Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 18, 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.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 70 stories

“Buried Secrets” by Richard Dauer

Submitted to Contest #273

The clang of the cell door opening rang out, sharp as hell in that cold concrete hallway. Diane stepped out, heart thudding, bed-check roll call—the same damn routine, day in, day out. Her name—it couldn’t come fast enough. Maybe today was the day. “Willshire, Diane. You have an approved letter at the inmate’s window in the mailroom.”Robyn’s letter. Finally.Her hands shook when she reached for the envelope, the paper thin but heavy in her grip.Stamped: APPROVED. Hit like a punch. The address stared back:Inmate: Diane Wilshire - #2456-96...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Dead Center” by Kristine McCraw

Submitted to Contest #273

Agnes’s Diary 1872 Written by Agnes Febron in Pennsylvania State Hospital I only wanted to scare Hetty. I thought the sight of the gun would stop the insanity. It was Hetty who came after me that day. She caught me in the canning room. She came not only to confront me but to kill me. She was angry with me because she wanted her sister to marry Laurence and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin what I built with my husband. After all, I am the lady of the manor! I felt the s...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Center” by Sydney Sylvester

Submitted to Contest #273

I hear the weekly Group Session starting down the hall: folding chairs dragged into place, sneakers squeaking, small talk, a flutter of laughs, then silence as Gina takes command of the room to begin breathing exercises. I’m still in Cell 9 down the hall. You wouldn’t need to be a doctor to know that I’m not currently fit to be around other people. The staff put it as nicely as they could: I’m a danger to myself and others. But mostly others. My fellow patients seem to have been making progress over the past few months, but for s...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Transformation” by Leslie Mamola

Submitted to Contest #273

October 25, 2023 - Tonight I had dinner with Jenna at our favorite Chinese restaurant. After indulging in too many glasses of wine, I nearly divulged my secret. It’s hard to disguise my conflicting emotions from my best friend. We have been through so much together. Jenna visited the hospital every day when I was in a car accident. I share everything with my best friend. Well, almost everything. Halloween is in six days, and my transformation has begun. My ears are now pointed, fur lined, and sensitive to even th...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Secret Diary of an Autism Mom” by Kristine Manuevo Jader

Submitted to Contest #273

October 24, 20242:05 a.m.Dear Diary,Today, as much as I want to appreciate the beautiful sunrise in front of me and the cold and pleasant weather that marks the beginning of the winter season. I do not have the energy to do so. I am physically and mentally drained. It is hard for me because this is the time of year when we lack the money and monthly bills pile up. I am considering selling my phone and gold jewelry set this month, as the money left will only be for our food and groceries. My husband had already borrowed money from his colleag...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Disappointing Truth of Jack the Ripper” by Clara Orr Burns

Submitted to Contest #273

It never occurred to any of them that it might have been a woman. Even long after my death, in your books and your films filled with more inaccuracies and twists of artistic license than I can keep track of, it's never a woman. Not that I mind the anonymity. I had more than enough opportunities to show myself to my adoring public and they are adoring. Why else would they continue to visit the sights of my crimes, hoping to catch a glimpse of my ghost? It isn't because they loathe me for the things that I've done, it's because they wish...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Excepts from a Cul-de-sac” by Michael Palmieri

Submitted to Contest #273

The cul-de-sac is full again. Someone just bought the Smiths’ old residence. Time to start a new chapter in my collection. April 7 The Powells—Kevin and Amanda, a young newlywed couple—moved into 1815 today. Kevin works at an investment firm in the city, and that’s what brought them here. Amanda runs a small online craft business from home. They have the kind of bright optimism that’s almost naive. I wonder how long it will take for the reality of this place to wear them down. April 8 The Fields, the older retired couple next door at 1805,...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Obscured” by Barbora Koubková

Submitted to Contest #273

September 13, 1952 I thought I could handle it! Sorry. It was a tough day for our city, but let's keep cool. I have to be strong for her. Today, the cops will ask me about the night I last saw Mary, and I need to hide the truth from the world, no matter what it takes. …No, I can’t do this. I won’t lie! If there was anything else that could be done, just one thing before the damn night, I would change it just so I could see her again. My chest always presses together when thinking back of her pale face and frightened eyes looking at me wit...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Guide From The Future” by Kathrine J. N. Rajalingam

Submitted to Contest #273

31 December 2094If you’re reading this, please don’t freak out. Everything I am about to tell you is all true. I traveled a long, formidable distance so that this journal can reach you and be a guiding light, steering you away from bad choices and leading you toward the right path. Sometimes life gives us a second chance, and that’s what this is. A second chance for you. For me. For us. So don’t take it for granted. This is your vade mecum. I know you’re confused and have all the right to be, but trust me. I want the best for you. For us. My...

0 comments 0

Read story

“For Her Freedom” by Jade Lucas

Submitted to Contest #273

February 2, 2017Dear Diary,Do I say 'Dear Diary'? I haven't written anything since I was a teenager, but my lawyer said writing might help.Prison days are long. I didn't think they would feel this endless when I first got here. My cellmate marks the days she has been here on the wall beside her bunk. I don't need to. I know how long I've been here. Five months. My lawyer said that writing might help me accept what I've done. But she doesn't understand. I don't think anyone will. February 8, 2017The women in here talk a lot. M...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Whispers of Guilt” by Maddy Buchanan

Submitted to Contest #273

**October 21, 2024** You can know someone inside and out; what they’re going to say next, the reaction they’re going to give, and how they’re feeling about most things. Everyone has their secrets that they deem not to talk about. I catch myself wondering what a person might not have told me, but realize I have some deep ones myself. I figured the ones we don’t tell are the ones we are ashamed or embarrassed about, I’ve found that to not be true to everyone. I’ve kept this secret for so long that it feels like part of me now—like...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Tale of Justice” by Mara Rouge

Submitted to Contest #273

Dear Diary, Today, I took my mischief to the next level, and I can't help but chuckle at what I've done now! Oh, what fun I've had! You simply won't believe the little plot I concocted. As you know, I’m now in the middle of a little game with Mathi over his beloved T-Rex dinosaur, the one he’s used to scare the living daylights out of me every day. This towering, prehistoric beast has been dwelling beneath my bed, used by him as his sidekick in his relentless quest to rouse me from my slumber each morning. He finds it funny; but you know s...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Club of Shadows: Blood Bound Friends” by Emily Herr

Submitted to Contest #273

Dear Diary,Today I did something insane. So insane, in fact. I’m still too afraid to say it out loud. I’m too scared to express it in words. I’ve been holding onto this secret that nobody knows about. When I got bit by this guy at the club last weekend, I thought he was completely delusional for claiming to be a vampire. It wasn’t like I went into the bathroom with a crazy person or anything. But I thought it was a seduction technique when he said that he was a vampire and wanted to bite my neck. That was the only reason I followed him. But ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Figs” by Kate Oberdorfer

Submitted to Contest #273

April 15, 1926 Dear Diary, I told a lie and someone died. There, I wrote it. Took me long enough. This secret has been living in my bowels for twenty- four days now. And I could not write it to you Dear Diary, because you are a mirror and I wasn’t ready for a mirror. He does not pay attention to me. He does not care. Why did...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Where Would I Be Without You” by LJ Jennings

Submitted to Contest #273

Dear Diary, I don’t know how to tell you this. I feel like I can’t type the thought out, can’t even form it in my mind. But I have to tell someone. I haven’t written to you in probably decades, not since my teens when you were a flowery journal with a lock, and I doodled pictures of horses and cats inside the front cover. My entries then were all about surviving teenage angst and loneliness, raging against rules and unfairness and homework, avoiding bullies and responsibilities. Now you’re a plain untitled document and I’m a plain m...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Dramatic – 54 stories

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Angst – 80 stories

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Short Story – 41 stories

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Dramatic – 116 stories

Contest #273

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Locked Away

$250

Prize money

361

Contest entries

165

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 25, 2024 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“Buried Secrets” by Richard Dauer

“Dead Center” by Kristine McCraw

“The Center” by Sydney Sylvester

“The Transformation” by Leslie Mamola

“The Secret Diary of an Autism Mom” by Kristine Manuevo Jader

“The Disappointing Truth of Jack the Ripper” by Clara Orr Burns

“Excepts from a Cul-de-sac” by Michael Palmieri

“Obscured” by Barbora Koubková

“Guide From The Future” by Kathrine J. N. Rajalingam

“For Her Freedom” by Jade Lucas

“Whispers of Guilt” by Maddy Buchanan

“A Tale of Justice” by Mara Rouge

“Club of Shadows: Blood Bound Friends” by Emily Herr

“Figs” by Kate Oberdorfer

“Where Would I Be Without You” by LJ Jennings

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Contest #273

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

361

Contest entries

165

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: