Set your story on New Year's Day.

Posted in Holiday on Dec 29, 2023

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✍️ 50 stories

“The Robber Year” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #231

All rituals are doorways. Jeanette WintersonVivien wipes her hands on the damp tea towel, watching the water spill from the tap, filling the saucepan. The pan is overfull but she places it on the hob and ignites the gas, the blue flame casting an icy warmth like the last shudder of December sun on the kitchen’s window pane. In the growing dark, she picks up the peeler and makes short work of the eyes and sprouting growths, gorging them out of the potatoes like so many black pupils and little hooked fingers. With a knife’s blade, she cas...

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“We're Okay.” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #231

(Grunt) Coffee... Drip faster ... Ah! ... More ...Must have been that last glass...What time is it? Noon? Half the year is gone, already.More coffee....Alright, I promised myself. Let's do this. Paper. Pen. Here goes.Jan. 1, '24. New Year's Resolutions.... (Chew on pen)... (Make more coffee)... (Blank stare)I'll be a better person.Suzie, baby cakes, define 'I'.Huh? Who are you?We'll get to that, just do it.I, me, 1st person singular.You mean the one in charge, the one occupying your space? The love of your own life. The most important person...

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“Second Chance Café” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #231

On New Year’s Day, a line of hopefuls seeking a second chance formed outside Joyce’s diner. Joyce believed that everyone deserved as many second chances as they needed to get through this life, but Joyce was surprised that no one had been willing to take a chance on her when she was first released from prison.A man with a bald, black-shaved head stood in line, shivering in the cold. Joyce immediately recognized him as the Shetani. The hair was gray and chalky, but it was him. A shiver of fear ran down her spine. She’d recognize him anywhere....

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“How the tide turns” by Carmel Henry

Submitted to Contest #231

Jay stirred. He felt cold and something else. The sand around his face had got into the side of his mouth and as he licked his lips, he felt the grit on his tongue and in his throat as he swallowed. He pulled up his head and looked around. “Shit,” he said, as he spat out most of it. His head was thumping and as well as grit, he could taste stale Guinness. It took him a good 30 seconds to realize where he was. It was dark and damp. He was under the pier. “Great, fucking great! What a perfect way to start the New Year.” He propped himself up...

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“Redemption Time” by Gregg Voss

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #231

I wasn’t praying. The thought had crossed my mind, but with some people, prayer just doesn’t work. “You’re destined to be one of the greats, glory to God.” Pops. Him and the same garbage he had poured into my head since I was old enough to pick up a basketball. &nb...

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“The Rotten Oak in My Mother’s House” by J. I. MumfoRD

Submitted to Contest #231

[Content warning, mild domestic violence, mental health topics]The acrid scent of gasoline hangs in the air, mingling with the earthy fragrance of the once-grand oak tree, now reduced to scattered remnants. Gnarled branches of what was once a steadfast presence, lies defeated. The severed trunk whispers of rot and dis-ease.The crackle of a downed power line, snagged by a branch, punctuated the quiet. James stood in the wreckage’s shadow, his weathered face illuminated by a flickering match. Shaking, he lit a stale cigarette. He took a long d...

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“New Year for Me” by Cassie Chapman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #231

I take in a cold breath to steady myself as the crowd around me quietly chants. "10...9...8...7" "8 months, 7 days" I whisper under my breath. My private count this last year. "6... 5... 4...3..." "251 days altogether" The metal of my necklace feels like ice. "2... 1! Happy New Year!" The 20 or so with me on this cold rock cheer. "252...." I finally breathe out. 8 months, 8 days, since Mom passed. Day 1 of learning to live for Me. I look up at the stars. These past few months, I haven't been doing well. My apartment is littered with ...

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“Ten Seconds” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #231

Ten seconds. That’s all she had. The million people packed into the small space created the perfect storm. She didn’t like crowds, the sea of people pressing up against her from all sides made her uncomfortable. Jeff had been obsessed the past few months, bragging to his business partners and clients that they were flying out to New York to see the ball drop. She was embarrassed every time he announced the staggering rate for their Times Square hotel stay as if somehow it was a good thing, an achievement of some sor...

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“Cats and Other Important New Years Day Stuff” by Nina Swanson

Submitted to Contest #231

She awoke and eased into her new day on this New Year. She didn't have to be, do, or take care of anything. She was free to focus her attention on her New Year's resolution. Heaven knows She’s done it enough times that She should be an expert on thinking up New Year's resolutions. Since She was only three weeks old her first New Year She can safely say She doesn’t remember making (or breaking) any resolutions that year. Sure She’s made her share of resolutions to change this or that thing in her life. Things like lose weight, find...

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“Godwin's Law” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #231

New Year’s Day 2035, in Charleston, South Carolina, Paul Tithers stood motionless on his electric scooter and was at a loss for words—or more accurately, at a loss for one word.With a hangover, still reeling from the loss of a real estate listings the week before, and having fallen over repeatedly on the new scooter his wife bought him for Christmas, he was in a foul mood.In front of him, a security guard stood blocking his way. “Electric scooters are not allowed in Ashley Park. I need to ask you to get off the scooter and exit the park,” th...

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“Many Unfortunate Returns” by Megan Pierce

Submitted to Contest #231

Three years ago, William Barara Stud moved into his quaint little house in Edinburgh, Scotland, but he had not been into the backyard for exactly a year. In fact, while all of the windows facing the east side of his house had shades thrown wide open, on the west side they were pulled down tight. The window above the kitchen sink, which provided a lovely view of the garden, was even duct taped closed, as it had once been possible to swing the window panes open like doors. You see, other than having an unfortunate name and a developing ...

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“Six And A Half Jobs You Should Never Consider Getting - The Complete Guide To Ruining Your Life” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #231

Social Worker – Position: Fortune-tellerStories tell of magical people who peer into a crystal ball and see wonderful futures. Sometimes the stories are right, but they fail to mention the years of practice that prophets go through, staring into a foggy ball for so long that they become living zombies, rewarded by a flicker of future about a dull, mundane action by some inconsequential menial that changes nothing, which they'll forget anyway as soon as the vision is over.In the professional capacity – you don't earn much. Most clients bring ...

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“Symphony of Serendipity” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #231

Eliza, bathed in the confetti-fueled light of the descending spud, feels the collective anticipation crackling around her. Her gaze was glued to the oversized tuber's descent, atop the Idaho Captial building and her mind spun with possibilities for the new year's nascent canvas. What stories will this blank page hold? Will it blossom with vibrant colors of triumph and joy or be etched with the soft grey tones of introspection and quiet change? The final seconds before midnight ticked by each tick carrying the weight of a thousand memories an...

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“Just Another Day” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #231

New Year’s Day comes bowling in with a short, well intentioned burst of enthusiasm. It promises much, but what it delivers is lacklustre, and it knows it. It tries, but it always falls flat as it realises that it’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is the birth day of disappointment. Yet, exactly a week before, in the year just gone, lived the king of days. Then there was feasting and jollity and merriment. A build-up of excitement that was met head on by the forces of joy. Christmas Day is never a disappointment, even if it fails t...

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“I Went To The Store, And Ended Up Here” by Tricia Shulist

Submitted to Contest #231

I WENT TO THE STORE AND ENDED UP HEREWhen I woke up, I had no idea where I was. None whatsoever. Zero. Complete blank. I wasn’t even sure what day it was. There’s nothing worse than not knowing where you are, or why. In a perfect world I would be in my own bed in my own house … I had a house?I looked around. I was sitting in a chair in some sort of huge waiting room. There were a whole bunch of other people—dozen and dozens, maybe hundreds—sitting here, so …So what? What the hell was I doing sitti...

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Set your story on New Year's Day.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 50 stories

“The Robber Year” by Rebecca Miles

“We're Okay.” by Trudy Jas

“Second Chance Café” by Jonathan Page

“How the tide turns” by Carmel Henry

“Redemption Time” by Gregg Voss

“The Rotten Oak in My Mother’s House” by J. I. MumfoRD

“New Year for Me” by Cassie Chapman

“Ten Seconds” by Hannah Lynn

“Cats and Other Important New Years Day Stuff” by Nina Swanson

“Godwin's Law” by Scott Christenson

“Many Unfortunate Returns” by Megan Pierce

“Six And A Half Jobs You Should Never Consider Getting - The Complete Guide To Ruining Your Life” by Khadija S. Mohammad

“Symphony of Serendipity” by Gail Ormsby

“Just Another Day” by Jed Cope

“I Went To The Store, And Ended Up Here” by Tricia Shulist

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of a list of New Year's resolutions.

Write about a character who has reinvented themselves, but realizes it's not always easy to outrun your past.

Write a story about hope.

Write about someone trying something completely new.

Contest #231

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

279

Contest entries

111

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: