Write about somebody who likes to work in silence.

Posted in Dialogue on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 25 stories

“Silence for Ralph Smiley” by Sara M

Submitted to Contest #142

Ralph Smiley confidently looked in the mirror. His upcoming novel was going to make him financially secure, and his hidden talent as a writer would finally be revealed to the ruthless world. He smiled at himself and straightened his collar. People were going to be shocked, especially the ones who thought he was slow. Finally, after all this time, he would have the last laugh. For the past 30 years Smiley had worked hard at the shoe factory. Being on the tail end of the assembly line required a treme...

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“Silence by Madelaine Roberts” by Madelaine Roberts

Submitted to Contest #142

Hogart finished his latest attempt at writing. The price for this traitorous behaviour was silence – he had somewhere quiet, and no other biological did. People think they can withstand constant loud sound – they cannot. It drives you quietly mad, even if you do not see it coming. You can only know yourself in silence and if you never have that you will go insane. Of course, he thought about it but self-preservation is a biological imperative, he thinks. The drones seemed, to Hogart’s already over stimulated body, to be screeching louder t...

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“Broken Silence” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #142

“It isn’t silence that bothers me. It’s the noise.” “Why is that?” “Because it usually means something’s gone wrong.” The man sitting across the table from me gives me a look, like he’s still wondering whether to believe me or not. This interview has lasted for hours, and it isn’t the first one I’ve been through. “I’m sorry this process is so involved,” he says, as if sensing my thoughts. “But you have to understand the gravity of the situation, the importance of this job. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the future of mankind might dep...

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“Poetry Aloud” by Sarah O'Donovan

Submitted to Contest #142

Chapter 1 Me and John always fit together. Our bodies, our minds. We were like a jigsaw piece, each corner smooth and perfectly aligned with an equally smooth incave in the matching piece. Yet, each piece had its own faults that gave it character and personality. And then maybe those gaps grew wider without me realising. Or maybe I put a wrong piece in somewhere and set the balance off. Either way, all I know is now I’m alone in the world. John won’t even talk to me. He should know all that bullshit about Cooper and me was pure school drama....

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“Brother John a.k.a Greg Johnson” by Jonathan Morris

Submitted to Contest #142

The closure of the abbey was hard on all the brothers. But none felt the loss as deeply or more profoundly than Brother John. Brother John had been cloistered at St. Gabriel’s for the last 47 years and had been silent for the last 45. The Trappist monastery was an unusually quiet place for the then 19 year old Greg Johnson. Greg had been an outgoing and talkative boy. He was a talented athlete, popular with the girls in his high school, and enjoyed everything with youthful vigor and exuberance. Hiding just underneath the surface howev...

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“Shower Physics” by Ashley Bowie

Submitted to Contest #142

If they would all just shut up I could get some things done around here. As precious and fumbling as they are, my favorite time is when they are all asleep. All day long it’s; I need help, I need answers, I need more time, I need money. Always with the money. When they sleep is when I can see their problems with out the words. I can feel their exhaustion, I can feel the anxiety of not yet being sure of what they want but knowing they need something. They always need something. Is that my fault? I thought I gave them everything, gave th...

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“Return to the void” by Lee Portess

Submitted to Contest #142

People often asked him if he ever felt lonely when he was out here. If he felt isolated, alone, vulnerable. He always smiled and shook his head, never looking up from whatever task he was working on. In truth he only really understood loneliness as a concept. They would invariably express amazement, go on to tell him how they could never do it. Tell him of the primal fears that wracked their brains when isolated from their fellow man, surrounded by a hostile environment. He would continue to work as they satiated their need to communicate, s...

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“The School Library” by Micaiah Moore

Submitted to Contest #142

Simon Slater had always loved books, so he had always loved libraries. To an 11 year old, the possibilities were ceaseless. Dusty pages, long dark hallways, and best of all, Simon loved that the library (one which not many people roamed) was completely silent. And so that is Simon, an 11 year old boy who retained the world and loved the hush of the library… None of his friends ever shared Simon’s interest, nor did anybody in his school. All the fixation in his times was video games, sports, summer camps, and of everything an 11 year old boy...

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“A Dangerous Game” by Clarys J.C.B.

Submitted to Contest #142

She was playing a dangerous game. A very dangerous game. A most precarious game. A game full of risk. A game full of trickery. A game full of uncertainty. It was Finals week. Three days more to go and the semester would end. Three days more to go and she could enjoy her break. Three days more to go and she could bask in the sun and not have to think about anything and everything for a while. Three days more to go and she could finally relax. Three days more to go and she could finally get some proper sleep. Alas, that would still be thr...

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“Just A Whisper” by Luca Falcon

Submitted to Contest #142

Sat in the clocktower, all one could hear is the absence of sound. The drought of noise. Footsteps of its past presence brushed away and dismissed. It was as though it never lived. A vision of clarity remained, presented as a state of calm. The beauty in the form of nothing, the lack of everything. It is a power so strong, bestowed on all beings, yet only used by some. It can change emotions, answer all questions, channel fear or bravery. It is the energy of focus and stabilization. It is… Silence. ...

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Write about somebody who likes to work in silence.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 25 stories

“Silence for Ralph Smiley” by Sara M

“Silence by Madelaine Roberts” by Madelaine Roberts

“Broken Silence” by Ian Gonzales

“Poetry Aloud” by Sarah O'Donovan

“Brother John a.k.a Greg Johnson” by Jonathan Morris

“Shower Physics” by Ashley Bowie

“Return to the void” by Lee Portess

“The School Library” by Micaiah Moore

“A Dangerous Game” by Clarys J.C.B.

“Just A Whisper” by Luca Falcon

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone being given a book recommendation.

Write a story about a librarian that doesn’t fit into the common librarian stereotypes.

Write about a character on the hunt to solve a mystery who uses their local library (or librarian) as a source of information.

Write a story that includes one character reading aloud to another.

Contest #142

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

175

Contest entries

129

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: