Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write about someone who’s so obsessed with a goal that it leads to the destruction of their closest relationship.

Posted in Sad on Oct 31, 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?

✍️ 154 stories

What you made me.

Winner of Contest #70 🏆

Trigger warning: birth complications     Jude was born already dead. The umbilical cord, the doctors noticed, was wrapped around her throat, long since choking her. She came out not red, but a palid, sickening blue. Her mother could not understand--her daughter had been a fighter in her womb, kicking relentlessly, not letting up for even a second. Days prior, she’d joked with her husband, “Don’t forget to bring earplugs. We’ll need it for the crying.” But there was no crying, she registered, only her husband, pleading and screaming...

394 likes 114 comments 114
Read story

hair dye and goodbye

Submitted to Contest #70

July 8th, 2016Goals-Get in to college-Go to college-make friends at college-get a side job-buy a car-driveWhere to?---The whole world feels weird and like I don't belong. I'm uncomfortable. Possibly just in my own skin. My whole life I’ve been waiting to do this, and now I’m just waiting more it seems. The wind outside is hot, barely even wind. When I get a car, I want it to be without a roof, so I can feel the wind always. ---July 11th 2016To Do-Practice spelling-Make dinner-Water the flowers-Watch the flowers grow, write down gr...

77 likes 205 comments 205
Read story

12

Submitted to Contest #70

My life is precious, everything about me is precious. My world, my job, my little computer. I enjoy them and I would rather nothing change. This is my time of peace, my joy, I love everything. The only problem is-There it is? Did you hear it? Did you hear that little tick that threatens my life. I turn and there it is, I take a step forward but it is right ahead. I smile and it smiles right back, I sleep and it wakes me up. I need to get away, I need to run, I can’t let it catch me- I can’t. All my life it watches me, even on my greatest day...

71 likes 303 comments 303
Read story

Time is Running Out...

Submitted to Contest #70

“We’ve got the results, 母!” Kazumi cheered. Warm sunlight jabbed at the old woman’s eyes, which made her close them tight. They stayed closed for a long time until the woman opened them again. Her lips curved into a smile, the biggest she could manage.  “This is huge! They could’ve found something.” the man said, his mouth curved into a grin.He dusted off his tie with his hands, then fixed the belt on his pants. Kazumi wore a suit for the occasion, the fanciest he had.  “Alright, see you late...

53 likes 254 comments 254
Read story

The Prince

Submitted to Contest #70

The story I’m about to tell you today is one of our histories. But the place, the people, everything you’re about to hear, has all but disappeared into the pages of history. The only thing left of Verlian is stories. Some stories are meant to entertain us, some are meant to guide us, some are meant to touch our hearts, and some can do all three. I'll let you come to your own conclusions about this one. This is just one among many stories but that does not make this lesson any less important. Remember all that I say and heed my words lest you...

49 likes 52 comments 52
Read story

The Price of Popularity

Submitted to Contest #70

     Have you ever been so caught up in a goal that you lose sight of what's most important? I didn’t know it at the time, but one of my greatest thrills would soon evolve into one of my greatest regrets. I was in middle school and, like everyone else, just trying to fit in with the rest of my classmates. My best friend, Cassidy Taylor, was…err… how do I put this gently… a nerd. I was too, but had dreams of being one of the “popular girls” someday. I often tried to do cool things or wear cool clothes, but somehow, al...

47 likes 69 comments 69
Read story

Temporary

Submitted to Contest #70

Elliott and Roxanne used to steal napkins from fast food restaurants when they were sixteen. Roxanne would stuff them in her bra and examine her unsmiling figure in the mirror. Elliott would jot down lyrics to a forgotten song with a ballpoint pen. They would also draw, but only figures that existed in their imagination. Weeping lotus flowers and splitting guitars. Roxanne wanted a tattoo but Eliottt knew she’d never get one. He knew the shapes of life and Roxanne with her suspiciously large breasts didn’t.  Together they ate chicken s...

41 likes 11 comments 11
Read story

Crushed

Submitted to Contest #70

Title: CrushedAuthor: Monica Author’s Note: Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by to read this. This story to me, I tried to make it seem as unique as possible. While making this story I was sorta on a time crunch, but I pulled through and managed to pull it off. Hope you enjoy it!I am prayiah Ru, I have flaming red hair, blue sapphire eyes and sharp pale skin. No one can mistake seeing me, but most of the time I beg people to stop staring at me. With their dark brown hair and perfect hazel eyes, I wish I could be as low key as they...

39 likes 20 comments 20
Read story

An Interdimensional Portal to Venus Sounds Safer Than My Mom (But Not Really)

Submitted to Contest #70

Before we start this whole "It was her fault" sort of thing, let's get this straight. I've got a 4.8 GPA, skipped sixth grade, have joined every club possible, and still managed to screw things up with my mom. Why? Because I was dumb. But Sophia, you must be like a genius with that GPA! Yeah, well, apparently I'm smart academically, but not when it comes to life decisions. I tend to screw a lot of things up. At least I definitely didn't do anything as bad as my mom did when she was high school. That's pretty hard to beat. You'...

39 likes 22 comments 22
Read story

Friends with Porcelain

Shortlisted for Contest #70 ⭐️

Trigger warning: disordered eating   She snaps her gum between her teeth, chomping down as if it'll curb her appetite. Her tongue pokes into the wad, stretching it thin. He remembers when her tongue used to poke other things. She's lucky if she can remember anything past that number. The one that burns into her retinas as she steps on the scale for the third time that day, because she ate an apple for lunch, and she needs to know. The scale hasn't budged. She kicks it, and hobbles at the pain as she leaves the bathroom. He hoists himsel...

38 likes 7 comments 7
Read story

I see you

Submitted to Contest #70

Queen Brione stormed past the guards, the letter that had given it all away crumpled in her adorned hand. "Where is he, my husband?" She demanded of a guard, and the man pointed to the Garden of Tranquil Roses. "Thank you, and would you please find Courtier Terren for me?" "My lady, the courtier-" The guard began, but the Queen cut across him. "It is urgent, send him to my chambers." The Queen briskly strode past the guard, towards the garden she and the man she loved had built together. In her hurry, she hadn't even changed out of her...

36 likes 11 comments 11
Read story

In the Eye of a Hurricane

Submitted to Contest #70

I’ve taken to writing by the window, in a makeshift seat made from flattened cardboard and a sofa cushion you picked up from the skip. I’m sitting on my already numb backside, the window glass smeared with post-its about plot and character. The typewriter is crushing my thighs, but I’ve almost lost the feeling in my legs too, so the pain will stop in a minute. Besides, I’m over halfway through. And this time, I can feel it. This is the manuscript. I won’t be throwing this one in the fire or throwing balls of its crumpled chapters at th...

35 likes 7 comments 7
Read story

The Eternal Youth

Submitted to Contest #70

It wasn’t my missing “La Prairie Skin Caviar” that annoyed me as much as the way Robert wore his baseball cap back to front. Admittedly, he had a lot of energy for a middle-aged man and he was fun to be with, but boy did he lack any sense of responsibility. My wake-up call came when he’d disappeared on a fishing trip for two weeks. I received a letter from our mortgage provider informing me that Robert had withdrawn £20,000 in cash after remortgaging our home. I was speechless when they discussed the new terms, however I questioned the circu...

32 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

Knobby Knuckles

Shortlisted for Contest #70 ⭐️

When had his knuckles gotten so knobby?They didn’t used to be this way - his knuckles. He was sure of that. There was definitely a time when the skin was smooth and taut over the joints, the lines thin and shallow.Now the bone protruded sharply beyond the fleshy parts. An old man’s hands. Deep creases wove between pink and white splotches, winding their way to his palms where they zigged and zagged, combining in places and separating in others like tributaries in an ancient river delta. On the fourth finger of his left hand, a pale depressio...

31 likes 24 comments 24
Read story

Silent Deception

Submitted to Contest #70

A lonely groan escapes my mouth, echoing through my nearly empty room. Everything has been packed up into boxes except for the calendar on my wall. I slowly unfold a black pullover, stretching it over my unusually large amount of purple hair. Grabbing a black pair of jeans, I notice the smell of bacon floating through the air conditioning, into my room. It’s enticing but I know that my mother is most likely holding the pan up to the vents, luring me to come downstairs, also known as a trap of despair and false love.I splash water over my fac...

29 likes 43 comments 43
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who everyone thinks is guilty of something terrible, but isn’t.

Thriller and Suspense – 179 stories

Write about someone trying to atone for a mistake they’ll never be able to fix.

Angst – 192 stories

Write about two people who know they’ve made a mistake, and one of them wants to tell the truth but the other wants to lie about it.

Kids – 120 stories

Write about a character who’s so afraid of making the wrong choice that their indecision ruins the very thing they were hoping to keep safe.

Sad – 85 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