Last week’s challenge: “Cooperative Cliffhanger, Part Two.”
This week?
Easy. All you have to do is randomize a title from the two columns. Each has ten items, so, roll a d10, or throw open a random number generator. Pick one from each column, and [Column One] [Column Two] is your title. You can throw “The” in front of it if you’re so inclined — e.g. “The Horse-Drawn Lighthouse,” or without it, “Crimson Bride.”
Then, write a story.
~1000 words.
Post at your online space. Link back here.
Due by Friday, October 11th, noon EST.
Your columns are:
Column One
- Forgotten
- Crimson
- Remote Control
- Horse-Drawn
- Dead Girl’s
- Labyrinthine
- Orichalcum
- Ink-Stained
- Apocalypse
- Infinity
Column Two
- Bride
- Mechanism
- Library
- Hive-Mind
- Slave
- Orchid
- Island
- Shame
- Lighthouse
- Sailor
OzFenric says:
Orichalcum. That’s cruel.
October 4, 2013 — 12:45 AM
Siddhartha says:
Aaaand I got… “The Orichalcum Bride”. Gosh darn you to heck, Chuck Wendig!
October 4, 2013 — 12:56 AM
caitlin says:
Oooh… Labyrinthine Lighthouse. Alliteration. I like it!
October 4, 2013 — 2:25 AM
Squidge says:
The Forgotten Library…Think I might just have a go at that…
October 4, 2013 — 4:11 AM
angel011 says:
The Remote Control Mechanism… Hmm…
October 4, 2013 — 5:00 AM
Trine Toft Schmidt says:
Ink-stained Hive-mind… Iit is going to be a fun weekend.
October 4, 2013 — 7:28 AM
Carla says:
Apocalypse Orchid???? What the hell do I do with that? Oh wait, that’s the point of this exercise. Nevermind. Seriously considering getting a webpresence so I can start linking back.
October 4, 2013 — 7:34 AM
Mike Berkey says:
Actually, I’m pretty jealous of this one. 🙂
October 4, 2013 — 9:16 AM
Carla says:
Makes me think of a strip club. I might just head that direction.
October 6, 2013 — 6:04 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Good call
October 7, 2013 — 12:01 AM
Michael says:
*laughs* I just got Apocalypse Library, so I went and looked up what the *actual* meaning of Apocalypse is. It’s from ancient Greek and means, roughly, unveiling or uncovering. Talk about the perfect name for a strip club 😀
October 7, 2013 — 8:47 AM
olympicreader says:
I didn’t even get that far, lol, but strip club is sounding better and better.
October 7, 2013 — 12:49 PM
Ilona the Rose says:
Horse-Drawn Island – what is that? Some kind of mobile oasis dragged by beasts of burden over a waterless wasteland toward some faint promise of survival? That’s absurd.
I’ll see you all back in a week.
October 4, 2013 — 8:53 AM
Paul Baxter says:
It’s the prequel to Waterworld.
October 4, 2013 — 9:57 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
🙂
October 4, 2013 — 9:37 PM
sharpeningthebones says:
Labyrinthine Hive-Mind. This amuses me way ore than it should.
October 4, 2013 — 9:28 AM
Obsidian Dragon says:
Oooh, the Ink-Stained Shame. Brilliant.
October 4, 2013 — 9:47 AM
Orjan says:
“The Infinity Library”
I… I’ll be in my bunk
October 4, 2013 — 10:01 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
LQTM (laughing quietly to myself 🙂 )
October 4, 2013 — 9:05 PM
Smoph says:
Best roll ever. That’s a dream right there.
October 11, 2013 — 7:46 PM
thatcalamity says:
Hmmm the Crimson Island.
October 4, 2013 — 10:10 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Wow, lots of comments already!
October 4, 2013 — 10:18 AM
Andrew says:
The Apocalypse Lighthouse.
I think I can rock that.
October 4, 2013 — 10:29 AM
Vicente L Ruiz (@VicenteLRuiz) says:
I was considering finally entering a Challenge after a good friend pointed me here a couple of months ago (on a side note, where have I been living? I digress, sorry). So I thought this time would be as good as any…
Two Random.org numbers later I’m left with… Horse-drawn Shame? WTF?
And then I decide to cheat and roll again… and I get 5&9: Dead Girl’s Lighthouse. Not my cup of tea, but I’ll give it a try.
October 4, 2013 — 11:22 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
The Dead Girl’s Lighthouse. YES. Now, how the hell do I link back from Tumblr? Anyone? I’m new to Tumblr, so haven’t figured that one out yet.
October 4, 2013 — 12:15 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Um, yeah, NM
October 4, 2013 — 9:06 PM
Johan says:
I rolled 5 and 10. That’s “Dead Girl’s Sailor”. Yay. Yarr. *cough*
Soooo … I’ll descend into my puddle of mud and reemerge within a week with a story about … er … a dead girl’s sailor. I expect lots of fun while trying to make sense of this.
October 4, 2013 — 12:41 PM
daniellemaser says:
Random dice roll……..snake eyes. Forgotten Bride it is. Hmmmm…..
October 4, 2013 — 1:05 PM
Joseph says:
I’m a reader, not a writer. But I got Labyrinthine Island, which sounds pretty cool. I may have to actually try…
October 4, 2013 — 2:03 PM
itsfamilyjules says:
ERm, “Orichalcum Shame”…?
I had to look that damn word up. We shall see what happens…
October 4, 2013 — 3:31 PM
a.r. williams says:
LOL …I had to look it up too. I got Orichalcum Slave.
October 4, 2013 — 7:54 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Okay, I guess I’m a little bit of an over-achiever sometimes . . . . I finished this morning. Guess it was one of those that was just sitting there, waiting to come out. Am I doing this right? I just post the link to my Tumblr here? Ok, here goes . . . .
The Dead Girl’s Lighthouse
http://clrozelle.tumblr.com/post/63090711004/the-dead-girls-lighthouse
October 4, 2013 — 3:34 PM
a.r. williams says:
Well done! 🙂
October 4, 2013 — 7:53 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Thanks 🙂
October 4, 2013 — 9:01 PM
authordjdavis says:
I liked! Kudos!
October 5, 2013 — 3:15 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Thank you 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 5:37 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I liked your interpretation of “dead.”
October 5, 2013 — 12:58 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 5:39 PM
Michael says:
Very impressive. If this was the hook for a full-length novel, I don’t think I’d be able to put it down.
October 7, 2013 — 8:36 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Thank you very much for saying that. It’s hard for me to write about my life–easier if I make it someone else’s (“Nylah’s”). I am actually considering turning this into a novel. I’ll keep you posted 😉
October 7, 2013 — 12:18 PM
Smoph says:
I want her succeed. It’s always that hope of redemption that gets me…
October 12, 2013 — 2:24 AM
Autumn Christian says:
Remote Control Orchid.
It’s time to get weird.
October 4, 2013 — 3:44 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
I am anticipating your creation 🙂
October 4, 2013 — 9:02 PM
S.W. Sondheimer says:
Apocalypse Bride + a very odd portion of an odd conversation overheard at PIT this morning.
http://swsondheimer.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/flash-fiction-apocalypse-bride/
October 5, 2013 — 12:00 AM
authordjdavis says:
Cool piece. Poor guy. 😉
October 5, 2013 — 3:27 PM
Caitlin says:
Here’s my story, The Labyrinthine Lighthouse 🙂 http://bit.ly/GBiVvv Hope you enjoy it. it was…interesting haha
October 5, 2013 — 12:33 AM
authordjdavis says:
Bizarre, but fun! 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 3:34 PM
Caitlin says:
Thanks! 🙂 yeah, i know it was strange and weird haha
October 5, 2013 — 5:39 PM
OzFenric says:
No way could I do justice to The Orichalcum Hive-Mind in 1000 words. But it’s closer to 1000 than 10,000 if that counts…
http://tfaof.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/the-orichalcum-hive-mind/
October 5, 2013 — 1:43 AM
Caitlin says:
loved this so much! very 1984 and also reminds me of Dexter Palmer’s The Dream of Perpetual Motion
October 5, 2013 — 3:41 PM
Caitlin says:
the concept of this is awesome. I could totally see this as a full novel!
October 5, 2013 — 5:57 PM
Eva T says:
I got Orichalcum Sailor. And had to look up what orichalcum even is. Although after reading about it, I do remember coming across it in one or two RPGs. This is my story: http://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/the-orichalcum-sailor/
October 5, 2013 — 12:13 PM
Caitlin says:
Loved your story! 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 3:24 PM
Eva T says:
Thanks!
October 6, 2013 — 10:10 AM
authordjdavis says:
Yowch! Nice.
October 5, 2013 — 3:54 PM
Eva T says:
Thank you!
October 6, 2013 — 10:11 AM
Smoph says:
I liked it a lot. Magical.
October 12, 2013 — 2:32 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
As often with these challenges, I kept rolling and rolling to see all the intriguing combos. Then I have to decide. My first roll was remote control lighthouse, which I dismissed because they all are, these days. I think it’ll probably be “Horse-drawn Shame.” Unless it’s one of my three other favorites!
October 5, 2013 — 12:51 PM
Jim Franklin says:
I rolled horse-drawn library. I wonder what I’ll end up doing with that.
October 5, 2013 — 1:12 PM
Christopher Grundy says:
I rolled the dice and the random number gods gave me… Remote Control Island.
My first thought was to roll again but on reflection may be rather interesting. Time to mind map.
If I may ask a rather daft question, is posting on a blog the only way to enter? Is it possible to enter if you don’t have a Blog?
October 5, 2013 — 1:21 PM
terribleminds says:
Well, it’s not strictly a contest — the only trick is, I don’t want you to post an entire story here in the comments. So, you can post on G+, Facebook, Tumblr — wherever you can get a link to give to other folks to read! The real goal is to write. 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 5:35 PM
Christopher Grundy says:
Thanks for that Check 🙂
I know that it is not a contest as such, I have always looked at your Flash Fiction Challenges as a challenge to authors to try writing something different or to develop with the result of (hopefully) an interesting story to share 🙂
Using “enter” was in hindsight a poor choice of words on my part when I really should said share.
Again, thanks 🙂
October 5, 2013 — 11:37 PM
authordjdavis says:
If you don’t want to deal with setting up a blog, someone else could host with proper credit, but there are a lot of good freebies out there that don’t take long to set up.
October 6, 2013 — 12:07 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Tumblr is a really easy “blog” site, I really like it.
October 6, 2013 — 11:52 AM
Christopher Grundy says:
Thanks for the recommendations athordjdavis & C.L. Rozelle, it is definitely something I will look into 🙂
October 7, 2013 — 5:20 AM
authordjdavis says:
Haven’t done one in a while, so I tossed one together today. Still a little sketchy, but I like it. Though I think my band name will be Remote-Control Hive-Mind, I got Infinity Sailor, so that’s what I present to you.
The Infinity Sailor: http://www.authordjdavis.com/?p=74
October 5, 2013 — 2:30 PM
authordjdavis says:
Oops. Had a tiny screw up on a name. Heh! Shoulda read through it one more time.
October 5, 2013 — 3:47 PM
Smoph says:
Ooo. I like the recursion! I love that we both went sci-fi though.
October 12, 2013 — 12:55 AM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
I have a LOT of reading to catch up on tonight once the kids are in bed!
October 5, 2013 — 5:45 PM
K. Zorn says:
I hope you enjoy my first post!
http://kzorn1989.wordpress.com/2013/10/06/apocalypse-slave-terribleminds-prompt/
October 5, 2013 — 9:48 PM
Mozette says:
I had two words jump out at me… and I just had to write the first…. um.. second thing that came to mind.
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-orichalcum-mechanism.html
Enjoy!
October 6, 2013 — 1:37 AM
Smoph says:
Hmm, interesting Mozette. I always like the life in your stories.
October 12, 2013 — 2:39 AM
Don Gaitens says:
Ink-Stained Slave (Flash Fiction) http://criticalgreymass.blogspot.com/2013/10/ink-stained-slave-flash-fiction_5.html
October 6, 2013 — 11:28 AM
Brianna Carlson says:
“Dead Girl’s Mechanism?”
That’s just wrong, man.
October 6, 2013 — 1:59 PM
Kay Joyce says:
The Apocalypse Library. I’m so down for this.
October 6, 2013 — 2:41 PM
Mike Berkey says:
A sad tale of libraries, the devil, damnation, poorly-indexed databases and ragebadgers. Profanity warning, proceed at your own risk.
The Labyrinthine Library, Or…(File Under Ragebadgers And Damnation)
http://billionmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/the-labyrinthine-library-or-file-under.html
October 6, 2013 — 2:43 PM
C.L. Rozelle (@CLRozelle) says:
Nice piece. I liked the Book-scratch fever and the bibliothropy. 🙂
October 7, 2013 — 12:12 AM
Wanderer says:
I got Remote Control Bride!!!
http://story–time.blogspot.ca/2013/10/remote-control-bride.html
October 6, 2013 — 5:14 PM
Francesca Carrillo says:
Odd one this week.
Presenting: The Ink-Stained Hive-mind.
http://francescacarrillo.blogspot.sg/2013/10/flash-fiction-challenge-ink-stained.html
October 6, 2013 — 11:57 PM
Michael says:
Very interesting. I got “Apocalypse Library”, so I poked my head into the etymology of the word Apocalypse… it does not mean what I thought it meant 😀 The two fit so *very* well together.
October 7, 2013 — 8:45 AM
ScrappyD00 says:
Are there rules against copyright infringement? I got the Infinity Slave and all I can think of is Marvel’s Infinity series going on now…
October 7, 2013 — 9:27 AM
terribleminds says:
Actually, books and stories can have same or similar titles, I believe.
October 7, 2013 — 9:28 AM
kveldman13 says:
No, I meant using Marvel characters in my story. I don’t think I will, but thought I’d ask.
October 8, 2013 — 8:49 AM
Michaela Hutfles says:
Copyright says as long as you are not making money you’re good. Other legal bits apply, so don’t do something that could be seen to “tarnish or damage” the IP and you should be fine at least legally.
I am not a lawyer, I am vaguely well enough and hang out with both IP lawyers & librarians, the info intersections can be strong.
October 9, 2013 — 1:30 PM
Wanderer says:
Dead Girl’s Slave http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/dead-girls-slave/
October 7, 2013 — 12:10 PM