Chuck is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Under the Empyrean Sky, Blue Blazes, Double Dead, Bait Dog, Dinocalypse Now, Beyond Dinocalypse and Gods & Monsters: Unclean Spirits. He also the author of the soon-to-be-published novels: The Cormorant, Blightborn (Heartland Book #2), Heartland Book #3, Dinocalypse Forever, Frack You, and The Hellsblood Bride. Also coming soon is his compilation book of writing advice from this very blog: The Kick-Ass Writer, coming from Writers Digest.
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.
Chuck has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture.
Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.
He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human.
He is likely drunk and untrustworthy. This blog is NSFW and probably NSFL.
You may reach him at terribleminds [at] gmail [dot] com.
Related
thesexiestwriter
May 12, 2014 at 1:55 PM //
seems pretty doable, hope to get a quickie story out today. BTW where do you go to generate these random flash thingies?
fadedglories
May 12, 2014 at 2:02 PM //
Can’t do this one. I’m actually socially over-loaded this week.
You ?
Yeah me ,really!
Pavowski
May 12, 2014 at 3:55 PM //
Was looking for this over the weekend! Gah. I think I can make it happen.
Matthew X. Gomez
May 12, 2014 at 4:04 PM //
http://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/a-call-of-vengeance/ I went with the second line.
Mark Baron
May 13, 2014 at 3:59 PM //
Nice use of the challenge! I really liked your grasp of this genre. The story was fun and thrilling to read. Well done!
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 10:20 AM //
Nicely worked, very enjoyable.
Matthew X. Gomez
May 16, 2014 at 10:24 AM //
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
E. P. Beaumont
May 19, 2014 at 2:19 AM //
Properly dark, with a nice trajectory back to the beginning.
Matthew X. Gomez
May 19, 2014 at 6:15 AM //
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Kristine McKinley
May 12, 2014 at 6:17 PM //
I was an over achiever and went with all three. http://blog.kmckinley.net/2014/05/12/flash-fiction/
E. P. Beaumont
May 19, 2014 at 2:29 AM //
The really cool thing about this super-short form is that there’s no time to explain backstories; you just take them for granted and roll with it, and this is what makes this piece work.
Kristine McKinley
May 19, 2014 at 12:42 PM //
Thanks! I’d never written any flash fiction so I found it fun to write a scene in the middle of a story
JP Juniper
May 12, 2014 at 6:32 PM //
Wow. This was hard. I managed to work in 2 of the 3 lines, but I’m not sure what I worked them into is actually a story. It might just be a 700-word infodump. It also contains spoilers for a book I haven’t written yet, so… there’s that. I am preambling too much. Here it is: http://jpjuniper.com/from-the-journals-of-dr-douard-bliveau-aug-2nd-1915
Mark Baron
May 13, 2014 at 1:09 PM //
This line: “History crawls across the dead cities of Mars, darkens their tunnels, rides their manufactured winds like a dandelion seed.” This is perfect. I loved your whole story, marveled at it, but that line gives me chills. Awesomeness! I am struggling with this challenge, and now, I feel ridiculously inept to follow this.
JP Juniper
May 13, 2014 at 2:17 PM //
Thank you! I really, really, really (xN) struggled with this one too. I didn’t finish it so much as give up on my ability to make it make any more sense. Then this morning I realized that the last line should be “Where is her Vesuvius?” instead and I was … well, I ate an entire piece of cake with my tea, that’s what I was. A giant piece of cake eater. And I’m still kind of mad I couldn’t get that third sentence in.
Sara Crow
May 13, 2014 at 2:22 PM //
Of the three, the only one I couldn’t manage to squeeze in was the violin line. It seems to me like it SHOULD fit the proem-thing I made, but I just couldn’t get the rhythm right, even with some tweaks. I might find that lightning will strike later and cause it to behave for me.
Rebecca Douglass
May 16, 2014 at 11:02 PM //
Very cool piece!
E. P. Beaumont
May 19, 2014 at 2:21 AM //
Pitch perfect, period-correct, and culturally specific, all of which is pulled off with the special effect of language. I want a whole collection of pieces like this. (And I want to eat all the cake, too.)
Donna HSB
May 12, 2014 at 7:00 PM //
Got all three in! Wooooo! Load Balancing –
E. P. Beaumont
May 19, 2014 at 2:24 AM //
OK, upfront I must confess this one hits all my kinks: clever hackery, management that underestimates the intelligence and ill-will of its underlings, revolutionary endgame … oh yes, and just plain weirdness. Great job with the alternating viewpoint, with complete confidence that we’d follow — because I did.
Donna E. HSB (@konanut)
May 28, 2014 at 11:47 PM //
I am so glad you said *something* – thank you for the wonderful praise. Can live on it for weeks. *spikes ball*
Jon Stoffel
May 12, 2014 at 10:06 PM //
I’m a bit dumb, so I included all three! At ~950 words, I present:
Songs of Dust
http://www.jdstoffel.com/2014/05/songs-of-dust/
E. P. Beaumont
May 19, 2014 at 2:27 AM //
Nightmarish, constantly shifting landscape — that’s the aftertaste here, and of course the eerie music of the violins.
Mozette
May 12, 2014 at 10:18 PM //
Woot! I managed all three! 😀
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/political-caresses.html
Rebecca Douglass
May 16, 2014 at 11:05 PM //
That’s terrifying!
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:34 PM //
That one’s a trip to one of the nastier suburbs of dystopia.
underastarlitsky
May 12, 2014 at 10:23 PM //
Here’s mine:http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com/ I titled it the same as my blog…it seemed appropriate. I just used one sentence (the 3rd). comments welcome/ appreciated!
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:38 PM //
Steampunk surrealism, or surrealist steampunk … anyway, some kind of genre-rendezvous is going on here. Very entertaining.
Caitlin
May 20, 2014 at 12:45 PM //
Why thank you! Steampunk surrealism (or surrealist Steampunk) – I like that description! And might just use it to describe my other steampunk stuff!
Mark Gardner
May 12, 2014 at 11:08 PM //
I continued a project Rob Sadler and I are working on from the Cooperative cliffhanger challenge from about seven months ago. I used the second line.
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/my-son-part-4/
Doug Daniel
May 13, 2014 at 12:09 AM //
Failure–
http://douglasdanieldotcom.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/flash-fiction-challenge-the-poetic-and-the-pragmatic/
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:52 PM //
I like the calm, ceremonial dialogue — with the sense of really dark things moving under the surface — and the radical twist at the end.
Sara Crow
May 13, 2014 at 1:05 AM //
Inspired by TWO sentences from the challenge. Oh yeah, I’m all about overachieving, baby. Sat down at the typewriter and (literally) banged this sucker out almost immediately after reading the e-mail.
http://writingcyborg.blogspot.com/2014/05/untitled.html
This one is fiction in the way that some of the postmodernists are fiction. More of a…rumination? No…characters, per se. Maybe one. But hell, isn’t Chuck all about breaking those rule-things? Hopefully it works. This is a first draft, so I’m sure I’ll tweak the crap out of it.
Alex
May 13, 2014 at 12:01 PM //
I enjoyed that, very thought-provoking!
Sara Crow
May 13, 2014 at 2:23 PM //
Thanks, Alex! I think it’s a “proem.” I’m calling it a “proem” now. That’s a thing, right?
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:54 PM //
I like going on Trips — why else read, or write? and not enough fiction is written about the ultimate Trip that is reading.
Alex
May 13, 2014 at 11:55 AM //
I chose the first one:
Overture/Finale (With Cannons)
http://justafeverdream.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/overturefinale-with-cannons/
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:56 PM //
REally twisty self-justifying narrator (I think this one takes a few steps beyond “unreliable”) and I have really serious questions about the motives of the human star-warrior, which all adds up to a really strong aftertaste.
Alex
May 21, 2014 at 8:52 AM //
It’s good that it made an impression!
Mark Baron
May 13, 2014 at 2:01 PM //
Alright, here’s my go at it…all three sentences used. http://wp.me/p4AFse-39
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 1:01 PM //
An entire epic-picaresque novel packed into a thousand words. At the usual exchange rate of 1K words = 1 picture, you’ve painted quite a canvas, with the most exciting bits implied just beyond the frame.
Mark Baron
May 20, 2014 at 1:10 PM //
I am beyond flattered by your praise! Thank you so much for your compliments – I can’t tell you how encouraging they are from a writer of such excellent caliber!
aryquin
May 13, 2014 at 9:04 PM //
Went with all four for a short short piece found on my ancient dA account, because why not?
Mechanical Spirit: http://tinyurl.com/nj9aomn
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 1:12 PM //
the opening pulled me in with its intense absorption in details of the craft – and then events took off wildly from there. I am still wondering what the heck happened, but in a really good way, as in “must reread this.”
Fran Smith
May 14, 2014 at 5:38 AM //
Couldn’t resist! http://wp.me/p43Qpz-O
Love your work.
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 1:21 PM //
“Gorgon-glaring teenagers” wins my part of the internets, and the story just gets better from here. Yours is the first entry that takes the prompts as hilarious (and occasionally disturbing) translation errors. Whether you’re writing from first-hand experience or well-researched intuition, you’ve nailed the dynamic here.
mshatch
May 14, 2014 at 10:00 AM //
For some reason that first sentence gave me something to run with:http://mainewords.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-borderlands-expire-thanks-to.html
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 1:28 PM //
An exquisitely hideous little study in compartmentalization, where all the worst things are implied via flashes of detail.
orderneedschaos
May 14, 2014 at 11:49 AM //
So I tried to get all three…but alas the creator and inventor didn’t really fit what flowed out of my head….here you go.
http://orderneedschaos.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/flash-fiction-challenge-must-contain-this-sentence/
mirrorknobdream
May 14, 2014 at 7:18 PM //
http://mirrorknobdream.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/poetikinesis/
chriswhitewrites
May 14, 2014 at 8:31 PM //
Managed to get a story written this week – it’s very short, I used the sentence “The criminal disappears after the inventor.” and was inspired by the one hundred violins, too.
Nasty, Brutish and Short
http://chriswhitewrites.com/2014/05/15/nasty_brutish_short/
Let me know what you think!
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 12:28 PM //
Interesting blend of prose and poetic elements.
Cody Rock
May 15, 2014 at 8:20 AM //
Here’s mine. http://contradictionparadox.blogspot.com/
Laura Libricz
May 15, 2014 at 11:59 AM //
Ok, I cheated and grabbed a random trope too.
http://lauralibricz.blogspot.de/2014/05/friday-flash_15.html
Mark Baron
May 15, 2014 at 3:06 PM //
Very enjoyable, and great how much POV can affect the reality of a story. 🙂
Laura Libricz
May 16, 2014 at 4:05 AM //
Especially if he’s a writer 🙂 Thanks for reading Mark
Jemima Pett
May 15, 2014 at 6:32 PM //
Took the opportunity to provide some more of Pete and the Swede’s story – my Orichalcum Miners…
It’ll be online in about 40 mins… I’m off to bed now 😉
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/05/16/friday-flash-fiction-the-gallery/
Rebecca Douglass
May 16, 2014 at 5:57 PM //
Jemima is evil 😀
epbeaumont
May 15, 2014 at 11:59 PM //
Same universe as last week’s story, but a completely different set of characters.
http://epbeaumont.com/2014/05/15/flash-fiction-poetics/
Rebecca Douglass
May 16, 2014 at 12:03 AM //
Whoa. Being late seems to have cost Chuck a lot of story-posters! Here’s mine. . . I’ll try to get back to read others. . .migraine tonight and this is about all I can look at the computer.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2014/05/flash-fiction-friday-power-of-poetry.html
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 12:29 PM //
Really enjoyed your story! Love the first contact idea.
Rebecca Douglass
May 16, 2014 at 5:58 PM //
Thanks!
Free Jack Klugman
May 16, 2014 at 1:10 AM //
Mine turned out slightly Victorian. You can find it here: http://freejackklugman.com/shorts/victorian/
And for any Ripper fanatics out there, you’ll have to forgive me for exercising a little artistic license with the geography of Whitechapel.
Enjoy!
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 11:45 AM //
Well written.
momdude
May 16, 2014 at 3:29 AM //
Damn, it’s late. Damn, I’m tired. The idea came quickly, the execution more slowly, with multiple drafts before it hung together a bit better and fit under the 1,000 word target. Enjoy!
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/05/16/flash-fiction-nuntius/
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 11:10 AM //
Very nice twist! The first paragraph had me thinking that the main character might actually be a dog, lol. I was picturing a golden retriever for some reason. Did you ever consider that?
momdude
May 16, 2014 at 4:05 PM //
Didn’t see the golden retriever scenario, but now that you mention it, it does fit the first paragraph, gave me a good laugh! I’ll keep the “canine POV” idea in mind for one of these weeks.
physicsjenn
May 16, 2014 at 10:01 AM //
I didn’t think I was going to write anything, but then… this happened. I’m not even sure what it is. It’s 350 words, and mildly surreal: http://jennwritesstories.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/terribleminds-flash-fic-challence-fire/
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 10:44 AM //
Very nice! I’ve written some more abstract stories before and enjoyed them. This one was funny too and I liked where it went with the fusing of electronics and man. A modern Dr. Frankenstein.
physicsjenn
May 16, 2014 at 10:53 AM //
Yeah, I didn’t even realize how Frankenstein-y my main character was until I was almost done. Thanks!
Andrea Blythe
May 16, 2014 at 11:45 AM //
Great job. I like the slightly surreal, which the prompt this week kind of lends itself to.
melorajohnson
May 16, 2014 at 10:15 AM //
Here’s my entry – Senselessness in Suburbia. My first thought when I read the challenge was an alien whose translator was malfunctioning but then my brain said aphasia. http://melorajohnson.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/senselessness-in-suburbia-a-flash-fiction/
Andrea Blythe
May 16, 2014 at 11:41 AM //
Finally finished my entry – Beyond Borderlands – which has all three phrases: http://www.andreablythe.com/2014/05/friday-flash-beyond-borderlands/
Dana Alyce-Schwarz
May 16, 2014 at 11:51 AM //
Kept it short this week. But I’m enjoying playing with these two characters.
http://contrastsolution.blogspot.com/2014/05/friday-flash-fiction-don-johnagain.html
inkoherent
May 16, 2014 at 5:43 PM //
Here’s my effort – “The second that time forgot”. I used all three sentences, but I did go slightly over the word limit… Glad to see lots of people went for all three sentences 🙂
http://inkoherent.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/the-second-that-time-forgot/
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 12:49 PM //
Read it and it works well as a stand-alone – the kind of passage that will get you to read the novel.
epbeaumont
May 20, 2014 at 1:23 PM //
aaargh.. hit the wrong button or something. this reply belongs with Doug Daniel’s entry.
Andre Gonzalez
July 3, 2014 at 9:34 PM //
I am late at below atrocious-with-the-devils-fecal-swiping’s levels on this challenge. Life has a way of plucking you out of the writers stream of time and you have to be courageous enough to dive back in (excuse?). I wrote this story for this particular challenge and wasn’t able to get back to actually posting it on my blog (absent of life, lol) or linking it back here, lol. I’m hoping to be a bit more punctual in the near future!
http://storiesarewords.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/the-hundred-violins-flash-fiction-story/