Flash Fiction Challenge: The Unexplainable Must Be Explained
Okay, I know I said something about blah blah blah, only 100 words, but fuck that, this challenge needs the full girth. So, you still get 1000 words. What’s the challenge, you ask?
No, really. Do it. Click it.
That link takes you to 60 completely insane and largely unusable stock photos. They’re fucking weird, the whole lot of them. Which means we need to take a big bite out of that lunacy and spit out some flash fiction.
Pick one of those 60 photos.
Title it accordingly.
Write 1000 words — flash fiction, start to finish — about the photo you chose. Make sure to indicate somewhere what number you chose so we can all play along in our heads (though, I will note that it could also be fun to write a story based on one and then have people try to guess which photo you chose… you decide, I guess).
Challenge begins now.
And it ends next Friday. Since I’m no longer tallying the stories in the post itself (remember to yell at me if you’d prefer to have that practice reinstated), let’s just say you have till the end of next Friday day.
Now, you may be saying, at present:
BUT I CANNOT ENTER A COMMENT, YOU JERK
Which is a fair comment. Here’s the deal, though: I’m moving this website within the same host from one server to a cloud server, and it’s likely that any comments that get put here will go kablooey over the weekend, so I’m not going to open comments back up until Monday (Tuesday at the latest). So, write your stories, but you’ll have to link to them a little later, I’m afraid. I know. Life is hard. Wear a codpiece.
So, that’s that.
Flash fiction based on horrible stock photography.
Go.


terribleminds
April 1, 2011 at 8:51 PM //
Test!
Anthony Schiavino
April 1, 2011 at 8:52 PM //
Making sure the comments are working.
THE TREACHEROUS ROAD
http://sgtzero.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/the-treacherous-road/
Don’t say I never gave you anything.
Paul Vogt
April 2, 2011 at 1:05 PM //
Here’s my entry for picture number 20. I think my explanation for what’s happening there is the most plausible one by a longshot: Another Night Out – http://paulvogtwrites.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-night-out.html
terribleminds
April 2, 2011 at 3:40 PM //
Totally bizarre-o –
Many of the “60 stock photos” have changed:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/60-completely-unusable-stock-photos
– c.
im_not_a_lizard
April 2, 2011 at 8:59 PM //
Based on photograph number 60.
http://im-not-a-lizardy-stuff.blogspot.com/2011/04/chuck-wendig-flashfic-challenge.html
AB
April 3, 2011 at 1:50 AM //
Okay, those pictures are totally mesmerizing. It was awfully hard to pick one, but I did. Here’s my 672 word answer to your challenge. http://writemomma.blogspot.com/2011/04/unexplainable-explained-flash-fiction.html
Carolyn Bentley
April 3, 2011 at 11:28 PM //
I couldn’t resist #24.
http://skullscrapingsonparade.blogspot.com/2011/04/24-blut-und-kartoffeln.html
Michael
April 3, 2011 at 11:58 PM //
http://innocentsaccidentshints.blogspot.com/2011/04/explain-unexplainable-new-kid-in-town.html
My entry, based on picture number 40.
shree
April 4, 2011 at 4:25 AM //
This is my attempt: http://callmeshree.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/flash-fiction-challenge-clarissa-and-her-gift/#more-1667
Lindsay Mawson
April 4, 2011 at 8:35 AM //
Little mixture of a description and a story…
Don’t Take The Dirt Road:
http://lindsaymawson.blogspot.com/2011/04/flash-fiction-challenge-4-dont-take.html?utm_source=BP_recent
Aiwevanya
April 4, 2011 at 12:09 PM //
I went with #39, this isn’t so much an explanation of the picture as a story that could theoretically use that image as cover art http://metamuse-aiwevanya.blogspot.com/2011/04/space-refuge-39.html Hope people enjoy it.
Ben Kirby
April 4, 2011 at 8:56 PM //
I couldn’t even come close to narrowing it down to one. I had to go for the whole load of them.
http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/clintonaut/2011/04/the-60-of-operation-loki.html
Keep ‘em coming — please.
Marlan
April 6, 2011 at 12:53 AM //
I see other folks used the same picture as I did. Hopefully I offer a different perspective on it.
The Dead Do Not Close Their Eyes
http://marlanesque.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/the-dead-do-not-close-their-eyes/
Albert Berg
April 6, 2011 at 12:41 PM //
Grey Area
http://unsanityfiles.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/grey-area/
Apparently I wasn’t the only one inspired by this particular photo. Go figure.
Too bad too. I was really hoping to read something that incorporated backwards-butt-guy.
Marlan
April 6, 2011 at 1:15 PM //
Albert, backwards butt guy was my second choice as well.
Sparky
April 6, 2011 at 7:50 PM //
Based on number 21, enjoy a little trip.
http://sparky29252.blogspot.com/2011/04/frozen-kitchen.html
Seth
April 7, 2011 at 3:24 PM //
I tackled 33, 34 & 35 over the last three days.
http://wp.me/pdqel-13R
CMStewart
April 7, 2011 at 11:17 PM //
Way too much fun . .
http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/for-the-last-time-a-flash-fiction-tale/
Snellopy
April 8, 2011 at 3:40 AM //
I thought a lot of these were doable, and snagged a few to do later. Here’s the two I did today (admittedly they’re not 1,000 words, but I am in theory at work).
http://snellopy.blogspot.com/2011/04/flash-fiction-jake-and-gran-gruk.html
Number 11: Jake and Gran
Number 17: Gruk: Attorney-At-Law
Dan Wright
April 8, 2011 at 9:40 AM //
Based (loosely) on number 15, here’s “The New Old Media”
http://8thage.blogspot.com/2011/04/flash-fiction-new-old-media.html
patti
April 8, 2011 at 4:24 PM //
Based on photo 38 – a very silly story indeed.
http://tishipoo.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/double-or-nothing/
Daniel Pipe
April 8, 2011 at 10:10 PM //
Based on number 4. This was fun!
http://rocketforger.blogspot.com/2011/04/does-this-sash-make-my-tail-look-big.html
Heidi
July 7, 2011 at 3:08 PM //
I know you posted this prompt a thousand years ago, or “BB” (before baby). But I finally got around to finishing my piece. An odd tale for an odd photo. Thanks for the inspiration, Chuck.
http://wp.me/p1544R-mh