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!

#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 – 190 stories

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

Kids – 173 stories

Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.

Teens – 73 stories

Stories

“Delilah's web of lies” by Jasmine Salter

Submitted to Contest #88

She was a liar. 60% of people lie at least once in ten-minute conversations, yet all of her 'truths' were deceit. Sprouting and swallowing dishonesty was her favourite past-time; a few would call it her life- her utopia. For each conversation she had, she willfully delivered at least three lies to each person. A form of entertainment to her. She practised lying as thorough as an alchemist studying magic. Day to night, she rehearsed plentifully, waiting for her next immolation to succumb to her fiction. Lying is certainly for the brave, yet s...

Read story

“Liars Anonymous” by Jessica Bravo

Submitted to Contest #88

Pamphlets and books were strewn around with coffee and half-eaten donuts on the table, a clear indicator that the meeting had begun. Everyone shifted their weight in the creaky church chairs, ready to listen the Newcomer’s share.Christoph paused when it was his turn, taking a second to clear his throat and make eye contact with as many people as he could.“Hi, my name is Christoph.”“Hi, Christoph, welcome,” the room murmured.“Thank you," he tilted his head up as he spoke thoughtfully.“My father used to drink every night until he couldn’t walk...

Read story

“The Red Fox” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #88

A small red fox travels tirelessly through miles of thick forest in search of a new home. It shouldn't be more than a half-day journey before she reaches the lake that sits beside a patch of Sitka spruce trees. It's a well-known spot in the forest and is said to be a haven for animals with nowhere else to go. As the fox gets closer, her excitement starts to fade as her fears rise and taunt her. It doesn't matter where you go, no one is ever going to like you. You have nothing to offer, you just aren't good enough. The small fox hadn't ...

Read story

“Why Would Anyone Want to Read This Story?” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #88

A fox named Lion, and a fox named Flute. They’re distinct. The former is a princess, and the latter an educated dog. They’re both young (no older than teenagers), and have parents. But they contrast in terms of the truth. Literally. Lion, a young vixen, yearn...

Read story

“WHEN LION LOST HIS ROAR: A CAUTIONARY TALE” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #88

The news traveled through the forest. It was time for the animals of the forest to come together and elect a new Great Leader, one who would be strong and brave and lead them wisely. There were two candidates: Lion who was known far and wide for his loud roar, blonde mane, and physical strength. His opponent was Owl who was known for her practice of working hard and her wisdom. As sometimes happens in elections, it turned out that Lion’s roar, blonde mane, and physical strength meant more to the animals than Owl’s wisdom and work ethic. So, ...

Read story

“The Story of the Liar and the Berry Bush” by Pieter Kreyns

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, in a little town in the hills beyond the city, there lived a family. The father was a carpenter and made all the furniture for all the people that lived in the little town. He was well-liked by everybody, and almost every night he was thanked by someone whom he had helped. The mother was a seamstress and made all the dresses for all the women that lived in the little town. She too was well-liked by everybody, and almost every morning she was thanked by someone whom she had helped. The son was a student and made all the trou...

Read story

“Lie with Me” by Martin Buckell

Submitted to Contest #88

Kern’s shoes were caked in mud. He removed them and dropped them by the door and fumbled his key into the lock. He stepped inside. The house was silent. All the lights were out. He tiptoed to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. The kitchen clock said two am. Swaying, he stripped down to his underwear and crept upstairs. The door to the bedroom was left ajar. Something his wife did when she knew he’d be home late. He slipped into the room and slid between the covers while his wife lay sleeping in the fetal position. She stirred. ...

Read story

“The Truth Seeking Snake and The Deceiving Hare ” by Pamela Kalidasan

Submitted to Contest #88

We don't know if any animal can speak or clearly communicate with each other, but one thing I know is that fables can bring our community together. At times, fables don't necessarily have to be all animals, but what's more fun than that and for this story it won't be any different from others. On a cotton field, below in the burrowing dry dirt, lived a large family of hares. And one hare in particular stood out from the crowd. Hares are known to be scared of the outside world, especially of humans, but this hare, was fearless. This hare no...

Read story

“The Truth Unspoken” by Joshua Chung

Submitted to Contest #88

In the Kingdom of Cazoo, nothing was fair and there was no justice. Merchants from other places would come here to sell illegal things and exorbitant stuff that would only cost a few dimes and nickels in other places. The priests would trick devoted people to donate a lot of money for the Church, but that money was never actually used for the expenditure on the repairs of the Church. Rich arrogant guys would convince pretty innocent gals to come with them, only to have sex and then dumping those gals. And those cases were not eve...

Read story

“The Magic Square” by Pina Bastos

Submitted to Contest #88

Mary was alone in the living room late at night, her favorite series on tv had just finished. She saw all the seasons of it and she felt lonesome without those characters now. Mary was thinking of a new series, but not now. It was like saying goodbye to a friend and making new friends instantly. No, she must feel the loss of these characters, she must get accustomed to their absence before getting to know others. Some characters live with her forever, like the ones from Madmen, some of Game of Thrones, Spiral, Bloodline, and others. Some wer...

Read story

“Of flowers and teenage confessions” by Nils Tremel

Submitted to Contest #88

It was an absurd number. Back in his mind, he had always suspected that the amount of letters he had written during his presidency was more than the “average President” (whatever that was supposed to be) wrote, but looking at the note that his assistant upon his request to quench his curiosity had given him with the total amount of letters written by him, he nonetheless was stunned, shaking his head visibly in disbelief as he was sitting at his neatly organized desk, his favourte pen next to a letter in his dimly lit office.These letters tha...

Read story

“Water Elemental” by Brian Barrott

Submitted to Contest #88

Water Elemental After my encounter, I learned that throughout the recent history of the west. Men wearing dresses with an aversion to women, children, and family, have instructed the general population on morality and religious belief. Moreover, these people promote a system of religion that bears no relation to western etiquette, literary references, culture, customs, phonetics, geographic similarity, or climate. Correspondingly, any objection to Christianity’s Ad Hominem Fallacies, is met with the classic “Tu Quoque Fallacy” (Who are you...

Read story

“Truth to Power” by Rich Conti

Submitted to Contest #88

Truth to Power The temperature was almost sixty degrees, sunny, with a light breeze. A perfect day to get arrested, Babette thought as she parked her car, hurried across the road, greeted Naomi, and eagerly waited for more people to arrive. She felt certain she was ready this time. Her hesitation and anxiety were gone, probably because she had been honest with Gregory about what she planned to do. Although Gregory had watched the video she made of the civil disobedience arrests last Good Friday, his image of protester confrontations with...

Read story

“The Message” by Robert Vucsko

Submitted to Contest #88

‘Speak your heart. If they don’t understand, the message was never meant for them anyway.’ - Ashley Ormon Everything in the forest around him was still and quiet. Birds flitted around the branches, a few small mammals rustled through the undergrowth, but not a sound made by any man was heard. He approached from the southeast, careful to switch his route to avoid discovery. For almost a month, he had managed to keep his location secret. He watched the entrance from a kudzu shelter. He could observe the entire area and would wait...

Read story

“Hemley’s Choice” by Troy Lane

Submitted to Contest #88

Hemley lowered the hood of his black cloak so his forehead disappeared, the sign of respect demanded by law when in public. His hands tucked out of sight and his beautiful face blurred out in darkness like the hundreds around him. One could no longer tell whether passing another Man, Woman, Zaikai, Anjel or any other amazing soul that lived in these lands. All were subdued under the black veil of anonymity, wandering in a sea of hoods moving in waves like the old oceans used to. The Mackeyes were always watching even if they couldn’t be seen...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

622

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 09, 2021 EST

Won by Shannon Ethel 🏆

Title: No More Happy Endings

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 ⭢