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!

#92: Chiaroscuro

A meteor's dazzling burst of light, a sky faintly illuminated by a crescent moon, or a sidewalk lined by long afternoon shadows, the world is infinitely more interesting for chiaroscuro — the contrast of light and shade. More than that, the binary between light and darkness is one that holds great symbolic power (think yin and yang, Nyx and Erebus, good and evil).

With that in mind, this week’s prompts invite you to reflect on the way light influences a story’s setting, plot, or even its characters. Whether darkness means comfort and privacy or creepy echoing corridors, and whether light reminds you of clarity and safety or of blistering intensity, I’ve chosen prompts that give you freedom of interpretation. Happy writing!

This week's prompts

Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around.

Horror – 383 stories

End your story with a truth coming to light.

Horror – 184 stories

Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.

Horror – 170 stories

Write about a character who thinks they have a sun allergy.

Summer – 117 stories

Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Horror – 187 stories

Stories

“Of a Captive Angel” by Genevieve Taylor

Submitted to Contest #92

Oh, look, there he is. Sebastian Bloom. He’s staring at you, waiting. Sebastian Bloom, downturned mouth and blond lashes. Sebastian Bloom, coattails long and grey. Sebastian Bloom, prematurely silver hair falling over key lime eyes. You have just woken up. The world is fresh, still dewey, sticky, leaving cobwebs between your fingers as you open your hands. The world is curved lines and long-legged water bug wonderings on your wet lips. Who called you here? But it is Sebastian, of course. He clears his throat. “It...

Read story

“Guardian” by Arya ...

Submitted to Contest #92

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal thoughtsThe dark and loud raining thunderstorm outside the glass window contrasted with the quiet reflection of the burning amber from the candle-light dinner inside the Marianne Hotel's solemn but cosy dining area. The wind escaped into the room from the open door, disrupting the already flickering candle and casted a sweet orange shade on the faces of the pair of a man and a woman seated closest to the window. "Why are you following me? Who sent you?""Miss. I'm your new bodyguard. Your father hired me to...

Read story

“From darkness to light” by Batsheva Segal

Submitted to Contest #92

It's all just a blur, my head is spinning and my mouth is stone dry. I don’t remember a thing that happened, besides that my mum was shouting my name. I don’t even know where I am, its rather cold so it must be night time or maybe I'm in a northern country. My watch is gone and there are no windows. I'm sitting in a naked room, shivering. My eyes are red and puffy-probably from crying- and my legs are as stiff as a metal rod, I am almost certain I have been paralysed. Someone came in today to bring me food (plus a bucket and some of my...

Read story

“Bound For Evil” by A J

Submitted to Contest #92

They say that light always wins, overpowering the darkness, be it fiction or reality. Everyone glorifies the light, the yang, shunning the darkness and thinking of it as the 'wrong way of life. But without the dark, we wouldn't know of the light. This is my story. A story about darkness. A story where one surrenders to the orphic shadows which our demons thirst for. A story where yin triumphs. * * * In the faraway lands of Galaecia, the kingdom of hope, righteousness, beliefs, and love stood. For all that people knew, merry days...

Read story

“Lurking in the Dark” by Monica June

Submitted to Contest #92

Darkness alters perception. Everything, after all, is more frightening in the dark. The tree scraping against your window, the same one that you thought was pretty during the day, with its blushing pink blossoms, now looks sinister and sharp. It’s jagged edges knock lightly on your window, asking to come inside. A coat you left hanging on the doorframe, you could swear just moved. Ever so slightly. Only an inch. So when the power went off, shrouding the city in darkness, it altered our perception. Everythin...

Read story

“The Light Within” by Shreyans Kanswa

Submitted to Contest #92

Life is a great leveler many would think, but to most, life is just unfair. How would you feel if you are lost in the darkness forever? It’s inconceivable to us but not to Katrina, she was born blind. She didn’t see any light in her life. Her parents took time to accept the fact that she might never see. We always make plans in life, to travel to the most exquisite places, to live free without any precincts, to read books, and to watch movies. But what if you are denied all that? Katrina till she was 16, blamed her fate for the things she ha...

Read story

“MY ROOMMATE IS A WEREWOLF!?!?!?!?” by Link Arneson

Submitted to Contest #92

The door was propped open with a rubber triangle, Ethan’s mom was hanging up his shirts on metal hangers in the closet, his dad was gaffing ethernet cable to the floor, and Ethan was subtly trying to push them both out the door. “Ethan, I think we should go to Target and buy some more hangers.” “Mom, I have enough space in my drawers - ” “And some clothesline, with laundry costing two dollars it’s really better to hang - Oh, hello, you must be Jakob.” Ethan didn’t know how long his roommate had been standing in the doorway listenin...

Read story

“Doesn't take much ” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #92

TW: mental health California has fifty-three species of mosquitoes living in the state. In the East Bay, in the summer months, the mosquitoes bite quite often. They float around at eye level, looking for an opportunity to strike, and if they’re not feeding, they’re hiding, watching you. It’s interesting to observe them; you learn that mosquitoes can die from their mistakes just like anything else. George watched one while he was in bed, lying on his side. The mosquito was one of the big ones; its legs and siphon were so long that it l...

Read story

“Second Chances” by You'd Think A Writer Would Have A More Creative Name .

Submitted to Contest #92

1215 wordsRated PG; implications of gun violence and substance abusePrompt: Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around.Silence for a few seconds. Anticipation. I don’t feel any pain. There’s no blood when I touch my chest. There’s nothing. I am just a blank canvas. I’m only a blob of clay yet to be molded. I am a page, waiting for someone to finally start writing my story. So that’s what it feels like to die.Brown eyes. Chocolate dripped down in sparkling pools. Eyelashes like blades of grass, d...

Read story

“A BLINK INTO THE FUTURE ” by Shatobhisa Sen

Submitted to Contest #92

Cami stared at him relentlessly while Josh was busy holding hands with someone else. She got out of the class and rushed to the restroom to hide her barging tears. She tried to convince herself not to cry but her inside was screaming like a howling storm. She looked into the bathroom mirror banging her clenched fist rapidly on the sink. - "Why can't I be pretty enough for him? Why did you make me so ugly?" Cami wailed helplessly. She felt a clench in her heart that she used to feel every time she saw him entering the classe...

Read story

“The Theatre of the Night” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #92

The darkness is gathering over the city. It is late March, just past the equinox, so darkness comes neither especially early nor especially late. It comes when it is ready, comes at the time when families have already gathered together again after the working day, comes after the lights of businesses and offices, those blocks of fluorescent false clarity, have already faded. For although this is a city, it is a small city, it is only, really, a city, by virtue of the soaring and splendid cathedral on top of the hill. Sometimes, for high days...

Read story

“Atlantis” by Gabby Ibrahim

Submitted to Contest #92

“I thought I’d find you here.” His words echoed in the empty studio, bouncing off the barred walls until they reached where I stood with my knees bent, exasperated. I was pretty sure the gel I’d put in my hair was far gone as it mixed with my sweat. However, I’d promised myself, and Jasmine, that I would finally get this stupid petit allegro combination right; especially considering how determined the other dancers were to poke fun at me any chance they got. I’m sure most of them assumed I’d drop the class by now—but I hadn’t. And ma...

Read story

“So Much Heat” by Ed .

Submitted to Contest #92

I go to the beach today. The light was blinding, killing me so I wear my sunglasses but that is no help either. It is summer today and my Mum continuasly was trying to convince me to go to the beach. I am really forced in the end because I was carried into the car when I refused. When we ‘arrive at our destination’ as our GPS said Mum takes me out of the car to see the ‘Beautiful scenery’ Really it looks like a black blanket covering land. I prefer yellow sand. Black is so boring. I breathe a lungful of salty air. I spit it out and go to the...

Read story

“Egerton Close” by Kuzivashe Kudzerema

Submitted to Contest #92

He stepped off the bus and looked longingly after it, until it was but a speck in the distance. The raindrops carried a soothing pitter-patter to them as they landed on his umbrella. Their rhythm ill-matched the violent turmoil brewing inside him. He was in oblivion, and for that reason he did not immediately realize the clear, straight road ahead of him, one he presumed would take at least some time to find. “Egerton Close”, read the sign to the right of it. The Close seemed significantly more foreboding with each step he took to cross the ...

Read story

“Moonrise” by Rachel Loughran

Submitted to Contest #92

At the top of a hill, reachable only after a slow, bumpy drive through dense and shadowy woods, sat a house. A grand one. Well, once. Built in the 1870s by a wealthy landowner, the house was designed in the popular Queen Anne Revival style, with warm red brickwork and an asymmetrical front. It had a wide porch and corner tower which was throttled with ivy by the time the young man and his pregnant wife bought the place, 140 years after the last brick was laid. A strange and oddly beautiful place, it had struggled to attract owners for years ...

Read story

Load more stories

$50

Prize money

1051

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 07, 2021 EST

Won by Nina Chyll 🏆

Title: On the Origin of Shadows

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 ⭢