Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.”

Posted in Dialogue on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 57 stories

“Can he see me? ” by Bella Cole

Submitted to Contest #136

“You’ll never know unless you try.” She shrugged, already grabbing her stuff to leave. I huffed, going back to my computer. The first time I saw him was only a few months ago. When a summer afternoon breeze drifted the curtains open to my window, and I saw him. A brunette, with glasses and a book in hand. Resting his arms on the windowsill, and the breeze seemed to ruffle his hair. I was left dumbstruck for a moment, he seemed so perfect, completely surreal. After a while, I realized myself drifting to that window. Watch...

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“The Tide can be Broken” by Patricia Infanzón-Rodríguez

Submitted to Contest #136

“You never know unless you try,” he spoke, ripping away her attention from the massive metal contraption on the water before them. She saw how he comfortably stood beside her, unintrusive yet making himself fully present to her attentions. “What do you mean?” She answered the stranger, unwilling to slip out apprehension. It was how she had managed to buy the boarding pass for the transc...

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“There Is No Try” by Brian G

Submitted to Contest #136

“You’ll never know unless you try.” Mike’s mom said as she stood folding laundry at the kitchen table. “There’s lots of things I’ll never know, even if I do try.” Pleased with his quick response, Mike smiled and started for the hallway. His mom thrust a pile of folded tee shirts into his chest. “Think about it and don’t just leave those shirts sitting on top of the dresser.” Mike knew his mom was right. But he also knew that if he gave in now, it would feel like her decision and not his to go on the interview. “Than...

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“Fall into Ashes” by Mason Smith

Submitted to Contest #136

It had been nearly a year. 10 months ago, a life full of promise and hope, had ended abruptly. Not a physical life…but a shared one. A life with another person. People say that when a relationship ends, it can feel similar to the grief someone feels when mourning a loved one who has passed. A void. One that persists…unsure of when that cavity will be filled, if ever. That’s how it was for Phoenix. Phoenix met Lily his junior year of high school, during an archetypal period of insecurity and uncertainty. The world felt intimidating to some...

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“Pierre from Paris” by Pooh Chudalla

Submitted to Contest #136

“You’ll never know unless you try,” Pierre said to me as I stood up stretching to moan about how we were never going to finish folding and taping together the paper elephant head. A few weeks ago, we had gone to BHV Marais on a lazy Sunday morning for some window shopping, and being a long-time victim of impulse, I’d insisted we buy a pink foldable paper elephant head (I’d waved away the store clerk who tried to warn me with a “Madamoiselle, would you consider an easier level as this is for experts?”) and work on it for the next few ...

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““You’ll Never Know Until You Try”” by RRadical66 6

Submitted to Contest #136

Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.” — —-Part One— —— Inspiration—--- “You’ll never know unless you try.” The absolute most cléche sentence that ever left my dads’ mouths. Of course they would say that. They were both incredibly successful, each owning a tech company with a net worth of at least 3 million. Living in the shadow of them hasn’t been the easiest thing in my life. Maybe it would be different if I was their actual kid. But since I’m adopted, people expect me to be some sort...

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“Saving a Road Trip” by Donna Smith

Submitted to Contest #136

Danni stood in the driveway of her rented house, surveying her handywork. Packing for a road trip was one of her specialties. She learned from her mother that squaring away the basics needed for such a trip was the key to being able to enjoy the trip itself. All of the back seats in her SUV were folded down and on one side there were stacked tubbies holding essentials such as food, cooking and eating utensils, clothes, including gear for hiking, insect spray, bear spray, (yes, who knew what they might encounter!), and various tools, cleaning...

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“Blame the Composer” by Bevanny M

Submitted to Contest #136

I recognize the song within seconds. The few measly notes that reach my ears are all it takes for me to relive every moment of the last two months. I try to blink away the memories, but his eyes burn into me with each flash of darkness. I could so easily skip this song and move onto the next one in my queue, but it doesn’t feel right. Despite everything carried in the haunting lyrics that once felt so sweet and comforting, I can’t pretend this song has never been sung. This time, I will not cry. I lie to myself, my hesitant fin...

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“Baseball Parenting” by Teresa McCoy

Submitted to Contest #136

Baseball Parenting The idiom “giving it the old college try” was adopted into the American language in the early 1920’s. The phrase expresses the notion of persistence and determination to achieve a goal even when the odds of success are not in one’s favor or are out of one’s control. What better application fits the institution of parenthood? It is the spot-on idiom regarding the effort of rearing children. &n...

