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

Posted in Novel on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 120 stories

“Dead and Breakfast” by Betsy Remington☕

Submitted to Contest #66

Janessa hummed the theme to “Green Acres” as she unpacked her box of books and organized them on the room’s built-in oak shelves. 2020 had been a hell of a year between the fires, hurricanes, virus, murder hornets, riots, politics, and zombies, but she was going to turn her life around with 2021. Janessa had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast and maybe even write a book about her experiences, and now here she was doing it. She had selected the two-story country home for its views of rolling hills and the 6-foot tall wrought...

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“Funny Kid” by August Whitelock

Submitted to Contest #66

I was a funny kid. I think my mother hated how funny I was. I almost had her once, her lips split open like a ripe watermelon, she almost laughed. Funny. ⧫ Dead light in a dead room with dead people, a swarming fugue of blank eyes—they dart into small crevices of computer screens; hidden from sight. White shirts, white tiles, white between the eyes— reverberating in unison; our bodies filled with tepid water. Managers and employees, all consuming cheap, burnt, ancient coffee out of unwashed mugs. For the rest of the day, days, ...

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“Meek to Wild” by Lynne Street

Submitted to Contest #66

A YEAR SHY of turning sixty, Becca realised the cause of her anxiety and misery. Married, with now-adult children she rarely saw – admitting they had job commitments – she’d had plenty of time to think about her misery. And how much she hated her misery. From that realisation after suddenly succumbing to her old friend – the one-in-a-million neurological condition that had laid her low thirteen years before. It had taken six years of medication, rehabilitation and strength exercises, home help and personal carers. Her first hospit...

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“The Change” by John Meiners, Jr

Submitted to Contest #66

The Change by Joh...

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“The Good, The Bad, and Mr. Henderson👴👧” by Jovie Grant

Submitted to Contest #66

On a bright and sunny morning, Fredrick. P. Henderson was relaxing on his porch with a cup of coffee in his hand, thinking. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular though. Actually, he was thinking about nothingness. It was the type of feeling where if someone asked you if you were thinking, you would have answered, yes. But, if they asked you what you were thinking, you wouldn't be able to tell them. Suddenly, Mr. Henderson sort of "woke up" from his thoughts to find about five kids with worried expressions, hurrying past his lawn. ...

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“A Dance of Swords” by Iris Carrico

Submitted to Contest #66

The air is hot and humid, just like it is every day in the Palace kitchen. The heat from the big stone oven on one of the corners of the kitchen only increases the temperature of a room crowded with people moving and chopping. The almost rhythmic thumps of vegetables being cut in wooden boards can be heard, accompanied by the singing voices of the people cutting them. Nina would be almost happy there, with her mother and sister and their singing, if she wasn’t so damn hot. Nina swipes her forehead with her arm to prevent the sweat from fall...

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“Becoming Maria” by Jessica Inman

Submitted to Contest #66

You run your fingers along the soft silk sleeve of Maria's wedding dress. It would be so easy, you think, to put this on, to marry Josh and be happy forever. It would be so easy to become Maria.You have been Maria before. When you were children it was your special game, a fun way to confuse your parents or sometimes to help each other pass school exams. It stopped in your teens. Maria never wanted to be you. Why would she? Maria is everything you aren't. Everybody loves her. She's sociable, charming, funny, pretty. How can there be a pretty...

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“Never too late” by Carol Gichuru

Submitted to Contest #66

Martha met Joseph after high school, they fell in love and got married shortly. Though her mother tried to stop her she chose to follow her heart and marry the love of her life. He had promised to support her further her education. She did odd jobs in hotel but her husband asked her to leave her job so she could take care of their child when she got pregnant. She had not attained a college degree and when ever she asked Joseph if he would support her. He always complained that their was not enough money to support the family and her studies....

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“The Puppeteer” by Sannidhi Roy

Submitted to Contest #66

“Come on,” said a man, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily.” “What do you mean by ‘so easily’?” the child cut in, his voice still shaking, “Do you…do you need something from me?” “No, but you’ve got a duty resting on your shoulders, Kragen.” the man answered, tugging the child’s hand. “I-I won’t be able to…I’m scared…please, no,” the child said, the tremble of his throat turning into faint sobs, "Forgive me, uncle, I don’t have the courage to—” “You won’t know if you’re ready until and unless fighting your fate becomes a compulsion,”...

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“A perfect life ” by Evelyn Chen

Submitted to Contest #66

In the golden ballroom, all becomes still. I see her at the entrance, a shy smile on her lips. It’s the smile that makes me recognise her, the small bashful curl of her lips. I spent hours examining her, glancing at her furtively whenever they shared a class together. She never notices me of course; she is too busy talking to her friends or helping that hapless Trevor with his pathetic attempts at chemistry. This time, her wild untameable hair has been straightened into a smooth, stylish bun. Her body is usually hidden away by ugly baggy s...

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“PRECURSORS” by D. Son

Submitted to Contest #66

31st October 2020Writing. Will get better at it. I've enjoyed doing it since I started school as a seven-year-old kid with a runny nose, but I never consciously tried to become a better writer. I never thought about it the way I did yesterday. But when I did decide, it seemed like an obvious decision – I suppose the seeds were always there. It seems to me, that not many people -- especially teenagers like myself -- invest time in reading. I always did, though. I’m not very disciplined at all, never thought of it as an investment. It was fun,...

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“Walking Adventure” by Stephan Fernando

Submitted to Contest #66

Is it time to get up?I hope not.I feel tired.What is that music?I haven't heard that before?Then it hit me.It was my alarm.I got rid of the old melody last night.It was called spring yet it was cold as winter.Of course it is cold this early ,nevertheless it dampens the mood.So I set a new one.The name was,Walking Adventure.Just what I wanted at this moment.A person needs some serenity to wake up at 5:30a.m. every morning.I never know why I am following this path.Well I guess it's just ,passion.Why the hell am I working out early morning tryi...

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“My dream” by Adi Peter

Submitted to Contest #66

My dreams. I was born into the family of 8, my father was a farmer and my mother was a petty trader, we were not reach, but God do provide our daily bread, despite how hard life seems to be on my dad, dad will always endeavor to provide us with new cloth on Christmas day and provide foods for us but it was not easy for him, because he doesn’t have enough money to invest in farm product, this made his produce very limited that it barely feed us through out the year, am the seventh child of the family. I always look after my younger...

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“I'm Doing It” by Valeria Ortiz-Martinez

Submitted to Contest #66

Sometimes people get things they don't deserve. Actually, people get things they don't deserve all the time. My mom is a good example. When she was younger, she ran from home with a man who promised her the world. She got pregnant with me at 21. When the dad found out he got really mad. He's the reason I'm so messed up. When my mom found out something was wrong with me, she told my dad. He ran a week later. Never came back. I wonder what he looked like. I wonder if he regretted running away. I wonder what his laugh sounded like, what his smi...

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“Deep into the Woods” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #66

I walked the empty floors of what had been my home for eight years on Beale Air Force Base in Non Commission Officers’ housing. The echo was unnerving, this home once filled with laughter was now void of any emotion as the inspector had finished his duty, signed the form and handed it to me. I was free. My truck was all packed, the cats were in the carry-all and Jordan, my big black Labrador was sitting there looking at me with her tail wagging. My divorce would be final in two more weeks and my ex-wife was already i...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 120 stories

“Dead and Breakfast” by Betsy Remington☕

“Funny Kid” by August Whitelock

“Meek to Wild” by Lynne Street

“The Change” by John Meiners, Jr

“The Good, The Bad, and Mr. Henderson👴👧” by Jovie Grant

“A Dance of Swords” by Iris Carrico

“Becoming Maria” by Jessica Inman

“Never too late” by Carol Gichuru

“The Puppeteer” by Sannidhi Roy

“A perfect life ” by Evelyn Chen

“PRECURSORS” by D. Son

“Walking Adventure” by Stephan Fernando

“My dream” by Adi Peter

“I'm Doing It” by Valeria Ortiz-Martinez

“Deep into the Woods” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: