Flash Fiction Challenge: Picking Uncommon Apples
Last week’s challenge: From Sentence To Story.
It is apple season, people.
Apple season.
APPLE SEASON.
And with apple season comes a chance to sample a world of weird apples.
Uncommon apples.
Like, say, from this list grabbed at North Star Orchards here in PA.
I want you to look through this list.
You can use a random number generator if you like.
But pick three of these apples.
And include them — not apples themselves, necessarily, but the names of said apples — in your story. They can be included however you see fit: character names, place names, some other worldbuilding aspect, anything and any way you so choose.
You’ve got 1000 words.
Post at your online space.
Link back here.
Due by next Friday, noon, EST.
Pick your apples.
October 10, 2014 @ 7:20 AM
I can’t eat apples 🙁 but I’ll participate anyway
RNG spat out
40) Rosemary Russet
14) VonZuccalimaglios Reinette :S
30) Lacy
I think I can work with that :D…even if I’ll never know how delicious they are 🙁
October 13, 2014 @ 7:01 PM
I got: Rosemary Russet, VonZuccalimaglios, and Lacy.
I did what I could, and came in under-budget. I give you:
Golden Delicious
https://joetblogs.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-picking-uncommon-apples/
October 10, 2014 @ 7:56 AM
Prarie Spy? That typo is Ludicrisp!
October 10, 2014 @ 9:36 AM
“Ludicrisp!” XD
October 10, 2014 @ 8:59 AM
The dice were kind to me this week: (11) Nova Spy, (32) Reverend Morgan, (38) Hoover.
October 11, 2014 @ 3:11 AM
Almost exactly what I got. But I didn’t get Hoover, I got Russet Beauty. The other two are the same. It’ll be interesting to see how our stories differ.
October 13, 2014 @ 10:06 AM
Here’s the story: http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/10/13/mercy
I cheated a little by dividing up “nova spy” across two people and two sentences.
October 13, 2014 @ 2:19 PM
Wow what a good story!
October 13, 2014 @ 2:53 PM
Good story, well told. I wanted to know more when it ended :).
October 15, 2014 @ 1:05 AM
Great story, surprising ending with lots of questions, well done!
October 10, 2014 @ 9:02 AM
I chose three, and put them to good use:
* Malinda
*American Beauty
*Reverend Morgan
Enjoy!
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/american-beauty.html
October 10, 2014 @ 10:20 AM
Nicely done. I liked the change of voice, and a Sinister Minister is always going to be interesting
October 10, 2014 @ 7:45 PM
Thank you. It was late here… and I had the time to write it. And it came in under 1,000 words; at only 646 words! 😀
October 12, 2014 @ 8:50 PM
That was. I liked the way you blurred the lines. That isn’t easy to do. I’ve tried that a few times myself. You got that up really quick!
October 13, 2014 @ 9:41 PM
When it’s late at night, my brain tends to go to ‘sleep’ and my imagination has the opportunity to take over and have fun… it’s weird and a little scary… but it’s the next day I find my mind has two personalities; and I have no idea exactly how I wrote this one, or how the words came to be but this one just like a jig-saw puzzle, it just worked! 😀
October 10, 2014 @ 9:36 AM
I’d prefer to just sample that IPA, thank you very much!
October 10, 2014 @ 9:44 AM
I received these numbers (thanks for the random number generator):
17) American Beauty
18) Crow Egg
6) Davenport Russet
October 10, 2014 @ 9:46 AM
Excellent choice in beer, sir. Founders is just up the road from where I live (relatively speaking) and one of my favorite breweries. I’ve drunk so much Dirty Bastard in my life that my friends refer to it as “Dirty Berkey.” 🙂
October 10, 2014 @ 10:14 AM
I need a jolt. So I’m jumping in 🙂
7)Carter’s Blue
17) American Beauty
18)Crow Egg.
October 10, 2014 @ 10:42 AM
Mike, you must be a fellow Michigander. Founders is just DOWN the road from me, relatively speaking. I hail from Sparta, but currently reside in Howard City.
October 10, 2014 @ 10:59 AM
High five!
I’m from the UP, but live in Kalamazoo, so we are equally distant from Founders, a measure by which I think I’m going to start measuring all time and space. I will call this unit of distance a Founders Unit, or FU for short.
October 10, 2014 @ 10:52 AM
Oh, oh, what about this GMO Gem- http://modernfarmer.com/2014/01/arctic-apple/
YEAH!!! It won’t “rust” when you slice it! Also, it is resistant to disease! You know why it is resistant to disease? IT IS GMO!! DISEASE WON’T EVEN TOUCH THE SHIT!!! Bon Appetit.
Now what are we doing?
Oh yeah…
King Solomon
Black Amish
American “opens-up-her-shirt-and-apples-fly-out” Beauty.
October 10, 2014 @ 4:50 PM
Many apple varieties are resistant to disease – they’ve been selectively bred that way for centuries, and it’s something I’m quite glad of after losing my James Grieve to canker just as it was coming into proper fruit-bearing age. However, since the article you linked to (thanks!) mentions this Arctic strain as being Granny Smith & Golden Delicious varients, it would appear the supermarket-driven food industry is getting ever blander…
I don’t know what any of the varieties on the list taste like as my Rosemary Russett is yet to bear fruit, but I had my first Bloody Ploughman the other day & it was bloody delicious!
October 16, 2014 @ 6:16 PM
I lost my Rosemary Russet but included her as my principal protagonist… and was very pleased with the way my bloody ploughman slipped into the story. James Grieve got in there too – how could I miss him out, one my family’s all time favourites. 🙂
October 10, 2014 @ 12:32 PM
I wrote my three apples into “Prairie Spy”:
http://cubiclemonster.weebly.com/writings
October 16, 2014 @ 12:34 PM
Pretty nice. I really enjoyed your story.
October 16, 2014 @ 3:42 PM
Very sad, AB. Nice use of imagary to illustrate your point. Lovely story.
October 10, 2014 @ 1:37 PM
mine are: Lord Lamborne, Vonzuccalimaglios Reinette and Russet Beauty
October 10, 2014 @ 1:50 PM
Here is the link to my piece: http://niksblog-authorinprogress.blogspot.com/
October 11, 2014 @ 9:40 PM
I can see this turning into something bigger… 😀
October 13, 2014 @ 9:39 PM
thanks–kind of ended abruptly and a little too sweetly but had to wrap it up…
October 16, 2014 @ 3:50 PM
Nicely done, Nikki! Good read : )
October 10, 2014 @ 2:49 PM
I wrote mine as my flash for my Patreon supporters. It’s the PDF attached to this post. http://www.patreon.com/creation?hid=1068721&rf=38607
Flash Fiction Writing Prompts | Michael Martine Writes
October 10, 2014 @ 2:53 PM
[…] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/10/10/flash-fiction-challenge-picking-uncommon-apples/ – Chuck Wendig does this every week, and this is probably one of the better and active ones to participate in (I will be, as much as I can). Given Chuck’s genres (YA speculative fiction/Fantasy/Horror), fantasy is very welcome. Link to your story in the comments to get your writing seen. […]
October 10, 2014 @ 3:44 PM
Really enjoyed the piece….and taking my name in vain LOL. Now if you would kindly quit letting out my secret, we’ll both be the happier for it LOL
of apples and autumn and music and writing | North of Andover
October 10, 2014 @ 4:02 PM
[…] Wendig as given his followers a flash fiction challenge using a list of uncommon apple varieties. I don’t do flash fiction. On the other hand, […]
Interesting prompt! | wtf Am I On About Now?
October 10, 2014 @ 4:42 PM
[…] the word apple. You get 1000 words and a deadline of next Friday to post your work on your blog. Wendig’s blog contains all of the details, the list and even a random number generator to use if you don’t want to pick the three names […]
October 10, 2014 @ 8:06 PM
Just looked at the list. Three names back to back already churned the pot for me. Crow Egg, Orleans Reinette, and Husk Spice. I may make tiny adjustments to them, but they will be there. I’ll probably use tonight and tomorrow to hammer out the tale.
October 10, 2014 @ 10:04 PM
My three are: Malinda (Sorry, Melinda :)), Pixie, Lacy. I wasn’t brave enough to risk the wrath of the randomizer.
This might not be my normal type of story, but it’s what popped out when I started typing:
The Nature Show
http://kevjava.blogspot.com/2014/10/flash-fiction-nature-show.html
October 10, 2014 @ 10:49 PM
This was really, really great. The POV seemed very natural when compared to the life circumstances she had encountered. Well done!
October 10, 2014 @ 11:27 PM
Thank you. I don’t write from a woman’s POV often at all, and this story in particular made me nervous because of those life circumstances. So, if it worked, I’m quite relieved :).
October 12, 2014 @ 12:36 PM
That really is very pretty. Kudos.
October 14, 2014 @ 11:08 AM
Thank you kindly :).
October 12, 2014 @ 6:19 PM
This is actually very touching.
October 14, 2014 @ 11:10 AM
Thank you – I wasn’t intending on going that direction when I started, but I’m glad it came out that way. It’s one of the fun parts of the process, I suppose :).
October 12, 2014 @ 6:51 PM
This is a gorgeous piece.
October 14, 2014 @ 11:13 AM
Thank you so much. That means quite a bit coming from you – I’m quite fond of everything I’ve read from your virtual desk.
October 14, 2014 @ 6:51 AM
Enjoyed this. Nice use of the words (apples), and just an interesting internal piece.
October 14, 2014 @ 1:51 PM
Thank you for the kind words.
October 14, 2014 @ 3:02 PM
This was a touchy subject to deal with and you did it well. Seems like most people on this thread know one another. This is my first time here. Writing is very good!
October 14, 2014 @ 3:17 PM
Thank you very kindly, and welcome (*tips hat*)! This is actually my second week posting here too, although I read Blackbirds a while ago. The prompts are interesting and they inspire me to write (which is arguably the most important part, right? 🙂 ).
Perhaps just as importantly, the people here are very welcoming. Chuck seems to have done really well building a positive and encouraging community for writerkind.
October 16, 2014 @ 2:36 PM
I loved this and I think I would like to be friends with Malinda.
October 17, 2014 @ 11:05 AM
Thank you so much :). By the end, I liked her too. I want to keep her around, so I can write her again.
October 16, 2014 @ 4:03 PM
That was really moving. I got so caught up, I forgot to look for your names! I thought the pov was very brave and your lovely touches of realism were both authentic and helped to move your story along. All together it was a job well done.
October 17, 2014 @ 11:42 AM
Very kind words, Sia – thank you for them. The apples are there, but hidden well because they were easy words to work in :).
October 10, 2014 @ 10:16 PM
I used the random number generator to get: Oliver, Hoover, and Carter’s Blue. I had some fun with this story
Death by No-Name
http://ajbauers.blogspot.com/2014/10/death-by-no-name.html
Here’s the first sentence to give you a taste:
This is a story of how a boy named Oliver embarrassingly killed his school teacher with a Hoover vacuum cleaner.
October 10, 2014 @ 10:48 PM
This was cute and funny and clever and a lot of things. The last line is epic! I enjoyed it a lot.
October 11, 2014 @ 3:05 PM
Thanks Kevin! I had fun with that last line 🙂
October 18, 2014 @ 7:48 AM
Your story was really good. I too imagined a British guy reading it to me.
October 11, 2014 @ 2:49 AM
Oof! It’s been a while for me.
I went Martian.
https://pznb.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/martian-logs/
October 14, 2014 @ 3:09 PM
Loved this! Very Enderesque. And the ending was perfect.
October 15, 2014 @ 5:30 PM
I liked this! Great ending, enjoyed the way you used the apple names and the whole journal entry format.
October 16, 2014 @ 4:19 PM
So much talent! Really good, Paige. I particularly like how you use slang for stuff that’s not been invented yet!
October 11, 2014 @ 3:09 AM
Here are my apples:
Nova Spy
Russet Beauty
Reverend Morgan
Not surprising, given the apples I picked (or should I say: the apples that the random number generator harvested for me), this turned into a church-spy-murder thing. lol
http://angelacavanaugh.com/2014/10/11/flash-fiction-friday-apples/
October 11, 2014 @ 6:58 AM
Great read. Would like to see where you’d go with it 🙂
October 12, 2014 @ 7:58 PM
Agreed! This was really polished, Bond-level stuff.
October 12, 2014 @ 6:44 PM
I really like this one. What an interesting character.
October 12, 2014 @ 6:45 PM
Thanks 🙂
October 14, 2014 @ 9:29 AM
Very cool to see how almost the same prompt can be taken in such a different direction! Pretty funny, too, that I had a Father Morgan mistakenly called Reverend, and you have a Reverend Morgan mistakenly called Father. They are opposites in all sorts of ways, I think. 🙂
October 16, 2014 @ 4:26 PM
You write really intriguing dialog. Thanks for the read!
October 11, 2014 @ 3:13 AM
Trying to resist the urge to write a second story using All of the apple names.
October 11, 2014 @ 3:07 PM
That be a crazy challenge in a 1000 words or less. *whispers you should do it*
October 12, 2014 @ 6:48 PM
If I did, I’d have to sorta cheat it to seem not forced. For example, I would name a character Russet. That way I could do things like this: “blah blah blah brown. Russet blah blah…” Lol
October 11, 2014 @ 1:05 PM
Crow Egg, Crown Prince Rudolph and Lord Lamborne; Story idea came from the Crow Egg…some may recognize the references and world.
16Sunsets, part 15 | Article 94
October 11, 2014 @ 4:30 PM
[…] 2000 miles away and the better part of two decades, I wish I had access to 41 different varieties. The prompt was two pick three apple variety names from his list and use them in a story. I’ve been trying to write more for 16Sunsets, but I couldn’t seem to make it happen. […]
October 11, 2014 @ 4:32 PM
Lets add 1,002 words to 16Sunsets with 3, 10 & 35:
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/16sunsets-part-15/
October 11, 2014 @ 8:11 PM
I want to firstly say thanks! I haven’t written much lately and this really kick-started me back into it. Your words are often quite inspiring.
I had a go at the challenge. It was fun! My three apples are Cinnamon Spice (I can spell that right now), Pixie and Crow Egg.
Voila – http://isitcherry.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/cinnamon-spice-for-crow-egg.html
Thanks again for the challenge.
October 11, 2014 @ 10:57 PM
I’ve never tried one of your flash fictions before, but the apples called out to me. Specifically, the Orleans Reinette, Melrose and Carter’s Blue. Here’s what happened: http://roboclow.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/carters-blue/
October 13, 2014 @ 6:18 PM
This is great!
October 12, 2014 @ 5:19 AM
My contribution to this challenge: http://thecrimocopoiea.blogspot.in/2014/10/american-beauty.html
October 12, 2014 @ 6:16 PM
Well played. Did NOT see that coming.
Carter’s Blue | reticulated metal arms
October 12, 2014 @ 5:39 AM
[…] was a quick one hour flash as usual inspired by Chuck Wendig’s great prompts herebased on the names of some apple varieties. I cheated and chose names that I liked the look of, as […]
October 12, 2014 @ 5:40 AM
I was struggling a bit with this, until I watched A Most Wanted Man yesterday. Which I highly recommend by the way
http://reticulatedmetalarms.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/carters-blue/
October 12, 2014 @ 7:30 PM
Great minds! Same title, completely different story. Liked yours a lot. Here’s mine. http://roboclow.wordpress.com/2014/10/11/carters-blue/
October 13, 2014 @ 1:38 PM
Lovely twist at the end there, I really didn’t see that one coming!
October 13, 2014 @ 2:31 PM
This was clever. Well done :).
October 13, 2014 @ 2:40 AM
Loved it! The hidden room! The sliding dresser! Fab!
October 12, 2014 @ 10:34 AM
I did a random number roll and ended up writing a dark 1930s piece.
http://allisonmaruska.com/2014/10/12/flash-fiction-four-down/
October 12, 2014 @ 6:14 PM
There’s something in the way of a first chapter in this. I could see this as the beginning of a rather long journey.
October 12, 2014 @ 6:30 PM
My short stories tend to feel that way. Hmmm. I’ve thought of short stories (all, not just mine) as small bits of bigger stories, but maybe that’s wrong.
Thanks for reading!
October 12, 2014 @ 5:29 PM
Well, the names were irresistible…..https://grannywritesbooks.wordpress.com
October 13, 2014 @ 1:05 AM
really nice story. I also love the name of your blog. Shame it’s not Granny Smith though!
October 13, 2014 @ 2:05 PM
I picked more than three apples. Oops. But I chose: Jewette Red, Margil, Crown Prince Roludolph, Lord Lamborne and Nutmeg. Here is my story.
October 13, 2014 @ 2:08 PM
http://diginhappy.blogspot.com/2014/10/flash-fiction-jewett-red.html?m=1
It missed me the first time.
October 13, 2014 @ 8:30 PM
Wow! You did a lot with 1k words. This is good stuff. Could be the center of a longer work.
October 13, 2014 @ 9:37 PM
great story and well done!
October 16, 2014 @ 12:28 PM
Thank you both!
Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge: Picking Uncommon Apples | JoeTblogs
October 13, 2014 @ 6:58 PM
[…] This weeks challenge can be found here […]
October 14, 2014 @ 11:50 AM
For this challenge, I wrote just under 900 words, writing part 4 of a noir crime serial I have been working on. I chose nutmeg, holiday and margil.
http://geletilari.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/your-loss-serial-part-4/
Ripe for the Picking | Under a Starlit Sky
October 14, 2014 @ 11:52 AM
[…] week’s flash challenge on Chuck Wendig’s site was apples. Yes, apples. Hence the title of my story. And from the list of bizarre apple names, I randomly chose (with a […]
October 14, 2014 @ 11:53 AM
I got 23, 16 and 9 (Oliver, Margil, Court Pendu Plat). Here’s: Ripe for the Picking http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com
» Flash Fiction: Strong Yet Subtle Blue Ink Alchemy
October 14, 2014 @ 3:41 PM
[…] this week’s Flash Fiction Challenge over at Terribleminds, Picking Uncommon Apples, the random number gods bestowed upon me 28, 18, and 31. Here’s what came out of those […]
October 14, 2014 @ 3:42 PM
The Random Number Gods bestowed upon me 28 (Crown Prince Rudolph), 18 (Crow Egg), and 31 (Lord Lamborne). The result is Strong Yet Subtle.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2014/10/14/flash-fiction-strong-yet-subtle/
October 15, 2014 @ 1:44 AM
Nice! I enjoyed your story, good characters!
October 15, 2014 @ 7:14 AM
I enjoyed your story, especially when she says, “That tiny thing?”
October 15, 2014 @ 2:08 AM
Okay, here is my offering. I got Jarret, Macoun and American Beauty.
http://sabrakay.com/?p=89
October 16, 2014 @ 11:13 AM
Creepy! I liked it!
October 16, 2014 @ 4:34 PM
Thanks! Just read yours…wow! Also very creepy, I want more!
Castle of Light – flash fiction | Robert Jepson
October 15, 2014 @ 8:58 AM
[…] piece of flash fiction inspired by Chuck Wendig’s apple season challenge; take three uncommon apple varieties and use their names as characters, […]
October 15, 2014 @ 9:03 AM
I used the RNG but wasn’t inspired by its choice, so I picked my own and came up with this little story. I’ll leave you to work out which apples I chose 🙂 I Hope you enjoy it!
http://robertjepson.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/castle-of-light-flash-fiction/
October 16, 2014 @ 6:34 PM
Good story, I liked the characters you created.
October 18, 2014 @ 11:37 AM
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Flash Fiction: Pollinators* | grannywritesbooks
October 15, 2014 @ 10:45 AM
[…] was written as a response to one of Chuck Wendig’s challenges: use the names of three apple varieties in a story of less than 1000 […]
October 15, 2014 @ 12:53 PM
Bonjour,
Chez moi en bourgogne, les pommes acides sont précieuses, une petite rouge surtout l’ Avrolle, car elle stabilise à elle seule pour la production de jus de pommes, ou cidre que l’o met en bouteille. Il est nécessaire qu’elle gèle, pour l’utiliser.
https://oderozhes.wordpress.com
Cordialement Joanne OT
Flash Fiction: Apple Picking | Blogatonium
October 15, 2014 @ 6:50 PM
[…] was the result of Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge “Picking Uncommon Apples.” The apple names I chose were Melrose, Malinda and Rosemary […]
October 15, 2014 @ 6:51 PM
Hey. I went a step further by basing the story around apple picking. I hope you enjoy it!
http://blogatonium.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/flash-fiction-apple-picking/
October 16, 2014 @ 11:11 AM
I loved this story. Especially the line: ‘Parts are woven for us. A princess needs a witch.’
October 16, 2014 @ 12:55 PM
I’ll second that. I love the idea that she’s compelled to be what she is. The tone in this piece is beautifully done.
October 17, 2014 @ 9:18 AM
Thanks for both of your kind words!
The Wisdom and Wonder of King Solomon | makes/me/so/digress
October 16, 2014 @ 10:49 AM
[…] was inspired this week by a flash fiction challenge on writer Chuck Wendig’s blog. The task was to create a story using three names from a list of uncommon apple varieties. My […]