Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Posted in Dialogue on Sep 15, 2023

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✍️ 28 stories

“REGAL BEHAVIOUR” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #216

REGAL BEHAVIOUR “You are German, they tell me”.“I am, Majesty”."None of my Danish doctors have been able to help me. What makes you think that you can?”Struensee remained silent as he watched the King who was looking out onto the vast parklands of the palace, through a rain-streaked window, his back turned to the doctor. Eventually, after a moment’s silence, having not heard the German reply, he turned back to face the physician and Struensee spoke.“You didn’t hear me, Majesty”.“You spoke?’“No, Majesty. But you knew that; which means that yo...

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“Leticia Was Her Name” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #216

There has to be more life in my life! That's it. Get out there...It was a social gathering for twenty-somethings, and everyone welcomed her, although those hi-how-are-yous were beginning to wear thin.She was a little heavy, yet dressed so nicely, her hopeful eyes scanning the room. Will I be happy here? It seemed so natural to let down her guard: Finally, I'm home; this is the place!It could have been a wonderful evening, but that was before she made losing weight her topic of conversation. People indulging in that light spirit and bonhomie ...

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“Playground mom” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #216

There she is. I am going to make my move now and ask her about the progressive dinner. It's my way in. I walked closer to her. She looked beautiful of course. I wonder if she puts on make up. I should do that maybe. But when? Oh crap, there's yogurt on my shirt. Maybe if I rub it in it won't be visible. Oh no, Alexa, the mom from Ms. Curley's class is talking to her. I am not sure I can break in between them. Well, maybe I can befriend them both. "Hi!" I said. The women jerked their heads up. Did they see the yogurt. I looked down at...

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“Gunnar's Frightening Obsession” by Johan Wastring

Submitted to Contest #216

Gunnar observed his friend lying on the floor in the flickering green light. The green light gave everything in the room a toxic feeling. “I need to save him as well”, he said. “He needs to be saved.” He cleared the table in the middle of the room from books and unwashed dishes. The light was comforting as he moved about in the large room crowded with all sorts of things. The tinted light made him avoid seeing things as they were, which made them less ugly in a strange way. He had always wanted to help his friends as they stumbled throug...

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“Bonfire ” by Emma Chavez

Submitted to Contest #216

I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me. A guy around my age jogged up to me with a beer and popped the cap off. “Here!” He shoved the drink into my hands. The bottle was ice cold, chilling my hands thoroughly it was almost difficult to hold. I tipped it up to my mouth, wasting no time and took a drink. “Come on! You guys are behind!” The guy that brought me the beer shouted at me, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the fire. Dust kicked up behind my feet. My laugh got lost in the sounds from the other shouting pe...

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“The First Thursday ” by Megan Bacher

Submitted to Contest #216

“ID please.” The short woman in front of me with the club's logo on her shirt stuck out her hand. I had prepared for this exact moment the entire twenty minutes I stood freezing in the line. Take out the card and hand it to the nice lady. And yet I still found myself shuffling to pull my ID out of my phone case with my hands shaking not from the cold. I handed out my card, smiling a convincing smile that ensured I was breaking no laws. My chest felt like it was caving in, suffocating my already shaken breath. I could not tell you why my hear...

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“HSP” by Jess G

Submitted to Contest #216

“Guardians of the watchtower of the East, I do summon, stir and call upon you to protect us in this rite. Breathe into us the spirit of the true joy of life.” “Guardians of the watchtower of the South, I do summon, stir and call upon you to protect us in this rite. Kindle within us the spirit of spiritual awakening.” “Guardians of the watchtower of the West, I do summon, stir and call upon you to protect us in this rite. Water our deepest roots, so that we may find peace of mind.” Then there was a long silence. I opened my eyes to see ...

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“Nothing But” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #216

“Come on! Get a grip. It’s only a party.”“Yeah, but all those people…”“Well, d’uh! Party. People. They kinda go together, don’t you think?”“Suppose so.”“So come on. Snap out of it. Get out of the car. Walk up the path. Ring the bell.”“Is this the right address, though?”“You’ve checked it twice already.”“Better check again.”“Go on then, if you must … Well?”“Yeah. It’s right. But maybe I’ll just stay here a few minutes. You know, ‘stiffen the sinews’ and all that.”“Jesus wept! Get. Out. Of. The. Car!”“All right, all right! I’m going. Now where...

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“An Awkward Moment ” by Debra Demars

Submitted to Contest #216

A small woman with dark hair pushed open the to the restaurant. Her eyes roamed dining room, searching, settling on the empty tables toward the back. Behind her were two little boys looking to be close in age. She held the door for the two little boys, looking over their heads to a little girl looking a bit older than the two little boys, and on crutches. All with similar coloring and features. Dark hair and dark eyes. A family, and you could tell by the shared looks. Behind her was an older man ...

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“Alive” by Leigh Johnson

Submitted to Contest #216

It was a bar, but it more closely resembled a set from a science fiction movie or a Gothic castle: black velvet and polished heavy wood lit in lurid neon.She sat in a booth, alone. The texture of the fabric made her conscious of the bare skin of her thighs and shoulder blades. She swiped on a phone screen and opened a messaging app. There were no messages. She smoothed her hands over her abdomen, compulsively.The space was strange, a grotesque hybrid of Old World luxury and harsh modernity. One wall of the space had been ripped away and repl...

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“Making Friends” by Luisa Nenadovic

Submitted to Contest #216

The sandwich was mocking her. Leah stared at the bread, lost in thought, hoping no one would approach her. She had been sitting alone for twenty minutes, watching the other children chatter away. Their laughter and animated conversations sliced through the air like shards of sound, but Leah remained in her cocoon of solitude, invisible among the sea of faces. Days like this, when she felt the sting of loneliness the most, were the hardest to endure. As Leah trudged through her thoughts, a voice unexpectedly broke the silence that envelop...

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“Merlot & Flo - Things Can Get Progressively Better” by Deborah Kellogg

Submitted to Contest #216

Late afternoon sunlight oozed through the partially open blinds and grimy windows of the office, flung itself like spider webs through the stale, fuggy air and splattered in pee-colored puddles on a desk littered with empty Starbucks cups and Brueggers Bagels wrappers. Hunched over the desk was a man with a cracked cellphone hanging from a limp hand and mouthing the words to the recorded message yet again: "Bonjour! You've reached the cell phone of Anoinette Dupuis. I'm sorry I'm not here to take your call personally. At the tone, please lea...

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“Me...am I” by Hannah Abrams

Submitted to Contest #216

"Sorry." Abi said after she ran into a boy. Her dad's bosses son. "Ho-how are you today?" She asked him. "Um...ok. You?" He said as he got to his feet. "I am doing well." Abi said. "That's nice." The boy said. "I think my father...w-works for yours." Abi said. "Ok." The dark s...

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Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 28 stories

“REGAL BEHAVIOUR” by Charles Corkery

“Leticia Was Her Name” by Joe Smallwood

“Playground mom” by Mike Ramsey

“Gunnar's Frightening Obsession” by Johan Wastring

“Bonfire ” by Emma Chavez

“The First Thursday ” by Megan Bacher

“HSP” by Jess G

“Nothing But” by PJ Town

“An Awkward Moment ” by Debra Demars

“Alive” by Leigh Johnson

“Making Friends” by Luisa Nenadovic

“Merlot & Flo - Things Can Get Progressively Better” by Deborah Kellogg

“Me...am I” by Hannah Abrams

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Write a scene in which a character’s behavior or reaction to something is affected by a past experience — without saying what that experience was.

Include a scene in your story in which a character's body language conveys their hidden emotions.

Write a story with an open ending that gives readers just enough details to draw their own conclusions.

Contest #216

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

115

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: