Last week’s challenge: Fifty Characters.
So, last weekend I was at the Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference.
It was great stuff — highly recommended.
One of the days I did a workshop on theme, a topic that, for me, is quite beloved. One of the exercises was that we had a bunch of folks in the room come up with various themes — then I picked one and had people write to that theme. Follow me? So, one of the themes they picked was:
“We’re all human, even when we’re not.”
So, I’m going to grab that, and that’s now your theme.
Use it and write a 1000-word piece of flash fiction in service to that theme.
Write it at your online space.
Link back here via the comments.
Due in one week, by May 9th, at noon EST.
179 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Behold Your Theme”
This is the third time I’ve used these two characters. I’m starting to like these guys.
http://contrastsolution.blogspot.com/2014/05/don-john-strike-again.html
Yeah, I know that problem 🙂 Some of mine even have their own badges now!
Mmm. Badges. I need to make badges for some of my favorite characters. Except. . . I’m no artist!
“Badges? We don’t need no steenking badges!” 😉
I like the story – kind of a noir feel to it, but I didn’t sense at any point the characters being not human, save for the murderer…whom never felt human at all. Perhaps I misread it. Otherwise, though, I love a good noir crime story! Thanks for sharing it!
This arrived straight away, but I was stupid enough to nearly forget to post it 🙁
Homing Instinct – a kind of sequel to last week’s Pilgrimage.
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/05/09/friday-flash-fiction-homing-instinct/
An interesting read! I like the characters a lot. And of course, that dolphins are more communicative than humans. I will admit, I was waiting for a so long, and thanks for all the fish. 😉
[…] week’s Flash Fiction Challenge is one that really took some thinking, trying to avoid the obvious cliches. I may or may not have […]
A tough one for me to avoid what I saw as the standard cliches for this sort of thing. I might have dodged that bullet, or I might have churned out something so lame that even my junior high school self would cringe reading it. Could go either way.
But I did nail the 1,000 word guideline ON THE NAIL. So, at least there’s that.
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/05/08/flash-fiction-fair-play/
Oh man, I started smiling as soon as I realized what was going on – what an awesome, unusual subject for this theme! This was really, really good, man. I loved it!
Thanks, Mark!
Look like my first link isn’t working. Here’s the correct link:
http://testwood.tumblr.com/post/85105837373/human-even-when-were-not
I enjoyed the craft of your story, the weaving of the words, though I admit, I’m not a huge werewolf fan in general. I did have trouble spotting the theme here…I felt a lot of bestial nature in the work, a lot of animalism…but where was the human in the beast?
Thanks. I think I went for too much here and didn’t really pull off the intent. The cage was a metaphorical representation of a struggle within the mind of the human – the man and beast were the same person.
I enjoyed the challenge though, definitely want to keep them going.
Ah! I can totally see that now…maybe I need to stop reading and critiquing after 16 hr work days, LOL!
Looks like my original link wasn’t working. Here’s one that works:
http://testwood.tumblr.com/post/85105837373/human-even-when-were-not
[…] (Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s “Behold Your Theme” Flash Fiction Challenge) […]
Probably still needs some edits, but my quick first version of “How Not to Kill a Meme” is her:
http://adamhughes.in/how-not-to-kill-a-meme/
This is my first time doing this. Here’s the link to my blog: http://contradictionparadox.blogspot.com/
At 1000 words exactly, a human monster horror story called Baykok http://rtwilder.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/baykok/
[…] flash fiction challenge, on the theme of “We’re all human, even when we’re not.” My apparently […]
A little late, but because no new challenge has been posted yet, I’ll claim “saved by the (lack of) bell.” I present:
Were All Human Even When Were Not
1000 words
http://www.jdstoffel.com/2014/05/were-all-human-even-when-were-not/
[…] This week’s writing flash fiction is late. Way, way late, as it should have been written last week. But there wasn’t a challenge this week, which gave me the kick in the rear to get last week’s story written. the challenge was about theme, specifically this: We’re All Human Even When We’re Not. […]
Since there wasn’t a challenge this week (why not?!) i finally got around to writing this week’s story (way, way late, i know!). so here is: My Name Is Nothing, What’s Yours? http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com/ Comments welcome, as usual! 🙂
[…] Last week’s challenge: “Behold Your Theme.” […]
[…] (Written for this.) […]