Start your story with someone stepping outside their comfort zone.

Posted in Middle School on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 60 stories

“The Crying Room” by Michael Nguyen

Submitted to Contest #135

The group performances were all complete and all I had left was my tap solo. It was my time when my knees started shaking. I’ve been dancing since I was 5 and this isn’t my first solo. But I was a kid back then and right now, I feel all alone. All I can see in my mind is how I’m going to embarrass myself. “Please I can’t do this” I kept hearing inside my mind. Tammy, my instructor, believed in me so it was on. They picked “motivation” for my song and I practiced the choreography for months. I changed into my 4th outfit of the day. ...

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“OUTSIDE THE COURTYARD” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #135

OUTSIDE THE COURTYARD “ Listen to me, little Bobby: you don’t have to go out of the courtyard at all! Do you understand? Not even to go after a hen, or a turkey, or a goose, or some other animal” Bobby saw Aunt Julie’s stern face at the window…He knew well that there was no questioning her orders. However, he dared to say ( reply) : “ But, aunt, the animals come out of the courtyard. WHY can’t I go out too?” “...

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“BEATING THE ODDS” by Liza Joseph

Submitted to Contest #135

Amidst the snow-capped Himalayas is unveiled a place of pristine heavenly beauty that is none other than Kashmir. The reason why this place intrigues me so much is – Just as the spectacular beauty it showcases in its lush green valleys, glaciers, and Mughal-era gardens so are the zeal and spirit of its residents. They have a burning desire to achieve the unfathomable. One such girl was Tara, who hailed from Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. A 23 year old, smart and sensible with a good sense of humor was the darling of her parents. As she wa...

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“Blind Courage” by Luke Boccuzzo

Submitted to Contest #135

Blind Courage My heart pounded painfully against my ribs, and my blood roared in my ears. It was difficult to drag air past my parted lips to ease the building pressure in my lungs. Each step I took was one step further away from the safety and comfort of my home and one step closer to the dangerous, unforgiving world. I stumbled onward down the forest trail. It would take me to the road which in turn led to the town full of people who despised my existence. The ...

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“Italian Courage” by Heather McGuire

Submitted to Contest #135

The door to the airplane was like a threshold. Stepping through meant leaving behind the cozy house where we had become a family of four, the city in which I had grown up, and my parents, whose tearful farewell was already settling into my bones, making them ache with the throb of goodbye. With a chubby toddler on my hip and her towheaded older sister setting out resolutely before us, we made our way across the invisible line between the known and the unknowable. It was impossible to understand then, despite our imaginings, the words o...

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“Last Cup of Coffee” by Marae White

Submitted to Contest #135

Last Cup of Coffee The first thing I see when I return from the hospital is a cup of coffee, still sitting on the table, no longer steaming, but not quite cold either. Black, unsweetened, it sits in a cup half full—or half empty, depending on how you look at those things. The cup itself is yellow with a big smiley face on the side to keep up my dad’s spirits. He hasn’t had much to smile about for the past year or so. Now that my mom is gone, his dogs and his gr...

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“Serendipity 'alla Romana'” by Rodd Dana

Submitted to Contest #135

Serendipity ‘alla Romana’ Walking down Via Condotti, the odd feeling I had experienced all through the previous photo-shoot at the Excelsior Hotel, lingered with relentless insistence. It felt like being reminded of an appointment I should keep. Arriving at Via Sistina, close to my apartment in Piazza de Spagne, I turned right, finding myself oddly propelled into a familiar neighborhood ‘piano bar’. Halfway down the length of the elegantly carved Venetian Tabarrok Mahogany bar, I heard, “Ciao, Marco.” “Ciao, Mimo,” I mumbled to the smiling...

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“Glioblastoma” by Sajeev Poovadan

Submitted to Contest #135

“Splenial lesion with hemorrhage and increased perfusion with choline and lipid peaks; features suggestive of high-grade glial neoplasm. However, Glioblastoma cannot be excluded.” She stood for a long while at Ajith’s bedside, staring at his MRI report. “Is everything okay Nena?” The voice of Ajith’s mother disturbed the stillness. She managed in a firm voice, “All well, Amma!” She neatly folded the Report along the existing crease lines and slid it back into its cover, carefully, as if any additional bend or fold could hurt Ajith’s ...

