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!

#82: How App-ropriate

Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that modern technology has reshaped literally every aspect of our daily lives. From the way we stay in touch with family and friends, to the ready access of information (or misinformation), to how we work and then spend our hard-earned cash, there’s no part of modern life that isn’t impacted by technology.

And it’s safe to say the advancement of tech is only accelerating. But while some characters welcome — or even help usher in — this changing world, others won’t be so accepting. This week, let’s take a look at some of the highs and lows of a world run by algorithms.

This week's prompts

Write about a technophobe who’s been given a device to solve a problem they’ve struggled with for years, but isn't sure how they feel about it.

Character – 95 stories

Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?

Science Fiction – 74 stories

Write a historical fiction story about someone working at a company that helped revolutionize early computers.

Historical Fiction – 17 stories

Write a near-future thriller where a piece of everyday technology has turned against your character — and only your character.

Thriller and Suspense – 130 stories

Write about an android just trying to blend in with their human companions.

Science Fiction – 221 stories

Stories

“The Refrigeration Extrapolation” by Mark Colflesh

Submitted to Contest #82

TW: discussion of food and weight The Refrigeration Extrapolation By Mark Colflesh “This one is a beauty,” the salesman, his badge read Timbo, said enthusiastically. “The SAL 5000 is our top of the line. Very popular with movie stars and pro athletes.” “Do I look like an NBA player?” I asked with an edge to my voice. Sure, I wanted a good fridge, but I wasn’t going to be taken for a ride. “You could pass for Brad Pitt, a younger version, Fight Club age.” He smiled broadly and stroked the appliance like it was his date for the evening. “What ...

Read story

“Perfect Life” by Claire Jennings

Submitted to Contest #82

TW: disordered eating, emotional abuse “Should you really be eating that?” Ella jumped, dropping a large blob of cream down her bright pink sweatshirt. She had gone into the kitchen to clear the dishes but had hidden a three pack of cream buns in there earlier. She hadn’t expected Jack to come in, as he never helped with the household chores. She was annoyed and embarrassed at being caught out. “I am starting a new programme tomorrow” she replied tersely “It’s online and it’s the newest way to transform your life. This is just ...

Read story

“iOceana” by Sibusiswa Radebe

Submitted to Contest #82

Technology as we know it has changed the world, it has taken it into greater dimensions. Into a new vantage point.Creators have now made phones smarter than humans, at a magnitude that even humans will never understand. It’s like a bad science creation which on the outside seems to have turned outright, but on the inside, there seems to be malfunctions.What if technology was in some way connected? I mean like us. We have family, we have connections— people we love. What if it was like that too, technology given family, created to feel, love,...

Read story

“Deus Ex Machina” by Risha Tevins

Submitted to Contest #82

With a single glance, they assess the man. Average height, average build and with a crown of greying salt-and-pepper hair. The sunlight streams through the showcase panels, and it highlights the narrowed features and creases of pale skin. Bleached, like fading metal. It’s in the first stages of decline, they know.It’s really too bad.He has beautiful eyes, they think longingly, and move on.He’s approaching forty years of age now, well past the prime of his youth and by all accounts and expectations, should have already settled down into the r...

Read story

“File 09” by Julie Martinez

Submitted to Contest #82

Black box, Project Xt Begin transcript? (y/n) <yes Warning: some memory files have been damaged. Continue? Light. There is too much of it, I realise, or perhaps the world is like this, too blinding to take in. I am relieved when he moves and I realise he is holding a torch as the beam drops down from my eyes. “Can you see me?” He asks “Yes.” I say, after a few seconds. I can see many things, which is new. “Good. Good. I’m uh.. I’m Mateo. Sorry I had to shine that in your face just now” I don’t say anything. I am not sure what to say...

Read story

“Repeat Eternity” by Karmissa Ariadne

Submitted to Contest #82

My system is almost identical; I have the artificial equivalent of the average adult human nervous system and my exterior design mirrors theirs. My differences go unnoticed by them despite my unusual habit of simply standing and wait in private areas during the night cycle. I remain aware of the transferability of my memories and consciousness – the transferability of my lifeforce. My creator gifted me endless rebirth and like a god bestowing their divinity upon their child, I was made immortal. Every time I die, I am somehow brought back th...

Read story

“I Think...” by PRINSHA POKHAREL (Student)

Submitted to Contest #82

I’m Ally, I go to a regular school, in a regular suburb community. Or so I thought. A couple months before this crazy… umm whatever you call it started happening. On the news there was a story about a guy who supposedly was an android and well… looked completely normal, he looked like a human and you would never notice he wasn’t. Nobody in our community or anybody in that matter cared, that was until, what happened. I would almost call it barbaric. Now you probably are wondering what in the world I am talking about. In July ...

Read story

“3th4n” by Jeremiah Shaw

Submitted to Contest #82

Trigger: violence/death My name is 3th4n and I was created at Synthsapien Cybernetic as a first generation android personal bodyguard and I have issues. Synthsapien Cybernetics is the world’s largest producer of cyborg and android security forces. I was designed to protect individual clients. All my missions have ended in failure, being unable to protect all of my clients. When this occurs the company brings in the failed “droid” as they call us, to determine what occurred. In my case, I protect the innocent in the room. I have had si...

Read story

“The Meaning of Smiles” by Brittany Bernardini

Submitted to Contest #82

The Smile Café was exceptionally loud when I entered. I closed hearing receptors, so the superfluous amount of noise did not overload my cognitive processing. Even without hearing the tones of voices around me, I knew the lack of ‘smiles’ in the cafe meant that most of the organic humans inside were not ‘happy.’ Smiles equaled happiness to organic life, according to everything I computed. I took a seat at an empty, and somewhat sticky table as I waited for my acquaintance Jarleen to show. I attempted to implement the human practice o...

Read story

“Pardon Me Your Chips Are Showing” by George Davis

Submitted to Contest #82

Pardon Me Your Chips Are Showing—George Davis Gavin Oliver is the chief technician at Herman Electronics, a leader in the manufacturer of androids. His research in AI Artificial Intelligence is unparalleled. Electronics Today, a noteworthy magazine for modern-day techies says, ‘Gavin Oliver is today’s leading authority on AI androids.’ This is the story of an android that escaped from the lab from which he was created by, Gavin Oliver. This robot, if you will, was designed and manufactured to...

Read story

“Aspen And S.K.Y ” by Laila A

Submitted to Contest #82

“Crap!” I screamed I was beyond frustrated. I have been working on my science project for the last 3 months. I want to create a piece of technology that no one has ever seen before. Of course that's going to be hard because it's 2063, and almost everything is technology. I'm trying to create a robot that has human feelings. In history, over 22 groups have tried, but i'm going to be the first to ever actually do it. My name is Aspen Kaft, I'm 14 years old. i'm tall and I have dark brown hair. I'm only a freshman, b...

Read story

“Donatello and the Peek-a-boo App” by Angie Steckley

Submitted to Contest #82

Despite her mediocre marks at university, Leslie managed to get hired as an app developer. Her first major assignement, was creating the Peek-a-boo App, by the end of her three-month probational period. It was Friday – the day she was determined to perform the final test of her software – one week before the deadline. Her work mates, heading off for their Friday visit at the pub failed to drag her away from her cubicle. Anyway, she’d feel embarrassed, wearing her nerdy plaid elastic-waist polyester slacks and greasy braid...

Read story

“Understood” by Dustin Shuherk

Submitted to Contest #82

Earl’s stomach growled a little louder than usual. “What time is it?” he said to himself more than to anyone else. “It is precisely 1:27:06 PM EST February the 4th, 2157 A.D.” a slightly mechanical voice informed. “You don’t gotta do that, every damn time you rattle that shit off, you don’t gotta do that.” Earl said with his face resting squarely in his palm in annoyance.”You ain't a workin’ bolt no more, you don’t gotta hop to and .. and be all ‘yes master, no master, it is prec...

Read story

“A New Start” by Alyssa Work

Submitted to Contest #82

A.B.I, or Artificial Being of Intelligence, was the leading A.I. on the market. Each model came with its own unique personality and appearance. Abi 38 was quite different from her sister androids in that her programming made her desire to crave human interaction and gain knowledge about human life. Unfortunately for Abi 38, due to the national law prohibiting A.I. interaction in human life other than in a service format, she could not interact in the form of which she craved. This problem created an idea in Abi 38’s mainframe which gave her ...

Read story

“Conscious” by Roni Tong

Submitted to Contest #82

You see your legs, wide at the top and skinny at the bottom. And on your feet, you have on a pair of shoes. Converse, that’s what they call them. And you know Converse is an American shoe company that designs, distributes and licenses sneakers, skating shoes, lifestyle brand footwear, apparel, and accessories. But that doesn’t matter, because for you, the converse are just a way to blend in with them.You are not one of them, yet you were created with the intent to be like one of them, but better, superior in the knowledge department. Beneath...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

537

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 26, 2021 EST

Won by Cyndy Reads 🏆

Title: ALN23061912RK

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 ⭢