Write a story entirely of dialogue. Nothing but dialogue. No attributives (he said, she said, etc.). No descriptions of scenes or gestures or movements (unless these things are presented in the dialogue). Just words between quotation marks. Pure, beautiful, untainted dialogue.

Posted in Dialogue on Feb 17, 2023

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✍️ 275 stories

“The Diamond Necklace” by Anand Sachdev

Submitted to Contest #186

“Sam, did you see the necklace Emily was wearing at the party”“Yes, I saw that, yeah”"What do you think?""well…yeah…looked cool on her”“Must be expensive, right?"“can’t say…what do you think?”“A Vintage diamond necklace, something hard to find nowadays”"Hmmm”“I just loved it, wish it was mine”“Ouch….these potholes”“You have been driving ages on these streets, what’s new with the potholes”“Yeah, I know, it’s been like this forever” "It’s a city problem, nobody cares!""I'm tired of driving and having to dodge them every time I drive. They...

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“The Proverbial It” by Sara Schuch

Submitted to Contest #186

Only dialogue “You don’t get it.” “Get what?” “Just the mere fact that you have to ask is proof that you don’t get it.” “Well if you tell me what it is that I need to air quote get, then I can try to understand it. I’m a pretty smart person. I get lots of things.” “This isn’t something you can understand just by reading about it. It’s life. It’s thoughts. It’s emotions. It’s the darkness that seeps into the silence of every day as you’re just trying to be a good mom and wife.” “So you think dark thoughts du...

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“There is Always another Side to the Story” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #186

“I’m getting so excited about the marvelous Anniversary Party I’m organizing for my dear sister Kate, and for Fred. You’ll come too won’t you Selina? We‘ve invited all her friends and our entire family, minus kids. Fred’s parents Andy and Ally will be there as well. It’ll be grand. It’s at the new Crown Plaza. We’ve booked a suite on the top floor. Fantastic view. The lounge is massive and has its own bar. The gorgeous bedroom and en suite we’ve reserve...

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“FIVE YEARS APART” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #186

"Makayla get in here." "Camilla, what do you need? I'm on a deadline." "How well do you know Tristan Garcia?" ""Only from what I seen on T.V. Why? "Well I have it on good authority that you know Tristan Garcia very well. Tell me the truth Makayla." "Fine here's the truth. At one point in my life me and Tristan Garcia were friends but that was a long time ago." "Why do I get the feeling you are lying to me?" "Camilla, Tristan is my past. I don't want nothing to do with him. Why are you even asking me about him?" "Because we ha...

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“"You're Impossible"” by Irene Duchess

Submitted to Contest #186

“What are you doing?” “Me?” “Yes. Who else? That rock? A tree? You’re just… sitting. On the edge of a cliff. Literally about to fall off. Probably to your death.” “I’m just watching the sunset. What’s so bad about that?” “Nothing is bad about it. The sunset is nice, I guess, with the gold clouds, pink and orange and blue sky, there’s nothing wrong with it. Just where you’re sitting. On the edge of a ridiculously tall cliff. Seriously, Hazel? You’re going to fall.” “I’m not really the cautious type. You know that, Mateo.” “Oh, I certainly do...

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“A New Life” by Sue Brown

Submitted to Contest #186

“I can’t do this anymore. I'm leaving you.” “What do you mean John? Where has this come from? This is so out of the blue. Why haven't you said anything before this? We've been married for 25 years, happily I thought. I love you. I've always loved you. I have never stopped working to make our marriage work. What do you mean? Why? What am I doing wrong? Don't you love me anymore? Is there someone else?” “What do you mean Frances. This is not out of the blue. Haven't you seen...

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“NEWS OF THE DAY” by Les Clark

Submitted to Contest #186

NEWS OF THE DAY By Les Clark “Walter! Answer the phone!” “What? Come downstairs. I can’t hear you.” “Don’t make me raise my voice. The phone upstairs doesn’t work. You were supposed to fix it.” “What? I still can’t hear you.” “I’m sorry. I’m vacuuming.” “Are you vacuuming?” “I’m coming downstairs. I’ll answer the phone in the kitchen.” “I was down the cellar. Good morning, my love. Want some breakfast?” “Not yet. Didn’t you hear the phone ringing. I’m going to see who called and I’ll call them back.” “I’ll look at the phone upstairs later. I...

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“Afternoon Delight” by Amanda Terrell

Submitted to Contest #186

“Where am I? How is it so incredibly bright yet all the colors muted and dingy? It’s almost like there is a sepia overlay on the landscape. Wait…is that…?” “Oranges? Yeah…and I agree, this place reminds me of…” “It reminds me of a painting I once created. A long time ago. It’s still hanging in my mom’s house. Only it’s not on the refrigerator anymore. I had it framed for her a few Christmases ago. She really loves that painting as rudimentary as it is. I always found it uninteresting and lifeless. Anyway, why oranges?” “I don’t know, t...

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“When Enough is Enough” by Jamaal Graham

Submitted to Contest #186

“No! No! No! Why did you do that? Reg, why did you do that? Say something.” “Move.” “Move?” “Yes. Move.” “Where are you—no leave him alone.” “Move.” “Reg, stop.” “Move out of the way, Mom.” “Do you hear me?” “Goodness…” “Reg! No, wait!” “Why do you do this? Why are you always on his side?” “What are you talking about?” “Every time he does something whack. Disrespectful. You either protect him or act like nothing happened. And each time, I’m the black sheep because I don’t go along with it.” “Reggie…” “I’m tired of standing and doing nothing....

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“For Real This Time ” by Hugh Fritz

Submitted to Contest #186

“Hey, calm down, sweetie. Come on, quit tossing, I just got those covers straight. What’s wrong?” “You didn’t check ev’rywhere.” “Oh, don’t worry. Your eyes were closed but I checked under the bed right after I tucked you in. There’s no monster there tonight.” “What ‘bout the closet? Behind the clothes? Som’ting might be hidin’ in my shoes.” “Nothing is in your shoes. Anything in them would be too small to worry about.” “What if it c’n grow?” “Listen, it’s been a long day for both of us. Just go to sleep. If there were any m...

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“I KNEW IT!” by Nadine N Francis

Submitted to Contest #186

“Mom, I love you.” “What do you want?” “What do you meeeeeeeeean? Why can’t I tell you that I loooooooove you?” “You usually tell me that you love me out of the blue when you want something. You’ve been asking to go to the mall lately. And you have… that LOOK.” “What look?” “THAT ONE! The one where you try to butter me up with your innocent-looking eyes!” “C’mon, Mom! I just wanted to let you know in case I don’t say it enough. I really do love you. I love all that you do for us.” “Seriously?” “SERIOUSLY.” “Wow. Thank...

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“A Letter Leading to Nowhere ” by Brooklyn Goossen

Submitted to Contest #186

“You don’t suppose she’s watching us, do you?” “No, it isn’t possible… Why do you ask?” “She was the one who sent us here, remember? It was in her last letter; the instructions were extremely specific. She even specified which tree, out of thousands. Isn’t that a little strange to you?” “No, she was always particular. It’s probably the exact center point of the forest or some weird math calculation. She was obsessed with calculating the center of everything, so it makes sense.” “I guess you’re right, but I still can’t help feeling li...

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“Two Steps Away” by Deborah Landers

Submitted to Contest #186

This story contains references to self-harm and attempted suicide, as well as neglect. "What the hell are you doing?" "Oh. Hi, Scarlet. I didn't expect to see you here." "That's what you're going to say to me? Get away from the edge!" "Why?" "Because you'll fall!" "No, I won't. Besides, it wouldn't matter if I did. You know that." "I'm not talking about this with you standing there. Just please... take two steps back towards me, okay? Just two steps." "Why should it matter where I'm standing for this conversation? It's not like it's going ...

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“Shortfall” by Linda Lovendahl

Submitted to Contest #186

“Stop. You at the door cannot come into this room to speak to me if you are followed by a servant. You alone may enter with my guard.” “Sir, he is not a servant. He is my brother.” “No. He is first and foremost a black man.” “He is under my command in the Patriot Army.” “By the color of his skin, he is a slave.” “He is not a slave but a soldier on my administration staff.” “I don’t give a damn how you entitle him. You have gotten away with him as an escort in accordance to the traditions of Venezuela – nothing else. I contest his presence i...

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“We'll never have Paris” by Gabrielle Schoeffield

Submitted to Contest #186

“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a nightmare.” “Good to see you made it in one piece. Come on, sweetheart, take a seat. Have you thought about where we should go on vacation? How about Paris? We've always said we'd get there someday.” “I just got here, Frank. Let me at least take off my coat and unwind, for heaven’s sake! ” “Fine, I’ll get the waiter’s attention.” “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Lucas. What can I bring you today?” “Good afternoon, Simon. I’ll have a glass of ice water with a lemon slice.” “I’ll have th...

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Write a story entirely of dialogue. Nothing but dialogue. No attributives (he said, she said, etc.). No descriptions of scenes or gestures or movements (unless these things are presented in the dialogue). Just words between quotation marks. Pure, beautiful, untainted dialogue.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 275 stories

“The Diamond Necklace” by Anand Sachdev

“The Proverbial It” by Sara Schuch

“There is Always another Side to the Story” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

“FIVE YEARS APART” by Melinda Madrigal

“"You're Impossible"” by Irene Duchess

“A New Life” by Sue Brown

“NEWS OF THE DAY” by Les Clark

“Afternoon Delight” by Amanda Terrell

“When Enough is Enough” by Jamaal Graham

“For Real This Time ” by Hugh Fritz

“I KNEW IT!” by Nadine N Francis

“A Letter Leading to Nowhere ” by Brooklyn Goossen

“Two Steps Away” by Deborah Landers

“Shortfall” by Linda Lovendahl

“We'll never have Paris” by Gabrielle Schoeffield

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which each paragraph begins or ends (or both!) with the same sentence.

Write a story of fragments. Many options here: no verbs, sentence fragments, short sections, nothing but objects, etc. The fragments should relate to one another obliquely, hesitantly, subtly, ambiguously, preposterously, marvelously.

Write a story within a story within a story within a ...

Write a story that formally utilizes a mathematical sequence; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence could determine the number of words in each paragraph, or start with a number and work backwards. Make sure the formula is made clear, either within the story, or before or after it.

Contest #186

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

479

Contest entries

141

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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