I’ve gotten a lot of people telling me how much they loved the previous Game of Aspects challenges, so —
WE SHALL DO IT AGAIN.
And we’ll do it even bigger this time.
But! Before we do, I need your help.
Or, someone’s help.
I want to do this game of aspects thing as a website. Like, imagine that there’s a website that every time you click it, it gives you a new combination of flash fiction story seeds based off these types of lists. Maybe there’s a front page that lets you customize some aspect — maybe no front-page. I dunno. Anyone out there savvy enough to talk me through this? You can hit me up in the comments or at my terribleminds-at-gmail-dot-com email address. My thanks in advance, you wonderful humans.
Now, onto the game.
This time, again you can either go do the Random Number Generator at Random.org, or you can instead use a d20. Not a d10 this time, word-whippers. A MOTHERFUCKING d20.
So, let’s get on with it. You know the drill — you’ve got three categories below
You’ve got Subgenre / Conflict / Element to Include.
Pick one from each category either randomly or by your own hand (though randomly is the most fun), then write a flash fiction short story no longer than 1000 words. Post at your online space, link back to it in the comments here, and voila. Easy-peasy, George-and-Weezy.
Oh, EDIT: Due by Friday, October 5th, noon EST. I won’t pick favorites until after that weekend is over, as I’ll be in Loverly Georgia (state, not country), at the Crossroads Writing Conference.
Once again, as I’m having so much fun with this, I’ll send my favorite story a prize.
No idea what the prize is. We’ll just call it a MYSTERY BOX.
On with the lists!
Subgenre
1. Men’s Adventure
2. Dieselpunk
3. Post-Apocalyptic
4. Southern Gothic
5. Comic Fantasy
6. Superhero
7. Hardboiled
8. Wuxia
9. Weird West
10. Wild West
11. Yuri
12. Whodunit
13. Science-Fantasy
14. Magic Realism
15. Spy Thriller
16. Black Comedy
17. Alien Invasion
18. Time Travel
19. Twisted Fairy Tale
20. Fanfiction
Conflict / Problem
1. Lover’s Quarrel!
2. Civil War!
3. Heist Gone Wrong!
4. Assassin!
5. Abduction!
6. Exiled!
7. Haunted By The Past!
8. Sins Of The Father!
9. Betrayed!
10. A Changed World!
11. Trapped!
12. A Quest For Something!
13. A Quest For Someone!
14. Revenge!
15. Enemies At The Gate!
16. Family Thrown Apart!
17. Disease!
18. Lost!
19. Get The Band Back Together!
20. Sanctioned Competition!
Element to Include
1. Unicorn
2. Sentient Supercomputer
3. Sea Monster
4. Plane (or Spaceship) Crash
5. A Dead Body
6. A Summoning Ritual
7. A Hallucination
8. Flying Monkeys
9. A Hologram
10. The Devil
11. A Dirty Magazine
12. An Ancient Sword
13. The Restless Dead
14. A Gourmet Meal
15. A Severed Hand
16. Poisonous Snakes
17. A Black Hole
18. Some Manner Of Werecreature/Shapeshifter
19. A Talking Tree
20. Heaven
Amber J. Gardner says:
Makes me wish I knew something about websites.
The only thing experience I have with something like that are writing prompt games I’ve seen on livejournal. People would make lists of prompts. You choose the list you want to work with, mix up lists (like take one prompt from one list and mix it with another from another list) and write something from that. You get awards for finishing off lists or for doing certain amount of words.
But it was a community type of thing. No so much the automated website I think you’re talking about.
September 28, 2012 — 8:30 AM
Gary Weller says:
During the second game, katfrench did a script to generate from the lists you provided. You may want to get in contact with her since all you should have to do is update the lists that her code is using.
8000 possible choices here Chuck. This is madness! Great, but madness nevertheless. I’ll have mine written by Monday. 😉
September 28, 2012 — 9:01 AM
Lindsay Mawson says:
Here’s an attempt, albeit strange… Enjoy.
The Sparrow Debt
http://lindsaymawson.blogspot.ca/2012/09/flash-fiction-challenge-47-epic-game-of.html
September 28, 2012 — 9:10 AM
Peter Hentges says:
I could help with the website idea. I do that sort of thing for a living and it sounds like a fun side project. I’m not fabulous with the design portion of things, but the functionality would be pretty simple to get sorted.
September 28, 2012 — 9:13 AM
Mike Bentley says:
Wow. Got 9 (Weird West), 4 (Assassin!) and 18 (Some kind of Werecreature/Shapeshifter). Just perfect. Wont be able to get started with this until this weekend (at work now), but I already feel ideas growing.
September 28, 2012 — 9:18 AM
Kevin Shelton says:
Oh come on now! That just ain’t right.
Superhero / Civil War / Plane (or Spaceship) Crash
Time to stab my imagination with a spork to wake it up.
September 28, 2012 — 9:32 AM
Bookewyrme says:
I rolled Black Comedy, Assassin, and Poisonous Snakes. I shall have to cogitate…
Anyway, is there a deadline for this one like the last one?
~Lia
September 28, 2012 — 9:45 AM
Ruth Stearns says:
Maybe I’ll have beginner’s luck?
Aerial Mail
http://letmewritethat.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/flash-fiction/
September 28, 2012 — 9:49 AM
terribleminds says:
Peter!
You want to hit me up at terribleminds at gmail dot com?
I’d like to talk more about it!
YES.
— c.
September 28, 2012 — 10:39 AM
Peter Hentges says:
Mail on the way, Chuck!
September 28, 2012 — 11:09 AM
Anninyn says:
What were the odds? I just got all 14s. Magic Realism, Revenge, A Gourmet Meal.
I shall have to think on this, but we’re moving so…
Last time it never got posted as it turned into something a lot longer than flash that I intend to submit to paying markets.
September 28, 2012 — 12:58 PM
jay wolf says:
Whoa, talk about synergy; I rolled 3,17,5
post apocalyptic
disease
dead body
Might have to take a whack at it this weekend!
September 28, 2012 — 1:03 PM
Fraser Alexander says:
That was bracing. I rolled Weird West, Heist Gone Wrong!, and A Dead Body.
Here’s what I came up with:
http://fraseralexander.co.uk/archives/381
September 28, 2012 — 1:06 PM
Scott Zachary says:
Rolled twice, because I like options: Superhero/Lost!/Sea Monster, or Wuxia/A Quest For Something!/Sentient Supercomputer. Will have to chew on this a bit. Both are promising.
September 28, 2012 — 1:22 PM
Phil Norris says:
Well I got 5, 2, 1… comic fantasy/civil war/unicorn…hell.
September 28, 2012 — 3:13 PM
Shiri Sondheimer says:
Wuxia, trapped, gourmet meal. I was going to re-roll the “trapped” because Wuxia and trapped is begging for a cliche moment, but then I got “gourmet meal, so…”
September 28, 2012 — 3:52 PM
Michael Woods says:
Great. Another Flash Fiction test to fail miserably. Oh well, practice, practice, practice. Yeah, and 6 (Superhero), 8 (Sins of the Father!) and 9 (A Hologram).
Sidenote: for those interested in a Random Generator, I threw one up over on Abulafia Wiki. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/8go5xvh
All the above ‘Aspects’ are included. Just refresh the page for a new prompt.
September 28, 2012 — 4:00 PM
David Blackstone (@DavidWriting) says:
Rolled several times until I got something that made sense to me. Alien Invasion/A Quest for Someone/A Dirty Magazine. Here’s what I got. 🙂
http://www.agincourtdb.com/2012/09/looking-for-miss-july.html
September 28, 2012 — 4:20 PM
Eric H. says:
I rolled 17 – Alien invasion, 13 – quest for someone, and 15 – severed hand. The result jumped into my head almost fully formed.
http://www.wattpad.com/7602996-among-the-rubble
September 28, 2012 — 4:21 PM
Kevin Shelton says:
OK, had a break from work today and gave it the old college try. I rolled Superhero / Civil War / Plane (or Spaceship) Crash. I present, April 12th.
http://wrongkevin.tumblr.com/post/32471991810/april-12th
September 28, 2012 — 4:43 PM
Anthony Elmore says:
Here’s my lot: Science-Fantasy, Heist Gone Wrong!, A Summoning Ritual.
Oh, the possibilities.
September 28, 2012 — 7:07 PM
Casz Brewster says:
Someone tell me what the hell Yuri is…
September 28, 2012 — 9:16 PM
Tina Hoggatt says:
Whodunit? Betrayal! Heaven.
That’s some delicious setup.
September 28, 2012 — 9:17 PM
melissa dominic says:
i’ve never done this, but i totally got Men’s Adventure/Exiled/A Dirty Magazine, so, I think I should stick around… haha!
September 28, 2012 — 9:27 PM
Chelsea says:
Got magical realism, disease, and an ancient sword. Interesting… I’ll post with results!
September 28, 2012 — 10:04 PM
Ryan Blades says:
I got Yuri, Heist Gone Wrong, and A Dead Body. I threw something together real quick: http://humansuper.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/flash-fiction-challenge-the-plan/
September 28, 2012 — 10:22 PM
Amber J Gardner says:
Can we enter more than once? I have three sets of rolls I wanna try.
September 28, 2012 — 11:47 PM
terribleminds says:
@Amber —
Enter only once. Enter your best into the story arena!
— c.
September 29, 2012 — 7:17 AM
Maggie says:
Got “Superhero,” “Revenge!” and “An Ancient Sword.” And now all I can really think of is Batman somehow obtaining and using Excalibur. Or time-travelling.
Either way, I think I should get writing.
September 29, 2012 — 12:33 AM
David says:
@Casz: Lesbian manga, anime etc.
September 29, 2012 — 5:21 AM
Amber J. Gardner says:
I can’t believe there’s Yuri on that list and no Yaoi. That’s just not fair.
Also, by any chance, can we submit more than one story? I have three sets of rolls I want to try.
September 29, 2012 — 5:32 AM
Strigine says:
I got Dieselpunk, Get the Band Back Together, and Black Hole. This sounds interesting! …now if I can just get a handle on what exactly makes something Dieselpunk.
September 29, 2012 — 7:20 AM
AB Singer says:
Diesel punk, a lover’s quarrel and flying monkeys Oh, this was fun!
http://ultravioletandinfrared.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/twister.html
September 29, 2012 — 7:46 AM
Shiri Sondheimer says:
I almost re-rolled this one, but inspiration bitch slapped me. Huzzah!
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/this-just-in/meal/
September 29, 2012 — 8:44 AM
Ben Dodge says:
Wild West, Lost!, Hallucinations.
Seeing as I just finished “No Country for Old Men”, this is perfect /cracksknuckles
September 29, 2012 — 10:34 AM
Remi Jones says:
Hi all. This is my first attempt at Flash fiction. I would love some feedback if you have time. Thanks you.
http://remiojones.blogspot.com/2012/09/august-and-harry-by-me-flash-fiction.html
September 29, 2012 — 10:41 AM
Stephen says:
In a stark example of “some people will do anything other than write” …. I’ve developed a WordPress Plugin that lets the blogger configure lists (like the three at the top), groups of lists (like the grouping of three at the top) and then randomly select an item from each list in the group inside blog posts.
I’ve installed it on my wordpress at: http://stephenemm.co.uk/?p=297
The blog post has pictures of how it works.
Any wordpress bloggers who want a copy of the plugin can have one.
September 29, 2012 — 7:07 PM
David Grigg says:
Here’s my story. It’s called “The Contract” and is only a little over length at 1100 words or so (pretty good by my standards).
http://narratorium.com/2012/09/30/the-contract/
Don’t look these up until you’ve read it, as it will give away the story, but I’m using (16,11,10).
September 29, 2012 — 10:56 PM
Jeff Ellis says:
I get the feeling that I am going to be writing short stories from this list for a while. Just for fun! I’ll have mine up for the challenge within the week. Loving these games of aspects!
September 30, 2012 — 1:44 AM
Louise says:
Here’s mine!
http://ontheedgeofinfinity.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/a-game-of-aspects/
L
September 30, 2012 — 11:01 AM
Jorge de Sousa says:
I love this!
October 1, 2012 — 6:25 AM
Dana says:
Here’s my dieselpunk / get the band back together! / unicorn story
http://danastewart.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/flash-fiction-challenge/
October 1, 2012 — 2:59 PM
alienredqueen says:
I don’t have a d20 🙁
October 1, 2012 — 3:05 PM
terribleminds says:
@alienredqueen —
May I suggest the random number generator I suggest in the very post above?
— c.
October 1, 2012 — 3:39 PM