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Colleen Tovar

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2026

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6 Stories

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Grief Makes People Strange

Weekly Contest #355

Grief Makes People StrangeThe church fellowship hall smelled like burnt coffee, carnations, and emotional repression.Nora Whitaker stood beside the dessert table with a paper cup of lemonade she had not taken a single sip from. Her black dress stuck slightly to the back of her knees, the Arizona heat pressing against the windows like it had also come to pay respects.Thomas had been dead for four days.Somehow, people still expected her to know where the serving spoons were.Carol from church had appointed herself commander of casseroles. She m...

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The word nobody warned me about

Weekly Contest #354

The Word Nobody Warned Me AboutPeople talk about grief like it is the monster.They say it gently, with soft eyes and careful voices.“You’re grieving.”“You’re still grieving.”“Grief takes time.”And they are right. Grief is enormous. Grief is a storm that walks into your life without knocking and rearranges the furniture. It changes the shape of your mornings. It makes ordinary things feel cruel. A coffee mug. A birthday. A song in the grocery store. A dog leash hanging by the door.But grief was not the word that scared me most.The word that s...

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My Brain Starts Roasting My Entire Life at 3:17 A.M.

My Brain Starts Roasting My Entire Life at 3:17 A.M. Every night at 3:17 a.m., my brain wakes up and decides it’s the perfect time to roast my entire life. Not gently. Not constructively. No. My brain turns into a sarcastic stand-up comedian that specializes in reviewing my past decisions like they’re bad Yelp reviews. Three stars. Would not recommend that relationship.Two stars. Poor communication and emotional plot holes.Zero stars. That thing you said in 2012? Still embarrassing. No one invites this meeting. There is no calendar alert. N...

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Passengers Carry More Than Bags

Passengers Carry More Than Bags There’s something about trains that makes people reflective. Or maybe that’s just what writers say to justify staring dramatically out a window while pretending they’re the main character in an indie film about personal growth. Either way, here I am. Window seat. Arms folded. Staring out at the landscape like I’m contemplating the meaning of existence. Which, to be fair, I kind of am. But not in a cute, inspirational-Pinterest-quote kind of way. More in the “my entire emotional support system has been run ove...

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Plot Twist: I Survived Anyway.

Weekly Contest #345

When Life Said “Plot Twist” and I Didn’t Sign the Contract (Extended Version) There is something deeply suspicious about people who tell you that everything happens for a reason. They usually say it when things are already over. Like emotional historians. Standing in the ruins of your life saying, “See? Character development.” Thanks. I hate it. Because when things fall apart, nobody feels philosophical in the moment. Nobody is standing in emotional rubble thinking, Ah yes, this will make a beautiful life lesson someday. No. You are usually...

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One Suitcase, Several Regrets

How to Fit Your Entire Life Into One Suitcase A Practical Guide for the Emotionally Overpacked Human At some point in life, someone will inevitably ask a deeply philosophical question that sounds profound until you actually have to deal with it: “If your entire life had to fit into one suitcase, what would you bring?” Writers love this question. Philosophers love this question. Motivational speakers especially love this question because they get to pause dramatically afterward and stare at the audience like they just unlocked the universe. ...

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