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

Posted in Narrative on Sep 15, 2023

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✍️ 111 stories

“The Dinner” by Kalini Kheer

Submitted to Contest #216

“We’re getting a divorce.” The silence around the table was absolute as Victor finished speaking. Eyebrows were raised, forks halfway to mouths. Six pairs of eyes were staring at Victor as he cleared his throat awkwardly, standing at one end of the table. He had started to sit down and was now hovering above his pulled-out chair. “What –” Sue bega...

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“Apartment Overflow” by Gavin White

Submitted to Contest #216

It’s been 3 whole days, Dex thought, staring at the metallic basin full of ragged, half-rinsed dishes. Stagnant water pooled in a wooden bowl at the center, inching closer to the brim with every drip of the faucet. A thick silence hung in the air of his 2 bedroom apartment, only ever broken by the faucet's dripping and the rapid clicking of a nearby PlayStation controller.Drip.He sighed, running a hand down his face before turning to look at the living room. Dirty clothing lay sprawled across the dirt brown carpet and the coffee table was co...

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“Deja Vu” by Jeremy Visser

Submitted to Contest #216

The clouds hung low in the sky, but there was an odd brightness to them that couldn’t be ignored. I felt it was fitting, certainly more conducive to the autumn chill than the sun shining on a clear day. Add in the smell of the pumpkin and apple pastries and the environment was an almost perfect picture of the season. Of course, such moments were fleeting, blinking in and out of existence with but the smallest change. I’d probably been waiting for 10 minutes at this point, if I were to take a guess. I couldn’t order yet, but sitting alone at...

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“Changeling” by Kelsey Williams

Submitted to Contest #216

The path that he follows in the woods is a familiar one, he visits often, he likes the quiet but also the innate hum of life around him. It is so incredibly different from everything else in his life. His home is a busy one, his life is loud and too much. The headphones around his neck make it more bearable, the sunglasses he wears always make everything less bright and obnoxious but what they don't do is make him seem less…other. Everyone around him has always looked at him this way, like he doesn't belong, like he doesn't deserve the very ...

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“The Woman Without A Name” by Arpad Nagy

Submitted to Contest #216

“I don’t get why you have this place,” said Kelly as she took the order for an Americano. “You don’t even like people.” Taking a stack of books from the counter and setting them on the trolley, I answered. “What? That’s not true. I like people fine; I don’t understand most of them, but I like trying to figure it out. Besides, it’s research.” “Uh-huh. For your novel.” I didn’t have to look at Kelly to see the dubious expression on her face. My “novel” was a stack of folders in my desk drawer stuffed with notes, anecdotes, plot lines, an...

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“Good People” by Jonathan Walker

Submitted to Contest #216

The girl was looking at the TV mounted above the bar, watching the small white and red shapes chase around the pitch. She thought they looked like plastic clothes pins. The bar was shaped like a horseshoe; it was coated in a dull bronze glow and getting warm with the night’s business. The girl and three boys were sitting in one corner of the bar. They were all drinking beer, except for the girl who sat with a glass of vodka and coke upon her crossed legs. “So this girl in the office, she sells them?” asked Calum, the boy with his back to th...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 111 stories

“The Dinner” by Kalini Kheer

“Apartment Overflow” by Gavin White

“Deja Vu” by Jeremy Visser

“Changeling” by Kelsey Williams

“The Woman Without A Name” by Arpad Nagy

“Good People” by Jonathan Walker

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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.

Contest #216

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

115

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: