That title sounds like I’m shuttering the flash fiction challenges forever, but I promise, that’s not the case — no, instead, I want you to use that idea as this week’s prompt.
What I mean is this:
I want you to write the end of a long journey.
That can mean whatever it needs to mean in the context of your story.
The story can be any genre.
The tricky bit here will be — how can you get in a beginning, a middle, and an end for what is ostensibly the period of a narrative consisting only the end? It’ll require you to bring some skills to bear to make it work, to give us all the information we need, and to make it more than a snapshot in time or just a vignette.
Length: ~1500 words
Due by: 4/14, Friday, noon EST
Post the story online.
Link to it in the comments below.
lonesomehawk says:
Well, Is it OK to post a rewrite here? WhutThHell, it’s the end of a journey, however many times written. So, go here: http://itinerantlibrul.blogspot.com/
April 7, 2017 — 7:44 PM
curioushart says:
I like your story, and I like the way you told it. Thanks for sharing.
April 11, 2017 — 7:02 PM
curioushart says:
My post is still “waiting moderation.” I am sorry I cannot share it with you. You would probably like it.
April 13, 2017 — 10:27 PM
disperser says:
I liked the dialogue and the easy style of writing. I did feel like it was a piece of a larger tale (confirmed in your postcript) but a nice read.
April 18, 2017 — 7:52 PM
Mozette says:
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2017/04/home.html
This was a good one!
enjoy!
April 7, 2017 — 7:52 PM
curioushart says:
There was a poignancy about your story that made me read between the lines. I was moved. Thank you for sharing it.
April 11, 2017 — 7:06 PM
Mozette says:
Thank you for your lovely comment. I always appreciate how people feel about my writing as it keeps me going with what I love to do.
April 11, 2017 — 11:56 PM
disperser says:
Mixed a few “my” among the “me” so that jumped out at me, otherwise solid writing.
I remember reading that rat fleas don’t like horses much which is one of the reason nomadic populations were not affected as much, so I’m not sure about the horses dying, but I get literary license.
April 18, 2017 — 8:06 PM
Mozette says:
Oh! I didn’t know that… thanks for that info. I’ll keep it in mind for the next time I write something of this era. But I didn’t say how long she had been in the city for; so I left that to your imagination.
April 18, 2017 — 10:45 PM
lonesomehawk says:
Please delete the link above. ,It’s not fiction.
April 7, 2017 — 10:13 PM
Mozette says:
He said any genre.
April 8, 2017 — 8:09 AM
The Writer says:
Yet another piece that I’m proud to say was inspired by Sir. Wendig *bows graciously*. Enjoy!
https://atcrump.com/2017/04/08/the-sands/
April 8, 2017 — 3:03 PM
disperser says:
I think it should be “bearing” as opposed to “baring”.
The writing is fine, but I personally was distracted by the idea of a stalking snake. I thought it might have been a metaphor for something else, but the reveal of an actual snake was a bit of a letdown. For me, the story would work better if the snake encounter would have been accidental as opposed to giving the snake poorly understood (on my part) intent and agency.
April 18, 2017 — 8:26 PM
The Writer says:
Ah. Missed that. Thanks. The snake was meant to be a bit of a distraction. It wasn’t necessarily important to know it was real until the end. I specified its’ existence to parallel the impending doom -a story within the story of sorts. I’m sorry if that hindered your read. I felt that making it too clear would ruin the thought process, that I’d assumed the reader would have. I intend for my stories to be dissected in that way. I do appreciate your constructive feedback. Thanks again.
April 18, 2017 — 9:16 PM
disperser says:
It might work if presented as a separate part of the story without a connection to the travelers and without specifying it being a snake; just an entity focused on hunting, resting, hunting. That lets you foreshadow a threat without giving it away.
April 18, 2017 — 9:52 PM
disperser says:
https://dispersertracks.com/2017/04/08/flash-challenge-coming-home/
April 9, 2017 — 3:00 AM
curioushart says:
I liked your story, and I liked the ending. Life is tough, but it’s also very good.
April 11, 2017 — 7:38 PM
disperser says:
Thank you, and sorry for the late reply . . . life is also engaging.
April 18, 2017 — 6:39 PM
Erik Mason says:
Here’s my story. I hope you enjoy it. http://geekonablog.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-end-of-long-journey.html
April 9, 2017 — 11:30 PM
Nicole says:
I really enjoyed this!
April 18, 2017 — 6:23 PM
disperser says:
The trouble with having rats about . . .
April 18, 2017 — 8:32 PM
mreauow says:
Here’s mine. I hope you enjoy it. https://becca.mreauowpublishing.com/arrival-flash-fiction-challenge/
April 10, 2017 — 7:35 PM
emweaverblog says:
Lovely! I had a similar idea, but from a rather different perspective.
April 14, 2017 — 11:53 AM
disperser says:
Nice.
April 18, 2017 — 8:38 PM
The Penultimate Universe says:
Slightly cheating as this actually a draft of the epilogue for my current work in progress but I think it fits quite nicely. Hope you enjoy it!
http://wp.me/p4jIj9-b0
April 11, 2017 — 5:40 AM
Nicole says:
Great job with sensory details! They really pulled me into the story.
April 18, 2017 — 6:41 PM
The Penultimate Universe says:
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
April 19, 2017 — 6:20 AM
disperser says:
Enjoyed reading it and met the requirement of letting the reader know about the journey itself.
On detail was unclear and hence left hanging; the rat and wires to the cyborg. I presume since this is an epilog to a current work that it’s something explained elsewhere.
April 18, 2017 — 8:47 PM
The Penultimate Universe says:
Hi, thanks for reading and I’m really glad you enjoyed it. It’s good to know that my intent was clear enough.
With regards to the rat, wires and cyborg, you’re right in that it is delved into in more depth in the main body of the work. However, Holbrook’s line of dialogue when she goes to shoot the cyborg, ‘D-don’t,’ he said, ‘there’s been enough of this, don’t you think? It- it’s nearly gone anyway. Not m-much ju-juice from a rat.’ Should give you a clue as to what its trying to do. 😉
Thanks again!
Tim
April 19, 2017 — 6:28 AM
CM Harald says:
Here’s my first completed attempt at some flash fiction. Enjoy.
http://www.cmharald.net/the-end-of-a-long-journey
April 11, 2017 — 7:14 AM
curioushart says:
Nicely done.
April 11, 2017 — 7:50 PM
writteningeek says:
Well done. 🙂
April 13, 2017 — 11:33 AM
disperser says:
Nice.
April 18, 2017 — 8:57 PM
Sam Brady says:
I tried to come up with different idea but all I could think of was my mother and the last day we spent with her as a family. It’s not fiction, but it’s all I got.
https://sambrady.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/chuck-wendig-one-last-day
April 11, 2017 — 3:30 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I suspect we have similar ideas, although different family members. Sending hugs.
April 14, 2017 — 8:54 AM
Sam Brady says:
Thanks.
April 14, 2017 — 9:46 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Here’s mine, “Ghost Writer”. My mind linked the end of the journey to finishing a book, then everything went dark…
https://medium.com/@VicenteLRuiz/ghost-writer-c025e29f2517
April 12, 2017 — 5:26 AM
curioushart says:
Definitely nailed the creep factor.
April 12, 2017 — 7:05 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Thanks! It means a lot.
April 14, 2017 — 12:27 PM
Nicole says:
I loved this. A dark twist in a seemingly normal situation is my favorite thing ever.
I would have liked just a bit more description of her dungeon. It didn’t detract from the story. I just wanted it for my own morbid curiosity.
April 14, 2017 — 1:22 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Thank you. In my mind, the “dungeon” is just an empty basement…
April 18, 2017 — 4:53 PM
disperser says:
As a fan of twist endings, I liked this, but I’m not sure there’s a feeling of a journey. Perhaps mentioning the mentioning previous book, current release and future novel was a stand-n for the concept.
Also, I think it should read “Romans”.
April 18, 2017 — 9:25 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
You’re absolutely right on both accounts. I did feel like I was cheating because the end of the journey was barely there.
Also yes, it should be “Romans”. It’s corrected now, thank you!
April 19, 2017 — 6:00 PM
curioushart says:
My story was inspired by the novel Phantastes by George MacDonald, whom Madeleine L’Engle lauds as “the father of us all.”
https://curioushart.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/long-journeys-end/
April 12, 2017 — 10:18 AM
disperser says:
Definetely has a literary style to it. As with the offering above, I feel as if I’m dense since I don’t see the journey. I suppose the introductory quote serves as a warning to the fact.
April 18, 2017 — 9:30 PM
writteningeek says:
“Ghost Writer” was clever and disturbing. My kind of story. 🙂
April 13, 2017 — 11:28 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Oops.I missed this comment! Many thanks!
April 18, 2017 — 6:34 PM
writteningeek says:
You’re welcome!
April 18, 2017 — 8:20 PM
curioushart says:
For some reason my story did not make it past the censors. I guarantee it is clean and playful–nary a rant in sight. So I will try again.
https://curioushart.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/long-journeys-end/
April 13, 2017 — 3:54 PM
emweaverblog says:
Well, not quite 1,500 words, but here is my story (science fiction as per usual): https://emweaverblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/ff-at-the-end-is-a-new-beginning/
April 13, 2017 — 8:14 PM
disperser says:
A good offering in the current discussion of AIs, although I would argue any interaction lead to humans anthropormorphizing even inert objects (Pet Rocks being an extreme example).
It’s unclear to me if the entity is conscious or a true AI in today’s understanding of the world, but the story works well regardless the assumption.
April 18, 2017 — 9:38 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I managed to pull it off in tune with my A to Z Challenge post. Though on reflection, I realize that the long journey isn’t over. Maybe it won’t ever be.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2017/04/l-is-for-larsand-larry-atozchallenge.html
(Post goes live at 12 a.m. PDT).
April 14, 2017 — 12:52 AM
disperser says:
Nice morsel.
April 18, 2017 — 9:41 PM
kim blades, writer says:
Way short of the word limit but here’s my End of a long journey story https://kim153.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/home-safe-chuck-wendigs-flash-fiction-challenge-the-end-of-a-long-journey
April 14, 2017 — 3:22 AM
Jemima Pett says:
A kind of memoir, combining two of Chuck’s prompts. Long Way Home…
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2017/04/14/fridayflash-fiction-long-way-home-atozchallenge/
April 14, 2017 — 8:54 AM
Nicole says:
Alright, I’m so down to the wire here. I always start these challenges, but never finish. BUT I MADE MYSELF FINISH THIS WEEK.
http://musesandmonsters.com
The paragraph formatting is off, but I’m trying to fix it.
April 14, 2017 — 12:00 PM
disperser says:
Good conveyence of emotion and observation of human behavior.
I thought one word was off and had me pause: eminent. Mentally, I substituted “inevitable” but I’m not sure if that’s right. Perhaps you meant imminent, but it being a 10 years affair, I thought it didn’t fit.
April 18, 2017 — 11:00 PM
Nicole says:
Thank you! And no, you are 100% definitely the wrong word, I meant “imminent.” But I like inevitable much better. Thanks for the catch, and suggestion!
April 19, 2017 — 7:46 AM
Nicole says:
Was typing too fast, and left out a word. You are 100% correct.
April 19, 2017 — 7:49 AM
Lisa says:
That took longer than I expected, mostly because I had to take a week off to chaperone a school camping event. But I got back to do my edits today and here it is. I enjoyed this challenge.
http://thoughtitwasgood.blogspot.com/2017/04/flash-fiction-challenge-from.html
April 14, 2017 — 6:46 PM
Nicole says:
I absolutely loved this. Your use of repetition with “begin again” and relating it to his last name was great.
April 18, 2017 — 7:39 PM
Gita Sturtevant says:
This is my submission. I do hope it is ok. I tried to tell my story as best I can.
Thank you for the challenge do let me know if you have another.
Gita Sturtevant
April 15, 2017 — 12:05 AM
Gita says:
When next. Have me typing slow. Want to join. Which comment for me. Ple
April 20, 2017 — 1:37 AM