Last week’s challenge: Pick an Opening Line and Go.
This week, I’ve given you 50 random character snidbits (gleaned from Seventh Sanctum character generators).
You will choose five of these and include them in a 1500-word piece of short fiction.
Post at your online domicile.
Link back here in the comments.
Due in one week — by May 2nd, noon EST.
Fifty Characters
- The slothful, unheroic teacher.
- The fear-ridden, short-tempered theologian.
- The unathletic, boastful gigolo who belongs to a secret organization.
- The aggravated thief needing a friend.
- The athletic, cruel architect looking for a challenge.
- The negative rogue.
- The clumsy, wise, sleazy mentor on the wrong side of the law.
- The athletic, tired, arrogant bounty hunter with no hope.
- The agile, serene traveler.
- The philandering architect searching for purpose.
- The actor with unexpected depths.
- The laid-back champion who hates children.
- The dexterous, funny hermit.
- The strong, contemplative prospector.
- The plain, biased gigolo who fears the future.
- The pretender who can’t resist a fight.
- The weak, homely ambassador who suffers from a chronic disease.
- The shiftless rascal.
- The athletic, tough wanderer.
- The dexterous, neurotic, chaste servant who is a complete fraud.
- The awkward, tolerant, philandering teacher who hates children.
- The weak, tolerant architect.
- The quiet wanderer.
- The biased prostitute with uncanny abilities.
- The graceful official searching for truth.
- The mysterious, heroic outlaw.
- The unpredictable hunter who is considered the worst in his/her profession.
- The selfless bandit.
- The poised, snide, bloodthirsty fence with uncanny abilities.
- The tough, burnt-out, opinionated assistant hiding a dark secret.
- The clumsy, materialistic, moralizing teacher searching for employment.
- The poised sailor who is considered the best in his/her profession.
- The unhealthy jailer.
- The tactless ambassador with big dreams.
- The healthy trader with unusual luck.
- The rude boatman.
- The enduring, joyful, tactless actor.
- The clumsy, generous fence who fell in with the wrong crowd.
- The agile heir.
- The plain actor.
- The dexterous, persuasive student from a small family.
- The puerile, aloof smuggler who belongs to a secret organization.
- The strong actor searching for a family member.
- The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
- The friendly musician.
- The brutal businessperson.
- The plain comic.
- The spy who hates children.
- The unheroic impostor.
- The pompous boatman who has an odd way of speaking.
Mark Gardner says:
Interesting idea, I’ll be unable to write until Sunday, though. Them ideas will percolate until then…
April 25, 2014 — 12:29 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Okay. It took all weekend, but I finally finished “Five Characters.” See if you can identify these five characters in this 1392 word story:
4. The aggravated thief needing a friend.
30. The tough, burnt-out, opinionated assistant hiding a dark secret.
25. The graceful official searching for truth.
34. The tactless ambassador with big dreams.
45. The friendly musician.
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/five-characters/
April 27, 2014 — 11:00 PM
Norma Parfitt says:
Ack!!
April 25, 2014 — 3:34 AM
Eva Therese says:
Can I just say, that I think it’s funny, you use Seventh Sanctum as well? I use that page every time I have to name something on the fly. Minor characters, cities, whatever.
April 25, 2014 — 3:36 AM
Pavowski says:
This is the part where I say, okay, that looks tricky, and then I remember that it’s called a challenge and is therefore, of course, meant to be tricky.
But still.
Five characters in 1500 words? That’s tricky!
April 25, 2014 — 5:43 AM
Pavowski says:
Took some doing, but once I made my mind up about the five I wanted, this one happened pretty quickly. Bonus points — this one DOESN’T make me want to slit my wrists on the back of its depressive, dark overtones. It’s actually kind of fun.
The Potioneer’s Ploy is here:
http://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/the-potioneers-ploy/
April 27, 2014 — 1:27 PM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
Excellent tale! You probably can’t hear it but I’m banging my sword against shield even as I type this in appreciation. Don’t ask how.
April 27, 2014 — 7:19 PM
Pavowski says:
Thanks! Just be careful where you point that thing.
April 27, 2014 — 7:21 PM
JP Juniper says:
If this was chapter one, I would totally read chapter two.
April 27, 2014 — 7:20 PM
Pavowski says:
Good to know! Appreciated 🙂
April 27, 2014 — 7:29 PM
curleyqueue says:
And I was just really getting into the tale! Nicely done- fun, good detail- very enjoyable!
April 27, 2014 — 11:33 PM
Alex says:
That was a lot of fun!
April 29, 2014 — 7:35 AM
fadedglories says:
Yummy! Gutsy heroine, useless hero, my favourite kind of fiction. Seriously I thought it was pacy and fun
April 29, 2014 — 11:13 AM
Pavowski says:
lol, the Useless Hero. I smell a book title.
April 29, 2014 — 5:48 PM
fadedglories says:
My gift to you.
April 30, 2014 — 2:51 AM
R.T. Wilder says:
Ooh intriguing. You could expand this to make a larger story if you wanted.
May 2, 2014 — 11:34 PM
Jim Franklin says:
They were randomly generated, so I figure they should also be randomly selected. I got…
The weak, tolerant architect.
The unathletic, boastful gigolo who belongs to a secret organization.
The brutal businessperson.
The plain comic.
The spy who hates children.
Hmmmmm…. off we go then.
April 25, 2014 — 6:02 AM
springinkerl says:
The dexterous, funny hermit.
The biased prostitute with uncanny abilities.
The friendly musician.
The rude boatman.
The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
The gears are already turning.
April 25, 2014 — 6:29 AM
Mozette says:
You gave us a real curve ball, Chuck! But you know me! I worked it out and swung the bat and I think I hit a home run! 😀
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/devils-collection-agency.html
April 25, 2014 — 8:31 AM
murgatroid98 says:
A waiting area to be reborn. Sort of. Very nice.
April 26, 2014 — 6:47 PM
Mozette says:
Thanks… thought you’d lke it. 😀
April 27, 2014 — 12:34 AM
Thom Marrion says:
They all fight crime!
April 25, 2014 — 11:35 AM
JP Juniper says:
I am totally new at this not-just-lurking deal, but I loved this challenge. So … yeah. Here is my thing:
http://jpjuniper.svbtle.com/four-acrobats-and-a-moon
April 25, 2014 — 12:42 PM
JP Juniper says:
Oh! I should say which ones I picked. My cast (in order of appearance):
The agile heir
The agile, serene traveler
The dexterous, funny hermit
The dexterous, neurotic, chaste servant who is a complete fraud
The dexterous, persuasive student from a small family
April 27, 2014 — 7:38 PM
Pavowski says:
I found this one gripping. Nice development of tension. Really well done.
April 28, 2014 — 6:18 AM
jpjun1per says:
Thank you!
April 28, 2014 — 10:04 AM
J. Sander says:
Okay, I have no idea what a “fence” is other than what a literal fence is but this one ( 38.The clumsy, generous fence who fell in with the wrong crowd.) inspired me to write the below little flash fiction. It’s not 1500 words but hey, it’s Friday and I’m feelin’ rebellious.
Check it out and let me know what you think!
http://dont-delete-me.com/2014/04/25/a-letter/
April 25, 2014 — 2:07 PM
Pavowski says:
Short and sharp, like a, well, like a murder-stained knife.
BTW, a fence, as a person, is typically one who traffics in stolen goods.
April 28, 2014 — 5:22 AM
J. Sander says:
Thanks!
And now I know what a fence is haha!
July 10, 2014 — 6:15 PM
Free Jack Klugman says:
My story features:
• The slothful, unheroic teacher
• The negative rogue
• The weak, tolerant architect
• The friendly musician
• The poised sailor who is considered the best in his/her profession.
You may find it here: http://freejackklugman.com/shorts/sedition/
Enjoy!
April 25, 2014 — 4:12 PM
josef chemtob says:
good stuff, I enjoyed reading it
April 26, 2014 — 1:33 PM
Free Jack Klugman says:
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
April 27, 2014 — 1:52 AM
angelacavanaugh says:
I went ahead and let random.org pick my characters for me.
The plain, biased gigolo who fears the future.
The strong, contemplative prospector.
The puerile, aloof smuggler who belongs to a secret organization.
The selfless bandit.
The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
Somehow it ended up with a scifi, heist flavor. lol enjoy!
http://angelacavanaugh.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/flash-fiction-friday-gathered/
April 25, 2014 — 6:54 PM
murgatroid98 says:
I like what you did with these characters.
April 26, 2014 — 6:46 PM
angelacavanaugh says:
Thanks 🙂
April 26, 2014 — 7:13 PM
Doug Daniel says:
The clumsy, wise, sleazy mentor on the wrong side of the law.
The quiet wanderer.
The agile heir.
The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
The friendly musician.
http://douglasdanieldotcom.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/short-fiction-challenge-the-crossing/
Another failure, forsooth.
April 26, 2014 — 2:06 AM
murgatroid98 says:
This was very good. I tried to comment before but it was under the wrong ‘reply’.
April 26, 2014 — 6:45 PM
Doug Daniel says:
Thanks.
April 27, 2014 — 8:51 PM
fadedglories says:
Your story flowed nicely and I liked your characters, they were all worth more words than you were allowed by the challenge. I particularly liked the last incident, it was quite biblical.
April 28, 2014 — 9:34 AM
murgatroid98 says:
Very, very good.
April 26, 2014 — 6:39 PM
josef chemtob says:
what do you do if you don’t have your own online domaine but still want to participate
April 27, 2014 — 12:22 PM
Pavowski says:
WordPress and blogger are two sites that you can get rolling with very quickly and easily. If you are writing – you need your own space!
April 27, 2014 — 4:50 PM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
I use Glipho.com. It’s good for just about any sort of blogging and the responses are almost always positive and useful. And it’s free.
April 27, 2014 — 6:37 PM
pmcoltrane says:
This challenge looked interesting, so I thought I would de-lurk and give it a try.
http://ftlpizza.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/puck-uranus/
April 27, 2014 — 2:14 PM
fadedglories says:
I think you have a great story there. It has an unusual setting, a smidgeon of love interest, a degree of tension and the possibility of more to come. I’d buy that in print.
April 29, 2014 — 10:10 AM
Rachel says:
The clumsy, wise, sleazy mentor on the wrong side of the law.
The dexterous, neurotic, chaste servant who is a complete fraud.
The weak, homely ambassador who suffers from a chronic disease.
The dexterous, funny hermit.
The selfless bandit.
Welp, Random.org speaketh. Off to wordsmithery I go.
April 27, 2014 — 3:15 PM
Rachel says:
For your reading pleasure, lovely peoples. http://traversethroughfantasy.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/the-theft/
April 30, 2014 — 5:56 PM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
Here is my shot at this. Ha, foreshadowing. http://glipho.com/writingbull/five-liars
The fear-ridden, short-tempered theologian.
The unathletic, boastful gigolo who belongs to a secret organization.
The actor with unexpected depths.
The weak, homely ambassador who suffers from a chronic disease.
The tough, burnt-out, opinionated assistant hiding a dark secret
April 27, 2014 — 5:35 PM
Pavowski says:
Rather reminiscent of “Saw.” I wonder, if he’s the mastermind, why it’s his girlfriend and why he’s so upset by the violence?
April 28, 2014 — 6:35 AM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
That’s what is tough about this challenge, squeezing in so much info in 1500. He planned it using her for help. He was acting for the camera, which is why he nearly smiled a few times, until he realized he was actually in jeopardy. I didn’t want to give too much away so the ending would have more surprise. Guess I should have hinted at him being a bit more callous. Thanks.
April 28, 2014 — 7:06 AM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
Took another quick look and patched a few holes, I hope. Thanks again for the input.
April 28, 2014 — 8:03 AM
fadedglories says:
You have a seriously weird mind or a massive dark secret.
April 29, 2014 — 10:03 AM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
Why, yes I do. Thank you for noticing.
April 29, 2014 — 3:00 PM
Sam Phillips says:
Here we go then. http://idreamofgypsies.blogspot.com/
I chose…
The graceful official searching for truth
The actor with unexpected depths
The puerile aloof smuggler who belongs to a secret organisation
The Rude boatman
The fear-ridden, short tempered theologian
…and I broke the word limit slightly. The story just sort of took off on its own! But it ended up as the story Method Acting.
Hope you like it
April 28, 2014 — 4:54 AM
fadedglories says:
I think your choice of characters was interesting. Great idea. I didn’t guess what was going on till near the end.This was a hard one wasn’t it? I found the word limit difficult too.
April 28, 2014 — 9:27 AM
Sam Phillips says:
Glad you liked it! It was a really tricky one, especially to start.
April 28, 2014 — 1:12 PM
physicsjenn says:
This is a really weird comment, but I’ve been doing British accent work for a play I’m in, and I really enjoyed reading the narration in my accent. Also, I liked your take on the boatman.
April 30, 2014 — 9:32 AM
fadedglories says:
My story ‘Three Wishes’ is over on
http://nanowrimoroman.blogspot.co.uk/
please take a look and tell me what you think.
Ta ever so
April 28, 2014 — 5:08 AM
Scott A. Bullard (@writingbull) says:
Fun read with a couple cool twists, like the Twilight Zone. Kind of confused about the ending, though. Did he die, become a fairy to replace the elf? I wasn’t sure.
April 29, 2014 — 3:09 PM
fadedglories says:
Nah! He just became Mr nice weak architect. Thanks
April 30, 2014 — 2:54 AM
Alex says:
I’ve been lurking (and writing for the challenges) for a while but I’ve never been brave enough to post anything until now.
*gathers courage*
A random number generator gave me these:
The mysterious, heroic outlaw.
The agile, serene traveler.
The strong actor searching for a family member.
The unheroic impostor.
The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
And I came up with this:
http://justafeverdream.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/the-rat/
🙂
April 29, 2014 — 6:27 AM
Ronit Jadhav says:
Okay, I ran into this blog only a week ago, and I have to say, this is one of the most awesomest blogs I have come across (not being a kiss-ass). I love writing, like everyone else here I suppose, and have found a lot of interesting posts here.
Anyways, here is the link to my blog post that contains the story. Sorry for the long comment. I hope the story makes up for it 😛
http://darkwordsfromablackmind.blogspot.in/2014/04/the-tragedy-of-haraki.html
April 29, 2014 — 3:04 PM
physicsjenn says:
I got:
31. The clumsy, materialistic, moralizing teacher searching for employment
46. The brutal businessperson
41. The dextrous, persuasive student from a small family
23. The quiet wanderer
16. The pretender who can’t resist a fight
by using random.org. I was having a time coming up with something, but this came to me while I was driving to work. I added one additional character.
http://jennwritesstories.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/terribleminds-flash-fic-challenge-the-interview/
April 30, 2014 — 9:23 AM
fadedglories says:
Marvellous and interesting. I really enjoyed your story and the mystery character was exactly what was needed I thought.
May 1, 2014 — 2:23 PM
physicsjenn says:
Thanks so much for your feedback. I’ve been having a lot of fun writing to these prompts lately.
May 1, 2014 — 2:25 PM
Dana Alyce-Schwarz says:
Here’s mine…I couldn’t think of a better title so I just kept the working title I was using. XP
Did anyone else find it was easier to write this as a fantasy genre?
http://contrastsolution.blogspot.com/2014/05/weekly-writings.html
May 1, 2014 — 12:20 PM
R.T. Wilder says:
Mine uses these characters:
5 The athletic, cruel architect looking for a challenge.
26 The mysterious, heroic outlaw.
27 The unpredictable hunter who is considered the worst in his/her profession.
29 The poised, snide, bloodthirsty fence with uncanny abilities.
30 The tough, burnt-out, opinionated assistant hiding a dark secret.
http://rtwilder.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/the-curators-house/
May 1, 2014 — 3:08 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I didnt want too much repetition from the random generator thing, so I selected my five to go on a Pilgrimage:
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/05/02/flash-fiction-friday-pilgrimage/
Live at 7:09 pm this blog time (just after midnight UK time)
May 1, 2014 — 3:32 PM
Chuck says:
Jemima, I liked your story and the use of pilgrimage.
May 2, 2014 — 11:36 AM
Amber Roberts says:
Alrighty, here we go! My five were:
The aggravated thief needing a friend
The athletic, tired, arrogant bounty hunter with no hope
Mysterious, Heroic outlaw
The unpredictable hunter who is considered the worst in his/her profession
The domineering assassin looking for a challenge
And you can read it here: http://wellfrockedlass.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/5characters/
May 1, 2014 — 8:37 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Squeezing in under the wire as usual. I randomly picked six, then chose five of those for my story. Which five is listed at the end of the story. I took liberties 😀
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2014/05/friday-flash-fiction-cleats.html
May 2, 2014 — 12:37 AM
momdude says:
A little cute and “fourth wall-ly”, but I had fun writing it, hope you have fun reading it.
#12 – The laid-back champion who hates children
#13 – The dexterous, funny hermit
#21 – The awkward, tolerant, philandering teacher who hates children
#32 – The poised sailor who is considered the best in his/her profession
#03 – The unathletic, boastful gigolo who belongs to a secret organization
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/05/01/flash-fiction-sample-collection/
May 2, 2014 — 2:22 AM
clacrymosa says:
I tried. This is my first time ever writing a piece like this. Hope you guys like it.
44. The domineering assassin looking for a challenge.
19. The athletic, tough wanderer.
48. The spy who hates children.
28. The selfless bandit.
7. The clumsy, wise, sleazy mentor on the wrong side of the law.
http://r0kud3n4sh1.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/the-bandit/
May 2, 2014 — 4:08 AM
Chuck says:
This was a fun challenge, and it was a challenge! Hope you have fun reading.
16.The pretender who can’t resist a fight.
17.The weak, homely ambassador who suffers from a chronic disease.
23.The quiet wanderer.
24.The biased prostitute with uncanny abilities.
36.The rude boatman.
1,464 words.
http://storedstory.blogspot.com/p/fast-fiction-slow-whisper.html
May 2, 2014 — 8:06 AM
Jon Jefferson says:
Coming in just under the wire this week. Check out Ice in the Fryer…
http://www.10thdaypublishing.com/ice_fryer_bodycount/
May 2, 2014 — 10:56 AM
AE Smith says:
Out of time and over word limit (sorry), I present Provers and Portents: http://gigantocellularis.tumblr.com/post/84529879212/flash-fiction-provers-and-portents, in which we encounter the following characters (in no particular order):
-The fear-ridden, short tempered theologian
-The philandering architect searching for purpose
-The biased prostitute with uncanny abilities
-The agile heir
-The pompous boatman who has an odd way of speaking
May 2, 2014 — 12:40 PM
Doug Daniel says:
Thank you.
May 2, 2014 — 4:39 PM
Ebonstorm says:
I arrived too late to win (accursed day job) but I did want to submit my story just the same: Come Forth the Rising Tide: http://wp.me/p3t25B-J
My characters were:
The slothful, unheroic teacher – Darrin Wells, former master of the mystic arts, now drunken slackard after loss of best student
The fear-ridden, short-tempered theologian – Father Finnigan, harbinger of the Rising Tide, a demonic force slowly encroaching on the heroes location
The athletic, tired, arrogant bounty hunter with no hope – Renwick, bounty hunter and immune to magic, bringing in next best magician for the job
The philandering architect searching for purpose – Collin Reaves: Creator of the Artful Madness, a living house with the ability span dimensions
The shiftless rascal – Jillian Pace, second most powerful magician in the world, forcibly recruited to retrieve Gabriel’s Horn from Hell.
Thaddeus Howze
Master of Hub City Blues: http://hubcityblues
May 2, 2014 — 7:22 PM