Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

Posted in Novel on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 132 stories

“The Journal” by Shruti Dutta Gupta

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you are already planning your defeat,” said Tysha keeping her hands on Ash’s shoulder. “You know it doesn’t sound that bad If I count my death.” Said Ash running a hand through his hair. “Would you stop? All you have to do is take that book and come back.” “And what if I get caught?” “You won’t, and if you do, don’t worry, we will figure it out.” “Ok if you say so,” Ash said and took the book which was right in front of him. Ash was unsure to open it, how he wishes he could ask Tysha to open it for him but sadly he ...

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“Attitude Determines Outcome” by Monica Chaddick

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” Grandma told Ben when he began complaining that he wasn't going to win. Grandma, Ben and Linda were playing a new game that Grandma had bought for them. As this was a new game to all of them, Grandma had the rule book out and had had to remind Ben several times about a rule that he kept breaking. Ben was not the greatest sport in the first place. He too...

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“Battlefield ” by Lesli Williams

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat! “ Floyd deflected my sword and swiped it from my sweaty palms. He then kicked my legs from under me and I flopped onto my back and laid there, panting with my eyes closed. The sour air of the swamp withheld itself from reaching my lungs and my poor heart was on the verge of springing from my chest. I basked in misery as the cold grime of the damp, forest floor soaked into the dirty shirt which I was forced to wear. “Get up, girl! “ I was kicked in the side; hard. But still, ...

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“Over the Edge” by Hannah B

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat,” Caleb said, eyeing the practically suicidal move Liam made in the hearts game. Nearby, the dying fire cracked and popped, orange embers sparkling, then fading away. The smell of wood burning surrounded the campsite. “What’re you on about? Of course it counts,” Liam picked up the Queen of Spades he had just put down and slapped it on the table with greater...

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“Hansi” by Kavita Rawat

Submitted to Contest #66

"I will go and have a look in the field. I think I had forgot to remove the stone," Sarpanch says. "Now, it is raining heavily. The lightining is occuring. Let it be," his wife says as the lightning strikes. "The crops will be of no use till morning. I will come back in a hour." Sarpanch reach his field. The big rock was blocking the way of water. He rush toward it. The weight was too heavy for his age. He try one more time. The rock landed on his feet. He cries, the blood from his feet make the water blood red. He fell into the field,...

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“The Photo” by Claire Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #66

I stared down with tired eyes at the cheap disposable cameras sitting in front of me on the table. “Come on J, it doesn’t count if you are already planning your defeat.” Chris gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing one of the cameras. “I’m not planning it, I’m just accepting it. I know I can’t win a rigged game.” He gave a quick laugh and handed me my scarf from the coat rack. “It’s not rigged.” He defended himself as he slipped on his coat and tucked his plastic camera into the pocket. “Sure.” I laughed and grabbed the rema...

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“The Siege” by Simbarashe Nyatsambo

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat” yelled General Airo. The veteran soldier who had been in the line of fire for years wasn’t agreeing to what his current superior was proposing. For years General Airo stood in the line of fire and commanded the Lauriat army. He was a true master of war and none of the other generals knew better than him on how battle craft worked, which was why his voice was the most prominent in the room. Behind him the other generals nodded in agreement at his proposal but only one man seemed to hav...

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“What Really Matters” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #66

What Really Matters By Heather Ann Martinez "It doesn't count if you are already planning your defeat, Jonah." "It should still count for something. At least you aren't running away from your destiny this time." "I thought we weren't going to talk about the whale or Nineveh." "That's all in the past now but your journey is not over. It doesn't have to end like this. You have so much potential. We all know it. We were there at your birth and we will be there at your death and all the time in between. We know you Jonah. We were assig...

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“The Best There's Ever Been” by Rebecca Parker

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” “Why does it make much of a difference?” I replied. If he was going to be winning either way, what did it matter if I had already accepted my fate. And just because I had accepted my fate of losing, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be trying to find a loophole. There wasn’t a point in just giving up without at least trying to drag him down with me. &n...

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“To The Stage” by Alex Fairway

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” The whisper was so loud that it wasn’t even intended to be a whisper at all – Akais, drummer of Lash, the band Xyla was opening for, warned her as she walked past. Xyla already knew that she was being transparent. She wasn’t exactly focusing on hiding her nerves. Still, it heavily hurt the image she wanted to create – the aloof insurgent who was easily distracted, which, she believed was not far from the truth. This stage, though… It was make-or-break, and she couldn’t pretend s...

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“DEMOCRAZY” by Dolapo Omoleme

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your own defeat. How can you claim you’re protecting everyone when you know what the consequences of your fall will be, sir?” “What do you want from me, Jonah?” Jacob asked forcefully. He was already at his wits end. “I’m doing everything I can – I have done everything I can! I have done everything I need to do. I shook the hands I had to shake, I smiled for the camera for as long as I had to, I said the things I had to say – even if I didn’t like or enjoy saying them! What more do you want from...

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“Lydia's Gambit ” by Rebecca Welch

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re planning your defeat” Blake whispers to me, a delicate hand on my shoulder. “You can’t expect to succeed if you set yourself up for failure.” I shake my head and shrug her hand off. I know it hurts her but, I can’t risk showing any weakness, not now. Blake and I stand side by side on a cliff overlooking a valley freckled with quaint houses and narrow, winding roads. I will soon be traveling through it to meet my fate. Blake rewards me with a long sigh and brings her hand back to rest on her hip. She has been ki...

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“Not All Heroes Die” by Brianna Hutchinson

Submitted to Contest #66

“It does not count if you are already planning your defeat,” I said, staring down at the boy knelt in front of me. His fingers were weakly wrapped around the hilt of his sword, blood decorating the blade, glimmering in the dim light as the sword flickered with the flame of the torches nearby. His face, though young, was beaten and bruised and bloodied. Despite having put up a significant fight, he had barely managed to scratch me. My arm stung from the cut near my shoulder, but it was nowhere close to the amount of lacerations decorating the...

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“The Baker And The Child” by Simply Me

Submitted to Contest #66

There was a child and there was a baker, one day at the bakery. And one told the other, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” Now, of course, this isn’t the start of the story, in fact, that was the end. So I would like to start from the beginning, saying that it was a cold winter’s day. My mother took a call outside the cafe, while I sat inside enjoying one of the most generic drinks of all time. Hot cocoa. “Why are you so quiet all the time?” I asked, swinging my legs as I sat at the counter. ...

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“Life's Gambit ” by S.N. Beale

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”“How so? What if my plan was to lose?”“Why would anyone do that?”“Everyone needs to lose sometimes. And sometimes it helps to see how your competitor wins.”“That sounds counterproductive.”Dull scraping and hollow thuds echo in the quaint chamber, the stone walls dampening the sounds of the outside world. The fireplace's crackle and burn: gave warmth to the chilly situation, casting a focused glow about the two figures seated opposite each other—everything depending on the next move. T...

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Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 132 stories

“The Journal” by Shruti Dutta Gupta

“Attitude Determines Outcome” by Monica Chaddick

“Battlefield ” by Lesli Williams

“Over the Edge” by Hannah B

“Hansi” by Kavita Rawat

“The Photo” by Claire Elizabeth

“The Siege” by Simbarashe Nyatsambo

“What Really Matters” by Heather Ann Martinez

“The Best There's Ever Been” by Rebecca Parker

“To The Stage” by Alex Fairway

“DEMOCRAZY” by Dolapo Omoleme

“Lydia's Gambit ” by Rebecca Welch

“Not All Heroes Die” by Brianna Hutchinson

“The Baker And The Child” by Simply Me

“Life's Gambit ” by S.N. Beale

🌟 Similar prompts

Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?

Write about a character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted.

Write about a contest with life or death stakes.

Write about a character who’s finally on the verge of achieving their lifelong dream.

Contest #66

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

584

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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