Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse.

Posted in Kids on Oct 31, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 35 stories

“One small Coke and a medium popcorn ” by Sparrow Aston

Submitted to Contest #147

I can’t tell if its dread or a full bladder that has my stomach in knots. Probably a combination of both. I can hold it. I don’t want to be that guy that gets up in the middle of the movie and scoots ass-in-face across a whole row, only to find the exit was on the side he came from. Plus I’d be too tempted to run. What is it about change that brings out the cowardice in us? “Sorry. Excuse me, so sorry”. Just like a convenient plot twist, our comedic relief character arrives, squeezing down the aisle like a stubborn bowel movement. Lisa ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“I’ll Be Here When You Want to Talk” by Racheal Pelter

Submitted to Contest #147

This huge branch fell on my porch last night, it was crazy. I hadn’t even noticed until my landlord texted us asking if the red sedan out front was ours–it wasn’t. That made me feel like I don’t notice things, all of the other colossal things that have come crashing down. Calling it a branch is downplaying it, it was massive. It could have been its own tree if things had worked out differently for it. Men were in front of our house all day chopping it into pieces, turning it into something they could manage. Our tree has a huge hole in it no...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Just Like A Movie” by Debra Koffski

Submitted to Contest #147

I finally got the okay from my mom to start dating, I was sixteen and all my friends started when they were my age, and I did not want to be the freak. I had a crush on this blonde-haired slice of greatness since freshman year. He was tall, and did I mention gorgeous! Well, I was standing by my locker yesterday putting on cherry lip gloss and he was standing by his locker combing his wavy blonde hair when our worlds collided. I mean, literally. He and I closed our lockers at the same time and crashed into each other. He said, “I’m sorry”, an...

8 comments 8

Read story

“The Tale of Wendy McAllister” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #147

There was no place like the Grenton Drive-In Movie Plex. The older people joked about how the local teenagers hung out at the diners and bowling alleys, but their assumptions couldn’t have been further from the truth. While the adults and little ones were fast asleep by ten, the town's youth were just getting started. They would arrive around eight-thirty, just so they could get their hands on fizzy drinks, salty snacks, and greasy foods. Once the theater closed at midnight (one o'clock on weekends), some would either head back hom...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Here's Looking at You, Kid ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #147

The first time Renko Wallinski saw Casablanca, he was an usher at one of the decrepit downtown movie theaters when his grasp of English was not total at the time. He was, however, completely enraptured when the screen filled with Ingrid Bergman’s face imbued with tears in her eyes over her chance meeting with Rick in his Tunisian café. The letters of transfer were still in Bogart’s possession. “Renko, I am not paying you to gawk.” Mr. Flynn tapped the big man on his shoulder. “Sorry, sir.” He saluted touching the corner ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Crushed” by Stephany Rabb

Submitted to Contest #147

Mom always said life is not like the movies no matter how bad we want it to be. But why not? Why can't life be one big adventure? "Madison are you day dreaming again? I told you to set the table." "Sorry mom." "Your dad will be home soon. Get your head out of the clouds child." "My head is not in the clouds." "Yeah its at the movies. Kids today need to be more responsible." Ignoring my mother's comment I started to set the table. My dad had come home from work and I was sent upstairs to get my sister. My sister Dar...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Grand Illusion” by Joseph Monachino

Submitted to Contest #147

Jose Garcia is watching the movie, “Scarface”, with Al Pacino for the fifth time. He is an impressionable young man of 20 years old. He likes the concept that a poor immigrant rises up to become a rich citizen of America. He is so impressionable that he would like that to happen to himself. ‘If Tony Montana can do it, I can do it’. That is the attitude that Jose Garcia imbeds in his mind. --- The next morning, he takes public transit to the immigration office. He fills out an application and submits the appropr...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Medical Meditation” by P.L. Proctor

Submitted to Contest #147

Penny lays in her hospital bed listening to the cacophony of beeps emanating from the machines monitoring her vitals. She wears medium wash jeans and a plain white t-shirt - both slightly too large despite only buying them in the last few weeks. She is cold, chilled to the bone. It doesn’t matter that she has on her navy blue, puffy winter coat or a knit black hat, or that the nurses gave her two blankets straight out of a warmer. The cold is coming from the inside, her bones are made of ice. Her heart rate beeps along at 51 bpm and her bloo...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Love Languages” by Courtney Renee

Submitted to Contest #147

When I was a little girl, I was very close to my cousin Elaina. We were only a year off in age, and naturally liked similar things. We grew up on the same Disney films that all girls do. The ones where the princes save the princesses, and they fall madly in love.As we got older, we started reenacting our own love stories. We would plan elaborate weddings with barbie dolls, dressing them especially for the occasion- but not before concocting the love story that brought them together. When we were old enough to chuck the barbies aside, we...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Teddy's Love Story” by Ava Raim

Submitted to Contest #147

TW: death Colourless streamers line the walls. Leftovers from the last funeral, he supposed. Dried flowers occupied the opaque plastic vases that were dotted around the room, one set almost militantly in each window frame, the ledges of which just barely had enough space to hold them. Were fresh flowers too much to hope for? The industrial-looking airconditioning unit was set to freezing, which he imagined was to preempt any odour that might arise from the decomposing bodies that were brought in and out of this room all day, every day. It ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Paris Syndrome” by Bethany Garner

Submitted to Contest #147

You have to see it to believe it. The romantic postcards make it look larger than life, but the Eiffel Tower isn’t all that. In fact when I saw it, I could easily believe it. It teeters off into the sky like match-stick spider-web scaffolding. It’s got fussily intricate swirls and whorls like a geometric tree that didn’t know when to stop growing. It might have been less disappointing if I hadn’t had the poster. My Mum brought it home for me one night when she was working at the travel agent’s—selling holidays she cou...

2 comments 2

Read story

“It's All Fake” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #147

‘Now this is the kind of place I want’ she said to herself eyeing the modern two story house like a green eyed monster. ‘Look at the finish on it – it’s perfect. I love the shutters on the front windows. The immaculate garden with those large ornate pots on the wide veranda - just to die for! I could sit here all day’. Then she looked at her watch and realised that she couldn’t sit here for a minute longer or she would be late back to work, and an important meeting. “Where did you go to eat your lunch?” Jessie was asked by her friend – one ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“The Adventures Of Captain Dither: Origins” by Carmen Ella

Submitted to Contest #147

Captain Dither drove his truck up to the white warehouse in the middle of nowhere. He parked. He thought he was lost for a moment and rechecked the navigation on his phone. This was the right address, but Captain Dither could see no signs or markings identifying the address. Not even house numbers painted on the side of the building. “Oi!” He sighed, "Why couldn't people understand that addresses needed to be marked for delivery drivers to find them?" He saw a metal door that might be an entrance for people. He got out of his truck and tot...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Soundtrack” by Shawn Wier

Submitted to Contest #147

[Note: Please listen to the prompted songs while you read, if possible. Pace is based on my own reading speed, so the length of the song may not line up with how quickly you read its aligned story segment - I recommend listening all the way through the song and letting the scene expand through the end, or you can just go forward with the new song even if you haven't finished the last, but don't start a new song before you finish reading the previous segment. Thanks.][silence]"Stoooooooop," I groan.The beeping alarm stops and Google Assistant...

3 comments 3

Read story

“The Wild, Wild West” by Sam Joseph

Submitted to Contest #147

The Wild, Wild West - Sam W. Joseph “Well, hold on, Pilgrim”, John Wayne warned Black Bart. “If you wanna go in there, you have to go through me and that ain’t gonna happen”. Black Bart proceeds to draw his gun and John plugs him right in the chest before he can even clear the holster. So it went with my Western heroes all through my youth. One after another proving himself and passing another test. I still enjoy a good Western movie (or oater as they’re commonly known). I’ve watched the Clint...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it.

Sad – 25 stories

Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Sad – 72 stories

Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).

Adults – 21 stories

Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.

Kids – 26 stories

Contest #147

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Yes I Cannes

$250

Prize money

179

Contest entries

94

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 27, 2022 EST

Won by Cecilia L. Maddison 🏆

Title: Just Ask for Mercy

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 35 stories

“One small Coke and a medium popcorn ” by Sparrow Aston

“I’ll Be Here When You Want to Talk” by Racheal Pelter

“Just Like A Movie” by Debra Koffski

“The Tale of Wendy McAllister” by WRL Battle

“Here's Looking at You, Kid ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Crushed” by Stephany Rabb

“The Grand Illusion” by Joseph Monachino

“A Medical Meditation” by P.L. Proctor

“Love Languages” by Courtney Renee

“Teddy's Love Story” by Ava Raim

“Paris Syndrome” by Bethany Garner

“It's All Fake” by Valerie Preston

“The Adventures Of Captain Dither: Origins” by Carmen Ella

“Soundtrack” by Shawn Wier

“The Wild, Wild West” by Sam Joseph

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it.

Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).

Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.

Contest #147

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

179

Contest entries

94

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: