This past week I said some nonsense about how writers can and maybe should deal with setting.
Which means, the topic of today’s challenge shall be: you guessed it, setting.
Behold last week’s challenge: “FIRE OF THE GODS.”
I’m going to give you five whacked-out settings.
You may choose one, and set your story within that space.
What five settings?
Here goes:
Lunar Brothel
Abandoned Amusement Park
The Bottom of the Ocean
Penthouse Apartment during the Apocalypse
Fairy Tale Forest
There you go.
Interpret as you see fit.
The key is, when writing, to never abandon the setting — do not go outside of it. Further, make sure that the setting helps to drive the story. The setting should almost be a character in its own right.
Bring it to life.
You have — drum roll please — 1000 words.
Story due in by Friday, noon (EST), March 30th.
Do not put your story in the comments below — place it online (somewhere, don’t care, long as we can read it) and provide us with the link so that we can go and ogle your pulsating brilliance.
Now get to penmonkeying, penmonkeys.
Jamie Wyman says:
*drool* My love for abandoned amusement parks knows no bounds. You just had to say it.
March 23, 2012 — 9:03 AM
Seth D Clarke says:
Lunar brothel? Oh my. Away we go!
March 23, 2012 — 9:30 AM
Anna Lewis says:
Ohhhh, sweeeeet! I’m on it… 😀
March 23, 2012 — 1:15 PM
Madeleine Frayne says:
Bottom of the ocean. Freakin’ A.
March 23, 2012 — 1:49 PM
Darlene Underdahl says:
My version of:
Fairy Tale Forest
http://darlene.underdahl.net/?p=138
March 23, 2012 — 2:00 PM
Seth D. Clarke says:
“Piglet”–>Lunar brothel
http://refractionsofself.blogspot.com/2012/03/piglet.html
there’s my story. It’s not my usual style or subject matter, but its good, I think.
March 23, 2012 — 3:32 PM
Lindsay Mawson says:
Here’s an attempt: Lust & The Clown
An Abandoned Amusement Park Story.
http://lindsaymawson.blogspot.ca/2012/03/flash-fiction-challenge-37-choose-your.html
Enjoy…
March 23, 2012 — 7:36 PM
Anna Lewis says:
Calling it a “challenge” was kind of a misnomer this week; it was way too much fun. 😉
Here’s “Descent”.
http://corsairharbour.blogspot.com/2012/03/descent-terribleminds-flash-fiction.html
March 23, 2012 — 8:26 PM
Ellen says:
Thanks, Chuck. That story’s been waiting to be told for some time. 🙂
http://www.loveandlightstories.com/2012/03/flash-fiction-bottom-of-ocean.html
March 24, 2012 — 3:04 PM
Shiri Sondheimer says:
I was trying to break away from the whole angel thing, really, I was…
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/flash-fiction/penthouse/
March 24, 2012 — 7:55 PM
Bonnee says:
I can imagine some pretty wacky stories coming from these settings. Of course by wacky, I mean awesome 🙂 Perhaps I shall attempt… possibly… maybe…
March 25, 2012 — 12:27 AM
Rebecca Barray says:
For your reading (and commenting, please) pleasure: Forbidden
http://rebeccabarray.blogspot.com/2012/03/forbidden.html
March 25, 2012 — 2:58 AM
columbibueno says:
The penthouse one….
http://columbibueno.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/blade-and-bride/
March 25, 2012 — 3:20 PM
Michael says:
http://innocentsaccidentshints.blogspot.com/2012/03/terrible-minds-challenge-marianas.html
March 25, 2012 — 8:50 PM
Shannon says:
I managed to break the only two rules that were set for this assignment. Oh well. http://isleofbooks.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/zombie-apocalpse/
March 26, 2012 — 12:37 AM
Josh Loomis says:
A return to dystopian sci-fi territory.
Dyson’s Questions
Not sure if I’ve done a direct sequel to a previous challenge before.
March 26, 2012 — 8:25 AM
DL Thurston says:
Five settings. Five weekdays. ONE story? Who wants to join me in going an extra mile (or four) and telling a story for all five settings?
First up, lunar brothel and the story “First Times”:
http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2012/03/26/flash-fiction-week-first-times/
March 26, 2012 — 11:31 AM
Mark Horejsi says:
“You must never go into the enchanted Nebelwald. The mist will pluck out your eyes, and you’ll wander blind, forever alone.” That was what Katharina’s mother always warned her.
http://www.amanforallseasons.ca/2012/03/26/flash-fiction-the-nebelwald/
March 26, 2012 — 1:07 PM
Volanta Peng says:
http://questionableexclamationpoints.blogspot.com/2012/03/determinationand-stubborness-like-ox.html
March 26, 2012 — 9:27 PM
Melissa says:
http://faeanddragons.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/makebelieve/
March 26, 2012 — 10:00 PM
M. Chapman says:
Sure I guess I’m up for a short story. Can I e-mail it to you?
March 26, 2012 — 10:02 PM
Sparky says:
Abandoned amusement park? I had to go with it. There is a park here in Utah that is a massive anomaly. Strangely run, still independently owned, and damned creepy when it’s closed. I worked there for years and it rather clearly influences the story. Enjoy as I present you with Familiar Features (need a better title though)
http://sparky29252.blogspot.com/2012/03/familiar-features.html
March 27, 2012 — 1:33 AM
Jim Franklin says:
I chose Lunar Brothel and this is my entry (he he he, entry), where I introduce you to the world of nipple-digglers, rump-spanglers, and carnal-callisthenics.
Making the setting a pseudo-characater was way more difficult than I thought it would be though. I hope I achieved it.
This is ‘A Man’s Gotta do…’
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2012/03/27/flash-fiction-mans-gotta/
Enjoy!
March 27, 2012 — 8:27 AM
Jim says:
I did of course mean pseudo-character not ‘characater’. Sorry.
Characaters are the small monster’s that crap fluff into your belly button by the way.
March 27, 2012 — 8:29 AM
DLThurston says:
Following through on my threat/promise of doing all five…
Ride a Time Vortex (abandoned amusement park):
http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2012/03/27/flash-fiction-week-ride-the-time-vortex/
Finding a Way (bottom of the ocean):
http://www.dlthurston.com/blog/2012/03/28/flash-fiction-week-finding-a-way/
March 28, 2012 — 1:54 PM
C.B. says:
That one above is me. I do so dislike the way wordpress deals with trackbacks.
March 28, 2012 — 2:16 PM
Eva T says:
And here’s mine. I picked the abandoned amusement park, since I had a specific setting for that. http://eileen-alphabet.livejournal.com/20126.html
March 28, 2012 — 2:40 PM
Andreas Kjeldsen says:
Tranquility Station (set On the Bottom of the Ocean (although not precisely Earth’s ocean))
http://endlessimmensity.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/tranquility-station/
March 28, 2012 — 2:47 PM
Jenn Tharp says:
It’s hard to resist an Apocalypse prompt. Enjoy, or something!
Good Seats
http://jenntharp.com/2012/03/good-seats/
March 28, 2012 — 6:03 PM
Ben K. says:
It was going to be “Abandoned Amusement Park” coming and going for me — after all, I live in the retirement hub for circus folk (Sarasota, just south of us, has the *Ringling* Museum of Art…). Over south of Tampa is a large contingent — a whole town, actually — of retired circus performers.
Still, I went with Lunar Brothel. Because, hey. Moon. And… brothel.
http://warnerkirby.blogs.com/clintonaut/2012/03/red-base-7.html
Tough one, Chuck. Thank you.
March 28, 2012 — 9:51 PM
Cat says:
I started a blog just so I could participate in these. Here’s my first entry: http://1000aday.tumblr.com/post/20102915346/flash-fiction-choose-your-own-setting
March 29, 2012 — 12:19 AM
David Grigg says:
Running late with this one, and it’s over length, sorry, at 1,100 words.
It’s called “View from the Top” and it’s in The Narratorium here:
http://narratorium.com/2012/03/29/view-from-the-top/
March 29, 2012 — 4:34 AM
Philip Overby says:
Here’s my version of “Penthouse Apartment During the Apocalypse.” It’s called “Quetzalcoatl’s Apartment.”
http://philipoverby1.blogspot.jp/2012/03/story-time-quetzalcoatls-apartment.html
March 29, 2012 — 9:30 AM
Lesann says:
There’s nothing like stumbling in at the end…my offering: http://lesannberry.com/2012/03/i-t-o-l-d-you-so.html
March 29, 2012 — 12:26 PM
Louise Sorensen says:
Here’s mine.
Dance, Baby, Dance http://wp.me/p1BAlV-2G
Writing this story was hard at first, but then the mojo came back and it was exciting and fun.
*Snaps Chuck and all the surrounding writers a Salute*
March 29, 2012 — 12:53 PM
Kathy O says:
Just under the wire…here is The Stardust Palace.
http://katherineowens.blogspot.com/2012/03/stardust-palace.html
March 30, 2012 — 2:14 AM
Kathy O says:
Sliding in under the wire…here is The Stardust Palace
http://katherineowens.blogspot.com/2012/03/stardust-palace.html
March 30, 2012 — 2:24 AM
Kathy O says:
ACK! Sorry for the double posting. I don’t operate on all cylinders after midnight.
March 30, 2012 — 6:55 AM
Sigil says:
At the Gates of Heaven: a story of one man’s journey home.
March 30, 2012 — 8:09 AM