Last Week’s Challenge: Find Your Favorite Opening Line
Administrative head’s up — still tallying which of the opening lines were used the most in the last challenge (unless, ahem, anyone feels like taking that bullet for me).
This week is going to be the start of a five-part challenge that should take us up to and through Christmas. This is a bit of an experiment, so, who the hell knows if it’s going to work? But it is what it is and hey, I wanna try this out, see what happens.
I want you to write the first 200 words of a story.
This will not be a complete story.
Again: this is just the start of a story.
This is, in fact, 1/5th of a story.
You will finish this by noon EST on the following Friday, which is the 29th of November.
Then — and I’ll remind you of this next Friday — you’ll take someone else’s 200 words and continue that story for 200 more (for a total of 400 words). The goal being to end up with a 1000-word story after five total challenges. Each time around you’ll grab someone else’s story and add 200 words to it. We’ll play this weird narrative whisper-down-the-lane variant until roughly the end of the year. So, for right now…
Post your 200 words at your blog.
Link back here. (That part is critical, obviously.)
You’ve got a week.
Go write!
abuzzinid says:
What if you don’t have a writing blog? Or any for that matter…
November 22, 2013 — 2:48 PM
Jemima Pett says:
This could be the prompt you needed to start one! Both blogger and wordpress.com are free and easy to set up with a really basic blog that still looks nice. Get going with your flash fiction on that, and who knows what it will turn into! Good luck.
November 22, 2013 — 3:03 PM
mckkenzie says:
Just make one! I didn’t have one before the last Flash Fiction…it’s easy…and now I think I might actually start blogging…and you know…saying stuff. Blame Chuck Wendig!
November 22, 2013 — 6:06 PM
Smoph says:
WordPress and Blogger both have free options, and lots of free themes for decoration. Might take a few hours, but you can be up and running pretty quickly.
November 24, 2013 — 4:47 PM
Van Flicke says:
You can get one for free at Tumblr.com, wordpress.com, etc.
November 22, 2013 — 3:00 PM
Wanderer says:
Just out of curiosity–where do we stand on titling these babies? I could give mine a title, but since I don’t know the ending that seems arbitrary.
November 22, 2013 — 3:09 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I apologise but I’m going to drop out of this one – just too complicated to do with a pg-rated blog. I wanted to do Christmassy types of flashes during December, so I’ll pick up some of the other themes I liked during the year and pop them on instead. Maybe with Sir Woebegone (from the Glum Empress back in May) or the asteroid miners (from the Orichalcum Library a few weeks ago 🙂 Characters I know and love already! I hope you visit!
Jemima at jemimapett.com
November 22, 2013 — 3:09 PM
Mozette says:
You can have more than one blog per peson, Jemima. I manage 9 blogs – err, 8 now my poor little bird died last year. And the blog you guys read my flash fiction from is adults only and you need a consent form to click through to get to it; and you must be over 18 to get onto it (and if you click through to my blog and you’re not over 18 and your folks bust you reading it, hey, it’s not my fault… read the disclaimer).
So, there you have it. Set up another blog, an adults only one, slot in a consent form (you’ll find that in the settings where you changed everything) and then you’ll be set. And you’ll get more people reading it if you make your blog translatable… I made all of mine like that – and with over 500+ languages all 8 of them can be translated into over the globe, it brings in more traffic for people to read my stuff. 😀
Mozette
November 23, 2013 — 6:46 AM
Jemima Pett says:
I have three for my books, one for my guinea pigs, one for another project and two more for other things. I think I’ll stop there!
November 23, 2013 — 8:35 AM
Paul Feeney says:
Chuck, here is my contribution to this interesting project…
http://paul-feeney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at.html
November 22, 2013 — 3:09 PM
Ely says:
Hey Paul,
I gave yours a shot…
http://graymatter-coms.blogspot.com/2013/12/cooperative-flash-fiction-part-ii.html
December 2, 2013 — 7:22 PM
paulfny says:
Cheers mate, left a reply at your blog. I’ll link it to mine as well 😀
December 2, 2013 — 7:43 PM
Ely says:
Nice. Thank you.
December 4, 2013 — 7:39 PM
markgardnerauthor says:
I relay enjoyed cooperative cliffhanger, so this will be fun.
November 22, 2013 — 3:12 PM
Mark Gardner says:
At 205 words, read “Madison:”
http://article94.blogspot.com/2013/11/madison.html?m=1
November 22, 2013 — 6:09 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Joe’s Bar – http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/joes-bar-flash-fiction-challenge/
November 22, 2013 — 3:18 PM
Wanderer says:
You beat me EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
November 22, 2013 — 3:23 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Haha, sorry! 😉
November 22, 2013 — 3:27 PM
Wanderer says:
It mainly just means I have to hurry up and write something and post it so I can go read yours haha it’s good motivation. Although this time, I was fiddling with formatting.
November 22, 2013 — 3:28 PM
Mozette says:
Hey Urban Spaceman… you left me hanging about a month or so ago… we did the cliffhanger two-parter flash fiction and you said you were going to use my first half the story and we never heard back from you………….sooo?
didja use it? I’d love to know how my half of the story turned out with somebody else’s ending. 🙂
Just curious as hell, that’s all. 😀
November 23, 2013 — 12:40 AM
Wanderer says:
I’m calling it Easy Street http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/a-twist-on-telephone/
November 22, 2013 — 3:23 PM
mirymom says:
I think I’ll try yours. I’ll post you a link when I’m done. 🙂
November 27, 2013 — 1:08 PM
mirymom says:
Here’s where I went with it: http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/2013/11/chuck-wendigs-flash-fiction-challenge_27.html
November 27, 2013 — 3:34 PM
Wanderer says:
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
November 27, 2013 — 5:45 PM
Caitlin says:
Here’s mine. I’m calling it ‘Lost’: http://arrawyn.wix.com/caitlinmccoll#!blog/ckky
hope you enjoy.
November 22, 2013 — 3:57 PM
Kyra Dune says:
This sounds like fun. Does the story opening have to be exactly two hundred words?
November 22, 2013 — 4:10 PM
Jessica says:
Oh yay, something to ease back in with once I’ve hit my 50k for NaNoWriMo! (BookThing done? Hell no. Hitting 50k? Hell yes; broke 40k last night.)
November 22, 2013 — 5:08 PM
Caitlin says:
congrats on hitting 40k on Nano! 🙂
November 22, 2013 — 7:03 PM
Ely says:
I second that!
November 22, 2013 — 7:42 PM
Jessica says:
Thank you kindly. 🙂
November 22, 2013 — 10:38 PM
Jessica says:
Thank you very much! 🙂
November 22, 2013 — 10:35 PM
Gabe K (@Auguris) says:
My contribution. Let’s call it ‘Silver Bullet’ for lack of a better title: http://auguris.dreamwidth.org/959684.html
November 22, 2013 — 5:15 PM
Matty-Bob Cash says:
Here’s mine http://mattycash1979.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/angel.html?m=1
November 22, 2013 — 7:20 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Interesting. I’ll have to put this on my list of candidates.
November 24, 2013 — 7:03 PM
Paul Baughman says:
…and done. Find part deux here
December 6, 2013 — 8:18 AM
andreaspeed says:
Untitled, but exactly 200 words, for anyone who wants a sc-fi/action challenge: http://andreaspeed.com/2013/flash-fic-challenge-200-words/
November 22, 2013 — 7:34 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Ooh, I like the brain-AI idea. Your explanation did have the unfortunate effect of separating me emotionally from the explosion which had happened just before it, but I think in the right hands this little piece could have an excellent follow-up!
November 24, 2013 — 10:57 AM
Ely says:
Thus far Untitled (but hopefully I get points for participation):
http://graymatter-coms.blogspot.com/2013/11/flash-fiction-participation-is-half.html
November 22, 2013 — 7:41 PM
hpetterson says:
I added 205 words…don’t know if I did you credit for your great writing but hope you can work with it Cheers Hank
December 6, 2013 — 10:04 AM
Aaron Browder (@aaronswordtree) says:
200 hundred words of farcical winter fantasy. The Helping Hat:
http://aaronswordtree.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-helping-hat.html
November 22, 2013 — 8:20 PM
dangerdean says:
I’m calling this “Blackout,” but who knows what it will end up as.
http://dangerdean.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time-part-one/
November 22, 2013 — 8:51 PM
Smoph says:
Great cooperation leaving someone with a little cliffhanger. Ew rats.
November 24, 2013 — 4:49 PM
dangerdean says:
=)
November 25, 2013 — 3:10 PM
Kyra Dune says:
Here’s mine “Accidental Apocalypse”
http://theshadowportal.blogspot.com/2013/11/flash-fiction-challenge_22.html
November 22, 2013 — 8:51 PM
Joanna Horrocks says:
Kyra, I took over from your start. Hope you like it: http://gwinnydedanann.livejournal.com/
November 30, 2013 — 12:50 AM
Joanna Horrocks says:
I tried to post a comment to your blog when I wrote Part 2, but when I entered my livejournal ID, your blog page wouldn’t authenticate me. Don’t know why – I’m quite authentic…
December 7, 2013 — 12:26 AM
JL Henry says:
Oh this is going to be fun! I did something similar in a playwriting class: write dialogue or five minutes, fold the paper to sow the last line only and pass it right and repeat. So fun and we ended up with some craziness that somehow worked as a whole.
November 22, 2013 — 10:49 PM
Mozette says:
Okay… here’s mine… I hope somebody takes it up. 😀
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/apocalyptic-bounty-hunter.html
And I was just starting to get into it too. 😛
November 23, 2013 — 12:34 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Smells like sci-fi! Sounds like you’ve created an interesting protagonist. I love a good heroine (though I see potential for her as an anti-hero or even a gun-toting villain!)
November 24, 2013 — 10:55 AM
Mozette says:
Hahahahaaa… you’ve made my night/day! 😀
I thought anti-hero… but gun-toting villian? Hahahaaa… thanks! 😀
I got the idea of hiding everything behind the wall from a Supernatural episode, and just had to use it! 😀
November 25, 2013 — 7:01 AM
Michael says:
So, here’s my bit. 200 words. Gangsters and Zombies. What ya gonna do?
Untitled
November 23, 2013 — 1:56 AM
Ilona the Rose says:
Wow – to me, this is a complete story in its own right.
November 24, 2013 — 3:05 PM
Michael says:
Thank you. I can’t wait to see how another author “Writes it Forward.”
November 24, 2013 — 7:46 PM
linderan says:
Hey, I responded to you. Your premise was just awesome so I rolled with it.
November 29, 2013 — 9:24 PM
conniecockrell says:
Sounds like fun. This could be SciFi, Spy Thriller, Mystery, you choose. It’s untitled and 200 words exactly. http://wp.me/p2AyuM-fg
November 23, 2013 — 2:15 AM
Ken Crump says:
Hi Connie! I’ve got your next 200.
December 3, 2013 — 10:01 PM
Connie Cockrell says:
Thanks, have fun with it.
December 4, 2013 — 9:51 AM
Ken Crump says:
Here it is, Connie. Still untitled. It’ll be fun to watch where it goes.
http://brickhousepiggy.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/terribleminds-com-flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time-part-two/
December 4, 2013 — 8:35 PM
Connie Cockrell says:
Love it!
Did you post this on the Part 2 page? That’s where I’ll be looking for my Part 3 story.
December 5, 2013 — 11:15 AM
Ken Crump says:
Yes, Connie – left it on both pages because I didn’t know where you’d be looking for it. [:)}
December 5, 2013 — 12:00 PM
Angela Barry says:
I like this game. Innovative twist on the “Let’s make a story together”. Did I ever mention you are da bomb?
https://www.facebook.com/ACarinaBarry/posts/542172639205206?comment_id=3308427&offset=0&total_comments=1
November 23, 2013 — 3:29 AM
hpetterson says:
I picked yours up…very well written and engrossing…hopefully it adds to your start. Just click on my name and scroll down slightly. cheers Hank
December 6, 2013 — 11:13 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Hello Mozette! Unfortunately some RL stuff happened, so I didn’t get to write anything for that challenge. I have been reading Chuck’s posts on my emails when I’ve had the chance, but this is the first thing I’ve written since September. Sorry for standing you up 🙂
November 23, 2013 — 6:03 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Stupid browser. This reply is aimed at Mozette’s comment up yonder ^
November 23, 2013 — 6:03 AM
Mozette says:
Hey no probs… I was just wondering. 😀
Thanks for replying 😀
….and dontcha hate it when RL interrupts the life you’ve created inside your head and the fictional stuff is better than RL?
…. yeah me too. 😛
November 25, 2013 — 7:03 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
My fictional RL is ALWAYS better than my real RL. Stupid real RL. Wish I could stab it in the head.
November 26, 2013 — 4:34 PM
Shane Vaughan says:
My own contribution to this delightful experiment. Forgive the blog, I only just set it up! http://writesomethingsmidge.blogspot.ie/
November 23, 2013 — 6:39 AM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Shane, I’ve continued your story here: http://courtcan.com/writing/flash-fiction-challenge-continuing-someone-elses-story-part-2/
Thanks for the inspiring start! : )
December 7, 2013 — 12:14 AM
Jon R. says:
Here are the first 200 words of a draft under the working title ‘Unicornocalypse’.
http://verisimilitudekayfabe.blogspot.jp/2013/11/chuck-wendig-flash-fiction-assignment.html
November 23, 2013 — 8:42 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I can’t tell if my comment on your piece went through on your site (blogspot hates me, for some reason) so here it is again:
Very nice imagery! I wonder, have you ever watched The Last Unicorn? It’s animated, but worth a look if you like unicorns. Or even if you don’t like unicorns. It’s sort of a Watership Down of the unicorn world.
Also, I like your title. Unicornocalypse should be in every person’s dictionary.
November 24, 2013 — 10:52 AM
Mildred Achoch says:
Here’s my 200 titled “Worth a Thousand” 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/notes/mildred-achoch/worth-a-thousand/10151797717606527
November 23, 2013 — 8:47 AM
Dean McSmith says:
Think I’ll give this one a try. Something about it seemed Lovecraftian to me 🙂
December 2, 2013 — 5:42 AM
mwebster76 says:
This was so much harder than I thought it would be! I’ve never attempted flash fiction before. Last night, I scribbled something out in my notebook while I lay in bed. I worried it would be too short, but now that I’m typing it up, it turns out I wrote over 600 words. Ouch. Needless to say, this is the stripped-down version of my original piece. I managed to cut it down to 202 words. I think it’s a thriller, but I could be wrong. You tell me: http://writeontheworld.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/whos-up-for-a-200-word-piggy-back-ride/
November 23, 2013 — 9:36 AM
paulfny says:
If that’s the stripped down version, I’d love to know what the 600 word version was! 😀 Very good, nice start to a noir/hard-boiled story, that could go off in any direction…
November 23, 2013 — 10:27 AM
mwebster76 says:
Thanks, I really hope it gets an ending. I want to find out what happens next!
November 24, 2013 — 2:50 PM
Paul says:
My contribution to the experiment: http://www.paulthem.com/
The first 200 words are on the homepage.
November 23, 2013 — 12:25 PM
feralbulb says:
Howdy! Here, 200 words at: http://feralbulb.wordpress.com/blurb-1/ (‘Tis about God’s management skills).
November 23, 2013 — 12:59 PM
Adrienne says:
This challenge sounds like too much fun to pass up! Here is mine, currently untitled. I can’t wait to see where all these beginnings end.
http://thepaddedcastle.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/challenge-200-words-to-begin/
November 23, 2013 — 1:06 PM
nitromidget says:
I decided to do yours. Will probably be the first of several to do so, hah! Was pretty fun! Great place to start, you set the stage really well! http://nitromidget.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/terrible-minds-challenge-continuation-of-the-padded-castles-200-words/
November 26, 2013 — 3:45 PM
linderan says:
Here’s mine! “A Gifted Wizard”
http://creativehappyplace.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at-a-time/
This is gonna be awesome.
November 23, 2013 — 1:38 PM
Caitlin says:
i’m gonna choose yours to continue! 🙂
November 29, 2013 — 5:46 PM
rexpullman says:
Here is my opening. This is my first challenge I am taking up, just getting back into writing for fun after like 20 years, you’ll notice my blog is not cool at all. Anyway here is the link…
http://sexortv.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/the-rainstorm-200-word-flash-fiction-challenge/
November 23, 2013 — 4:31 PM
j says:
http://fallingintotheabyss.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-part-one/
November 23, 2013 — 4:32 PM
Heather Milne Johnson says:
I’d like to take a crack at the next 200 words for this one.
November 30, 2013 — 8:52 PM
Terri Lynn Coop says:
Alright, I am paying forward a 100-word contest entry from the divine Ms. Janet Reid’s blog. This is my blog that comes along with the job of being chief editorial cook and bottle-washer of a small town digital newspaper, so there is also a shoutout to our utterly cool local coffee house. It is a new blog, they were only able to recently get the net over me.
http://www.thebocoreview.com/2013/11/23/writers-life-terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge/
I can’t wait to see what next week brings! Terri
November 23, 2013 — 7:41 PM
Hank Petterson says:
I picked this up and added 200 and threw in a wrench…hope you don’t mind.
December 5, 2013 — 3:02 AM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Here’s my entry! I think it’s fantasy. http://courtcan.com/writing/new-flash-fiction-challenge-200-words/
November 23, 2013 — 11:42 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Oh, and it’s entitled “House of Memory.”
November 23, 2013 — 11:42 PM
Renee Elizabeths says:
I’ll take a stab at this one. Hopefully I’ll have it up sometime today or tomorrow.
December 1, 2013 — 12:52 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Thank so much, Renee! I love what you did with it!
December 6, 2013 — 11:13 PM
Kirsten says:
My first attempt at writing.
November 24, 2013 — 1:11 AM
Heather Milne Johnson says:
Do you have a link, Kirsten?
November 30, 2013 — 8:25 PM
Kirsten Bruce says:
…and, apparently figuring out how to publish the link…. It did make its way on further down the page…
December 19, 2013 — 9:14 PM
Hank Petterson (french Sojourn) says:
http://hankpetterson2.blogspot.fr/2013/11/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge.html
There isn’t really a title…it will show itself as it progresses… perhaps!
For some f-ing reason it looks like a grey background on my blog….hope it’s just my loopy wifi connection and loading speed. If not I do apologize.
November 24, 2013 — 6:26 AM
Hank Petterson (french Sojourn) says:
Go down two submittals…it is Sci-Fi and replaces the faulty blog page above. Thanks
November 24, 2013 — 10:48 AM
Renee Elizabeths says:
Here’s my contribution. I think I’m calling it “Plotting”. http://reneeelizabeths.blogspot.com/2013/11/flash-fiction-200-words-at-time-part-one.html
November 24, 2013 — 7:34 AM
hpetterson says:
This is a new blog that replaces the one two lines above…
This is a submission for the two hundred word flash fiction five part…
November 24, 2013 — 8:39 AM