakiya Kumar

Submitted to Contest #78

“I do suppose you can do anything,” said his mom after their dinner. Sam nodded and he went to bed. Being a teenager Sam always had a fore biding of hopelessness about his future , taken social studies and literature as his major but never satisfied with it, becoming a doctor was his first choice but chemistry turned out to very hard for him. It doesn’t mean he had no interest in social studies…. It was a lovely morning of Sunday, the pear blossom and oranges had suddenly appear in the world, but it was so cruel for him, he always wanted...

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“Boredom” by Oxy Moron

Submitted to Contest #78

Today again, I gave up. This time I thought I had it, that fire that drives people passions: my friends told me how my sketches were looking better than ever, and how amazing I was for improving in such little period. I’ve always loved praising and used it as fuel for my hobbies so why… Why couldn’t I stick to one thing and perfectionate myself at it? When I put down my pen earlier today, I felt it. That feeling which made me stop swimming lessons two years ago and ballet even before. Every time it’s the same, I feel exceptionally bored...

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“Hobbies” by U. Rome

Submitted to Contest #78

Boom! Wait for it... Wait for it... "WHAT ARE YOU DOING XANDER! …WHATEVER I DON'T CARE, BUT YOU BETTER STOP!" My apologies, that was my brother Charlie. My name is Xander and I am talking from Earth 2. Also, I don't have a hobby. I know what you're thinking. How do you not have a hobby? I know right everyone does. Anyways let me tell you my story. Buzz! Buzz! Went my phone. It was Percy calling. I was about to pick up my phone, but I realized it was out of charge. By the way, I'm going to go to his house today for a sleepover. "Xander,...

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“Finding Fun, with a Troubled Mind” by Daniel Harris

Submitted to Contest #78

Hobbies. Chores with a different name, that’s all they were to Cedric after he’d accidentally broken his X-box! The copious amount of pizza grease and nachos grinding on the console and the control buttons would, of course, have his mother shouting every other night that he should join his friends outside and have fun… But Cedric knew that all his friends would be online, the playground would be empty and he was not a loner despite what the school bully kept telling him! His mother was shouting something throughout the house… wait, what’s ...

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“SecONdS” by George Puscuta

Submitted to Contest #78

“Hi, honey!” “Hi, Mom!” “How was it?” I loved being outside. I loved the sun and its warmth. I loved the feel of cool air on my skin as small drafts surrounded me in their passing, bringing a feeling of excitement that resounded with every hair on my body. I loved the taste of fresh air, its smells. I loved the feeling of being completely surrounded by noise, by undiscernible noise, by rebellious noise, by noise that lived. I loved the feeling of standing in one place and being able to feel everything there was to feel there: how big I was c...

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“The Habitual Hobbyist” by Chris Culpepper

Submitted to Contest #78

I knew this interview was going to be rough when the grumpy, old man blurted out, "I'm glad you're here. I started to do it myself, but it got too dang boring!" I'd barely entered the cluttered little house before he lit into me. "Well, don't stand there, gawking like a tourist, pull out your laptop and let's make some magic!" He said as he rubbed his wrinkled hands together. Allow me to give you some background information. I'm the comedy writer for Bobby Bilachek. Yeah, that Bobby Bilachek, the funniest guy on late night. The guy with al...

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“Quilling Peace” by Animesh Kulkarni

Submitted to Contest #78

The doorbell rang and as Jayanti opened the door, all she could see were various roles of colourful papers, all tied together in bunches blocking the face and torso of the holder. There were two boxes kept at the feet, one sealed with brown tape and another openly overflowing with various tools which Jayanti could not even recognize. “Move! Move! Side please,” the young girl made her way managing and balancing the bags along with rolls of papers in her hands, with her college bag on her back, another carry bag in another hand. She strode ...

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“Kindness births talent” by Beth Murray

Submitted to Contest #78

"Oh Peter, won't you just try?" annoyingly begs Allison. "It's just the greatest feeling to be able to create a piece of art out of your own mind." Peter ignores Alison, as if she isn't even speaking to him. But the kid goes on and on, like a broken record. Didn't she realize that Peter was a boy, and boy's like to do boy stuff. Like hunting, & baseball, now those were two of Peter's favorite things. Sliding into home-base after you've just hit a fly-ball, or catching a 10 lb. catfish and reeling him in as h...

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“Come Find Me” by M.D. LaBelle

Submitted to Contest #78

Emily glances up at the sun shining brightly off the windows and decides today is the day. She will get her friend Jenna to go Geocaching with her and get her addicted to it as much as she is. After all, Jenna needs to get over Aaron. She has been so upset about her fiance dumping her at their wedding, that she just doesn't want to do anything with Emily. So, she must take matters into her own hands. "How do I persuade her to come with me? I have it all set up. I just have to find a way to make Jenna wan...

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“Training Charli” by Colin Mountford

Submitted to Contest #78

Training Charli. Jim moved toward the bar to order another round of drinks. Several of the archers from the club were hanging out there to drown their sorrows. Jim was the only one who won his singles in the state’s archery championships. Charli sat on a stool at the bar. Sitting somewhat lower than most men; she was 5’ 2” and her feet were bent in with her feet barely touching the stool’s foot bars. She reached up to grab her drink and spilled half of it on the bar. “Damn!” “Can I buy you another?” asked Jim. “No, I think it’s time to go....

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“Jonas and the Duck-herder” by Y M

Submitted to Contest #78

Sweat trickled down Jonas’ back, quickly drenching his t-shirt as the tickle of droplets became uncomfortable. Jonas had always considered himself to be a healthy, fit man, telling anyone who asked, “The secret to my youth is hard work, and hard work is the secret to my limberness.” Jonas thought that was very clever, and he repeated it whenever possible. He knew he was a striking man for his age and was clearly a respectable townsman who people depended on. That must have been why Timothy had asked him to help build the pen. &nb...

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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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