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“Who is on the Stage” by Ayten Nihal Cengiz

Submitted to Contest #136

-You’ll never know unless you try it. And don’t worry, everything will be fine. It was around 5 pm when they stopped in front of the building with a huge banner hanging on the door which says "Tenth Literacy Competition". The woman in the driver's seat checked her hair and make-up after she finished talking to her daughter and got out of the car. She was wearing an orange suit that she had made with her monthly salary. She tidied up her slightly wrinkled skirt and straightened her back. Her husband also got off and was chatting with the ow...

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“An Ordinary existense” by Sana Jaron

Submitted to Contest #136

"Start" , that's the most difficult word i have ever heard in my life. When you look from outside, its perfect. but, every person has their on difficulties and here is mine or even hard to get through it. I was born in a middle class family, only one sibling, everything was easy since my childhood like....well... my father is well off and mother is a housewife. Me and my brother were still studying, it was not the happiest family in the world but we were still happy. I enjoyed my every single bit of life like there is no tommorro...

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“Confession Blues” by Trevor Lorance

Submitted to Contest #136

This story contains adult themes of sexual acts. She threw her head back dramatically, a visual indicator to no one in the government filing cabinet attempting to pass as an office, of the game of fourth dimensional chess being played in her mind. Every question and every possible answer had been considered. They call it game theory; she read a few articles about it. Moves and countermoves. The degeneracy is way more prevalent than you'd think. Only the most skilled interrogators are able to bring it to light. Johnson got seven. Knoll's...

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“slow swim” by Nadia Rumbolt

Submitted to Contest #136

"You'll never know unless you try," my big sister Tasha said sarcastically. I looked over the edge at the blue ocean waters with a gut sharp desire to jump. The ability to swim was no longer known to us, so Tasha knew I wouldn't be able to do it. She liked calling me out on my seemingly illogical ideas. She'd thrown in all the rational reasons why I shouldn't, and I'd just lean deeper into my instincts. Both of our parents died in a boating accident a decade and a half ago. I took on a fascination with water and an op...

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“A Daughter's Work” by LaKeisha Hart

Submitted to Contest #136

*Sensitive Content* Language, Violence, Mental Health The room was stark white and as cold in feeling as it was in temperature. Cass Pierce sat in one of the only three black metal chairs that surrounded a large wood-top, metal framed table. The room was a medium-sized space, but looked smaller, with the large table at its center. The room was windowless, mirror-less, colorless, and gave her the panicked feel of being trapped. Of course, that could also be because of being cuffed, chained, and magically bespelled to the chair and table. S...

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“The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Maybe?” by Michelle Leonard

Submitted to Contest #136

When, they say coming of age one usually means in their teens, like bar mitzvahs, or quinceaneras. Or in their 20's the behaviors and actions of a boy or girl turning into a respectable woman, and man of society. Getting one's apartment, a couple having a baby, getting their dream job, or getting their first house. Paying one's own bills, making one's own way. Nope, not me. Thirty fours years of wandering. Actually, in adult years fifteen years of wandering or to make myself feel better "exploring". A woman of grand dreams, now is a shell fo...

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Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 57 stories

“Can he see me? ” by Bella Cole

“The Tide can be Broken” by Patricia Infanzón-Rodríguez

“There Is No Try” by Brian G

“Fall into Ashes” by Mason Smith

“Pierre from Paris” by Pooh Chudalla

““You’ll Never Know Until You Try”” by RRadical66 6

“Saving a Road Trip” by Donna Smith

“Blame the Composer” by Bevanny M

“Baseball Parenting” by Teresa McCoy

“Who is on the Stage” by Ayten Nihal Cengiz

“An Ordinary existense” by Sana Jaron

“Confession Blues” by Trevor Lorance

“slow swim” by Nadia Rumbolt

“A Daughter's Work” by LaKeisha Hart

“The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Maybe?” by Michelle Leonard

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about somebody who knows they’re probably going to fail at something, but does it anyway.

Write about a character giving something one last shot.

Set your story on a baseball field.

Write a story where hard work doesn’t pay off.

Contest #136

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

207

Contest entries

100

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: