Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Posted in Narrative on Jan 12, 2024

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✍️ 49 stories

“From the Diary of Reese Hurrikane ” by Min Wang

Submitted to Contest #233

August 18, 2020 It’s official. I have decided to set off to Xi’an by train, boat, car, whatever mode of transportation there is available to go on an archeology trip with Professor Langley to discover the secret behind the tomb of the Jade Empress. It’s funny how a month ago how I was still contemplating about the whole situation when I sat down with the good ol’ prof to talk about relics from Xi’an. The next thing I knew the professor had gone from talking about ancient relics and artifacts to telling me about the great discovery of ...

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“The Man, The Myth, The Legend” by Dylan Martin

Submitted to Contest #233

Monday, January 1st, 2024 Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self preservation. AUDRE LORDE ☀ I am grateful for… 1. Not being hungover. Okay…that’s a lie. Not being as hungover as I thought* 2. No work 3. This dick! I don’t know, TV? Daily Affirmation At least I’m still hot ☾ Highlights of the Day 1. A mean BECSPK from the bodega 2. Everything went downhill from there 3. I think I might be dying What did I learn today? Fucking nothing Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 WEEKLY CHALLENGE ...

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“Beneath The Bottle ” by Liv Ramsay

Submitted to Contest #233

I was talking to Pearl Matthews today when I was You know when you walk into a room and can't remember what you went in there to get? That's how I feel. All. The . Time. I genuinely feel that my brain is trying to sabotage me. Purposely trying to forget what I was doing, or what I was getting, all my thoughts lead back to that one villainy plaguing my life. I think my brain is trying to sabotage me. I say that like I am not in control of my brain, like it is another entity inside of me. A pesky gremlin twistin...

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“Alcohol....glorious alcohol” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #233

Alcohol…..glorious alcohol I certainly would not say I drink to the state of being often drunk. An alcoholic maybe. I looked up the definition of an alcoholic in the dictionary. A person who is unable to give up the habit of drinking alcohol very often and in large amounts. This definitely applies to me, my only bone of contention would be the definition of large amounts. It was nearly the end of the year. Christmas had passed with all the family present. Great feasting, plenty of booze, high spirited singing, a good and happy time was ...

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“I Blame Mr. Toad” by Alison Reed

Submitted to Contest #233

June 1 - Well here it is — the first day I watch Heidi. I told Fern it was no problem at all but it is going to be Such. A. Problem. I heard on some podcast though that doing something out of your comfort zone is healthy? So I thought this was a good opportunity to strengthen my mental health. Plus, I’m not a jerk. I want to help my sister out - she works hard and having her husband drop dead like that was really lame. I just wish I liked my niece. She’s such a freaky kid though. Like she’s tiny like a six-year-old but with the personality o...

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“I've Got This!” by Mara Rouge

Submitted to Contest #233

For weeks, this advertisement (AD) kept showing up regularly on my feed. “In a week, you’ll start to feel it, In two weeks, you’ll start to see it, And in three weeks, others will see it. But you just have to get started. And if you don’t know where to start, check this new app. 28 days of commitment will change your life.” Ugh, here they go again. Another AD about losing weight when the holidays have not even started yet. Don’t they know? It’s the holiday season people! Everyone will binge!! This is what it’s all about, merry and...

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“dear diary” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #233

January 29 Dear Diary, February 1st will be my first day of the 30-Day Couch-to-Stunning Workout Challenge. I have two more days to eat anything I want before I knuckle down to the green stuff. So, I spent the day at Lulu Lemon in the Athletica section picking out several new workout outfits to motivate myself to get up before dawn and sweat. Ironically, they don’t have much in the way of plus size workout clothes. You would think they would encourage the women with hips to get to the gym. It’s usually only the tiny people you see at the gy...

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“New Year, Same Me?” by Franco Lopez

Submitted to Contest #233

January 1st, 2024 – Entry #1 Here’s to new beginnings, right? It’s a new year, the partying is over, and everyone is trying to get into new habits. My therapist said that keeping a journal and writing goals down, whether anyone reads them or not, helps with maintaining goals or whatever, so I’m going to give it an honest try before the bad habits get out of hand. I’ve tried diets in the ...

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“The Month Long” by John Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #233

(note: The word "penis" is used once in this story.) Le Veintidos de enero, 2025 Dear diary. I have set it upon myself to be a virgin at 40. I got the idea a few years ago when I saw the Steve Carrell film 40 Year Old Virgin. In the film, Steve plays a man who has never had sex his entire life. His 40th birthday has just passed and he’s wondering what he’s going to have to do to achieve his maleficent goal of “getting laid.” I was like his character in that I was just never able to “seal the deal.” I want to make it to 40 without having sex....

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“GABA or Not” by Helene Simkin Jara

Submitted to Contest #233

GABA or NOT January 1, Dear Diary, Well, today’s the day. I am totally determined. No more negativity. I am making a promise to myself to look at the bright side of things. I will follow the rule of “no expectations, no disappointments. I feel better already just having made that decision. I’m sure I can do it. As the saying goes, I’ve set my mind to it. The minute I feel a negative thought crossing my mind, I will simply shove it out. I will say, “Nope! You are not allowed.” January ...

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“Thinking About Christina” by Camil Allal

Submitted to Contest #233

1/01/24They say talking positively to your water would have uplifting results on your mood. It only made me lift my finger up as I managed to find Christina yesterday and had my very last puff of Ice at eleven fifty-eight. Therefore I kept my promise to stop using substances, as a new resolution this year. Today, I've kept thinking about how life will be fun without drugs. I'm bored, the food is subpar, and it reflects on my bitter self now. Curse my life. I wish I had never started it, yet I miss it already. Time is crawling. I want and nee...

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“CLOVER'S CHALLENGE” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #233

Clover's Diary Entry One It's the beginning of a new month, a new year. With a new year comes new goals and new challenges. For my first challenge this month I've decided to complete a 3 mile run each day. I know this is crazy. I also know I can do this. This year is all about doing something new. Something I've never done before. Which is why this challenge is leading me to something bigger. I want to see how this month goes and if all goes well then, I will continue to do this challenge until I reach my ultimate challenge. Okay, so I s...

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“Diary of me dumping Sugar” by Hope Linter

Submitted to Contest #233

January 1, 2024 Dear Diary. My New Year’s Resolution is to give up sugar for a month. I thought I had eaten all the Christmas chocolates and sweets, and the boxes of Purdy’s chocolate I’d bought as extra gifts just in case, but today I found a box I’d put for safekeeping in the closet behind the linens on the third shelf. (The boys can’t reach up there yet!) I meant to give them to my sister when we visited her today, and I had them in a bag by the front door, but Bonbon, the terrier rescue, we gave our five year old son, Jamie for Christma...

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“My Resolute Resolve” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #233

Caution. This story is about an alcoholic and her struggles.Exactly when it began in 2023, I can't remember. My dear wee cat Socks went missing on October 5th. This happened first.I posted pictures and details around the neighborhood for someone to contact me if they found him dead or alive. No one replied or knew anything. I coped well at the time, but after several weeks of waiting for him to turn up, I accepted that he couldn't, or wouldn't, be coming home.I missed him. I gave away his non-perishable food to neighbors who have cats. Maybe...

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“30 Days of Something” by S. M. Lewis

Submitted to Contest #233

Day 1: January 1stHere we go. I don't really know what to do here. Is the date formatted right? I guess it doesn't matter. The whole point of a diary is that it's mine to format... Ugh, but that's gonna bother me. Hold on.Monday, January 1st, 2024Dear Diary, Test 2. How does this look? Yeah, no. What am I, in college again? And why am I writing all this out?Day 1Hi. Drew and Shelly gave this to me for Christmas as a way to get me to pursue the whole writing thing. They were all like, "Oh, Miriam, if you don't do it now, you never will." I me...

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Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“From the Diary of Reese Hurrikane ” by Min Wang

“The Man, The Myth, The Legend” by Dylan Martin

“Beneath The Bottle ” by Liv Ramsay

“Alcohol....glorious alcohol” by David Nutt

“I Blame Mr. Toad” by Alison Reed

“I've Got This!” by Mara Rouge

“dear diary” by Lara Deppe

“New Year, Same Me?” by Franco Lopez

“The Month Long” by John Jenkins

“GABA or Not” by Helene Simkin Jara

“Thinking About Christina” by Camil Allal

“CLOVER'S CHALLENGE” by Melinda Madrigal

“Diary of me dumping Sugar” by Hope Linter

“My Resolute Resolve” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

“30 Days of Something” by S. M. Lewis

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Your character, having abstained from their worst vice (big or small), finds new clarity.

Set your story in a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.

Set your story during a month of drought — whether literal, or metaphorical.

Contest #233

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

230

Contest entries

78

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: