Last week’s challenge — “One Small Story In Seven Acts” — is deserving of your penetrating stare.
Next week, I’ve got a post queued up about protagonists.
And, in one portion of this post, I discuss the power of the unlikable protagonist.
The balance is writing an unlikable protagonist that still remains compelling — we still find some reason to keep reading, and we may even find empathy or sympathy with that character.
Even if we don’t want to “go out and get a beer with him.”
So, that’s your task.
You’ve got up to 1000 words to write a tale featuring an unlikable protagonist that still remains readable and compelling. Having this as a flash fiction challenge offers up one bonus and one disadvantage: the disadvantage is that you won’t have more than those one thousand words to establish the complexities an unlikable protagonist might need. The bonus, however, is that flash fiction is short — you can get away with a lot more because you’re not expecting that the reader will have to hang with your story for 300 pages.
Get to it, ink-slingers.
One week is all you’ve got. Challenge ends at noon EST on Friday the 17th. The drill is the same: post your story somewhere on the web, link back here in the comments so that we can all come and read.
Kai says:
Enjo kōsai – http://kaimicheals.com/wp/?p=41
I pity my protagonist, but probably don’t like her. Story probably requires too much knowledge of japan, and has sexual content and foul language.
February 16, 2012 — 9:24 AM
Scott Bury says:
Great contest. Here’s mine, on my blog, on time, and just under 1,000 words, including the title.
http://scottswrittenwords.blogspot.com/2012/02/unlikeable-protagonist-terrible-minds.html
Would love to read comments.
February 16, 2012 — 9:25 AM
Louise Sorensen says:
Here’s mine;
Code Redd http://wp.me/p1BAlV-2e A little darker then usual.
Thanks for the page address, Chuck. I’ve marked it as a favourite so I can find it again.
February 16, 2012 — 12:24 PM
Russell Matney says:
http://russmatney.tumblr.com/post/17717963061/the-breakdown
February 16, 2012 — 1:17 PM
S. M. Worth says:
I just saw the challenge a little over an hour ago. I hope I didn’t make a total abomination of the challenge, but wanted to jump in.
http://smworth.blogspot.com/2012/02/flash-fiction-challenge-unlikable.html
February 16, 2012 — 6:43 PM
CJ says:
THE PLAN
Cadi isn’t a woman scorned… she’s a sociopath soccer mom who made sure her husband would never make a fool of her again. And his whore got hers too.
cjtheleen.blogspot.com
February 16, 2012 — 10:14 PM
Jemma says:
999 words. I’m too tired sift through to find the disposable ones. I feel all of them are necessary, so there.
February 17, 2012 — 3:16 AM
Amy Tupper says:
“Management Tool”
http://amytupper.net/2012/02/17/management-tool/
February 17, 2012 — 6:18 AM
Shawn McGee says:
So this week, I had two date nights and valentines day. So, naturally, my unlikable protagonist is a misogynist.
http://toomanydiversions.com/2012/02/17/indelible/
February 17, 2012 — 6:59 AM
CJ says:
Lets try that again…
http://cjtheleen.blogspot.com/2012/02/terrible-minds-flash-fiction-challenge.html
February 17, 2012 — 8:32 AM
Eric Phillips says:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=10150574779209755
February 17, 2012 — 10:15 AM
Marc Nocerino says:
I know, I’m late. But since I wrote it for this challenge, I figured the least I could do was post it and take the ridicule for slacking off.
http://corpse-to-be.blogspot.com/2012/02/day-late-dollar-short.html
February 18, 2012 — 8:25 PM