Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write a story about someone who tries to fix a mistake but ends up making things worse.

Posted in Dramatic on May 2, 2025

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 19 stories

Not another pet again. Ever.

Submitted to Contest #301

Tom loved that cat, it was just that it could be a little loud sometimes… Normally, he didn’t mind the disturbance all that much, and honestly, burying his face in that fluffy fur was just sometimes what he needed to get the strength to carry on working from home. But this time it had been non stop. The meowing, the begging for food, the scratching, and the butt in his face… When Ashley had left for her work, she’d trusted him, like all other days, with Watching. The. Cat. And that’s exactly what he had done, for a while. Look, he felt bad ...

4 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Echo in Apartment 3B

Submitted to Contest #301

Renee didn’t mean to read the letter. It had been sticking halfway out of her downstairs neighbor’s mailbox for three days. A thin, cream-colored envelope with a red wax seal that looked absurdly dramatic for modern times. Her name—Jocelyn Avery, Apt 3B—was scrawled in old-fashioned cursive. Renee had passed it each day on her way to and from work, frowning at the way the wax crinkled in the summer heat. By the third morning, she’d convinced herself that it would be a shame to let rain ruin it. She plucked it from the box. Just to knock on J...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Monday Morning

Submitted to Contest #301

I spilled his coffee this morning. On the sun bleached marble, in the kitchen he paid for. My husband sighed deeply behind me at my mistake, while sitting at the island, checking work emails.While scrolling and tapping he said, “You should eat, babe.” Cause I’m always so shaky. He says I’d have anxiety if it actually existed.I placed the coffee pot back in the machine, picked up his black Sunriver mug to rinse out in the sink. Coffee had spilled along the exterior, and my husband likes clean things, so I must clean this before I pour him ano...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Picnic Pandemonium

Submitted to Contest #301

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the neighborhood was buzzing with excitement as the annual barbecue was about to begin. Greg, who always had a knack for fixing things, was drawn outside by the delightful smells wafting from the Johnsons' backyard. As he savored the aroma of sizzling burgers, he heard Mrs. Johnson calling out in frustration. “Greg! Oh, dear! My sprinkler system is on the fritz again! Could you help?” “Sure thing, Mrs. J!” Greg replied enthusiastically, wiping his hands on his shorts as he darted over. “How bad is it?” Mrs. Joh...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who trusts or follows the wrong person.

Dramatic – 54 stories

Center your story around something that doesn’t go according to plan.

Short Story – 135 stories

Center your story around a character whose biggest fear or worst nightmare comes true.

Short Story – 59 stories

Write a story that includes the line “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

Short Story – 102 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel