Write about a character’s secret area of expertise, something most of their acquaintances would be surprised to learn they know tons about.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 38 stories

“Drowning.” by Cam Croz

Submitted to Contest #15

What if your life wasn't what you'd thought it was...What if everything you knew... was a lie?What would you think if... the person you trusted most...Was actually... your worst nightmare?Would you ever think something so insane, so improbable could ever happen to you,Would you allow it to truly ruin your life?Well... you'd be surprised...---Sariah and I were the best of friends. We spent every second of every day together. She was the person I trusted with my life.And what I would never know is that by giving her that trust, I was jeopardiz...

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“Secrets of the Assassin ” by K. M. Carpenter

Submitted to Contest #15

It was all he could do to hold in his bark of laughter, leaning against the walls of the fortress, gripping his sides in a struggle to suppress his mirth. Yti quirked an eyebrow, his countenance not reflecting the same level of joyous amusement Wren's did. "Is this entertaining to you?" he demanded, pursing his lips, his dark brows creasing with the words. Slapping his knee, what giggles Wren had managed to hide flooded out, echoing through the dark marble halls. "No," he spluttered, straightening at the stern look Yti ...

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“Phoenix ” by Yoomi Ari

Submitted to Contest #15

The greatest prison is the darkest and fireproof of all.Cobwebs lowered as if it were to trap some unexpected person and feast delightfully on it. The spiders scuttled strangely as if they were being stalked in the midst of dark shadows covering the underground tench like a blanket of poison. Fresh air escaped this evil wrath whilst mysterious sounds of tapping hit violently against the sharp, uneven brick wall. Soon this unexpected rhythm turned into scrapings until it dropped silent; everything was dead.The best thing about the dark w...

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“Naked ” by Adriana K. Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #15

“Bet Prissy’s never seen one naked. Probably die of shame, wouldn’t you, Jax?” Frank jeers.Ethan is trying to ignore them. His burger is finished. Frank had told Bill Waters that the bar had good, cheap food. He didn’t mention the cheap women.But they were going to keep talking. And his nickname didn't help.“All dogs are,” he says, keeping his head low, folding the napkin into intricate shapes, squares, and triangles.He’s not stupid. Not like they think. He knows what they mean. He’s heard worse. Doesn...

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“Advent Love” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #15

“An arranged marriage.” I huffed into the mirror as I applied a dark shade of lipstick. “I mean, it’s 2019! My parents need to wake up and taste the new era.” Gloria, my best and only friend, sighed. “But you’re still going on this first date for it?” I capped my lipstick. “Ah, yeah? If I don’t my parents will completely cut me off. I just have to entertain this little proposal until I can think of a way out of it.” Besides, they probably only want this marriage to get some connection to a big brand or something. It’s not like they really ca...

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“Ace” by Laurentz Baker

Submitted to Contest #15

Was I a little off or weird? Well, yeah. Who wasn’t in their own way? But I didn’t deserve the death penalty. And neither did Ace, in the beginning. My name is Frank Baker. And being a bus driver is a good cover. The truth of the matter, I’ve had various jobs. I was prior military. Air Force right out of high school. I graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in English and a minor in psychology. If you would have known me during my younger years you would realize it was a long way from my grades in high school. Hey, I decided...

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“Emma's Secret” by Renée Chatelain

Submitted to Contest #15

Just one more cut. That was all it would take. Everything would end. No man, no problem, whispered the nagging voice in her head. No one will miss you. It will be like you never existed. The knife seemed to take itself to her skin, gliding over it menacingly. Blood seeped out of the wounds as her skin parted under the blade. Nobody cared anymore. Pain and darkness were her friends. Her parents didn’t even care about her. They way they screamed at each other and her could hardly be called love. Her mother said they couldn’t div...

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“Grow” by Mushroom (flammulina Velutipes)

Submitted to Contest #15

The afternoon sunlight shines down on my back and neck as I carefully place the plant into the hole I've dug for it. I arrange it so that its roots have plenty of room to breathe, patting down the dirt around it ever so gently.I wipe the sweat off my brow, checking my watch. My friends are due to be here any minute, so I quickly water the plant, then put the gardening equipment away, hurrying into my house to change into something more suitable.By the time they get here, I'm mostly clean. I've managed to get most of the dirt out from under m...

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“Fox Renewed” by Rachel Clark

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #15

Emily loomed over the frozen carcass of the preserved red fox. She gazed into the animal’s extinguished brown eyes, imagining the realistic result and pose that would honor this specimen. She envisioned an erect bushy tail and a nose in the air, investigative by nature. "Sher-fox Holmes,” she muttered to herself under her breath. And with this initial narrative in mind, she sketched the rest of the scene on a piece of paper. She would need a houndstooth detective’s cap and a curved wooden pipe to complete it. Wi...

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“The Secret Life of Supercop” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #15

Jazz Robinson’s world was a night-time world of harsh streetlights diffusing into puddles that never seemed to dry, and of the constant awareness of the threat around corners and the misery in shop doorways. She wouldn’t have said she loved patrolling at night, because Jazz didn’t put things that way, but her colleagues could sense an eagerness, a belonging, and a sense of ease and confidence emanating from her every pore. The half-lit, harsh-lit concrete limbo of menace and abandonment was her natural territory. &...

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“Untitled” by Ashlyn Leung

Submitted to Contest #15

May 7, 2010Dear Journal, My name is Alan Walker, and I am thirteen years old and possibly the most quiet person in existence. If anyone knew I was writing in a diary-- sorry journal, I would have probably been thrown into a tree with my hands bound. Middle school is a terrible thing. Kids are cruel, they become adults surrounded by others just like them and learn nothing. Then they have kids just like them and the cycle repeats over and over. The only thing they care about these days is how they look and how high they are on the so...

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“The Facts And Only The Facts” by Debbie Stelzle

Submitted to Contest #15

The New Jersey State Fair was coming to Hackensack Park, today was the opening night. Jill, with her classmates, Barry and Liz wanted to attend the fair after school. They first went to the greeting table to purchase a book of tickets for rides. State Fairs usually have rides, games of chance, 4-H contests and food stands selling corn dogs, homemade fried Funnel Cake and sausage, peppers and onions with its wonderful smells hovering over the fair.The classmates' delicacy cotton candy. They strolled around the fairgrounds as they ...

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“Things They Don't Teach in the Police Academy” by H.K. Slade

Submitted to Contest #15

Foster held his position behind the tree, his eyes locked on the big bay window where moments before, a frumpy, middle-aged man in wire-rimmed glasses had appeared and made his demands. Those demands boiled down to Foster and his fellow police officers leaving the property, but since the man making the demands had recently threatened to kill his ex-wife, that wasn’t one of the choices available. The man’s options narrowed even further when a gunshot rang through the otherwise peaceful suburban neighborhood. The sound froze Foster in place. ...

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“Meek Mouse, Hidden Lioness ” by Catherine Burford

Submitted to Contest #15

There wasn’t really much going on in Mrs. Moore’s fourth period AP English class. It was a Thursday morning and half of the class was out sick. Since there were only five students seated in the room and Mrs. Moore didn’t really have anything planned that day, she let them do whatever they wanted. She trusted her students to be on their best behavior as she left to drop something off in the office. Tyler, who had played multiple sports since he was eight, immediately pulled...

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“Mrs Magpie” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #15

Tom says I’m a magpie. Looking around our bedroom, I’m inclined to believe him. 19 years we’ve been together. 19 Christmases, 19 birthdays. The results are coiled in dishes, hung from hooks, strewn on ornaments glittering with jewels themselves. I just need a beak and feathers. My daughter Andrea says it’s like entering Aladdin’s cave. As these things tend to go, Andrea’s look is the opposite of mine. She likes minimalism and block colors. Sharp tailoring. Natural make-up, if she chooses to wear any at all. Her beauty shines all the brighter...

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Write about a character’s secret area of expertise, something most of their acquaintances would be surprised to learn they know tons about.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 38 stories

“Drowning.” by Cam Croz

“Secrets of the Assassin ” by K. M. Carpenter

“Phoenix ” by Yoomi Ari

“Naked ” by Adriana K. Maxwell

“Advent Love” by Lily Kingston

“Ace” by Laurentz Baker

“Emma's Secret” by Renée Chatelain

“Grow” by Mushroom (flammulina Velutipes)

“Fox Renewed” by Rachel Clark

“The Secret Life of Supercop” by Deborah Mercer

“Untitled” by Ashlyn Leung

“The Facts And Only The Facts” by Debbie Stelzle

“Things They Don't Teach in the Police Academy” by H.K. Slade

“Meek Mouse, Hidden Lioness ” by Catherine Burford

“Mrs Magpie” by Karen McDermott

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a person trying to learn a new skill or hobby they find intimidating but want (or need) to learn anyway.

Write about one character’s fundamental misunderstanding of another character’s job.

Write about a character who is a reluctant expert on a topic they wish they didn’t know so much about.

Write about something you consider yourself an expert in, but do it from the perspective of a total novice.

Contest #15

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

160

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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