Flash Fiction Challenge: “I’ve Chosen Your Words”
Last week’s challenge — Song Shuffle! — is alive and absorbing your gaze.
Forgive the lateness of this — but yesterday, my PC took a shit-bath and now I’ve gone and pulled the Mac Mini from off the television and am using that as my current ‘puter.
Here’s the challenge:
This past week, I talked about word choice, so it seems only fitting I choose words for you.
I have, in fact, chosen 20 words.
You must choose 10 of these words and use them throughout your ~1000 word flash fiction story.
Might be tricky, but hey, that’s why this is a challenge and not, say, me tickling your privates with a feather.
The ten words:
Beast, brooch, cape, dinosaur, dove, fever, finger, flea, gate, insult, justice, mattress, moth, paradise, research, scream, seed, sparrow, tornado, university.
You’ve got a week. Friday, 15th, by noon EST.
Post your stories online (not here in the comments, please) and link back here.
Now go and gnaw on the words I have chosen.


Anthony Elmore
March 9, 2012 at 10:28 AM //
How about we up the stakes? Enter the words into this random word generator:
http://www.random.org/lists/
Pick the first 10.
Copy paste this list so you won’t have to remove spaces and punctuation.
Beast
brooch
cape
dinosaur
dove
fever
finger
flea
gate
insult
justice
mattress
moth
paradise
research
scream
seed
sparrow
tornado
university
Tami Veldura
March 9, 2012 at 11:19 PM //
So I didn’t follow the 1000 words rule (more like a guideline?).
But I wrote!
http://www.tamiveldura.com/2012/03/so.html
Anna (broadwing)
March 10, 2012 at 9:15 AM //
Done! “Sponsor’s Apprentice.”
I hope it still makes sense after my first sleep in 30-some hours….
http://corsairharbour.blogspot.com/2012/03/sponsors-apprentice-terribleminds-flash.html
Shawn McGee
March 10, 2012 at 11:24 AM //
Okay, I wanted to make this one light and fun, so much of my stuff has been intense recently.
http://toomanydiversions.com/2012/03/10/seed-of-hope/
Susie Lindau (@SusieLindau)
March 10, 2012 at 11:40 AM //
Wow! I was thinking about plunging into this group for a twist on my usual 100-150 flash fiction on Fridays. We’ll see…
Merry Mahaffey
March 10, 2012 at 12:10 PM //
“Escape From Gravity”
http://merrymahaffey.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/day-sixty-nine/
Darlene Underdahl
March 10, 2012 at 3:50 PM //
I give you:
Modern Velociraptors
http://darlene.underdahl.net/?p=133
Shiri Sondheimer
March 10, 2012 at 9:52 PM //
And… the angels are back.
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/flash-fiction/jump/
Josh Loomis
March 12, 2012 at 7:24 AM //
The World’s Deadliest Hunt.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2012/03/12/flash-fiction-worlds-deadliest-hunt/
BJ Kerry
March 12, 2012 at 10:08 AM //
my story
http://kerry-mutterings.blogspot.com/2012/03/justice-for-all.html
Jim Franklin
March 12, 2012 at 11:01 AM //
Here’s my entry. A little comic tale called… ‘Justice Dove and the Sparrow’
Enjoy
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2012/03/12/flash-fiction-justice-dove-sparrow/
columbibueno
March 12, 2012 at 11:38 AM //
In full view and secretly cheered.
http://columbibueno.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/in-full-view-and-secretly-cheered/
R.J.Keith
March 12, 2012 at 1:28 PM //
A twist on an old story. WARNING: Implied sexual content. If you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, don’t read the story. You have been warned.
R.J.Keith
March 12, 2012 at 1:29 PM //
It would help if I put the link up there, huh?
http://rjkeith.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/lost-boy/
warning still applies!
C. Rasmussen
March 12, 2012 at 3:02 PM //
Fun challenge!
http://comradecharlie.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/the-gate/
Suzie
March 12, 2012 at 3:53 PM //
This was a difficult one, but I managed something in the end:
Tropical Madness
http://suziehunt.co.uk/tropical-madness
Lesann
March 12, 2012 at 5:39 PM //
I used Anthony’s approach and took a random selection: sparrow, gate, paradise, scream, fever, finger, research, insult, university, beast.
My offering: http://lesannberry.com/2012/03/the-beast-within.html
Melissa
March 12, 2012 at 8:24 PM //
http://faeanddragons.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/the-grim/
Volanta Peng
March 12, 2012 at 8:56 PM //
http://questionableexclamationpoints.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-proper-grammar-and-punctuation.html
Amber Keller
March 12, 2012 at 9:14 PM //
Virtual Reality
http://adiaryofawriter.blogspot.com/2012/03/virtual-reality.html
Ben K.
March 12, 2012 at 10:15 PM //
Thanks, Chuck. Tough one.
Seed:
http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/clintonaut/2012/03/seed.html
E.J. Newman
March 13, 2012 at 6:57 AM //
Hi,
Mine isn’t hosted on my own blog, as it’s part of a project in which I am writing a short story every week, all hosted in different places. It’s called “A Rare Find” and includes the words: research, insult, brooch, beast, fever, university, mattress, tornado, finger and moth. Phew!
It’s posted here: http://eightcuts.com/2012/03/13/split-worlds/
Thanks! Em x
Kurt Bali
March 13, 2012 at 5:24 PM //
Here we go. Read the tale of why Frank Leonard must die…
http://sixgunwizard.blogspot.com/2012/03/im-going-to-kill-frank-leonard.html
Justin
March 13, 2012 at 11:33 PM //
My first post here, and my first post on my first blog. It’s like a bowl of cherries.
http://raskyred.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/flash-fiction-challenge/
Mark H
March 13, 2012 at 11:49 PM //
Beast, brooch, cape, dove, finger, flea, gate, research, mattress, finger.
Did you ever have that feeling that you’ve met someone before?
http://www.amanforallseasons.ca/2012/03/13/flash-fiction-the-feeling/
Lais Lindsay
March 14, 2012 at 12:01 PM //
http://pluckyquill.blogspot.com/
A nice challenge this week! Thanks!
Rosieface
March 15, 2012 at 2:18 AM //
I put the word list in the randomizer and the top of it looked like this:
DINOSAUR
JUSTICE
Could you resist that title? I couldn’t.
http://amalgamatedwords.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/dinosaur-justice/
Louise Sorensen
March 15, 2012 at 4:54 PM //
No story today.
Life got in the way.
Dawn Nikithser
March 16, 2012 at 11:10 AM //
Just getting it in — nothing like last minute inspiration. Posted at my writing tumblr and well short of 1000 words (barely 300, this time). My words were:
dinosaur
cape
finger
mattress
flea
fever
insult
justice
moth
paradise
This was the result:
http://wordsbydawn.tumblr.com/post/19398093283/so-i-found-this-image-credit-eliot-lee-hazel
Samuel Schultz
March 16, 2012 at 11:51 AM //
I called my story Shadows. I’ve bolded the words I used in the story.
You can find it here. All feedback welcomed and appreciated.
http://razorwiretightrope.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/shadows-2/
Mike
March 16, 2012 at 11:55 AM //
Oops – almost lost track of the time. I like where this idea went for me, I plan on taking it further, after some research.
http://www.ravensview.ca/ravens/2012/03/chosen-words.html
Marc Nocerino
March 16, 2012 at 12:02 PM //
At the deadline!!!
http://corpse-to-be.blogspot.com/2012/03/10-words.html