Flash Fiction Challenge: Five Random Words
Last week’s challenge is still live, and I’ll be tallying them throughout the day, but for now, hit the comments for flash fiction *and* drink recipes at “THE COCKTAIL.”
And now, this week’s challenge.
The Internet is home to many-a-random-word-generator, and there’s nothing quite like letting an insane computer determine the course of events! After all, we are ceding much of our lives to technology, why not let technology determine the nature of this week’s flash fiction bonanza? So, I hit up one such random word generator (this one, if you so care), and let it pick five words.
Those five words are:
“Figure.”
“Dusk.”
“Flirt.”
“Mobile Phone.”
“Wig.”
Your flash fiction story — back up to 1000 words for the limit — must feature each of these five words. You don’t necessarily need to use the words so much as you need to incorporate what they are into the story. (“Mobile phone” is an antiquated way of saying cell, mobile, smartphone, whatever — so, you don’t need to use the term so much as you need to make sure a cell phone is a part of the plot. So too with flirting, a figure, dusk, and a wig.)
You have one week. Challenge closes end of next Friday.
Post stories at your own blogs. Link back to here, then post a comment to make sure we can all see it and read your tale of wiggy, flirty figures using mobile phones at dusk. Or something.
Go forth and be penmonkeys.
The Lurid Tales
McDroll, “It Takes Years Of Training“
Lindsay Mawson, “Wolfe In Sheep’s Tailored Suit“
Anthony Laffan, “Down And Out“
Kate Haggard, “Birthday“
Darlene Underdahl, “Luella Sara“
Tribid, “Dugan Calling“
Ethan Rose, “Flashed Fiction“
Dan O’Shea, “Sinking My Teeth In“
Stephanie Belser, “This Ain’t No Disco“
Lora H., “Of All Of The Gin Joints“
Angie Arcangioli, “First Delusion“
Keith Karabin, “She“
TaraMonster, “Curiosity Killed The Cat“
Boys Behaving Badly, “Pantheon“
Julia Madeline, “I Guess You Were Wrong“
Liam Sweeny, “4G“
Billie Jo Woods, “Maybe Next Month Will Be Worse“
Lisa Paul, “The Missing Figure“
Michael, “I Bet She Does“
Marlan, “The Hookup“
Allyson Whipple, “Untitled“
Bob Bois, “Hermosa Beach Heartache“
Neliza Drew, “The Beach Sting“
AB, “Untitled“
Joseph McGee, “A Jarring Declaration“
Ben Kirby, “The Last Day Of The Life Of Dudley O’Reilly“
Ron Earl Phillips, “The Greenhorn“
DeAnne, “Strangers In The Gloam“
CM Stewart, “Time For The Last“
Robyn, “Ian’s Dad’s Ashes”


Lindsay Mawson
April 15, 2011 at 7:40 AM //
Sounds great! Have a mental picture already
McDroll
April 15, 2011 at 8:41 AM //
Another great challenge! Love it!
http://mcdroll.blogspot.com/2011/04/it-takes-years-of-training.html
Lindsay Mawson
April 15, 2011 at 9:35 AM //
Okay, here it is:
Called “Wolfe in Sheep’s Tailored Suit”
http://lindsaymawson.blogspot.com/2011/04/flash-fiction-challenge-6-five-random.html
Anthony Laffan
April 15, 2011 at 10:20 AM //
Managed to bullseye 1k words on first try.
“Down and Out”
http://www.realityrefracted.com/2010/01/down-and-out-terrible-minds-flash.html
Christine Rose
April 15, 2011 at 11:07 AM //
LOVE IT! I’ll get to work. My husband just did one of these word challenge impromptu writing exercises last night on Janet Reid’s blog. Just 100 words. It was fun.
Thanks for the challenge!
A Terrible Idea
April 15, 2011 at 12:27 PM //
My submission, reposted from Twitter:
“Red sky at night,” mused the sailor. He looked up from his mobile and winked at the long-haired man in the red cocktail dress.
Kate Haggard
April 15, 2011 at 12:46 PM //
Oh look! I got off my ass and did one. Um. Yeah. 996 words and all that.
http://katehaggard.wordpress.com/saucy-samples-2/free-shorts/birthday/
Darlene Underdahl
April 15, 2011 at 1:42 PM //
First time I’ve done one of these, and hope I did it right!
http://darlene.underdahl.net/
Okay, off to link back to your site.
Tribid
April 15, 2011 at 1:54 PM //
Thanks for another opportunity to vent my tortured soul.
http://tribid.livejournal.com/14717.html
Ethan Rose
April 15, 2011 at 2:39 PM //
When writing about writing, at least I write what I know.
http://ethanorose.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/flashed-fiction/
Dan O'Shea
April 15, 2011 at 4:28 PM //
Vampire flash fiction 2.0.
http://danielboshea.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/sinking-my-teeth-in/
Joseph McGee
April 15, 2011 at 8:20 PM //
Excellent, more madness to engage in…*marches off to the imagination forge* ;]
Stephanie Belser
April 15, 2011 at 10:44 PM //
Here is mine: “This Ain’t No Disco.”
http://downrange-impact.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-aint-no-disco.html
Lora H.
April 16, 2011 at 1:00 AM //
Here’s my piece, banged out just for the fun of it. Totals at 587 words.
http://theuncomfortzone.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/flash-fiction-challenge-5-words/
Angie Arcangioli
April 16, 2011 at 7:43 AM //
There are some great entries, Chuck you are such an inspiration!
Here is “First Delusion,” 999 words.
http://brooksbymemoirs.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-delusion-ya-flash-fiction-for.html
Keith
April 16, 2011 at 4:34 PM //
Vamps. Blood. Phone Chains. Manly desires. Read on, compatriots. If you dare…http://keithkarabin.com/2011/04/16/when-the-terrible-minds-speaketh/
(And, hey, cool. Been a while. Nice stuff, folks.)
K
TaraMonster
April 16, 2011 at 5:12 PM //
First time I took the challenge. I killed animals. Not sure why that was my first impulse…
http://theuglycat.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/curiosity-killed-the-cat/
Boys Behaving Badly
April 16, 2011 at 7:42 PM //
Here you are, my good man:
http://boysbehavingbadly.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/flash-fiction-response-pantheon/
Julia Madeleine
April 17, 2011 at 12:37 AM //
I wasn’t going to do this one but then my fingers began typing and just wouldn’t stop!
http://juliamadeleineauthor.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-chuck-wendig-flash-fiction.html
Liam Sweeny
April 17, 2011 at 6:25 AM //
Here’s mine:
http://pulpfire.com/2011/04/17/liam-sweeny-cellphone/
Billie Jo Woods
April 17, 2011 at 4:22 PM //
Here is my attempt:
http://usaukwoods.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/maybe-next-month-will-be-worse-flash-fiction/
Lisa Paul
April 17, 2011 at 5:05 PM //
https://lisaannepaul.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/the-missing-figure/
Michael
April 17, 2011 at 5:36 PM //
http://innocentsaccidentshints.blogspot.com/2011/04/terrible-minds-challenge-i-bet-she-does.html
Marlan
April 18, 2011 at 3:25 PM //
Here we go.
The Hookup
http://marlanesque.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/the-hookup/
Allyson
April 18, 2011 at 6:09 PM //
*Waves at Christine and Ethan Rose*
Fancy meeting you here!
Now, off to write some flash fiction . . .
Allyson
April 18, 2011 at 9:56 PM //
Not only have I written a piece, but it’s the first entry in my shiny new blog!
Allyson
April 18, 2011 at 10:10 PM //
And who was so excited that she forgot to post the link? ME! http://allysonmwhipple.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge/
Bob Bois
April 19, 2011 at 7:33 PM //
Thanks Chuck. I put a about a story a day on my blog so I always appreciate the prompts and challenges.
You can read “Hermosa Beach Heartache” here:
http://sittingindarkness.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/hermosa-beach-heartache/
Neliza Drew
April 20, 2011 at 12:10 AM //
http://nelizadrew.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/beach-sting/
AB
April 20, 2011 at 1:16 AM //
Chuck put up two things to help me procrastinate this time: the challenge plus the word generator. I’m a sucker for random generators.
Here’s my (fluffy) answer to this week’s challenge (because I’ve had a rough week but it’s only Tuesday, and my brain didn’t want to do dark and broody): http://writemomma.blogspot.com/2011/04/random-word-flash-fiction.html
Joseph McGee
April 20, 2011 at 1:53 PM //
Two time traveling history majors have a Declaration of their own…
“A Jarring Declaration”
http://josephmcgee.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/a-jarring-declaration/
Ben Kirby
April 20, 2011 at 8:28 PM //
I found this one particularly challenging. I don’t know why — just was. But a lot of fun, nonetheless. I give you “The Last Day of the Life of Dudley O’Reilly”
http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/clintonaut/2011/04/the-last-day-of-the-life-of-dudley-oreilly.html
Thanks, Chuck.
Ron Earl Phillips
April 21, 2011 at 1:46 PM //
After what, a month? I’ve finally written something for a Flash Fiction Challenge.
The Greenhorn
DeAnne
April 21, 2011 at 8:46 PM //
I loved this one. I got sex, love, and disappointment all wrapped up in under 500 words, and just under the deadline.
I present: Strangers in the Gloam:
http://www.spiderfarmer.com/2011/04/21/flash-fiction-challenge-strangers-in-the-gloam/
CMStewart
April 21, 2011 at 11:45 PM //
I made this part 2 of the story I wrote for the shutterstock-prompted challenge: http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/time-for-the-last-a-flash-fiction-tale/
Robyn
April 22, 2011 at 12:10 AM //
It’s my first challenge ever! 995 words.
http://robynettely.blogspot.com/2011/04/ians-dads-ashes.html
Anna
August 23, 2011 at 7:58 AM //
Am a bit late but found this and was like “must do” so I will do toight or tomorrow night and post a link when I am done