Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Posted in Narrative on Sep 15, 2023

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✍️ 69 stories

“The Observers” by Shawn Palmquist

Submitted to Contest #216

They haven’t kicked me out yet, from this house of casual addiction, with its whooshes of steam venting out from chrome machines and its perpetually inconvenienced clientele floating in predictable patterns through the zig zags that lead to their daily fix.Last time I tried to drink the stuff, my thumb developed an uncontrollable rhythmic twitch that lasted three days and kept me from sleeping. The caffeine poisons my peace, so I refrain. I love the smell though, the bitter chocolatey air feels as if it washes over me in a bath of nostalgic ...

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“The Wake Up Call” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #216

A man works, behind a counter, crafting wake-ups. He combines cloudlike froth and powdered bean, dissolved in steaming water; hands them away for thrice a dollar, the occasional heavy-lidded smile. His face is blurred, his unimportance in the bigger picture, as the world rolls on by. They’re addicts, they all are; it’s just another bitter morning, with a bitter drink to warm the hand, defrost the heart, and he’s just a most-likely-bitter person, behind a counter, crafting wake-ups. Wake up, wake up, from where dreams engulf, where reality ...

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“Inner Worlds” by J.W. Kimmel

Submitted to Contest #216

She strode through the threshold and into the pristinely clean room. As the heavy metal door slammed shut behind her she paused in the center of the room, gleaming metal racks all around her. Breathing in she savored the smell of industrial-grade cleaner and walked over to the storage unit built into the wall. She slid the door open revealing the mirror and a rack of standard-issue clothing. As a samurai from feudal Japan donned armor for battle, she reverently fitted the uniform around her body. She stared into the mirror. Her eyes graduall...

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“7th grade madness” by Marie Perederii

Submitted to Contest #216

The steamy scent of chocolate filled croissants, and apple crisp macchiato's filled the air as I entered the welcoming warm store. I was only there of course to do my homework and perhaps by a little treat for myself because I couldn't afford to waste too much money or else I wouldn't have enough to buy things in the future, like applications or admission fees for stories. Of course I did get the largest size only because I knew that I was going to be there for a very long time, after getting my usual pink drink...

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“the day i quit” by Ivy Butterfly

Submitted to Contest #216

WARNING for anyone who's gonna read this: this story is about a self harm addiction. I used to suffer from this but have been through months of therapy, I'm good now. I wrote about this because writing is a good way for me to process and I wanted to “write what I know.” I’m not allowed around scissors anymore… …my fellow employees don’t know that, or they don’t care. I stare down at my hands like they were the sinners, when in reality it was myself all along. Scissors have a million uses, I should know. I’ve used them to open a can...

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“My Kingdom!” by Michael Fox

Submitted to Contest #216

"You're late, again, Jimmy!" my cruel master, Antonio, yells out in panic as I sense him perturbed by his impatient busy guests. While Antonio runs in circles in turmoil with himself, I find myself entangled in the caustic dance between consciousness and the persistent yearning for the illusive solace of sleep. You see, there is no greater joy than replacing the mundane I'm scared to admit might be called reality with an experience capable of boundless impossibilities that draw to me. What I have learned, however, in this hell scape that I a...

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“Happenstance” by J. Cross

Submitted to Contest #216

On a chilly fall weekday, a young woman with nothing but time takes a walk down the bustling street near her home. As she rounds the corner, a familiar aroma piques her interest and guides her closer to the entrance of her favorite establishment and further from her worries of the past few days. She puts on her armor of confidence and bravado, but underneath is uncertainty and fear. She intentionally conceals her true feeling...

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“Specter” by Scott Jacobs

Submitted to Contest #216

I awake within myself. There’s someone sitting across from me, with jet black hair lightly tempered by hints of placid gray washing into shore; he has to crane his neck from the clouds to meet my gaze. His hardy smile tells me he’s ready to take on the world at a moment’s notice. “You’re up! You talk loud in your sleep, y’know.” “Are we… there yet?” The words are visceral, drifting languidly through the muggy swamp festering in my mouth without my steering the raft. I’m a specter haunting my own body. “No, we stopped and I’ve b...

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“And So It Goes” by Doreen M Atkinson

Submitted to Contest #216

And So It Goes “This has to stop. Look here Martha, we have to do something. No use fiddling about with it. We have to get more of our friends involved. How to start is the question. Do you think many are concerned? You haven’t said a thing. What are you thinking? Why don’t you speak up?” And on and on she went. Poor Martha couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “My Rodney came home with dirt all over the seat of his pants. I was shocked. Shocked I tell you. I just took one look and there it was, all over his new suit pants. Oh, don’t...

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Start your story in a coffee shop without using obvious words to describe it (e.g. barista, coffee cup.)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 69 stories

“The Observers” by Shawn Palmquist

“The Wake Up Call” by Zoë Page

“Inner Worlds” by J.W. Kimmel

“7th grade madness” by Marie Perederii

“the day i quit” by Ivy Butterfly

“My Kingdom!” by Michael Fox

“Happenstance” by J. Cross

“Specter” by Scott Jacobs

“And So It Goes” by Doreen M Atkinson

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a scene in which a character’s behavior or reaction to something is affected by a past experience — without saying what that experience was.

Include dialogue that shows that a character is socially awkward.

Include a scene in your story in which a character's body language conveys their hidden emotions.

Write a story with an open ending that gives readers just enough details to draw their own conclusions.

Contest #216

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: