Start your story with someone receiving a one-star review.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 52 stories

“SONATINA” by Jim Johnston

Submitted to Contest #141

‘SONATINA’ by Jim Johnston “Dominick Rosetti presented his composition, Sonatina no. 6 for two accordions, bassoon, and untuned banjo at P.S.122 last weekend as part of the ‘Young Composers Series’ before a small audience of new music cognoscenti. Less likely to be recognized as ‘music’ by the average listener, his piece is an awkwardly arranged collage of disagreeable sounds that lurch and meander along until, gratefully, they come to an abrupt stop. You enter Mr. Rosetti’s sound world with trepidation, since, from the opening bars ...

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“Dog Vomit” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #141

This was the beginning of a successful BreadTube career.To get the most views, my first video had to excite the audience. I dug out the old binder where Grandma wrote our family recipes in her meticulously neat handwriting. It opened straight to the scrambled eggs recipe. For a moment I was a bespectacled child again, smearing it with ranch and grinding copious amounts of salt and cayenne pepper on top. Yes, that was good. The scrambled eggs would do nicely.All the top submissions on BreadTube - the best video cooking site on the web - `had ...

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“Instincts” by Nicole Bolding

Submitted to Contest #141

Warning: This story references abuse and violence in the abstract. Plus vague descriptions of death. “The atmosphere is stagnant, and the food is too fattening”- K. Johnson“The vibe is oppressive and the place is run down”- anonymous James read the most recent reviews of Sonny’s Country Kitchen, the restaurant he managed. Both were one-star reviews. There have been a lot of those lately. He knew all the bad reviews came from people just passing through. The locals loved Sonny’s. The problem is he agreed with the most recent review, but ...

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“Nowhere But Up” by Mary Hood

Submitted to Contest #141

“The story lines are all taken. Who can top Steven King and Charles Dickens, or Jane Austen and Margaret Atwood? The world is filled with writers.” Highlighting three pages of text, hours of work and a week of sleepless nights, Brandy pressed delete. In less than a blink, an empty page lay before her, not even smoke lingered. The truth of her life seeped into every story she wrote and glared back at her in disgust. “Get over it. Move on. Stop dragging me through the mud! How do I write a fictional story without getting in the way?” She...

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“Death for Sale” by Yusra Rahman

Submitted to Contest #141

25 years of delivering death, just a few steps away from retirement and that blithering old hag has the AUDACITY to leave me a one star review? ME?! Sir Fell of A rank?! After all that I have done for her? All the secrets I have kept! All the silly wishes for her Passage! That blimp won't leave a man at peace even in death. For a moment I see a flash of my arm band turning from white to gold... Absolutely unacceptable! I must make this right at once! I grab my phone and ring her daughter; taking a deep breath to regain my composure as I do...

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“Critic's Choice” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #141

It was 7:00 AM, and Justin rushed down the stairs of his one-bedroom flat in the city’s lower west side. The early edition of the local newspaper should have arrived at the newsstand around the corner, and he eagerly awaited to read something that would impact the rest of his day, and perhaps his career. Justin had opened a bistro in the east end of town, right next to park. The setting was traditional with smal...

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“Honey Lavender Latte” by Ella Bennett

Submitted to Contest #141

Monika took a deep breath and steadied herself against the bartop counter. Her heart raced and she stared at the review. The one star mocking her. Monika’s Muses, a new victorian themed coffee shop located off of Fifth and Main does have an aesthetic appeal, unfortunately, that is where the appeal stops. The honey lavender latte I received was not only atrociously frigid, but tasted of only sugar. Not worth my time or money. She knew it was coming, not everyone would rave about her small cafe. Monika just hoped that it...

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“The Review” by Marissa Marie

Submitted to Contest #141

One star. One. Out of five, to be exact! I spent weeks impatiently waiting for my artwork to be reviewed by the illustrious art critic and painter Dr. Gabriella Montagne and this is what that talentless hack has the audacity to write in the paper? Blasphemy! To be quite honest, I am shaken to my very core at the unrestrained insolence she dares to express towards an artist as remarkable as myself. What does she know anyway? My work is revolutionary while her work is a disgrace to the integrity of the art world. I mean, who actually co...

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“Five-star plan” by Vera Kurt

Submitted to Contest #141

Oh man, it’s 7:30 a.m, I’m unemployed and it’s December 25th, for god sakes, who could that be?! Still in the dark, I reach for my phone. Screen light burns my eyes and I see “Boss” in the middle of it. Shit, what does he need! He fired me a week ago, giving me a short notice as a Christmas present. Did that jerk change his mind? Let’s see what this is about. -Hello, - I let out a dry moan. -Hey, I hope you still remember me, - the idiot tried to make a joke, -I know you are not a part of the team anymore but I have something interesting for...

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“Wanted: Notoriety” by Maureen MacLennan

Submitted to Contest #141

Wanted: Notoriety Munching on a slice of bagel with her left hand, her right hand clicked on the mouse until finding her submitted piece in the contest section. She wasn’t really expecting glowing feedback in this case, but one never knew. She’d had a couple bad appraisals in the past and it had taken her some time and mental strength to move past them, it was time to see if she’d been successful. She understood that her grammar and punctuation needed work that she wasn’t ‘all that’ as a writer. It had also been pointed out to he...

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“Escape The Stars” by Charly Woods

Submitted to Contest #141

“One star. Again.” I sighed and put a box of robot parts on the shelf. The screen hovered a second longer in front of my head, reminding me I’m not good enough. Then it disappeared. Somehow I always get one star, even though I really try. Is everyone against me? Is it because I’m below everyone, below all the pilots and the leaders? “Stop messing around, scrap kid. And fix this thing.” A tall figure was standing in the door opening, lifting up his arm. A few sparks and a sizzling sound came from it. I quickly grabbed a few tools, dropping ...

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“One Lucky Scar” by Sabrina Semidei

Submitted to Contest #141

1: One. 2: One what. 1: That can’t be. I can’t count well, but I know how to count when there is more than one. 2: One what? 1: Who the hell is Misty Marshall? 2: Should I know? 1: What kind of a name is Misty Marshall? Surely a fake! 2: Either explain yourself or end your story here. 1: One star. Misty Marshall gave my play one damn lonely star. 2: Oh, come on. Who cares about one review! 1: Well, the one star cares all the other four stars fucked away without her.&nb...

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“The Gray Lady” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #141

Lizzie had no one else to talk to about the Gray Lady, except Mildred, the Inn’s housekeeper. “She’s generally benign, as ghosts go, I mean she does have that odor, and makes strange noises, but she is driving out all the guests! The Inn is not going to make it past summer if we don’t get better reviews, and more guests” “Something changed when you showed up, dear, she’s more active." Mildred said. “I have even seen her walking around more.” “What do you think keeps her here, I mean not passing on?” Lizzie asked...

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“One year” by Zakaria Hoque

Submitted to Contest #141

Journal entries: January 1st, 2022, The beginning of this year has started out extra cold. I can't believe my short story I submitted. The coldness of my room only adds to the coldness of the moment. God we need to fix that heater. Can you believe what the review said? "Dear Jason Parker, never write again. This was supposed to be a romance and yet I feel no emotion. This story is beyond pretentious, your male lead is a jerk and the female is weak willed, Have you ever even spoken to a female before?" I hate to admit it, but they got a p...

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“I Knew Better” by Kazel Wood

Submitted to Contest #141

Of course, they only gave me one star. I knew the job seemed sketchy when I took it. First, they were keeping some details secret that were key to the job, and second, they kept giving me incorrect locations. What utter idiots. Ring Damn, she saw it. Ring I really don’t want to have this conversation. Ring “Hello…” I say as I answer my phone but am cut off. “Why do you have a one-star review?” Kathy asks in an exacerbated tone. “Listen, they kept hiding details and giving me the run around!” I reply, knowing she won’t like that answe...

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Start your story with someone receiving a one-star review.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“SONATINA” by Jim Johnston

“Dog Vomit” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

“Instincts” by Nicole Bolding

“Nowhere But Up” by Mary Hood

“Death for Sale” by Yusra Rahman

“Critic's Choice” by Greg Gillis

“Honey Lavender Latte” by Ella Bennett

“The Review” by Marissa Marie

“Five-star plan” by Vera Kurt

“Wanted: Notoriety” by Maureen MacLennan

“Escape The Stars” by Charly Woods

“One Lucky Scar” by Sabrina Semidei

“The Gray Lady” by Marty B

“One year” by Zakaria Hoque

“I Knew Better” by Kazel Wood

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who critiques things for a living, or acts like they do.

Write a story about someone struggling to swallow some harsh (but fair) constructive criticism.

Set your story in the lowest rated restaurant in town.

Write about a character named after one of our contest’s judges.

Contest #141

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

177

Contest entries

111

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: