Write a story in the format of a gossip column.

Posted in Short Story on Jun 7, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“The Scandal of the Regency Fair” by Charity Cummings

Submitted to Contest #254

Betrayal and infidelity, emotional distress, confrontation and breakup. These elements might be sensitive for some readers. Dearest readers, It is with the utmost urgency that I relay the latest and most titillating gossip from our recent Regency-themed fair, a gathering that promised romance, revelry, and inevitably, scandal. Let us dive into a tale that rivals even the most dramatic of Bridgerton episodes, for what transpired at this fair shall not be forgotten anytime soon. The fair was a splendid affair, awash with pastel-colored tents, ...

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“Ton Talk” by Laurie Spellman

Submitted to Contest #254

"Ton Talk"Society Papers Issue# 1 - The London Season of 1814April 13thDear Dear Gentle Readers,Prepare to be enthralled, my loyal accomplices, as the esteemed families in our tight-lipped society find themselves once again under the scrutiny of my sharpened quill. The Ton has been veiled in hushed silence for months in the off-season, awaiting the blossoms of spring. My ink well ran dry with the absence as the nobility took a holiday to country estates and long ocean voyages.Some of you thought I, too, convalesced taking summer off from gat...

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“Fresh Pine Creek's Parked Gossip, Episode 17” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #254

[Transcribed from a previously recorded live stream]Hello Campers and welcome to another episode of “Parked Gossip!” Coming to you live from Fresh Pine Creek RV Resort where we hook you up with more than just 50-amp electricity, water, and sewage at every site, I’m your host, Morgan Juliana, here to hook you up with all the campground gossip.If it’s your first time tuning in, let me tell you how it works. Each week, residents of our campground can drop a note into our Guest Gab box in the office, and every Sunday morning, I open it up and sp...

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“Messy Missives” by Christopher Cayen-Cyr

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #254

Hermes's Messy MissiveVolume XII, Issue IIITrojans and Achaeans alike, rejoice!Your boy Hermes is back at it again with another edition of his weekly newsletter. I may be a messenger to the gods, but you know my heart has always been with the hot gossip of folks down below! I'm a messy messenger who lives for drama, after all.Ever since the Aphrodite-Ares-Hephaestus love triangle drama died down eons ago, the tea has been cold up on Mount Olympus. Thankfully, Goddess of Discord Eris has finally brought us the earth-shattering pettiness us go...

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“Tell Me Your Secrets!” by Myranda Schustz

Submitted to Contest #254

Tell me your secrets!Know any secrets you feel your community might need to hear about? Want to get it off your chest? Tell Me Your Secrets will be a new tri-weekly column in the Boulder City Gazette starting on June 5th, where the lovely Miss Mystery tells us all about your dirty little secrets. Email your entries to: BoulderCityGazette304@yahoo.com. Please remember to keep any names involved in your stories anonymous.Tell me your secrets!06/05/23By: Miss MysteryInfidelityA lady we here at the BCG will call Theodora, writes to us about how ...

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“By the Shores of Lake Fairview” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #254

It has been said that “misery loves company”, and this author has to agree with the sentiment. When wallowing in the thick, dark, muck of despair, who wants to be in the presence of someone glimmering with the stardust of happiness? The sharp contrast in feeling cutting like a blade into an already aching heart? And this is why it comes as no surprise that Mr. Robert Gerhardt was seen having dinner with a certain recently widowed teacher in our very school district. The details surrounding...

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“Murderer Monthly: Grim Gossip” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #254

The word on the street is that the West End Ripper, TheatreLand Thom, has lost his edge and turned to dealing stolen props and costumes behind the Oasis open-air swimming pool. Local prostitutes are deeply relieved. So, it would seem, is the ripper – the stench of chlorine is horrendous. Nearby residents say they have taken to wearing face masks or covering their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs when in the area. This has, of course, led to an increase in shop lifting and hold ups of convenience stores, since it is now difficult to identi...

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“Barbie Comes to Los Angeles” by Amelie Peterson

Submitted to Contest #254

July 1, 2022Lost Angeles Reporter - “Talk of the Town” Column.-BARBIE COMES TO LOS ANGELES-(Top-Secret Pics Included!)Rumor has it that Barbie was seenon our very own Venice Beach in LA, onMonday. An onlooker (who has asked toremain anonymous) snapped a picture ofBarbie, standing next to none other thanher known lover and admirer: Ken himself.(Go to page 2 for an exclusive sneak peek!)The onlooker stated that Barbie sawthe camera - and begged for the photo to bedeleted - but the picture was saved, and latershared with the Lost Angeles R...

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“Sand Dollar Cove Seagull Scoop: Sunburn and Shame” by Jerry Beitzel

Submitted to Contest #254

Sand Dollar Cove Seagull Scoop: Sunburn and Shame – The Truth About Sunshine Sammy! Well, butter my sea salt biscuits, everyone! Agnes Crankypants here with a Gulf Coast Sea Sizzle Story hotter than a July steel ramp boardwalk! We all know newcomer Sunshine Sammy, a double D busty beach naturally blonde vision with a smile that could charm a Brown Pelican off a Menhaden fish. Lately, her smile’s been lookin’ more like a wilted Seagrass out of the water. Why should you care? Let’s just say some of us have been acting crabbier w...

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“Withering High, June 11, 2024, vol. 73 ” by Red Herring

Submitted to Contest #254

LOCAL SUBSTITUTE CONTINUALLY FAILS TO MAKE TEAHer limp hair and gnarled face won't distract you from the fact that she has no idea how to use our 20th century vintage electric kettle furbished by some ole teacher of yesteryore. Ms. Harring, who shuffles in leisurely 19 minutes past the first bell every morning while gargling loudly into her speaker'd phone between slurps of syrupy iced decaf tea, has the nerve, the complete oblivion, the gall to walk into subsequent rooms asking for a teacher to come help her instead of struggling to take at...

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“The Column of Desire” by Giovanna Ramirez

Submitted to Contest #254

*Warning: Mentions of death, suicideMadame Mariquita’s Societal NewsWhere every secret is revealed.October 29th, 1814Dearest curious reader,To welcome those new to this column and remind those who have stood the test of time, my name is Madame Mariquita, the greatest name without a face you shall ever know.It has come to my attention that the social season is upon us, arriving in a rather serendipitous fashion. Despite the unfortunate events befalling King Ferdinand into a bedrest last summer, Queen Arabella has galvanized the ton by ur...

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“The Ritzy Column” by Kristina Hopper

Submitted to Contest #254

This column is meant for entertainment purposes. Please do not sue me. Any tips or leads can be directed to my email which you can find on our newspaper’s contact page. It is fifteen minutes past six in the evening. The aura of prestige and class permeates throughout the Vee ’Ola restaurant. Political figures dine here. Self-made millionaires dine here. It is even rumored that actor Getta Davis received the call to learn that she had landed the role, in what is now her award-winning movie, Plausible Deniability. The reservations are made mo...

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“SCANDAL! At Hay-Lorret” by Rozmarin Ideas

Submitted to Contest #254

SCANDAL! At Hay-Lorret SALUTATIONS and well-wishes, my most lovely readers!I must apologise for my long absence. I know well that many among you had concerns as to my health and well-being after the revelations of two months prior! I admit, I myself was concerned for a moment. Speaking out loud that which is oft whispered would seem to make one a mite unpopular in the halls of the mighty! Methinks, perhaps, they should tend better to the cleanliness their affairs, than seek the silence of those who shed light upon them. Regardless, dear read...

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“Just the way it is. ” by Emily Farr

Submitted to Contest #254

“I can only assume he was born a bad kid”Incident at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School Causes UproarDOWNTOWN (January 6, 2024)Miles Thompson, age 7, was found today in the most compromising of positions. Specifically, he was pooping in the library of Stonewall Jackson Elementary School, which is about to have its own reckoning on account of the school board’s recent vote to change its name. Little Mr. Thompson, a small child who is known about town for his rosy red, apple cheeks (reported to be the clinical Rosacea) and mischievous gr...

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“Local Matters” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #254

[Note to readers: This is loosely based on genuine news items recorded on the day in question.] LOCAL MATTERSBuckeye Valley News, Buckeye, Arizona, 18 April 1935 To Peoria Sunday-- Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Anderson and children, Alison and David, of San Fernando, Calif., motored to Peoria Sunday and visited Mrs. Andersons sister, Mrs. H. L. Lovett and family. The visit was described as "unexpected," as the two sisters have been distant for many years, an event stemming, it is believed, from the ill-fated Easter Service debacle of 1928. Recent re...

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Write a story in the format of a gossip column.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“The Scandal of the Regency Fair” by Charity Cummings

“Ton Talk” by Laurie Spellman

“Fresh Pine Creek's Parked Gossip, Episode 17” by AnneMarie Miles

“Messy Missives” by Christopher Cayen-Cyr

“Tell Me Your Secrets!” by Myranda Schustz

“By the Shores of Lake Fairview” by Nina H

“Murderer Monthly: Grim Gossip” by Katharine Widdows

“Barbie Comes to Los Angeles” by Amelie Peterson

“Sand Dollar Cove Seagull Scoop: Sunburn and Shame” by Jerry Beitzel

“Withering High, June 11, 2024, vol. 73 ” by Red Herring

“The Column of Desire” by Giovanna Ramirez

“The Ritzy Column” by Kristina Hopper

“SCANDAL! At Hay-Lorret” by Rozmarin Ideas

“Just the way it is. ” by Emily Farr

“Local Matters” by Tamarin Butcher

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story at a Regency-themed fair.

Write a story where a rumor starts to spread. Your protagonist is either the topic or the source.

Write a story about two characters who start as mortal enemies but learn to embrace their differences.

Write a story where an important conversation takes place during a dance.

Contest #254

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

218

Contest entries

88

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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