Last week’s challenge: “Random Story Generator”
This week’s challenge is a fun revisit to the idea of mashing up two different subgenres.
So, look at the list of 20 subgenres below.
Pick two randomly (d20 or random number generator).
Write a ~1500 word flash fiction piece based on that world.
(You’ll note I’ve upped the word count a little bit. FOR FUN WHEE.)
Post at your online space.
Link back here.
Due by Friday the 23rd, noon EST.
The list:
- Dystopian Young Adult
- Slasher Film
- Weird West
- Zombie Apocalypse
- Paranormal Romance
- Ancient Myth
- Fairy Tale
- Spy Thriller / Espionage
- Haunted House
- Erotic Horror
- Low Fantasy (“Grimdark”)
- Dieselpunk
- Time Travel
- Murder Mystery
- Southern Gothic
- Noir
- Alternate WWII History
- Kaiju
- Comedic Fantasy
- Psychological Horror
DancingBastard says:
I got: “Slasher Film” and “Alternate WWII History”
Fuck.
August 16, 2013 — 1:04 PM
ScrappyD00 says:
Spy Thriller/ Espionage and Kaiju (godzilla?) … I think I win.
August 16, 2013 — 2:08 PM
EldritchGirl says:
I got “paranormal romance” and “dieselpunk”. Which is fascinating. But while I am exceptionally well versed in steampunk, what would dieselpunk be considered?
August 16, 2013 — 2:13 PM
Troy L says:
Diesel power instead of steam. Not sure what time frame but I think there’s a wiki on it.
August 16, 2013 — 2:29 PM
Troy L says:
And here is my really weird par-Rom western. Not sure of word count this time. http://wp.me/p31vkg-5z
August 23, 2013 — 12:06 PM
DancingBastard says:
Dieselpunk is kinda like steampunk except the focus is on fuel or gas and it’s influenced by the 1940s to 50s a lot. The Bioshock series and movies like Rocketeer and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow are some examples.
August 16, 2013 — 2:31 PM
Mary L. Farmer says:
What, like the movie Road Warrior? Or would that be considered dystopian?
August 18, 2013 — 12:22 AM
DancingBastard says:
Dystopian Dieselpunk! I guess it fits, rules on genres are arbitrary anyway.
August 20, 2013 — 9:01 AM
Smoph says:
I haven’t really encountered dieselpunk either.
August 23, 2013 — 6:30 PM
Troy L says:
3 & 5
Weird west Paranormal romance
Hmm…
August 16, 2013 — 2:28 PM
jkflickinger says:
Ancient Myth/Southern Gothic. In the words of Gene Wilder in “Young Frankenstein”…”This. Could. Work!”
August 16, 2013 — 2:45 PM
jdsfiction says:
2 & 5. Slasher Film Paranormal Romance. Really? Let’s just throw comfort zones right out the door. Well played random number generator. Time to figure out how to write Romance…
I’ll be back in a bit with a story.
August 16, 2013 — 3:01 PM
Brigid says:
Haunted House and Alternate WWII History. Waaah? I wasn’t going to write anything this week, but this is probably too good (crazy) to pass up. And nope, will not do Nazis.
August 16, 2013 — 3:10 PM
danzierlea says:
Alternate WWII and Psycho horror. Um, that was an NCIS episode, well done, but I haven’t the talent to break away from it yet. So, Random me this: A new set of topics please.
…A slasher film murder mystery? Uh, again, that was an episode of Mentalist. One last try?
Paranormal romance and comedic fantasy? Now, that I can do, and not be copying that one episode of Stargate Atlantis. Or SG1.
😉
August 16, 2013 — 3:19 PM
barefootbodhi says:
Dieselpunk Time Travel. No fair on the random number generator giving adjacent numbers. Maybe I’ll actually finish this one since I found the challenge on Friday instead of Thursday afternoon.
August 16, 2013 — 3:20 PM
ScrappyD00 says:
That’s how I felt about the last one. Got halfway through a story called Midnight Kitchen but had to leave because my girlfriend needed cut her hand open and needed stitches.
August 16, 2013 — 3:22 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Zombie Apocalypse and erotic horror. I wasn’t going to do another one of these things for a while but…this goes together in my mind like bread and butter
August 16, 2013 — 4:15 PM
Nadia L Camerino says:
Weird west and Pyschological Horror…. this should be interesting….
August 16, 2013 — 5:14 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I give you the ending to Last Lines First/Random Title Generator: Time Travel Noir:
http://article94.blogspot.com/2013/08/time-travel-noir.html
August 16, 2013 — 5:47 PM
kveldman13 says:
Loved it. Time travel would be super confusing. I like that detail
August 20, 2013 — 2:39 PM
Smoph says:
Mark, that contrast of your text and background is really hard to read (and my vision is fine).
Having only read the second half, I liked your story.
August 23, 2013 — 6:38 PM
jreinmiller says:
Dystopian YA Low Fantasy… that’s practically a pre-written story right there, but apparently I actually have to type the words out. And so I shall!
August 16, 2013 — 7:31 PM
rebeccadouglass says:
I got weird west spy thriller, which I think is within my reach (and I didn’t even have to cheat!).
August 16, 2013 — 8:45 PM
Katie Cross says:
Southern gothic fairy tale? Yes, please.
August 16, 2013 — 10:29 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Might i add something here? This is the most fun flash fiction challenge i’ve seen. Just sayin.
August 17, 2013 — 12:09 AM
theliteratecondition says:
1 & 18 = Dystopian Young Adult Kaiju. Here we go! Oh, to follow in the footsteps of “Akira”… because writing isn’t challenge enough 😛
August 17, 2013 — 12:32 PM
nickolaskusen says:
Okay, rolled my d20 and I got Noir and Paranormal Romance.
Interesting mashup let’s see how it all shakes out.
August 17, 2013 — 3:41 PM
jreinmiller says:
That was tougher than I thought (mostly because I wanted to write a longer story) but I managed to whip something together at the word limit.
So for Dystopian Young Adult and Low Fantasy (“Grimdark”), you get this.
Enjoy.
http://www.jqpdx.com/2013/08/17/last-chance/
August 17, 2013 — 6:15 PM
aetherwrought says:
Nicely done! I particularly like the way you imply the setting. And when the action does happen, it’s quick and dirty, even though we don’t see the results – which works well for the piece.
August 19, 2013 — 5:43 AM
rebeccadouglass says:
It’s good. Caught my imagination very well.
August 22, 2013 — 2:06 PM
Ilona the Rose says:
Agreed – I love it when it’s what is unseen, unsaid, and undone that really makes the mood of a story. It’s easy to feel how the character must.
August 23, 2013 — 4:38 AM
Smoph says:
Very gritty. Cool.
August 23, 2013 — 6:44 PM
andreaspeed says:
I got slasher film/comedic fantasy, which was perfect, because I always wanted to write this kind of story. And while it’s called Slashfic, it is not an actual slash fic. Read it, you’ll understand: http://andreaspeed.com/2013/another-flash-fic-challenge/
August 17, 2013 — 10:08 PM
kveldman13 says:
Wow that was awesome! Fitting comedy in slasher film is hard enough but with only 1500 words? Very good!
August 20, 2013 — 6:37 PM
Scott Roche says:
Okay that was fun!
August 21, 2013 — 9:07 AM
Andys says:
Thank you both. I’ve always wanted the designated victims to survive a horror film and win. This gave me a chance to let them do just that.
August 22, 2013 — 2:54 AM
rebeccadouglass says:
Great story! Love the way you played it.
August 22, 2013 — 2:10 PM
Veronica says:
Playing for the first time and kind of terrified. I got Erotic Horror Zombie Apocalypse. I suppose the only way back from a horrible place is through the deep end.
August 17, 2013 — 10:11 PM
Laura W. says:
Dystopian Young Adult murder mystery.
This has potential…
August 17, 2013 — 10:28 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Slasher film and comedic fantasy. With a goat.
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/this-weeks-weirdness/
August 17, 2013 — 11:23 PM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
GOOOOOOOOAT!
Loved it.
August 19, 2013 — 2:14 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Can’t go wrong with a goat.
August 19, 2013 — 3:06 PM
Smoph says:
Interesting. Not what I was expecting. Actually, I’m not sure what I was expecting…
August 23, 2013 — 6:47 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
It wan’t what I was expecting either…
August 25, 2013 — 8:56 PM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Funny story. Nice pace and I love the whimsical feel it has.
August 25, 2013 — 7:44 AM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Cheers!
August 25, 2013 — 8:56 PM
Veronica says:
Okay, I did it. Practise makes perfect and all that.
http://veronicafoale.com/terrible-minds-flash-fiction-the-horde/
August 18, 2013 — 5:17 AM
curiouskermit says:
excellent story! Very entertaining, I’d love to read more.
August 18, 2013 — 11:00 PM
Veronica says:
Thank you!
August 18, 2013 — 11:22 PM
aetherwrought says:
Just chiming in with my two bits as well. Good job on this challenge – your story is excellent.
August 19, 2013 — 5:18 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Great story! I would love to read more!
August 25, 2013 — 7:52 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Oops, didn’t mean to reply on a reply.
August 25, 2013 — 7:54 AM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
See? You did great. You’re officially on the team.
August 19, 2013 — 2:14 PM
B. Wildered says:
Terrific. I pay $19.95 to read the next 200 pages….
August 19, 2013 — 9:23 PM
Mozette says:
I’d love to read more of this story… how did the Horde start, where do these two end up? What happens next? Are they found the next day? 😀
August 20, 2013 — 10:23 PM
Smoph says:
I really liked the hoarde.
August 23, 2013 — 6:51 PM
Mozette says:
Paranormal Romance and Time Travel… mix them up, unmix them and then mix them up again… and this is what you get!
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/mina.html
Enjoy!
August 18, 2013 — 8:14 AM
aetherwrought says:
So, a friend challenged me to take a shot at this over the weekend. Who was I to back down? Kaiju and Zombie Apocalypses ended up being my genre mashup. I’m…actually moderately pleased with how it turned out, considering that flash fiction isn’t my strong suit.
My piece can be found here:
http://jonathonburgess.com/2013/08/18/writing-challenge-above-the-end-of-the-world/
I look forward to reading what everyone else came up with!
– Jonathon Burgess
August 18, 2013 — 9:32 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Would have commented on your site but it went a bit wonky.
This is absolutely my favorite story, so far. and if this is you being terrible at flash fiction, then I would love to read your non flash fiction.
August 25, 2013 — 8:17 AM
aetherwrought says:
Thanks!
August 25, 2013 — 4:33 PM
Andrew Bifulco says:
Erotic horror dieselpunk. Oh my…
August 18, 2013 — 10:40 AM
itsfamilyjules says:
Weird west and murder mystery…I so suck at mysteries and the only “weird west” I can think of is that horrid movie Will Smith did years ago…
Hmph. Needs some research and some thinkin’…
August 18, 2013 — 3:15 PM
Soy says:
Erotic Horror and Kaiju. HMM I WONDER.
August 19, 2013 — 3:47 AM
Josh Loomis says:
“Noir” and “Kaiju” you say? Don’t mind if I do.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2013/08/19/flash-fiction-destroyers-lament/
August 19, 2013 — 8:33 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
I like your story, got very hard-to-shake (sorry, I know its not the most enviable of comparisons, but I really did like it) Rambo flash-backs. 🙂
August 25, 2013 — 8:27 AM
D. W. Coventry (@DWCoventry) says:
Murder mystery set in the zombie apocalypse. Special thanks to co-conspirator S.W. Sondheimer.
http://dwcoventry.com/fiction/2013/8/19/flash-fiction-challenge-mash-up
August 19, 2013 — 11:23 AM
fairymothermedicinewoman says:
ancient myth, haunted house…so this one story in mythology about an actual saint that was a mermaid has been kicking around in my head for awhile, so I tried to use it… http://www.fairymothermedicinewoman.com/muirgens-tale/
August 19, 2013 — 1:34 PM
fairymothermedicinewoman says:
Sorry, was so terrible I had to trash it…. it was good practice though….
August 19, 2013 — 2:33 PM
Jon Jefferson says:
Seems a natural fit, but here we go with Zombie apocalypse and haunted houses.
http://jonjeffersonauthor.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/meat-grinder/
August 19, 2013 — 3:55 PM
kveldman13 says:
How strict are the word counts? This will be my first contest entry and I am at 1956 words. Not good.
August 19, 2013 — 5:21 PM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
No one seems to beat me over the head when I go over (which is often). I don’t worry so much about the words as I do the story 🙂
August 25, 2013 — 9:09 AM
ScrappyD00 says:
Here it is: “The Death Statue” and it was so much fun to write!
http://writeatthecrossroads.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-death-statue-flash-fiction.html
August 19, 2013 — 11:44 PM
Fatma Alici says:
Okay, I tend to avoid stories about undead. Not sure why, but something I just don’t enjoy. But, twice in the week I’ve gotten some kind of undead writing prompt. I think the universe is trying to tell me something. My two mix was Zombie Apocalyse and Southern Gothic.
http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/opal-and-the-fool/
August 20, 2013 — 8:08 PM
Smoph says:
Sometimes I wonder if the universe does it to improve us or tease us. Never sure which.
August 23, 2013 — 6:52 PM
kurt bali says:
I got Nos. 7 & 11. Easily the darkest thing I’ve written. http://sixgunwizard.blogspot.com/2013/08/dream-world-terrible-minds-flash.html
August 20, 2013 — 8:15 PM
Wanderer says:
Turn on your favorite ’20s station and enjoy a Little Jazz http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/just-a-little-jazz/
August 20, 2013 — 11:34 PM
Scott Roche says:
I got “Grimdark” and “Southern Gothic”. I give you “Refilling The Chains” http://www.scottroche.com/thoughts/2013/08/refilling-the-chains-flash-fiction/
August 21, 2013 — 8:59 AM
crow365 says:
I rolled “zombie apocalypse” and “ancient myth”, and came up with “By the Walls of Ilion”: http://nickegelhoff.com/2013/08/21/flash-fiction-challenge-subgenre-frankenstein/
August 21, 2013 — 2:32 PM