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“Now or Never” by KS Logan

Submitted to Contest #135

You can do this Lily. Just breathe. Put one foot in front of the other. You’ve been preparing for this for months… years. Jack believes in you, Tara believes in you. You’ve got this.She absently twirled the silver ring around her thumb.Remember what Dr. Martin said. “All your time, effort, and hard work was set up to prepare you for this day. The biggest accomplishment of your life.”Her palms were sweating, and her legs felt like they would give out, as if her bones had turned to jelly. Her entire body quivered, and her bladder felt wea...

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“Starting Over” by Michele Keeton

Submitted to Contest #135

With tears in her eyes, she looked around the room once more before walking out of the door. Should she take a few pictures to remember this beautiful place she was leaving? Or should she just turn and run? At the age of 51 she had never been on her own before…not completely alone. Her kids were grown and living on their own; all she had right now was her dog, her self-respect, and a tremendous amount of fear and uncertainty. She did take pictures, only to be deleted a few months later…deleted out of her phone and eventually out of her memor...

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“A Bridge Too Far?” by Shirrl Beeson

Submitted to Contest #135

Luke had always known God. Yes, he was a fourth generation pastor’s son, but before he ever went to Sunday school he felt The Presence. He thought maybe all children did, which was how man’s manifestation of right and righteousness managed to pull at the heartstrings of so many people. Perhaps every child knows The Presence, but the enchantment can become lost in the translation of society. No man in Luke’s family had ever not been a pastor. He had taken History with a minor in English before Seminary school, and he ...

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“THE THIEF OF WINGS” by Tammy Castleman

Submitted to Contest #135

Terror. From the inside. My entire being held captive by an invisible enemy. Unseeable fingers clenching my throat, making it difficult to breathe. Heart pounding, dizzy, cold sweat, chest tight. I contemplated boarding the plane at Chicago O’Hare. The plane that would take myself and my daughter to a place I’d dreamed of since I was a small child: England. But I knew I couldn’t do it. I also knew by now, age 52, the difference between a heart attack and a panic attack, but my brain somehow did not and it kept telling me “You’re go...

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“FOPS” by Deb Kane

Submitted to Contest #135

Well of course I said ‘Yes’. When I read the message from the owner of Flat Stanley’s Barn Grille asking if I would introduce the comedian she had booked for this Friday night, I was thrilled. I do love to chat, and according to anyone sitting within earshot, I have quite a sense of humor. So certainly, she explained, I was the first person she thought of when the headliner (a local comic who zipping up the region’s entertainment ladder) told...

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“A Journey of Self-Discovery” by Shana Kneebone

Submitted to Contest #135

People define bravery in different ways. Some see it as standing up for someone that cannot stand up for themselves, others see it as simply getting out of bed for the day. How do I define bravery? For me, I see it as stepping outside my comfort zone. Let me share my story with you. My name is Marie. I won’t dive too much into my past and my childhood, but lets just say it wasn’t the greatest. I had to learn to fend for myself at an early age, look after my own needs, as well as my siblings. Even though we experienced a lot of ...

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“Back to School” by Christine Bialczak

Submitted to Contest #135

Start your story with someone stepping outside their comfort zone. Back to School Veva wasn’t sure she wanted to do this but she had made the commitment and that was one thing she wasn’t going to shy away from. It had been three years since the accident, plenty of time she thought, to get over her fears. Standing in front of the doors her stomach ached, her head throbbed, and she wanted to run away screaming; but none of that would help, she was an adult, a grownup, a professional. She could do this. Maybe. Veva sat on her bed lookin...

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Start your story with someone stepping outside their comfort zone.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 60 stories

“The Crying Room” by Michael Nguyen

“OUTSIDE THE COURTYARD” by Mara Masolini

“BEATING THE ODDS” by Liza Joseph

“Blind Courage” by Luke Boccuzzo

“Italian Courage” by Heather McGuire

“Last Cup of Coffee” by Marae White

“Serendipity 'alla Romana'” by Rodd Dana

“Glioblastoma” by Sajeev Poovadan

“Now or Never” by KS Logan

“Starting Over” by Michele Keeton

“A Bridge Too Far?” by Shirrl Beeson

“THE THIEF OF WINGS” by Tammy Castleman

“FOPS” by Deb Kane

“A Journey of Self-Discovery” by Shana Kneebone

“Back to School” by Christine Bialczak

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a hero or a villain deathly afraid of doing their job.

Set your story in a town full of cowards.

Write a story where fortune doesn’t favor the brave.

Write about a casual act of bravery.

Contest #135

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

154

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: