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!

#80: Living History

It's an important truth that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves living through historical moments whether we’ve prepared for them or not.

 

This week, we’re going to examine all the ways that people live through — and shape — history. Whether that’s an important activist organizer, a daring political leader, or just someone trying to educate people on the past so they can avoid previous mistakes, history is made up the actions of each and every one of us. How will your characters change the course of their world?

This week's prompts

Write about someone who never planned to make history but is now about to deliver a speech in front of millions.

Teens – 104 stories

Write about a child witnessing a major historical event.

Dramatic – 236 stories

Start your story with someone entering a museum, and end it with them settling down to join a sit-in.

High School – 41 stories

Write about an elderly character who was part of a historic movement years ago.

Historical Fiction – 134 stories

Start your story with a major news event breaking — one that will change the world forever.

Dystopian – 156 stories

Stories

“Selma Daze ” by Christian Hinrichsen

Submitted to Contest #80

Selma Daze christianhinrichsen4@gmail.com As history appears and goes by each day. There have many traumatic experiences that have led to a huge portion of our lives. We have witnessed stories of the American Civil War to power events such as the recent Insurrection on Capitol Hill. What would we do if we could go back and stop some event that changed the course of history? If it could be done there have been many tales that such events have a significant impact and would change history. This is one story that I hope you enjoy however th...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Diana's Life Tips #65: Make Snacks Before a Demon Tells You Scandals from His Childhood” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #80

Author’s note: This is part of a series of stand-alone [with provided, relevant information] stories called “Diana’s Life Tips”. Relevant information: Daemon is a demon Diana accidentally summoned. They’ve both seen Cerberus around Diana’s high school. Diana accidentally stole a piece of paper with a mysterious plan on it. *** “Wait so... What?” Diana twisted her head around in confusion, trying to make her thoughts bounce and mingle more so she could actually understand the words being told to her. Her lips pressed into a puzzled express...

2 comments 2
Read story

“My Grandfather- The Life Connoisseur” by Fram Kim

Submitted to Contest #80

BASED ON A TRUE STORYI happened to be born in the highlands of Kenya. A saying goes you can never choose your parent or where you are born. I will proudly say that I grew in a loving and caring home though it had its ups and downs. Both of my parents were government officials working in the city and my grandfather detested us staying in Nairobi purporting that it was confusing just like the Movie Inception by Leonardo DiCaprio. It was therefore reached into a consensus that I and my siblings should stay under the watch of my grandpa living c...

9 comments 9
Read story

“Black Lives Matter” by Kimberly C

Submitted to Contest #80

It was a wonderfully warm winter afternoon as she strolled down the sidewalk outside the Smithsonian Institute. More precisely, she was headed for the National Museum of American History and the Woolworth's Counter exhibit. There was a "Black Lives Matter" Program she was determined to attend. Nicole had chin-length, glossy red hair and bright blue eyes. Her fair skin glowed brightly against the gold knit crew neck sweater she wore with denim jeans. A heavy yet feminine cut denim jacket with golden roses embroidered on flared sleeves co...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Kitty and the Wind” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #80

You can call me Kit, or Kitty, or K. Just don’t call me Kate, or Katey like my mom tries to call me because she thinks it is so “ladylike” and “proper”. It’s Kitty with my friends, and I think that we are going to be very friendly when I tell you my story. So, nothing happens in my town. We live near the ocean and it is colder than cold after November, so when we have Christmas or New Year’s Day, we gotta stay inside and keep the fireplace full of driftwood or whatever scraps we can grab from the lumberyard my dad works at (he alw...

5 comments 5
Read story

“inv(A)s(I)ion” by Amir Sher

Submitted to Contest #80

Rick was standing in the open kitchen, making a sandwich while watching CNN on the living room big screen. The screen was split into three. The morning show host was on the left part. She was too young and overwhelmed to handle this kind of situation that was bestowed on her instead of delivering a piece about “morning exercises for busy moms.” On the right side of the screen was the CEO of Tyrell Robotics. He looked calmer and more confident than the young host, but his red eyes revealed his lack of sleep. The middle part of the screen disp...

1 comment 1
Read story

“The Time I defeated the Spanish Armada” by Siobhan Mulalley

Submitted to Contest #80

It was early in the morning and we were wondering what to do with the Drunken Sailor, or Lieutenant or whatever he said he was. He had turned up at the Tavern last night telling us that the Armada had been spotted and all able-bodied men and boys were to make their way to the docks to join ships and fight the good fight for the Queen and for England. Naturally, as able-bodied men we were less than enthused by the idea. It’s not like we were not used to the sea, many of us were fishermen, but killing fish is a lot easier than killing the Span...

10 comments 10
Read story

“THE FLOWERS” by Doug LeBlanc

Submitted to Contest #80

THE FLOWERS I        The fragrance drew her to the cave. She was twelve years old, and alone. It was mid-winter in Poland, and Anna was taking a different route home from school.  It was a fairly warm day for February, and Anna liked to go places no one else ever went to. She loved to see the deep snow in the forest valley. Pristine in its loveliness, it looked so pure without a footstep anywhere, save for hers. She felt ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Witness to History” by Nikki Sandoval

Submitted to Contest #80

Let me tell you about one fateful day in November of 1963. I was about 10 years old and was waiting for the President of the United States of America to land at the Dallas airport, I was near the fence and people were pushing forward and my father created a safe space for me so I would not get smashed into the fence. When the plane landed it was very loud and there was some screeching, my father said it was from the brakes on the plane bringing the plane to a stop. Then these men pushed some big stairs to the plane, and the door opened, and ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“We Lost Our Innocence” by Vaughn Collar

Submitted to Contest #80

You know, being a part of something memorable doesn’t seem like it at the time. For me, it was tragic. The Kent State massacre. I knew a couple of the victims, at least a little. Allison was in one of my classes, and William was a good friend of another friend of mine. Yeah, I had been aware of the protest to happen that Monday, and honestly planned to be a part of the protest.            Looking back now, I realize how momentous that day was. It was like the nation had its rose-colored...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Person Problem” by Joe Marlowe

Submitted to Contest #80

        Francisco never forgot the day of the rally. As a boy, he’d always enjoyed going to town; she always got him one of those ice cream sundaes with the mashed strawberries in the bottom - but his mother dragged him to the rally. Francisco had never really wanted to know what a man’s head looked like after repeated hits from a nightstick, but he’d found out that day. After, whenever he’d wanted an ice cream sundae, it was always the ones with the blueberries.       &nb...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Thirteen, An Unlucky Number” by Stan Allen

Submitted to Contest #80

Christi asked, “Papa, what are you watching?” Seven year old Christi Doyle crawled into her grandfather’s lap and waited for the answer to her question. James Doyle had volunteered to babysit while the girls parents went shopping. James Replied, “I’m watching a space movie called Apollo Thirteen. It’s based on true events. Why don’t you sit here and watch it with me. you may learn something new?” Christi said, “You mean that is real.” James replied, “Those men are actors, but the movie is about a real event. Christi asked, “How do you know i...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Remembering History” by Scott Paranada-Fried

Submitted to Contest #80

Eric had long assumed it was a story he would take to his grave.  But as he neared his eightieth birthday, the memories were strengthening, getting more vivid.  He could barely remember what he did the day before or when to take his blood pressure and cholesterol-fighting medications, but what transpired on a warm June night in New York became crystal clear, though it was six decades ago.   For the first time in his married life, he yearned to tell his dutiful, faithful wife what had happened.  He had participated in the ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Stars Told Me Congratulations” by Auspicious Echo

Submitted to Contest #80

“T-2 minutes. Crew members, close and lock your visors.” The robotic voice boomed throughout the space shuttle. My stomach was sick. The scientists had told me that everything would be okay. They had evidence to back that up. Even so, the things that might go wrong plagued my mind. The engine could fail. The shuttle could run out of fuel. Communications could — “T-10 seconds. Activating the main engine hydrogen burnoff system.”  The space shuttle rumbled as it came to life. My stomach did not feel any better, and I felt as if I wa...

9 comments 9
Read story

“Phases” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #80

Surrounded by twenty or thirty thousand souls on the Polo Fields of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, I was eighteen when I took my first hit of LSD. The San Francisco Oracle, a hippie newspaper distributed in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, announced the event, ‘A new concept of celebrations beneath the human underground must emerge, become conscious, and be shared, so a revolution can be formed with a renaissance of compassion, awareness, and love, and the revelation of unity for all mankind.’ The allure of unity for all humanki...

1 comment 1
Read story

$50

Prize money

671

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 12, 2021 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

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 ⭢

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.