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 about a family with a long-standing tradition, whose members all have conflicting origin stories for it.

Posted in Thanksgiving on Oct 26, 2022

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?

✍️ 58 stories

“Fitting in with the Family” by LM Konkel-Dixon

Submitted to Contest #98

No matter how hard he tries, Madoc still couldn't manage to fit in with the Goya family. Despite his relationship with Wesley being in a good place, he hasn't managed to reach the same level of eccentricity it takes to fit into his family. They were loud, out-spoken, brazen, and weird. Every reason was part of why he loved them all so much. From an outside perspective, the Goya family was a regular Addams family, but to him, they were the family he always wished he had growing up. So when the biggest family event arrives, Madoc knows the bes...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Origin of Species” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #98

“I thought you told me he came from Poland.” “No, Austria technically. They were close, and when he moved to a part of town primarily inhabited by Polish immigrants, he went with the flow, easier, safer. His village was close to the border, they spoke the same language, easy default.” “Yes, but then it was not true. Claiming to be from one country when you are from another, seems fraudulent. Why couldn’t he just say he was from Austria?” “I don’t see what difference it makes. Where you are from, should have nothing t...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Tradition is Love” by Jess Mowdy

Submitted to Contest #98

“Oma!” Julia’s pudgy little legs danced as her arms reached up to her grandmother. The old woman smiled brightly and picked up the toddler. “Oma Santa is coming soon! Daddy said he’s in the ocean right now.” Julia’s excitement filled the room with momentum. “Well, he won’t come unless you eat all your dinner and mind your manners. He will pass right by without a glance.” Uncle Oscar stood tall but the war left him with a cynical eye. “Nonsense my little one. Santa will come as long as we follow tradition.” Julia’s mother scooped her into he...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Sharman Tales” by Ishita Nigam

Submitted to Contest #98

Jiya put the plates on their six-seater mahogany dining table. The overflowing sleeves of her tawny sequined gown got stuck between the table and the plates. At first, she thought of just giving in to the ire and yanking out the sleeve in one motion. Her friend, Maya, gawked at her from her chair, but Jiya ignored her. Who cared about the expensive Bone China plates that had hung around in their family for nine generations? “Don’t you dare, Jiya!”, her mother, sniffed the sadistic idea bubbling in her daughter’s head and whispered a s...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Where GrandMama Sleeps” by Poweful Music

Submitted to Contest #98

When I was brought into the world, novice and all, it was assigned to me a family of five turned six when chogo (lastborn) was born five years later after I. Life was big when I was small: our small kibanda (hut) near the never not smelly river seemed a mansion.The large population from non-stop procreation in the area allowed me to have as many alter egos; not being aware of what they called such places – rookeries, even worse, jhuggi.All houses, though we rambled on and on about living in the big city, were made of matope (mud). The only e...

7 comments 7
Read story

“The Lotus Princess” by Harper Tzou

Submitted to Contest #98

I was bemoaning the coming terrors of nightfall, all tragic and Shakespearian, when my phone, blasting the somber, violin-strung songs narrating my pity party, died. I groaned and plucked the headphones out of my ears, hoisted myself up, and rubbed bleariness out of my eyes as they focused on the imposing houses our car was speeding by. “Glad to see you back from the dead.” I had more than a couple photos of my mom’s teenage years that proved she had spent a good chunk of her high school career emulating the dead, and I didn’t appreciat...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Sushi on Christmas Eve” by Susie Helme

Submitted to Contest #98

Sushi take-away on Christmas Eve. It was the last minute manouevre of a desperate housewife in possession of a credit card, trying to give some happy spin to the bleakness of her new life. I swear. That was what it was. My family back home--Americans—we had always had such a rich tradition at Christmastime. For the whole of Advent, we kids would do ‘good deeds’ every day, and with each one we’d win a piece of straw to soften the bed for Baby Jesus in his manger. By December 25th the little Nativity Scene was piled high. Of course, on Christm...

2 comments 2
Read story

“What the Heart Wants” by Jacob Mathews

Submitted to Contest #98

Momma thinks we all pack our things and go to Niagara Falls every year for July 4th just because we love her. Not saying I don’t love her. After all I still call her momma. But there’s no way in hell I’d drive my ass all the way up here from Wilmington North Carolina just to see my family and some water fall I’ve seen annually since my senior trip of high school. The same goes for my two sisters. My dad thinks we drive up here to make her happy, and also because he secretly loves us. I don’t like regurgitating basic family dynamics to people...

1 comment 1
Read story

“The War Hero” by Theresa Bhowan

Submitted to Contest #98

[A Father’s day tribute to my dad. This is the first year I face this day without you.]The origin story of our father’s scar is a long-standing family tradition that constantly ignites humour in its vast inconsistency. With three kids born in three different generations, we each heard a different story of how our dad got the scar. One thing was consistent in all its retellings though, and it was that he received this scar during a war.The perfectly round, dime-sized, shiny scar that was on the outer side of our dad's right thigh, shed light ...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Brain Freeze Tradition: A Raspberry Family Story” by Lyn Carstone

Submitted to Contest #98

Raspberry House was buzzing with activity as everyone prepared for the first day of summer celebrations. Stella, along with a half dozen other family members were on ice cream making duty in the kitchen. A duty which Stella was already late for. “Stella!” Little Dorian barreled towards her. She caught him up in her arms. “Have you seen Aunt Raz? She was supposed to be back this morning but she’s not back and we can’t do the brain freezing contest without her!” “Hey, calm down buddy. Aunt Raz will be back. She hasn’t missed a contest yet.” ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“ A SONG FOR GALE” by Onyxx Moon

Submitted to Contest #98

"It all began with her," Clodagh said in her usual intriguing way, "she washed up on the rocky shore, just below Finnegan's Point.."Sara could tell her friend Clodagh was winding up to begin the dramatic story of the person to whom the festival of Galen was named. This was the first time however, she had heard it surrounded by the origin place of the myth itself. Clodagh had listeners there on the train, mostly tourists traveling to the festival with the train filling with more people at every stop."Just a wee lass she was, yo...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Phelan” by Laurence Tryon

Submitted to Contest #98

“Ma, what was your dog’s name when you were little?” “T’was Phelan, Hun! Same as our current Phelan and countless other dogs through many generations of O’Donnells!” “Why are all our dogs always named Phelan?” “Ye can ask me Ma when she and Grand-da come over for dinner with Uncle Daffyd and Aunt Rosalie! Go on and play outside now. I’ve got me washing to do!” Mary shook her head as she watched Seamus call Phelan to him and the two of them took off running like a pair of bandits trying to run off from the tax collector. “Always so full of q...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Woody” by Gracie Jean

Submitted to Contest #98

"I'll never let it happen, Woody," I said. Tears were running down my face and onto the pillow under my chin, betraying my life-long effort to conceal all emotions.But since there wasn't anyone in the room besides Woody, I didn't care. I was looking straight into his perfect, copper eyes, while he stared up an me from the floor, confused. I'm sure he was just as frightened by my behavior as I was about my family's disgusting traditions."I promise, boy. I don't think you understand, but you'll have to stay close to me."Woody was the kind of d...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Family Beef” by Ella Ryder

Submitted to Contest #98

Why? Arguably, this is a question asked by everyone at some point in their lives, whether it’s used as a form of complaint or to declare an existential crisis. This was exactly what I asked myself as I watched little drops of blood trickle from my bottom lip and onto my white, Pink Floyd Tee. I reached for a tissue to tend to the indent my upper left canine had made in my lip, and where the evidence of the scene was still overflowing. I lightly dabbed the tender area and planned to apply some sugar afterward to stop the bleeding. My bro...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Big Book of Family Lies” by Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #98

I was born into a dynasty. A huge, overgrown, chaotic family. I have 37 first cousins. My grandfather and his 2 brothers married the 3 daughters of another family, causing confusion, chaos and volumes of family myths. Much depended on whether you were a descendant of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. To further complicate matters, Isaac’s wife died in childbirth, not surprising as this was her tenth delivery. So Jacob’s wife stepped in and ended up looking after 17 children. The 3 brothers, all immigrants to this country, built a large and profita...

1 comment 1
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character having a premonition, but no one believes them.

Dark – 147 stories

Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.

Teens – 101 stories

Set your story on (or in) a winding river.

Middle School – 122 stories

Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Angst – 320 stories

Contest #98

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Origin Stories

$50

Prize money

751

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 18, 2021 EST

Won by Mary Sheehan 🏆

Title: Blessed Home

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 ⭢