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!

#83: Tropical Getaway

Sometimes we all need a break from our current circumstances. When the world feels gray and lifeless, thoughts of warm beaches and sunny skies can sound more appealing than ever.

Travel has been hard to come by for a while now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make an escape through our imaginations. So this week, let’s slather on the sunscreen, steal what daylight we can, and take our characters to the crystal beaches most of us can only imagine.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who goes to extreme lengths to get themselves to a tropical island.

Adventure – 91 stories

Start your story with someone emerging from the sea, and end it with them looking up at the stars.

Fantasy – 277 stories

Write about someone who’s lived on a tropical island their whole life and is leaving it for the very first time.

Dystopian – 83 stories

Write about someone who books a bargain vacation, only to be told when they arrive that they need to share a hotel suite with a stranger.

Dramatic – 148 stories

Write a fantasy story about water gods or spirits.

Fantasy – 227 stories

Stories

“The Stars that Watch the Sea” by C. M. Fergason

Submitted to Contest #83

Her first breath above the water comes out part gasp and part sob. The air above the sea is cold, crisp, and unfamiliar in the ever darkening night. She pulls herself with tired arms and cramping fingers across the beach, sand slipping through her hands with each grasping tug. For a time she does nothing more than lie there, on her side so the sand doesn’t get in her lungs, though she thinks that may be preferable to this. Every breath is a rasp, until she’s strong enough to let out another strangled sob. She stays this way until morning ...

Read story

“My Tribute” by Amy Varson

Submitted to Contest #83

He was just a little boy, but he had big dreams as he walked out of the water that day with his hands firmly gripping his raft, because he knew he was destined to something beyond himself and the adventure was just beginning. He always felt like the unlikely drummer in a marching band singing Jesus's loves me this I know, they are precious in his sight and twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you are as he spent his childhood going through the traditional schools where he learned the basics, which served to propelled him to re...

Read story

“My Manuscripts” by Naduni De Silva

Submitted to Contest #83

Being an author is no easy task as much as I love writing and going through different plots in my head to find the best one to include in my story. People think that being an author is the easiest job in the world but in reality it is hard. No matter how much one like writing, if there is not a single person to read and comment on new chapters, it feels like failure. It feels like your writing is bad and that’s why no one wants to check it out. A book can either be a success or a failure. If one finds the right audience it can be a huge succ...

Read story

“New In Town” by Patricia Green

Submitted to Contest #83

NEW IN TOWN. Tommy sat on the white sandy beach, a gentle breeze blowing his long, blonde curly hair, watching, and listening to the tropical blue waves roll gently into shore. He had sat here every morning for as long as he could remember and would never grow tired of this scene, but today he felt like something was missing, or more like he was missing something. Tommy’s Mother May, walked down the dunes and sat down beside her eldest son. “It’s so lovely at this time of the day, but it’s going to get very hot later. Are you okay Tommy? Y...

Read story

“No Vacancy” by Mariposa Red

Submitted to Contest #83

My name is Annalise, and I am NOT happy. My manager told me I needed a vacation, needed a break. “You’re gonna work yourself to the bone, Annalise.” “You’re making yourself crazy, Annalise.” “You’re being a raging bitch and you need to relax, Annalise.” Bullshit, all of it. I was not relaxed. I was not enjoying myself. Sitting across from me on the opposite bed, however, my unsuspecting roommate had no idea she was currently the root of all my problems. She didn’t look like the kind of person I’d get along with. Green workout leggings...

Read story

“We Bury Our Toes in the Sand” by Josh Telle

Submitted to Contest #83

“Don’t worry my love, there’s always more money.” I can’t even count how many times you used to tell me that. You would say that when you wanted to take me out to dinner to celebrate a good day at work. You would tell me that when you wanted to go see that new superhero movie. You used to tell me that when our bank account was overdrawn. I could never tell if it was optimism or delusion. Not that I ever put up much of a fight. You would always know how I would respond, that I would say something about responsibility or saving for a rainy day...

Read story

“Jade Skirt” by John Walsh

Submitted to Contest #83

Ramona sat on a bench in front of the church in Xochimilco, glanced around the plaza and wondered how she let Simon talk her into this trip when she was in her seventh month of pregnancy. “We won’t be able to take trips like this once the baby is born and it’s the land of your heritage.” Ramona was a latina but all her grandparents left Mexico long ago and her parents were born and had lived their entire lives in the U. S. It was...

Read story

“How He Got His Vacation Time” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #83

He did not take the news very well. “Why do you hate me, Jim?” “Danny…” “Daniel. I told you that many times. Now, why do you hate me?” Jim Stephens, a man who had managed Daniel Simon’s team for only six months and already wanted out, held his head up and repeated what he said. “All staff is going to be required to work through the long weekend. All vacation time is therefore reduced for essential workers.” “Essential…” “Look…” “How essential am I? All the paperwork is in and you won’t even need to have me on for the group projects.” “Y...

Read story

“The Villain” by Amy Utami

Submitted to Contest #83

Let's greeted our villain in this story, Re. A young loner gorilla with seven years of experience living on the earth. His dad died early and mom was unable to protect him from her lover's ruthless behavior. At a very young age, half-dead, he was saved by humans and sent to his new house. Where his so-called foster-human-mother, Nenna, spoiled him with tons of delicious fruits and sometimes insects. Even though, Re was never favored one. He thinks those bugs were giggling like a jelly with too much acid, didn't tasty at all, yuck! And eve...

Read story

“Mystical Misery” by You'd Think A Writer Would Have A More Creative Name .

Submitted to Contest #83

1615 wordsRated PG: violence, bloodPrompt: write a fantasy story about water gods or water spirits.You can’t know someone when they’re dead. It’s grammatically incorrect. When one dies, their world is erased from existence on this plane. I know longer know him, because he no longer has the universe he exists in. He belongs to another. I knew him, and those centuries together were amazing.Eubh is staring at me from across the bubble. Her slithering arms are stiff at her sides. Her tail floats graciously in the water. Even her hair defies scie...

Read story

“Land ahoy!” by Vanessa Queens

Submitted to Contest #83

- Land ahoy! shouted the watch from the crow’s nest of the main mast. That was good news for the crew; they had been at sea for such a long time that they were almost running out of both supplies and patience. They all ran to the poop deck laughing and squinted in the distance, or used their hands to block the scorching sun. An island was visible in the distance. The men felt lucky. It definitely wasn’t the first island they explored, but it had been such a long time since the last one. Captain...

Read story

“The Tsunami” by Roger Crane

Submitted to Contest #83

Note, wrote this between 5:15 pm and now (about 6:30) today, just to keep my hand in here. Hope you like it, although there is only a little dialogue in this one.It had only taken a short time for the tidal wave to cover the island. It was seen offshore on its way in and ten minutes later it arrived. No one was prepared—how could they be? A massive wall of water three-hundred feet high does not take much time to cross many miles of ocean—on the other side of which a volcano had split off one side, sliding it into the ocean with a giant “kerp...

Read story

“ Of Falsehoods” by Kas Reidva

Submitted to Contest #83

She is all too familiar with what the legends make of her, with the heinous slander that monstrous men spewed to cover up their own rot. A shrewd and jealous temptress who loves nothing but power or, on the contrary, a guileless and powerless victim of the lustful old fool Merlin’s advances are her main depictions. Sometimes there is even the occasional casting of her as a motherly figure to Lancelot, the White Knight. Glaucia could bear being associated with the aforementioned lies, but she could find no shred of forgiveness for those paint...

Read story

“The Developing” by Rachel Kenley Fry

Submitted to Contest #83

It’s quiet, beneath. The laughter and joyous shouting of the crowd above is muted by the water rushing in my ears. It’s dark, too, even though I’m only a few feet below the surface, my toes skimming the sand beneath me as a wave surges over my head. A few seconds of stillness and peace.When my head breaches the surface, there is once again sunlight and noise, but the peaceful feeling sticks to my soul like rubber cement. I float on my back, staring at the pale, cloudless sky. I am cradled and rocked gently by the sea. I’m so engrossed in my ...

Read story

“The Tanabe” by Zion Hintay

Submitted to Contest #83

Hayubei... Hayubei... Come here."A small leafboat floated down stream, racing down what she believed to be white water rapids. Bouncing over small stones. She turned to her father with an eager smile on her lips and stumbled her way to him.With one arm he lifted her, and brought her deeper into the glade, brushing aside some foliage to clearing their view to the rest of the lands of her people. The Tanabes."Far across our plains lays a creek so large that it spans as far as the eye can see. It is called the ocean Bei Bei. And one day, I wil...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

826

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 05, 2021 EST

Won by Madalyn Meyers 🏆

Title: Burn Damage

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 ⭢