Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

← All contests

#88 Fairy Tale Truths

Did you know that April 2nd marks Hans Christian Andersen’s 216th birthday? Andersen’s work has been adapted and reimagined so many times it's become part of our literary DNA. In fact, it's hard to imagine the world of fairy tales without them. And while some were based on old folklore, many sprang from his own imagination — sometimes even incorporating details of his life and using the genre's fantastical trappings to write parables about his experiences.

 

This week we invite you to use your stories to explore larger truths. Whether you set them in a magical fairy tale realm or not, stories are a wonderful way to examine important ideas. So sit back, reflect, and prepare to let your imagination run wild through the forest.

This week's prompts

Write a cautionary fable about someone who always lies.

Adults – 116 stories

Write a story about an ordinary person speaking truth to power.

Adults – 68 stories

Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable as part of a deal to escape the world they come from.

Fantasy – 189 stories

Write a fairy tale about an outsider trying to fit in.

Kids – 172 stories

Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.

Teens – 73 stories

Stories

Push Through the Hard

Submitted to Contest #88

This is for all those people who feel like they can't do it anymore, me included <333They never know the hidden sideYou put on a smile, they think you're alrightYou tell 'em your fine, doing just plain ol’ fine, But they never know what's forcing that line. It could be your feelings, your emotions running wild.But you know better, you’re no innocent child. It could be that thing that's bugging you, That thing that made you escape the zoo.You never did want to, but you still did,You escaped your crazy emotions that made...

56 likes 19 comments 19
Read story

All Time Loki Part III: Less Obvious

Submitted to Contest #88

(Quick Note: These are not the actual myths. These are rewritten by moi, and probably not that mythologically accurate. Also, the vibe song for this story is I'm Ready by AJR. Carry on)🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍Well, stupid Kraken.My head flew back and hit the rock. I sank into darkness.But then I opened my eyes.A figure, shrouded in darkness stood in front of me. Whispers flew around me. He has been asleep for millenia, they said. But now he is awake. And he will bring us our great victory.I tried to yell, Who are you? But I couldn’t.Yes, great victor...

55 likes 43 comments 43
Read story

Mixed

Submitted to Contest #88

The car lurched to a stop in front of a stone cottage. Ivy crawled up the walls and even the trunks of the sycamore trees in the yard. The ground was a maze of overgrown grass, untrimmed hedges and flowers of all kinds and colors. It made my eyes hurt.“Try not to use magic, alright? For me,” said Dad from the front seat beside me. A hush of choral music murmured from the car speakers.“Whatever.” I didn’t hide the iciness from my voice as I stared out the window at the cacophony of flora. He sighed. “Call me if you need anything. I’...

54 likes 12 comments 12
Read story

Princess Otilia and the Terrible Idea

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

“The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” –Russell M. Nelson Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Slater, there lived a beautiful princess named Otilia. She lived with her Prince Charming, Thomas, and her seven beautiful children. Her world required work and strength, but it also provided her with all the love she needed. Her life was full of laughter and joy, until one day, she was cast from her throne into a new world: a dark, treacherous, underground land called Grief. July, 1934 Tillie sat, gulping, stari...

52 likes 22 comments 22
Read story

Meta Abilities (Reedsy Cast, Part One, Tora POV)

Submitted to Contest #88

Trust me when I say this; there is nothing you could do to get me to like history class. Some enjoy it; and to you, I tip my hat and say “great job”, because this is killing me. Ms. Shindle drones on, her thin black glasses falling like dominoes. Her bun follows, and then the entire lesson plan. “For goodness sake, Matthews!” I bolt up as I hear my name, ignoring the snickers from the girls beside me. “Pay attention!” “Um,” I sigh. “Yes ma'am.” “In fact,” a cruel smile twists up her mouth. “Answer my question. Give me the origin of quirks....

52 likes 81 comments 81
Read story

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Submitted to Contest #88

Blood pearled in small, bright beads at the base of her lips, dotting the edges of her mouth and staining her teeth the light color of strawberry jam. There was caution tape wrapped around her wrists. The bold black words against the Big Bird yellow background made her dizzy, but it didn’t matter. She was already sitting down. The chair underneath her was made of brittle peanut butter candy, the kind that you would find at any old grandma’s cabinet store. But this was no quaint shop in the woods. This was not the place you’d bring your child...

49 likes 9 comments 9
Read story

Flint and Flame

Submitted to Contest #88

My mother’s slaughtered corpse still cooled in the battlefield’s mud as I stood between my two sisters at the foot of our family’s gilded throne. Tallest to shortest, youngest to oldest, father placed the three of us on display like common goods in a storefront window.While we suffered the scrutiny of the conquering King, Anna and Maria kept their eyes on the floor and their shoulders folded. Their hands were clasped solemnly at their navels, and they did not fidget as fate calculated their worth.I held my head high the way Mother always did...

48 likes 13 comments 13
Read story

Νεράμαγεία

Submitted to Contest #88

I'm Austin, Austin Usoro. I'm an outsider, a misfit, and obviously not a fairy. That's it and that's the end of the story. Wait...I might be an outsider and a misfit, but it's not your abilities or how others define yourself that truly defines who you are, it's how you define yourself.Before last summer I lived a perfectly normal life except for the fact that I had to lie about both my father and my brother. I had friends, almost everyone loved me and I was pretty good at school work, but everything changed when two letters; one addressed to...

47 likes 8 comments 8
Read story

Between the Stars

Submitted to Contest #88

Owen sits in the garden, lost in thought. He looks out of place here, a tall, well-built man sitting alone under vines and roses. Fingers twisting along the rough wooden bench, he plans and unplans, running the future over in his mind. His phone rings, dragging him away from the abyss of time. It’s Ezra. Just seeing the name and photo sends his heart racing.“Hey,” he hears, “are we still on for tonight?”Owen nods nervously, forgetting he’s just a voice. “Uh, yeah. 7:00.”“Need me to pick anything up on the way?”“Nope, all good.”“Okay, se...

44 likes 24 comments 24
Read story

Till forever falls apart

Submitted to Contest #88

Bryce lay against the trunk kept in that one corner of the hall when he saw the silhouette of a young lady at the double-glazed, equally old and tall door. She was indeed a perfect sight for sore eyes - the way the furled gown hugged her curves, the way her teary and worn-out eyes still found a way to look so pretty in what she called the 'golden hour' and the way the strands of her blonde hair were all strangled among themselves. "why did you do it?", a voice called out from beside him as he was admiring her features. He raised his hand and...

43 likes 33 comments 33
Read story

Sidero’s Abyss

Submitted to Contest #88

Harwell, a red panda, worked as an accountant in the city of Tulsa, and animals often nodded approvingly when he informed them of this. They, similarly to him, understood the practicality of clear analyses. He still kept to himself in the structured town, though, and isolation left him content, not lonely as creatures often liked to falsify. Indeed, the solitary routine of traveling to Tulsa Bank, analyzing and snacking, traveling back to his bungalow, analyzing some more and sleeping satisfied him to no end. One inevitable sunrise put a hal...

42 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

WatchOut

Submitted to Contest #88

I have been watching a lot of diss tracks lately, tik tok is so hype. SO taught to kinda give everybody a friendly diss, please don’t take it personally, it's just for fun and some change.Hey, hey you downvoterRunning behinds others points, shows how shallow you are from the mindYou think taking karma makes me a loserBut you are wrong you pathetic chooser, instead of downvoting meYou should have chosen yourself, because your writing needs a band-aid, just like your mental healthDevaki you downvoted everybody because you were jealousBut inste...

41 likes 67 comments 67
Read story

Fires Of Spring

Submitted to Contest #88

There had always been something different about Vanessa Delaney, even as a child. She had no idea who her parents were and was brought up by a lady she called Auntie Lorraine. From the beginning, Vanessa loved being outside. The clean, fresh air, surrounding greenery of her aunt's back garden, and the woods beyond, captivated her like nothing else.She made friends with the tiny creatures that lived within the flowers and plants. Sometimes she would look up at the sky and wish she had wings. Lorraine found Vanessa to be an easygoing, kind of ...

41 likes 7 comments 7
Read story

Hippity, Hippity, Hop

Submitted to Contest #88

With the rising sun, the morning dew sparkled like fairy dust in the small town of Hinton, Virginia. Floyd Webster’s shoes were damp and muddy as he ran through an open field like a wild man who had just lost his mind. It didn’t bother him one bit that he scared the cattle into a running stampede. He loved to cause a ruckus everywhere he went. After all, what else was there to do in a small county town? Floyd’s father - Joe Webster - might have a different opinion.    The Webster family farm has over a hundred acres of land....

40 likes 24 comments 24
Read story

The Spinner of Golden Tales

Submitted to Contest #88

Aedna sputters to the surface, blindly thrashing her legs and arms. The Pinkietoads leap from their lily pads, diving underwater, watching in wide-eyed wonder at the strange creature flailing in their pond.At last, Aedna opens her eyes. The pond is ringed by trees, but not the kind of trees she knows. The silvery bark sparkles in the sunshine, and the purple leaves whistle in the breeze as she swims awkwardly toward shore, finally standing when her feet find the muddy bottom.Two grey-ish green trolls, out for their afternoon stroll, gawp wit...

40 likes 19 comments 19
Read story

How to Write a Novel

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

How to Write a Novel
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.