Write a story about someone feeling powerless.

Posted in Narrative on Nov 1, 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?

✍️ 284 stories

“Leaving you” by Paige Mackey

Submitted to Contest #58

The air was cold, a sign of the bleak seasons to come. The wind had a chill to it, one that passed through my thin autumn jacket, exposing me, leaving me cold with the bitter taste of vulnerability on my tongue. The jacket was an old one, one my dad had purchased for a long forgotten birthday years past. I clung to it, clinging to the sense of normality and comfort that it provided. It was a folly. Nothing brought me comfort these days. The hyperventilating breaths of frosty air, and the fresh tears making their way down my face were barely ...

103 comments 103

Read story

“For Your Sake” by Jade Young

Submitted to Contest #58

This is all my fault. This is happening all because of me. A person is going to die because I ignored the facts that warned me to stop this from continuing any further; to stop this before it was too late.It all started with that stupid pink dress. Fashioned from the finest silk in the kingdom, and sporting the perfect combination of ruffles and simplicity, it made me come across as too elegant--as too refined--for a woman my age. Mother always taught me that every female with a crown on her head should be the perfect picture of elegance, bu...

160 comments 160

Read story

“Broken Wings” by Maybe Jupiter

Submitted to Contest #58

They say it was the past that drove her crazy.Those carefree days when she had still been ruthless drunk on all fours, crawling across the calacatta-marble counter table, howling into the night. When inky black shadows that used to lurk only in the corners seemed to somehow materialize, an acrid tangibility that tried to rip apart her soul. When the blackbirds sang a daunting tune as if somewhat beckoning him. The eerie silence whispering in his ear, threatening to inch their way across his veins. She was left with nothing but regret.Listen ...

53 comments 53

Read story

“Shattered” by Doubra Akika

Submitted to Contest #58

**Trigger warning: self-harm “Perhaps the greatest risk any of us will ever take is to be seen as we really are-” Cinderella. The prettiest people are the most pretentious. That’s the difference between me and them. I know I’m broken. I know I need fixing. But the world isn’t a wish-granting fountain. We don’t wish for things and they magically happen. That’s the difference between fairy tales and the real world. Most people’s lives are fairy tales. I wished I had parents who would fight over me and a best friend that didn’t burn. A best fri...

104 comments 104

Read story

“silence all around” by Ariadne .

Submitted to Contest #58

Trigger warnings: self-harm, suicidal thoughts Aching, afraid, alone. The emotions? They’ve always been there. The thoughts? I'm more than used to it. But the actions? They’ve only begun. Drip, drip. ***** It stands there, so innocent, so peaceful, away from the hands of the immoral. Tall and impressive, unassuming, and naive. I've heard others calling it a beautiful work of art, and I have to agree. Vibrant, lush greens mixed with soft, gentle blues to create a stunning masterpiece. People would never believe it to be a dangero...

181 comments 181

Read story

“The Spark at the Core” by Elle Clark

Submitted to Contest #58

Liz gasped and drew on the spark inside her to defend herself. Nothing. The tiny, flickering flame had been extinguished and she couldn’t even feel the embers. “I can do that,” said the man looming over her. Her cheek stung from the backhand he’d used. “What I gave you can be taken away.” Fear. Bright, blooming fear. It had been so long since she’d felt it and even longer since she’d felt it this intensely. She sat, silently, desperately searching inside herself for the spark of power that would give access to her flames. When...

120 comments 120

Read story

“useless” by B. W.

Submitted to Contest #58

Once Upon A time there was a princess, Princess storm or as her nick name everyone gave her "Shifty" she wasn't a regular princess though. Every 100 years in the family one child would be given powers or sometimes no powers at all, isn't that unlucky for the ones that didn't get them? Storm was the lucky child to have powers she was able to shape-shift into almost anything, except other people and could read minds. You could maybe see where having powers like these while being the princess could come in handy, for instance a few years ago ...

105 comments 105

Read story

“The Nightly Visitor” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #58

The demon's next to my bed again. He's standing in the corner, watching me. I don't know much about him. All I know is that he's heavy. He sits on my chest when he appears and drags me down until I can't move. I try my hardest to lift my hand, desperate to slap the strange creature away, but I can't. I'm trapped on my back, forced to stare at the creature leaning over me, suffocating me with his mere presence. I've seen him three times. The first time was on Monday when I'd settled down to sleep with a nice warm cup of hot chocolat...

30 comments 30

Read story

“S.M.A.R.T Goals” by Jonathan Blaauw

Submitted to Contest #58

As someone who’d always considered himself a shining example of an emotionally healthy, well-adjusted adult male, Rodger never imagined he’d land up going to a life-coach for help. But then, he didn’t expect to find himself a walking cliché – middle-aged with an expanding waistline and wandering wife at the age of 43. The whole concept had seemed ridiculous before. Rodger no more needed someone to coach him in the finer points of living than he needed someone to teach him how to grow his hair. Or so he had thought.Now, his once luxuriou...

78 comments 78

Read story

“Triscin's Interlude” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #58

“Hey, how are you?” Triscin shook his head at himself in the hallway mirror and started again. “Are you feeling okay, considering the whole, um, no.” He stopped again, this time covering his face with his hands and sighing. Then he said to his reflection, “Eleanor, hi, how bad is your pain on a scale from one to ten?” It wasn’t as though he had so much experience with girlfriends in the hospital. He actually had no experience with girlfriends in the hospital which was why now, just a few hours after Eleanor had smashed his car into a tree, h...

31 comments 31

Read story

“Lipstick, Lies, and Legacies” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #58

She says one day you’ll be famous. More lies bubble to her lips as Sheila leads you onto the smooth sidewalks of Hollywood. It’s scorching hot and you imagine yourself as a popsicle. Drip by drip, melting. Inhaling, you smell cigarettes and selfish dreams. This isn’t where you want to be, but she pulls you along. Using your free hand to whip tears of sweat off your forehead, you finally notice the people. They appear different, but they are all the same. Stumbling along the neon streets, your head starts to spin. She sho...

20 comments 20

Read story

“Powerless Prince” by Dalyane Deblois

Submitted to Contest #58

“Where have you been?” says a gravelly voice from behind. Cyrus turns around, surprised to see his father standing between him and the door he just came through. His heart beats faster, but his expression stays the same. “Missed me much?” Cyrus asks carelessly. “You’re seeing a girl” he drawls. The son steps back, fear fighting to take over his mind. He has always felt powerless, but Sierra’s the only thing keeping him sane. She’s his hope for a better life, his light through the utter darkness. If his father, the King, knows about her, she ...

27 comments 27

Read story

“This isn't a superhero movie ” by Rebecca Lee

Submitted to Contest #58

You ever felt so powerless your stomach hurt? Your knees got weak? You were sweating hard? Have you ever been involved in a situation so traumatic it stunned you into silence?Tracy Emory had been in many situations that nothing seemed like it could stop him. Most of these events were due to his career as a flight paramedic and helicopter pilot.But there was this one day when Tracy Emory felt so powerless he fell to his knees.He would never forget that day. It was an early morning, mid-August. Tracy's shift didn't start for several hours, but...

23 comments 23

Read story

“Headlights on Dark Roads” by Elliot Thomas

Submitted to Contest #58

Trigger Warning: self harm and other similar themes We're all fucked up. I forget that sometimes. We're all broken in some little way that becomes like a hole in a pair of tights. There's no fixing it; it can only get worse. I find myself judging people sometimes because of how they deal with their broken bits. Some people wear them like a new outfit to show off. Others wear them like a suit of armour, warding people off. After all, who could love a broken person. Most people try to hide their broken. Bury it down so deep you...

27 comments 27

Read story

“You Have Always Been My Light” by 𝙰𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚎

Submitted to Contest #58

The first thing you need to know is that this is a love story, and perhaps a little more than that, but that all depends on you. This story starts where they all do, the superior night sky. Although, unlike the night sky that gets so carefully painted above your head every night, this sky is nothing but darkness. Black as the demons hiding in your head, nothing but a dark sky and a world bellow even darker. This universe was not one to be filled with wonder and discovery, it was simply empty and silent. Amongst the deep bath of endle...

30 comments 30

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.

Thriller and Suspense – 146 stories

Write a story where the power goes out on a spaceship or submarine.

Adventure – 86 stories

Write about a character who’s stuck in an elevator when the power goes out.

Thriller and Suspense – 252 stories

Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.

Funny – 112 stories

Contest #58

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Lights Out

$50

Prize money

880

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 11, 2020 EST

Won by Julie Bissell 🏆

Title: In the Dark

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

Write a story about someone feeling powerless.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 284 stories

“Leaving you” by Paige Mackey

“For Your Sake” by Jade Young

“Broken Wings” by Maybe Jupiter

“Shattered” by Doubra Akika

“silence all around” by Ariadne .

“The Spark at the Core” by Elle Clark

“useless” by B. W.

“The Nightly Visitor” by Rambling Beth

“S.M.A.R.T Goals” by Jonathan Blaauw

“Triscin's Interlude” by Jubilee Forbess

“Lipstick, Lies, and Legacies” by Scout Tahoe

“Powerless Prince” by Dalyane Deblois

“This isn't a superhero movie ” by Rebecca Lee

“Headlights on Dark Roads” by Elliot Thomas

“You Have Always Been My Light” by 𝙰𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚎

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who purposefully causes a power outage.

Write a story where the power goes out on a spaceship or submarine.

Write about a character who’s stuck in an elevator when the power goes out.

Write about a family who decides to camp out in the back yard during a power outage.

Contest #58

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

880

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: