Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

Flash Fiction Challenge: It’s X Meets Y Again!

I did this challenge back at the start of the year and kinda adored it.

Therein I described it as follows:

I love that some writers describe their stories — usually in an elevator pitch or to sell the story to an agent, editor or reader — as “THIS STORY meets THAT STORY.” Right? “Oh,” the writer says, “It’s like CATCHER IN THE RYE meets SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.” And you’re like, whoa, what the fuck does that even mean.

Today, we are going to find out.

Below, you’ll find two columns, each of 20 different fairly well-known properties.

You will randomly choose one from each column either by d20 or random number generator.

Then you will literally fill in the variables of the equation:

IT’S LIKE X MEETS Y.

And you will write the resultant story.

Note: your goal is not to literally mash these up in fan-fiction (though I suppose if that’s where your head goes, hey, I can’t stop you) — the goal is to take the idea, the spirit of the combination and make them into a story all your own. What is the theoretical mash-up look like and feel like? Diggit? So, what’s the story like if you get: “It’s like HARRY POTTER meets INDIANA JONES?” Or, “It’s like GAME OF THRONES meets SCOOBY DOO.”

So, get your random number generator or d20.

Pick one from each column.

Mash them together. See what kind of story squishes out.

You’ve got 2000 words.

Due by next Friday (5/1) at noon EST.

Post at your online space. Link to it here in the comments.

Ready? Steady? Go.

Column X

  1. Paranormal Activity
  2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  3. Terminator
  4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
  5. War Games
  6. Hunger Games
  7. Batman
  8. Goodfellas
  9. Pokemon
  10. The Wheel of Time
  11. Robocop
  12. Dracula
  13. The Princess Bride
  14. Dirty Harry
  15. The Great Gatsby
  16. Josie and the Pussycats
  17. Ender’s Game
  18. Guardians in the Galaxy
  19. Twin Peaks
  20. Dungeons & Dragons

Column Y

  1. Pulp Fiction
  2. The Silence of the Lambs
  3. Toy Story
  4. Die Hard
  5. Pacific Rim
  6. Back to the Future
  7. To Kill A Mockingbird
  8. Ghost In The Shell
  9. Se7en
  10. The Wire
  11. Sherlock Holmes
  12. True Detective
  13. Monsters, Inc.
  14. Doctor Who
  15. The Matrix
  16. Groundhog Day
  17. The Lord of the Flies
  18. The Stand
  19. Mad Max
  20. Minecraft

 

 

 

 

terribleminds

113 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: It’s X Meets Y Again!”

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    • I tried re-rolling when one of my options came up Pokemon. I’ve never seen Pokemon so I re-rolled and got 9 again. I think the universe is trying to tell me something – like … no cheating maybe. So Pokemon meets Mad Max it is. Time to do some research.

      Reply

  9. So glad to see this challenge again! It’s one of my favorites. (I got Rambo meets Friday the 13th last time and a whole book idea came off that…)

    Reply

  14. Oh, man. Great Gatsby meets Pulp Fiction. Is it wrong that I absolutely adore both of those in their own right? The two of them together is almost more than I can stand.

    Reply

  19. The first flash fic challenge I participated in here was this one, from earlier in the year as Chuck mentioned. Let’s see if I can do a better job this time

    Reply

  28. I got Pacific Rim, which I’m excited about. I love the concept of that movie and the graphics. Yay! My other pick is Twin Peaks. I have no idea what its about, not even from the trailer. But, I did recently read Pines, which was inspired by Twin Peaks. So I get the whole, everybody has a secret , messing with the mind thing. I think I’ll make the whole town have the secret. I’m little excited.

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  29. I’m excited. I got Pacific Rim. I love that movie. The concept is genius to me. Plus it robots with dragon like creatures, like duh! Then I have Twin Peaks, which I’m not sure what its about, not even from the trailer. But, I did recently read Pines which was inspired by Twin Peaks, so lets hope I get it right.

    Reply

  30. Robocop and Groundhog Day. I’ve never seen the second one – not sure if it was big outside of America – so I rolled the second die again. Silence of the Lambs. Okay. A cyborg named Clarice. I can do that. I went out with one once, so I’ll just strip away all rationality and accountability and tell it from her perspective.

    Reply

  41. I’ve got “The Princess Bride” meets “The Matrix.” They are actually two of my favorites…This could be disastrous is so many ways.

    Reply

  47. […] Chuck Wendig threw up his X meets Y challenge this week and I was so excited! I loved this challenge when he did it in January. I tried a random number generator but ended up with something I wouldn’t even know how to write, so I decided to pick it instead. After reading through the choices, I settled on one I thought could make an interesting story. What you have is Toy Story meets The Great Gatsby in a little over 1,800 words. I hope you enjoyed it. I had a blast writing it! […]

    Reply
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