Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards.

Posted in Narrative on Jul 26, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 66 stories

“Dear Aunt Beth” by Sandrine Hu

🏆 Winner of Contest #261

January 27, 1997 Dear Aunt Beth Thank you for giving me a dollhouse for Christmas. I love it! Mom says I need to write you a letter to say thank you. Thank you!Love your neice Hanna December 26, 1998 Dear Aunt Beth,  Thank you for the chemistry set! It is really cool! I already made a volcano! It exploded everywhere and the turkey got wet! Dad was mad but mom thought it was funny!  Love  Hanna April 25, 1999 Dear Aunt Beth,  Thank you so much for taking me to Disneyland! I had the best time ever. I specially liked the...

45 comments 45
Read story

“HOPE” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #261

Hope Bradford had spent more than twelve years in the isolation ward of St. Margaret's Hospital. Diagnosed with a highly contagious and dangerous disease at the tender age of five, she had lived a life confined to sterile, white walls, cut off from the world outside. Her room was her universe, filled with medical equipment, books, and the occasional gift from a visitor who could only see her through a glass barrier. Hope was a delicate figure, her once rosy cheeks pale from years spent away from sunlight. Her long, dark hair, often tied back...

25 comments 25
Read story

“The Backhanded Blessing: A Professor Deshpande Mystery” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #261

Thank you for your blessings. May the milk of human kindness never curdle. “Neither an especially profound expression of gratitude, nor a particularly lavish gift,” Saanvi observed, turning the silver vessel in her fingers. “A puja kalash, but probably not a pricey one.”“Looks like silver-plated stainless steel,“ Wei Zhao told Professor Deshpande. The University’s youngest tenured professor remained standing, her chairman presumed out of wholly unnecessary deference. “The engraving’s why I brought it to you.”“I’m relieved,” Professor Deshpan...

12 comments 12
Read story

“Hello Mary” by Cedar Barkwood

Submitted to Contest #261

TW: Kidnapping, abuse, pyromaniac tendencies and masochismDear Mary,The doctors are asking me to write notes. Notes to people, to say thank you for things, and you are obviously my first choice. Thank you for teaching me how to fold origami. In every fold of the paper, I found immense comfort, I do it now that the doctor said I am stable. They forced some food down my throat and told me a bunch of lies. Now I fold origami and argue with doctors, not a very interesting life. I wish they would let me talk to you.-Aubrey, September 19thMary,The...

13 comments 13
Read story

“Family Matters” by Wendy M

Submitted to Contest #261

CW miscarriage28th June 1978Hi TomThanks for the card and gift, it can't have been easy getting that posted. Pammy and the baby are doing really well. We've named her Annabel. No doubt it will become Annie or Belle by the time she goes to school. Can't believe I'm looking that far ahead, but the last nine months flew by. Hope you can get leave and come to the Christening. I'll let you know the date in plenty of time, so you can get a cheap flight, not that I imagine there’s much to spend money on where you are.All the bestDavid6th Nov 1...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Her Eulogy - Diary of a Grateful Lady” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #261

The third of the calends of April in the year 1032, being the 32nd year of the reign of King Henry 1On the afternoon of my ride to the top of the hill, our hill, while Morag, my aunt, mother, maid, and friend (my everything), cared for my beautiful twins, Roland (your namesake) and Anna, I remembered the fateful day I met you. I regret my rudeness and cruelty at the time. Still, if I had not cursed you, you might never have risen to be the saviour I needed, the one whose self-sacrifice and courage have enabled my return to this blessed place...

20 comments 20
Read story

“The Keepers of St. John's” by Neha Magesh

Submitted to Contest #261

To Ms. Danton, A hearty congratulations on the success of The Scottish Play! I have to admit, after the Katie Davis kerfuffle we were all a bit nervous, but after the curtain went up, the production went so smoothly it could have been professional. Little Michael Monmouth Jr. was entrancing as Banquo, and let’s not forget how our Gretchen swooped in to save the day… what a wonderful actress she might turn out to be! The show might have been better for it. What a marvelous directorial job on your part! On behalf of all the thankful ...

12 comments 12
Read story

“Hoping We'll Talk Soon” by Christine Foy Jackson

Submitted to Contest #261

Dear Mom, Thank you for the red bag you bought me. I never thought I’d say that. It’s large and, well, forgive me. Obnoxious is the only word I can think of. But you don’t care what other people think, ha ha. It hangs on my shoulder and way down to my knees, as you know because it’s a duplicate of yours. And it can get really heavy and puffy the more I stuff into it. The bag sat deflated in a corner of my closet for the longest time, just hanging there, the side punched in from emptiness. Again, sorry. I didn’t use it until I started going t...

6 comments 6
Read story

“Dear Aunt Janice” by Sophie P

Submitted to Contest #261

Thank you so much! Dear Aunt Janice,Mother says I am supposed to write you a thank you card for the jumper you gave me on my birthday. She said I have to be specific, so I guess I like the green baubles that stick out from the Christmas tree, even though my birthday is in July. Thanks anyway. From,Alfie —  Thank you so much! Dear Aunt Janice,Mother says my last thank you card was not appropriate and also that I should say sorry for mentioning that my birthday is not during Christmas-time. This seems like an obvious fact, but I apologise...

16 comments 16
Read story

“Five Thankyou's” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #261

Trigger warning: Terminal illness, grief and suicidal thoughts.Martin stared at the crumpled and untidy shoe box resting on the coffee table. Organisation was never one of Ellie’s strong suits; the fact she had managed to pull this together was a small miracle. Each of the five envelopes, peeking at different angles from the lidless cardboard container were a threat to Martin’s composure. They looked like white teeth, waiting for his hand so that they could bite down and drag him back into despair. He knew he couldn’t stare at them forever, ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Dear Girl from the Library” by Michael Hare

Submitted to Contest #261

(Sensitive content: One, brief mention of losing a pet.)May 3rd, 2015Dear Girl from the Library“You might never find this note, and I can only pray that you visit the YA section on a regular basis, but you said you liked romance novels, so I slipped it into one of them. I wanted to thank you, even if we don’t exactly know each other. I lost my dog yesterday morning, which is why I seemed downtrodden, and I was at the library to find a book to escape the misery. Naturally, I went to the YA section to look for some Jeff Wheeler novels—maybe ‘W...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Show Appreciation, Communicate Clearly, and Assume the Best!” by Jeremy Burgess

Submitted to Contest #261

From: Maxine Leyland <maxine.leyland@digipencils.biz>To: Jay Collingwood <jay.collingwood@digipencils.biz>Subject: Re: Conference room projector29 July 2024, 10:37 Message:Hi Jay,Thanks so much for your clear request! I hear you, that projector is giving trouble big time, and I'm on the case of getting it fixed. I thank you for your patience, in advance - Kelly, James, Linda, and Jude are all out sick today, so we're a bit tight staffed in IT today. Not to worry though, I'll get to it as soon as I can!Thanks,MaxFrom: Jay Col...

12 comments 12
Read story

“The 'Postcard' Murders” by James McInroy

Submitted to Contest #261

27/07/24 Dear Michael, I must say thank you for handling the murder. It was rather a difficult situation, with the information that Tina had on me. I’m sending this postcard to you to double check that you have done everything strictly to the instructions that I gave you.1. Have you made sure that the bullet has been cleaned of fingerprints? The casing as well?2. Have you made sure that the suicide note is written by the typewriter in Tina’s office? If this has not been done yet, please ensure to call ahead to warn of a bomb threat to the lo...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Secrets In Ink” by Allie Mae Sakry

Submitted to Contest #261

A card adorned with flowers and a golden wax seal:“Dearest Licht,“Thank you very much for the flowers! They are lovely, and smell so sweet. How did you know hydrangeas were my favorite? I don’t recall ever telling you. Of course, I do tell you a lot of things, so I suppose it would not be odd if it slipped my mind! I do not have much time right now, and I do apologize for not having the time to take you into town and show you around. The palace has kept me as busy as a bee! I do have next Saturday off, so how about we go then? I’ll meet you ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Lessons” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #261

It was all dark, all-consuming. She was choked mentally. Dumb physically. Blank in the mind – till she started thinking of terrible things. She had a nervous lump in her throat which stopped her from talking. She was afraid of the darkness numbing her tell-tale horror stories, because of its deepness and what she felt like a tangible girth – on the one hand, she would be glad because it stopped her from thinking terrible, terrible things – on the other hand, its motionlessness and depth scared her. She was silent. Breathing in, one breath at...

2 comments 2
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character trying to find a way to express their gratitude to someone.

Character – 64 stories

Write a creative nonfiction piece about something you're grateful for.

Nonfiction – 71 stories

Write a story about a cynic who has been told to start a "gratitude journal," and does so — begrudgingly.

Funny – 55 stories

Write a story about an unsung hero.

Character – 54 stories

Contest #261

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Gratitude

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

99

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 02, 2024 EST

Won by Sandrine Hu 🏆

Title: Dear Aunt Beth

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

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

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