Last week’s challenge: “Plot Scenario Generator.”
This week’s challenge is pretty straight-up simple:
I’m going to give you ten random items.
You must pick four and incorporate all four into a single piece of flash fiction (~1000 words).
Those items are:
An unopened envelope.
A dead man’s guitar.
A rocking chair.
A chess piece.
A road sign.
A child’s toy.
A leather mask.
An animal skull.
An iron horseshoe.
A police officer’s badge.
Your story is due by next Friday, August 2nd, noon EST.
Post at your online space and link back here. Whaddya waiting for? Get writing!
curiouskermit says:
I wanted to make this extra interesting, so I used a random number generator to pick 4 numbers between one and ten. I got 2,3,6, and 9. A dead man’s guitar, a rocking chair, a child’s toy and an iron horseshoe. I’ll have to see what happens with all of that!
July 26, 2013 — 12:27 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Woo, the ‘dead man’ prompt I was hoping for! I’m all over this one.
July 26, 2013 — 12:36 PM
Wanderer says:
Knew you wouldn’t have to wait long!
July 26, 2013 — 12:53 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
It’s like Chuck can read our minds! 😮
July 26, 2013 — 1:29 PM
Wanderer says:
Now that’s a scary thought…
July 26, 2013 — 2:04 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Aaand done (sorry, Trine! :)) My sequel to last week’s story has been itchin’ to be written for seven days. Here ’tis. And now I go get another glass of whisky to celebrate having fun whilst writing (as if I need an excuse…)
http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/treasure-trove-of-the-dearly-departed-flash-fiction-piece/
July 26, 2013 — 1:28 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Damn, I meant to post this under my previous comment. 🙁 Ah well…
July 26, 2013 — 1:30 PM
Mike Berkey says:
I love it. 🙂 That would make a pretty killer premise for a novel.
July 28, 2013 — 3:34 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
July 29, 2013 — 4:23 AM
jreinmiller says:
Haha! That was awesome. I’m totally digging this series. I’d read more of this in a heartbeat.
July 28, 2013 — 5:59 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Cheers! So long as my muse doesn’t abandon me, you might get that chance. I’ll have to keep her well-fed in the hopes she’ll stick around…
July 29, 2013 — 5:19 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Great job! (and you almost overtook me with a lap with the new challenge. Can I borrow a few off your monkeys please?)
August 3, 2013 — 10:54 AM
kaikiriyama says:
Well, I finally got off my duff and participated this week! I hope you all enjoy it. It’s a noir piece about my PI, Blaze Tuesday. I should really do this more often. Ha!
http://kaikiriyama.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-7-26-13/
July 26, 2013 — 1:32 PM
peterjam says:
That was awesome, I really dug the ending. If I were you I’d consider following up on the story. Keep at it!
July 29, 2013 — 4:34 PM
kaikiriyama says:
Ha, thanks. I have a whole world for Blaze and Jackson, as they’re originally from a novel I wrote and am currently debating on what to do with it. Every now and again I write something for them to do in between the novels I have planned. 😀 Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. <3
July 29, 2013 — 5:43 PM
Jon says:
Nicely done!
August 1, 2013 — 3:23 PM
kaikiriyama says:
Thank you. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
August 8, 2013 — 9:44 PM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Nice story, I liked the way you worked in the items.
August 3, 2013 — 11:04 AM
kaikiriyama says:
Thank you for reading it.
August 8, 2013 — 9:44 PM
Jen Dornan-Fish says:
Here’s my first go ever at a flash fiction challenge. Eek.
**TRIGGER WARNING** This story depicts a street bombing and death (no explicit gore).
http://dornan-fish.com/?p=220
July 26, 2013 — 4:55 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
A powerful and poignant piece that works a little bit of urban fantasy well. I like how you captured the small moments of shock, and how time seemed to slow; it had a very silent feel to it, as if the protagonist was in his own little bubble, watching the chaos he’d caused. A little polish would make it even better.
July 27, 2013 — 2:24 AM
Jen Dornan-Fish says:
Thanks 🙂
July 27, 2013 — 11:10 AM
jdsfiction says:
Nicely done. You presented the chaotic aftermath of a bombing in a short space. Great character work too! Thanks for sharing.
July 28, 2013 — 11:14 PM
peterjam says:
I liked that a lot. When I glanced at it it seemed fairly short, but boy does it have substance. I liked all the details you put into descriptions, and how the story closes perfectly.
July 29, 2013 — 5:36 PM
Jon says:
Nice twist at the end there to bring it into specfic. Didn’t see that coming, and liked it a lot.
August 1, 2013 — 3:26 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Hmm, a leather mask. A police officer’s badge. A toy. Are you steering us toward some kind of perverse fetishism? I mean, you know, I’m flattered and all, really, but… do we know each other well enough yet?
July 26, 2013 — 6:10 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
http://criticalsexualmass.wordpress.com/
August 1, 2013 — 4:25 PM
Mozette says:
I saw the first four and my brain told me the story’s ending immediately, but …. what happens in the beginning? 🙂
I’ll be back to let you all know 😀
July 26, 2013 — 8:34 PM
Mozette says:
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/neds-move.html
July 26, 2013 — 9:07 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Nice, touching story. You worked the items in quite seamlessly, without drawing attention to the fact you were doing so. I liked how quiet this piece was, and how dedicated Richard was to the memory of his grandfather.
July 27, 2013 — 2:29 AM
Mozette says:
Thanks. I could see Richard playing the guitar outside with the chess set and the rocking chair, but how I got to that point was going to be hard… and I had to have somebody pass away first to make the chess piece make an appearance. 😀
It’s not until you have somebody in the family who teaches you something big, or you spend a lot of time with, or they leave you something major where you really miss them when they’re gone. I inherited my Grandma’s 1920’s Paling & Co ‘Victor’ upright piano… I can’t play a note on it like she did, but it’s so nice to know I can learn; and being able to read music is a great halfway point for me. 🙂
July 27, 2013 — 7:48 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Ahh, hope you get there one day with the piano! 😀
July 27, 2013 — 12:41 PM
Mozette says:
I will one day… I can play well with my right hand; but my left hand gets lost on a continual basis… so I really do need some lessons – also I’m a flautist, so it’s really difficult to go from not seeing my hands at all to seeing them all the time 🙂
July 27, 2013 — 11:47 PM
Mike Berkey says:
I liked it, too. Short and sweet.
Although I did keep thinking of the guy who plays MacGyver or Jack O’Neill whenever the main character was named. 🙂
July 28, 2013 — 3:39 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Glad I wasn’t the only one! 😀
July 29, 2013 — 4:24 AM
Mozette says:
How did you guys get Jack O’Neill’s face into it? I wasn’t aiming for that 😛 Oh well… I guess it was how the words were delivered by him. 😀
July 29, 2013 — 8:52 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Mozette – the actor who plays O’Neill is Richard Dean Anderson, hence the mental connection to your protagonist. 😛
July 29, 2013 — 9:17 AM
jreinmiller says:
Ah, that was a sweet story. 🙂
July 28, 2013 — 6:20 PM
Mozette says:
Thank you. I’m happy you enjoyed it. 😀
July 29, 2013 — 8:53 AM
Mark Gardner says:
I’ve been reading Chuck’s brain vomit for a while now. I decided to move from lurker to active participant today. I chose the following:
A police officer’s badge, A dead man’s guitar, A child’s toy & a chess piece.
http://article94.blogspot.com/2013/07/flash-fiction-challenge-reduex.html
July 27, 2013 — 1:52 PM
tbianconi says:
Excellent job, Mark! Good luck on this week’s challenge!
July 28, 2013 — 1:47 AM
Mark Gardner says:
I see you posted while I slumbered. Did you stay up late to finish this weeks challenge?
July 28, 2013 — 2:00 PM
tbianconi says:
I actually came home from work, and sat down for twenty minutes. When the twenty minutes were up, it was done. Go figure.
July 30, 2013 — 12:03 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Ah, the time stamps appear to be on the Eastern Time Zone.
July 30, 2013 — 2:34 AM
jdsfiction says:
First off: “She was a fifty-year-old woman wearing the ravages of failed dreams and alcohol.” That’s bloody brilliant. I love this line.
Great story, Mark. From the first paragraph I didn’t expect it to unfold the way it did. I enjoyed it very much. Great job. 🙂
July 29, 2013 — 2:46 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I can’t accept full credit for that or, I lifted it from another author and molded it to sit me. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
July 30, 2013 — 2:29 AM
peterjam says:
That story was brilliant, it kept picking up its pace and never lost it. I was really left hanging at the ending, you should consider following up on it.
July 29, 2013 — 5:48 PM
Jessica West says:
Thanks for these challenges!
http://jessicapwest.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/the-end/
July 27, 2013 — 6:48 PM
jreinmiller says:
Hah, nice and succinct. That wasn’t every item, but almost.
July 28, 2013 — 5:12 PM
Jessica West says:
I didn’t intend to use nearly all ten items, or for it to be so short. My first priority was to try to use four items without being cliche about it. I thought, like David Blackstone commented below, that the story would become about the items. I think I managed to avoid that. Thanks for reading and for the reply.
July 28, 2013 — 5:21 PM
peterjam says:
This was really short, but it was a good story and it incorporated all of the elements seamlessly. Very good work.
July 29, 2013 — 5:52 PM
Jessica West says:
Thanks. 🙂
July 29, 2013 — 7:04 PM
David Blackstone (@DavidWriting) says:
If it were one item or two, it might inspire a story for me. But four items only inspires dread at the kind of story I would have to write to shoehorn four of them in. It becomes a story about the objects. :/ JMO, YMMV
July 27, 2013 — 10:05 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
I felt like that too, when I first did one of Chuck’s ‘X-items from a list’ flash fictions a few months ago. And, like you, I found that I was trying to write the story around the items. With a little practice, though the integration has become a little more seamless, so I think even if you struggle, it’s definitely worth giving it a try. Being pushed out of your comfort zone is a great way of improving your technique. JMO 🙂
July 29, 2013 — 6:01 AM
jdsfiction says:
I think the story only become about the objects if you make it about the objects. It’s a fun challenge, exercise for the word brain. 🙂 I like the flash challenges for that reason, they’re like palette cleansers between projects. I’ve had my share of struggles with some of the challenges, but, like Spaceman says, it can be helpful to get pushed out of the comfort zone sometimes.
July 29, 2013 — 2:51 PM
tbianconi says:
This week, I’m posting the sequel to last week’s post. Read it and enjoy!
http://kalganrhendron.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/a-discussion-among-officers/
July 28, 2013 — 1:49 AM
chriswhitewrites says:
I’ve used an unopened envelope (a pile of them, actually), a road sign (gilt-edged, no less), a leather mask and an animal skull (polished and on display) for my short story Krislan’s Fine Meats:
http://chriswhitewrites.com/2013/07/28/krislan_fine_meats/
Oh, and I also used this brilliant sketch by Terry Whidborne Sunday Sketch 38:
July 28, 2013 — 4:11 AM
Mike Berkey says:
One animal skull, a chess piece (or two or three or four), a leather mask and a horse shoe. And a very long game of chess. Only 800-odd words.
http://billionmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/fifty-years-of-chess.html
July 28, 2013 — 3:30 PM
jdsfiction says:
Okay, here it is at last. I was camping through most of the weekend, but here it is. Enjoy! 🙂
http://jdsfiction.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/flash-fiction-sunday/
July 28, 2013 — 3:47 PM
jreinmiller says:
Great tone to this one. It really fit the story and characters well.
July 28, 2013 — 6:26 PM
jdsfiction says:
Thanks much! 🙂 The whole thing ended up 180 from where I first thought I was going. Originally I thought sci-fi, we’re going to Mars. I’m happy with the way it turned out though, a nice mundane tale here on Earth.
July 28, 2013 — 6:52 PM
Jotter Monster says:
This week’s attempt using the envelope, horseshoe, road sign and toy:
http://jottermonster.tumblr.com/post/56712928931/lucky-stars
July 28, 2013 — 4:00 PM
jreinmiller says:
Toss four items into a pot and what do you get!?
…
Someone was supposed to say a story. Never mind.
You get this!
Items:
A chess piece.
A road sign.
An animal skull.
A police officer’s badge.
http://www.jqpdx.com/2013/07/28/behind/
July 28, 2013 — 5:04 PM
Jessica West says:
Just finished reading your flash, and I loved it! The end caught me by surprise, great job there! BTW… mindnado = brainstorming… I’m totally stealing that!
July 28, 2013 — 5:30 PM
jreinmiller says:
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Haha, it’ll be a new trend. 😉
July 28, 2013 — 5:48 PM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Great blending of genres, and excellent way of incorporating the items without letting them dominate the story. Leaves plenty of unanswered questions for the reader to mull over. Really great read!
July 29, 2013 — 6:54 AM
jreinmiller says:
Thanks. 🙂
July 30, 2013 — 6:52 PM
Matt Gomez says:
Nice piece, great pacing, and a punch in the gut at the end. What more can you ask for?
August 2, 2013 — 9:17 AM
jreinmiller says:
A pony. I think you can always ask for a pony. 😉 But thanks, happy to hear you liked it.
August 3, 2013 — 1:32 PM
curiouskermit says:
Here is my story, “The Kids Hit The Road”.
I used a random number generator and got a dead man’s guitar, a rocking chair, a child’s toy, and an iron horseshoe.
http://curiouskermit.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/flash-fiction-july-26-four-random-items/
any feedback would be very appreciated!
July 28, 2013 — 11:45 PM
Jon Jefferson says:
I ended up using the unopened letter, the dead man’s guitar, the rocking chair, and a chess piece.
http://jonjeffersonauthor.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/retrograde/
July 29, 2013 — 12:26 PM
Wanderer says:
It was hard to pick out of the four items, but I’m happy with what I used. The Groundskeeper http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/the-groundskeeper/
July 29, 2013 — 4:09 PM
Christopher Shawbell says:
I’m corrupt and frothing with shame that AGAIN I have gotten too ambitious with my plot and cannot get it within the 1000 word confines. This has occurred only twice, and both times here on this challenge. I SUCK. Sorry. If you want to check out the story anyway it’s here.
http://thegraveyardofmymind.com/2013/07/28/knight-takes-king/
~Chris
July 30, 2013 — 4:16 AM
crow365 says:
I used “a leather mask”, “a child’s toy”, “an animal skull”, and “a road sign” and came up with “Make-Believe”: http://nickegelhoff.com/2013/07/30/flash-fiction-challenge-four-random-items/
July 30, 2013 — 8:02 AM
davebessom says:
Here is my contribution. I hope you read it. If you read it, I hope you like it.
http://davebessom.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/chuck-wendigs-flash-fiction-week-of-2-august-2013/
My items, by the way, were:
– A dead man’s guitar
– A child’s toy
– An animal skull
– A rocking chair
July 30, 2013 — 4:15 PM
Fatma Alici says:
My entry for this week. My items were road sign, a police officer’s badge, animal skull, and a leather mask.
http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/solving-crimes/
July 30, 2013 — 10:57 PM
J. W. Donley says:
Chocolate, an old lady who likes to crochet, and a demonic cat. What else is could you ask for?
http://jdonley83.com/chocolate-and-lace/
My items were:
-Officer’s Badge
-Child’s Toy
-Rocking Chair
-Animal Skull
July 31, 2013 — 3:08 AM
curiouskermit says:
very good! love the creepy old lady and the demon cat. fun read!
July 31, 2013 — 11:44 AM
jdonley83 says:
Thank you! Means a lot to me. 😀
July 31, 2013 — 12:02 PM
Uri Emram says:
Very morbid and visual. I liked it.
August 2, 2013 — 10:43 AM
jdonley83 says:
Glad you liked it. >:)
August 2, 2013 — 10:44 AM
Weeble says:
This was a great challenge for me as a beginner. This is my first attempt at flash fiction. I chose the unopened letter, a chess piece, a child’s toy, and an iron horseshoe. I titled my story, “The Sharpshooter.” If you’re interested in reading it, you’ll find it here.
http://www.freetheweeble.com/the-sharpshooter/
July 31, 2013 — 2:27 PM
Josh Loomis says:
I chose an animal skull, a chess piece, a police officer’s badge, and an unopened envelope. Can you find them all in “Gods & Robbers”?
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2013/08/01/flash-fiction-gods-and-robbers/
August 1, 2013 — 8:37 AM
Paul Hamilton says:
Here is my attempt: http://ironsoap.com/2013/08/bridge-and-sign-and-rook-and-mate/
My items were chess piece, road sign, animal skull, iron horseshoe.
August 1, 2013 — 2:01 PM
Jon says:
Holy crap, what IS this story? This is the strangest thing I’ve ever written. By far.
Promise to Forget
leather mask (I stretched it, but…), chess piece, street sign, and unopened envelope.
My own random generator gave me a clown who wanted to nurse someone and a comforting surgeon. Um. Yeah, this’ll be easy…
Strangest. Story. Ever.
August 1, 2013 — 2:19 PM
Michele says:
Holy crap is right, but it’s fantastic! Incredible dialogue, and the story had me riveted (and I usually shy away from stories like these). Terrific!
August 1, 2013 — 4:51 PM
JON(jon2x1! says:
Thanks so much!
August 1, 2013 — 9:59 PM
Jeanne B. says:
http://jmboverthinking.blogspot.com/2013/08/flash-fiction-challenge-four-random.html
I planned on using the iron horseshoe, but the story called for the animal skull at the last minute. The other objects are the leather mask, the road sign and the chess piece.
August 1, 2013 — 2:57 PM
Uri Emram says:
I used:
1) an unopened envelope; 2) a rocking chair; 3) a chess piece and 4) a child’s toy
So here it is:
http://uriemram.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/check-mate/
As usual, feedback is encouraged.
August 1, 2013 — 5:00 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I randomly chose 2, 4, 6 and 8. Yes I know that’s not random. So sue me. Here is my first bit of flash since Camp NaNoWriMo… I give you “The Collectors” – online just after midnight London time (about an hour from now 🙂 )
http://jemimapett.com/2013/08/02/flash-fiction-friday-the-collectors
August 1, 2013 — 6:11 PM
danielyeshe says:
The items I choose were: police man’s badge, a dead man’s guitar, a chess piece and, the horse shoe. Her’s the link: http://unstableorbit.com/stories/dads-dead/
August 1, 2013 — 6:46 PM
Ashley J. says:
Just something quick I threw together =P http://sad-school-girl.livejournal.com/106232.html
August 1, 2013 — 8:18 PM
momdude says:
My starter yeast packet contained:
A dead man’s guitar, a rocking chair, a road sign, and a leather mask
Here is “Shrine”. http://wp.me/p3tdUw-eh
It’s my shortest contribution yet, barely over 600 words. I hope you enjoy it. As always, I would welcome any comments or feedback.
August 1, 2013 — 10:44 PM