Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write a story about inaction.

Posted in Nonfiction on Oct 26, 2022

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 106 stories

Purple and Green

Submitted to Contest #45

I looked up at the three moons in the dark pink night sky, they really did look beautiful. I shifted my gaze to our sister planet, Melandriota. Her dark blue surface was banded with stripes of various other shades of blue. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a squeaky voice behind me.“Miss, it is time to eat.” I turned around to see a short boy far younger than me. He had bright purple eyes and his pale face was shadowed in the dark. He was wearing shabby, ripped clothes and had dirt on his face. I, on the other hand, had mint...

65 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

Over The Years

Submitted to Contest #45

“Kids know nothing about racism. They’re taught that by adults” -Ruby Bridges  The clock had struck noon and the sun was already beating us down. The game of tag was getting harder to play. Beads of sweat were trailing down both our faces. We were hot, sweating, and sticky. Trever’s face had almost turned into a tomato.  “Don, I'm gonna get some water. Wanna come with me?” Trever asks, moving his curly brown locks from off his sweaty forehead.  “Sure!” I reply. His house wasn't far from mine, so I decided n...

60 likes 29 comments 29
Read story

Divided

Submitted to Contest #45

Nestled perfectly in the grass atop a massive hillside, I gaze at the starlit sky. The sound of crickets chirping is the only thing to be heard over a mile away, and the full moon shines its light like a summer day. An owl hoots in the distance as I look past the stars to the newly built wall. It cuts through the forest in a loop, making its way back to where it starts. Tomorrow, this part of the woodland would be blocked off too, leaving the city surrounded by stone.         Suddenly, a twig crac...

50 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

The Black Man's Salvation

Submitted to Contest #45

Fire and thick black smoke tower over the city street like an avenging angel gazing down on razed retail stores, restaurants, and a police precinct.  “This is what happens when good men do nothing,” stated his father. “But then the others were just as evil as the one who did the killing.” “Several attempts have been made, pop, but when will people realize the destruction of the black race will never come to fruition. Mankind in its finite thinking refuses to accept truth and consequences.” “Systemic genocide, son. In the moment, a...

49 likes 14 comments 14
Read story

no one cares

Submitted to Contest #45

As I lay there in a pool of my own blood the first thing that came to mind were not that I wanted someone to come and help me, although I wanted, but it was rather the fact that would someone identify me solemnly by my feet. You see my left foot had a big red speck of a birthmark. I found it rather odd that most people had a birthmark rather on their head or on their hip, but mine was a big red swoosh on my toe. Maybe the birthmark knew I would be nothing on this earth just a speck of something that could have been. My mother was a drunk and...

36 likes 11 comments 11
Read story

Inaction

Submitted to Contest #45

In all sincerity, I was so tired that day. It was a stressful day at work: it rained heavily, yet, my boss won’t cease to send me on an errand. I can’t picture how I got home, either the bus stopped in front of my house or I trekked down from the junction of my home. I took my shoes off and unknot my ties while on my bed. I tried to strip down my shirt and trouser, but the hands did not move. I lay down succumbing to my present state. Facing up, the ceiling appeared to be shaking. Not to witness its fall, I close my eyes firmly. “Nothing hap...

32 likes 20 comments 20
Read story

Second Thoughts

Submitted to Contest #45

 If you’ve ever seen a typical American high-school movie, you know the plot: there’s a nerd, who likes a jock, but the jock is dating a pretty cheerleader. Or they like the cheerleader but the jock is in the way. Either way, in the end, the nerd ends up dating the one they wanted.      Since the cheerleader/jock is always the main antagonist, the nerd is the protagonist who everything works out for. That’s supposed to say that, even if you’re a nerd, you can get what you want.     ...

31 likes 24 comments 24
Read story

Vapid

Submitted to Contest #45

In a family of activists, being the one who stayed home, who didn’t make signs and stand outside the state house and walk in marches and participate in protests, was like having a spotlight on you. You were the one who was careless and flippant, the one who was too dumb to watch the news and actually be able to understand and process what was happening.           The world was changing, I knew that, but I was also hyperaware of my powerlessness. I knew that standing outside the statehous...

30 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Folly of a Flower

Submitted to Contest #45

An eerie melody stole the winds freedom, forcing it to send the fluttering orange blossoms across the sky as an ocean wave. The spinning white petals soared upward, mimicking the song of the little girl sprawled in the grass. She was humming a made up tune, her emerald eyes squeezed shut in concentration. A flower landed on her small cherry nose as she sang a low note, a flurry of giggles vibrating her tiny body. She opened one eye, peering at the traitorous blossom relaxing on her face. A chubby hand clasped it ever so gently and brought it...

30 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Saving the village!

Submitted to Contest #45

The crisp mountain air stung my lungs as my legs threatened to yield to the unrelenting pressure they were forced to endure throughout my journey. With each step, I seemed no closer to reaching the end of my quest. Every day melted into the last with the end out of sight.I decided to give in to my fatigue and boredom, and fall to the ground. The rocks beneath me felt uneven, but I savored the opportunity to rest. As I caught my breath, I closed my eyes to picture how my mission would end.There I was, standing sword in hand, shirt torn open, ...

29 likes 4 comments 4
Read story

Ghosts

Submitted to Contest #45

Shoulders huddle together, enclosing two boys inside a jagged circle. Shouts and laughter is heard down the hall. Bodies shuffle with heads turned, ignoring the event taking place in the center of the ring, blocking the gym, out of sight, out of mind. The huddled mass of students becomes the focal point of Marco’s eyes. He watches, processing every minute of the abuse taking place before him and the other students, onlookers frozen in space, unsure how to react. Some join in, chanting and jeering; others stare, inactive robots waiting to be ...

24 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Hearts

Submitted to Contest #45

Dr. Lavinia Rivers was stiffly propped against the wall of her bedsit. Her hazel eyes were too horizontal. Her arms, like stiff wings, hovered somewhere near her waist. Anyone watching her would probably come to one of two conclusions: (1) That she was not feeling well or was tired from the activities of the day; or (2) That she was about to explode. She was feeling fine, but was indeed tired, having walked the better part of ten kilometers through the streets of Compostela that day. She was not going to explode, but she was going to do some...

23 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Your Fault

Submitted to Contest #45

When Jared came strolling out of the abandoned house with a rusty gun swung over his shoulder I knew I shouldn’t have come. He lifted it to eye level and peered down an old sight straight at me. “Ba-pow,” Jared said then followed it with a laugh as he let the sight fall back toward the ground. “That’s not funny, Jared,” I said through the half rolled down car window. “Dat’s not funny,” he mocked, squishing up us face. I swallowed the ball of fury that was creeping up my throat like a caterpillar. I was always Play-it-Safe Sarah, Stick-In-the...

23 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

CONDEMNED

Submitted to Contest #45

Malcolm Rowe had never approved of that second referendum. Come to think of it, he had never been that enthusiastic about the first one. But he had gone along with it, telling himself he believed in democracy and consulting the people, and the truth was, that when it came to the EU, he could take it or leave it. He thought that leaving would be bad for the economy (and had been proved largely right, though he admitted there were exceptions) but wasn’t inclined to come over all tearful if he heard Ode to Joy or saw the fla...

21 likes 6 comments 6
Read story

Then They Came for Me

Submitted to Contest #45

I was one of the only Jewish students in my middle school. No one really cared that much; in fact, I’m not sure if anyone really knew. I didn’t have a noticeably large nose, I didn’t have a traditionally Jewish name, and I never wore the Chai necklace that I was given for my Bar Mitzvah. For the most part, I looked like everyone else.Our school was right on the edge of a town known for its church with large, beautiful stained glass windows. I had never been inside, and I remember asking my parents when I was younger why we didn’t go there in...

18 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about solidarity.

Nonfiction – 53 stories

Write a story about activism.

Nonfiction – 45 stories

Write a story about community.

Nonfiction – 65 stories

Write a story about change.

Fiction – 164 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel