Third round: boom, right here.
And the fourth round is now within clicking range.
The end is here.
It has been a wonderfully weird experiment and I think, actually, pretty successful.
Time to bring this badboy home.
The rules are simple:
Look through the 800-word entries from last week (round four, linked above).
Pick one.
Add another 200 words to the story. The final 200 words, actually.
(Easiest way forward is to copy the chosen 800 words to your own blog, then add the next 200. Don’t forget to link to the now-finished tale in the comments.)
You do not need to have participated in the earlier rounds to participate in this one.
This time around, as noted, you will finish the story. And! And you are free to work on a story to which you have previously contributed, preferably one whose initial 200 words were yours to begin with. (Meaning, while not necessary, it’ll be interesting for you to finish the story that you began but whose middle is penned by three other writers.)
This is a collaborative game. It is Whisper Down the Lane. It is Telephone.
And now it’s time to finish up.
You’ve got one week.
Due by Friday, December 27th, noon EST.
Add the final link to the narrative chain, won’t you?
jeffwroteit says:
Thanks to: Fatma Alici, Athena, Ely, and Paul Baughman. There were so many ways to take the first 800 words. It was fun! 🙂
http://jeffwroteit.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/terribleminds-flash-fiction-proposed-title-forgotten-fued/
December 20, 2013 — 11:56 AM
Paul Baughman says:
Oh, very good! I wondered what someone would do with that.
December 20, 2013 — 12:06 PM
David Wilson says:
neat but the shifts in the POV threw me off.
December 20, 2013 — 1:04 PM
mirymom says:
What a fun ending! Someone should pick a POV (hers or his) and smooth it out. It’s quite good!
December 21, 2013 — 2:45 PM
Adrienne says:
Oh? Finish our beginning you say? Hmmmm.. might have to do just that..
December 20, 2013 — 12:04 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Ok, I’ve written a part five to Meagan Wilson’s story of Stewart the Demon. I think someone in one of the other versions titled it “Stewart”, which I’ve used just for the sake of convenience. Read the exciting conclusion HERE.
Chills!
Thrills!
Surprises!
December 20, 2013 — 1:08 PM
mirymom says:
I really enjoyed this one in all its incarnations. Great choice for the ending!
December 21, 2013 — 6:45 PM
Meagan Wilson says:
That was great! I was thinking of doing something with the mom in that version, but now I don’t need to. Well done. 🙂
December 24, 2013 — 3:22 PM
Wanderer says:
I didn’t see that coming! Nicely done!
December 27, 2013 — 2:18 PM
Paul Baughman says:
My story, Listening Post, petered out with part two (by Hank Petterson).
I will probably post the story as I conceived it on my blog within the next week or so, if anyone is curious where I would have taken it.
December 20, 2013 — 1:14 PM
Mark Gardner says:
My three favorite stories were “Apocalyptic Bounty Hunter,” “Making Merry,” and the story of Alice. I finished up Alice’s story. Initially, I had written about 400 words, but cut it down to 225:
http://article94.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-final-installment-of-chucks-200_20.html
December 20, 2013 — 2:21 PM
Mozette says:
Aaww… thanks for the compliment Mark. So happy you enjoyed the first 200 words I wrote. That really means something 😀
December 20, 2013 — 6:42 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I’ll need to speak to you all, as the writing (with a POV change and a tiny bit of editing will go perfect in my 2015 zombie story release.
December 20, 2013 — 7:23 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
How cramazingly cool that some of these stories might end up published. Excellent!
December 21, 2013 — 1:24 AM
Mark Gardner says:
That has already happened! I used my flash or “Last Lies First” as th opening chapter for my novelette, “Paradox,” published in October.
I usually test out ideas for future works with the flash fiction challenge. Both written plots for my zombie story started as flash fiction challenges.
December 21, 2013 — 9:03 AM
David Wilson says:
I created a spread sheet with links to as many of the stories as I could. Im still working on it but others are welcome to add to it. Right now Im working on week 3 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnZdTmQzm8U2dGtQb2taXzBOampDZk9Xb1FmX0Jad2c&usp=sharing
December 20, 2013 — 4:31 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Now *that’s* useful. i’d like to see a tree format for each story. ‘course the ones that don’t get multiple contributors would be boring, but there are a few that different people take in different directions. I think it’d be kinda cool to see
December 21, 2013 — 9:12 AM
Paul Baughman says:
One suggestion: under the original author’s name, place the title of the story. At least for those who started with a title. For those untitled that picked one up later, you could use a different color text for the title or something. Maybe put the title in the block with the person who titled it.
December 21, 2013 — 9:21 AM
mirymom says:
That’s awesome!
December 21, 2013 — 6:49 PM
David Wilson says:
and I have caught up and now current with all comments
December 23, 2013 — 11:31 AM
Fatma Alici says:
Thank you so much for doing this. It is really great.
December 24, 2013 — 3:52 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
That’s great! Thank you very much! This should make it easier for people to find an unfinished story, too.
December 24, 2013 — 6:27 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
I used this to help me find a story to finish tonight. Thanks for your work, David — I have no doubt that putting this together and updating it has eaten a ton of your time!
December 27, 2013 — 1:06 AM
Smoph says:
Really helpful David, thanks!
January 6, 2014 — 1:02 AM
Mozette says:
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/within-church.html
My last post of this one really digs into my element – witchcraft. 😀 Yeah, I’m a practicing witch; no, this isn’t how it really works…. and yeah, I really do wish it did. 😀
December 20, 2013 — 6:31 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
And a great wrap-up, Mozette! Thanks for bringing your unique skill to bear here. Good to see we got a happy ending — at least, it seems we did. ; )
December 21, 2013 — 1:41 AM
Mozette says:
I did try to keep it to 200 words, but it was near impossible. So, I edited the best I could and posted it… 😀 I’m happy with how it turned out. And I loved how the skeletons exploded all the time 😀
I’d love to try this kind of thing out again… this was very cool! 😀
December 21, 2013 — 7:38 AM
Smoph says:
I really liked the brain foiling plans, less than the brawn. 😉
December 23, 2013 — 10:05 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Hi all,
I myself haven’t picked a story yet for Part 5…. But I thought I’d leave a brief plug here (if I may! : ) for Parts 1-4 that still need some love. Perhaps others would like to leave links here to their incomplete stories, too.
HOUSE OF MEMORY, a(n epic?) fantasy, still needs Parts 4 & 5. http://courtcan.com/writing/new-flash-fiction-challenge-200-words/.
COLD, a vampire mystery, needs Part 5. http://courtcan.com/writing/flash-fiction-challenge-continuing-someone-elses-story-part-2/.
MILLIONS OF CATS, a funny sci-fi, needs Part 5. http://courtcan.com/writing/flash-fiction-challenge-continuing-someone-elses-story-part-4/.
Anyone else? Happy writing, y’all!
December 21, 2013 — 1:30 AM
Jonathan Bray says:
I picked Cold. Who doesn’t love wrapping a vampire mystery in 200 words? Here’s my take on the ending.
http://instoryland.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-the-final-chapter/
December 22, 2013 — 6:33 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
And a fabulous take it is, too! I did not see that one coming. Jonathan, thanks for picking this one to wrap up so very well!
December 27, 2013 — 1:01 AM
boydstun215 says:
Thanks for plugging these great stories, Courtney!
As the owner of four cats, I felt a moral obligation to try finishing “Millions of Cats.” The first four entries are absolutely fantastic and were composed by Rebecca Douglass, Connie Cockrell, Andy Decker, and Courtney Cantrell, respectively. This is such a great story that I just wanted to keep going with it. My entry clocked in at around 230 words and can be found at: http://jeremiahboydstun.com/2013/12/24/200-words-the-final-chapter-entry-2/
December 24, 2013 — 4:49 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Loved it!
December 26, 2013 — 10:21 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Jeremiah, I visited your blog, but I’m not sure my comment posted. Love your wrap-up! I was hoping it would do something like that. Thanks for choosing this story for the final round!
Oh, and as a cat-owner myself, I can totally relate to the moral obligation. 😉
December 27, 2013 — 12:41 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
And I thank you for the great finish!
December 27, 2013 — 12:00 PM
Joanna Horrocks says:
I’m SO glad to finally know what my cat’s been freaking out about when she hisses at things I can’t see! Thank you, Heather Milne Johnson, Susan Penland, Murgatroid_98, and Shane Vaughan for parts 1-4 of The Corner. Parts 1-5, with links to everyone’s individual pages, are here:
http://joannahorrocks.wordpress.com/2013/12/21/the-corner-flash-fiction-challenge-week-five/
December 21, 2013 — 4:28 PM
Heather Milne Johnson says:
I love the last line! Thanks for a great finish.
December 21, 2013 — 7:06 PM
Joanna Horrocks says:
Thanks for a great start! I’ve liked this piece each week and was glad to have the opportunity to join in.
December 21, 2013 — 7:13 PM
Paul Baughman says:
What a great ending! Good job!
December 22, 2013 — 11:12 AM
Joanna Horrocks says:
Thanks, Paul. Much appreciated!
December 22, 2013 — 12:14 PM
murgatroid98 says:
Very nice.
December 22, 2013 — 7:22 PM
Joanna Horrocks says:
Thanks, Murgatroid. Your turning it from a doll into a forest pixie was a great turn.
December 22, 2013 — 7:32 PM
murgatroid98 says:
Here is the ending to the story I started. Thanks to Meagan Wilson for the title, and to LC Hu, Jeremy Podolski, and Meagon for making it interesting. And many thanks to Chuck for starting the whole thing.
http://murgatroid-98.livejournal.com/3091.html
December 21, 2013 — 6:24 PM
murgatroid98 says:
Oops, sorry I misspelled your name, Meagan.
December 21, 2013 — 6:25 PM
Meagan Wilson says:
No problem. This has been great fun. Great conclusion to your story. The kitsune is a nice touch.
December 24, 2013 — 3:19 PM
Paul Baughman says:
Good one. Makes me want to hear the explanation.
December 22, 2013 — 11:16 AM
murgatroid98 says:
Also, the last part is a bit longer than 200 words. Sorry.
December 21, 2013 — 6:30 PM
Renee Elizabeths says:
I couldn’t finish my round one entry, since it wasn’t very good and, unsurprisingly, no one ever picked it up. Here’s my conclusion to Making Merry instead: http://reneeelizabeths.blogspot.com/2013/12/flash-fiction-200-words-at-time-part_22.html
December 22, 2013 — 7:55 AM
boydstun215 says:
What a blast these past five weeks have been! I hope Chuck decides to host another challenge like this in the future.
After reading through several stories, I just could not resist this one, entitled “Silk,” assembled by murgatroid98, LC Hu, Jeremy Podolski and Megan Wilson, respectively. The first 800 words were not only really well-written, but visceral and intriguing. I had a lot of fun with this.
My 200+ word contribution brings this story to a “conclusion.” http://jeremiahboydstun.com/2013/12/22/200-words-the-final-edition/
December 22, 2013 — 2:57 PM
Hana Frank says:
I also had a go at finishing this one, but your version is much better. Great sensory description .
December 22, 2013 — 3:17 PM
murgatroid98 says:
Wonderful! You all did great jobs. I love each version.
December 22, 2013 — 7:18 PM
Hana Frank says:
Like boydstun above I also continued SILK – I had my suspicions about the Jacksons. Hope there’s a repeat of the 5 part story challenge !
http://hanafrank.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/part-5-of-5-part-story-challenge.html
December 22, 2013 — 3:11 PM
murgatroid98 says:
That was fabulous! I love what you did with it.
December 22, 2013 — 7:15 PM
Barbara McDowell Whitt says:
Hi Chuck,
Congratulations for Terrible Minds being named one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers for 2013. This is indeed an honor since according to Mary Jaksch, chief editor of Write to Done, the sponsor of the contest, over 1,100 writers nominated their favorite blogs.
December 22, 2013 — 6:33 PM
Adrienne says:
Here is part five of The Fair Folk’s Favour, by Strange Corners, MckKenzie, Justice, Simon B, and now myself. Apologies for exceeding the 200 word limit, but I hope it is worth the read!
http://thepaddedcastle.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/challenge-part-five-the-final-200-of-the-fair-folks-favour/
December 22, 2013 — 11:58 PM
Smoph says:
Great story Adrienne. I wanted to know who ‘he’ is. Unfortunately I couldn’t comment on your blog though!
January 5, 2014 — 9:23 PM
conniecockrell says:
Finished Part 5 of “Forest Road”. Other authors were: Snellopy, David Kearney, Doreen Queen and Samantha Dunaway Bryant. Links to their blogs are in the post. My link will be available Friday. http://wp.me/p2AyuM-gk
December 23, 2013 — 12:48 AM
Mozette says:
One little glitch to your idea, Chuck…. what happens if you can’t find your original first 200 words being continued past the second continuation? I tried finding mine each week after week 2, and never found ‘The Apocolyptic Bounty Hunter’ continued to the end… so I can’t find out how it worked out or who worked on it. 🙁
December 23, 2013 — 6:35 AM
Renee Elizabeths says:
My piece from round one didn’t get continued, so I just picked a different story that had caught my eye, same as I’d been doing for all the previous rounds. Or you could pick one that you added to for round two, three, or four instead if one of those got carried all the way through. Not all the stories got carried through to the end and there are people who didn’t participate in the early rounds who might want to dive in here at the end of the game too, so I think plenty of people will be picking stories they didn’t start to finish. I don’t think you *have* to finish your round one piece for round five, just that it would be a neat thing to do if you wanted to,
December 23, 2013 — 6:55 AM
terribleminds says:
Then choose another accordingly! Not a hard and fast rule.
December 23, 2013 — 7:10 AM
Simon B. says:
As with last week, I’d love to help update those stories stuck fast in previous parts. Post a link to yours, no matter how far it’s along, and I’ll bring it a step forwards (assuming I haven’t already added to it, of course).
Let’s get some more of you involved, too – it’d be great if we could bring closure to each and every story that was started way back in week one.
December 23, 2013 — 7:52 AM
Joanna Horrocks says:
Simon, very nice of you. Here’s one that only made it through week 2 – Kyra Dune started Accidental Apocalypse and I wrote part 2, but no one picked it up. If you want to add a part 3, I’ll jump back in with a fourth part if no one else does.
http://joannahorrocks.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/chuck-wendig-flash-fiction-challenge/
December 23, 2013 — 11:28 AM
Simon B. says:
I’m sorry this is so late, but here you go:
http://probablyfalse.tumblr.com/post/73498539908/accidental-apocalypse-part-three
January 16, 2014 — 3:44 AM
David Wilson says:
Check my link
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnZdTmQzm8U2dGtQb2taXzBOampDZk9Xb1FmX0Jad2c&usp=sharing
I have mapped out all of the contributioins
December 23, 2013 — 11:28 AM
Adrienne says:
I would like to as well. Such a busy week, but hopefully I can do one or two.
December 23, 2013 — 3:27 PM
Jim Franklin says:
I couldn’t resist ending my own story. Here is the complete tale of ‘In Too Deep’, contributed to by Lynna Landstreet, CE Konicki and Kurt Bali.
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2013/12/23/flash-fiction-in-too-deep-the-full-story/
December 23, 2013 — 9:46 AM
feralbulb says:
Hi Jim, so sorry, didn’t meant to walk on your turf and by the time I noticed you’d done the ‘in too deep’ ending I’d already gone for it too so posted it anyway. Guess I should have got some sticky notes working for me… Love your story btw.
December 23, 2013 — 11:01 AM
Renee Elizabeths says:
LOL! I think I love this one. 🙂
December 23, 2013 — 11:01 AM
Simon B. says:
This is fantastic!
December 23, 2013 — 11:18 AM
kurt bali says:
That is just epic. Great ending!
December 26, 2013 — 4:54 PM
feralbulb says:
Howdy! Added the last 200 words to Kurt Bali’‘s story after Ce Konicki, Lynna Landstreet and Jim Franklin (‘In too deep’).
http://feralbulb.wordpress.com/blurb-5/
December 23, 2013 — 10:56 AM
Smoph says:
Another great ending to this story! Great work, both you and Jim Franklin!
January 5, 2014 — 9:32 PM
Jon Jefferson says:
I finished off the story Cup of Comfort. Contributors with links are listed within the story itself, but I want to give a collective nod to everyone who came before me on this story Josee De Angelis, Liz Neering, Ken Crump, and Josh Loomis.
http://jonjeffersonauthor.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/cup-of-comfort/
December 23, 2013 — 11:13 AM
Josee says:
I loved it and am honoured it continued to the end. I must say I never thought it would turn into a horror story! Just goes to show you how creative you people are. Thanks.
December 26, 2013 — 6:42 PM
David Wilson says:
I finished off the story “Unpredictable Magic”. Started by JDFitch, added to by Paul Baughman, Doreen Queen and Joanna Horrocks.
http://gigaclon.blogspot.com/2013/12/flash-fiction-challenge-200-words-at.html
December 23, 2013 — 2:19 PM
Smoph says:
Good wind-up, David. 🙂
January 5, 2014 — 11:13 PM
boydstun215 says:
Cool ending, Hana. Yup, there was something fishy . . . er, I mean serpenty, about those Jacksons.
December 23, 2013 — 8:04 PM
Meagan Wilson says:
Hurray for permission to finish our own stories. I chose the Wanderer, Dave Kearney, and Fatma Alici version of “Stewart” for this round. Thanks, guys! This has been lots of fun. Find the conclusion here: http://burntgraphite.net/fiction4
December 24, 2013 — 3:26 PM
Fatma Alici says:
I always enjoyed when angels/demons end being more like well oiled politicos than deadly enemies. The ending fits that like a glove. : )
December 24, 2013 — 3:50 PM
Wanderer says:
I really like what you did with the ending!
December 27, 2013 — 2:22 PM
Fatma Alici says:
I went back to my story and finished it off. Great challenge this was crazy fun. http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/200-words-at-a-time-the-end/
December 24, 2013 — 3:35 PM
Josh Loomis says:
This was a LOT of fun. I’m glad so many of us stuck with it for five weeks! Thanks especially to Jon, Courtney, and Josée for keeping Within The Church going… and now, the conclusion.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2013/12/23/flash-fiction-within-the-church-finale/
December 25, 2013 — 11:35 AM
Courtney Cantrell says:
I like your conclusion, Josh! Mozette had written one as well, so it’s really neat to see the different endings. Each one brings something intriguing to the table and casts the story in a different light. A great example of how cool this whole project is!
December 27, 2013 — 1:10 AM
aaronbrowder says:
I finished the story about the child lost in the grocery store. Previous contributors are Ashley, Tony Taylor, Josee, and Lynna Landstreet.
My contribution is kind of a non-ending, but I fleshed out the mystery as much as I could in 200 words. This story really wants to be longer.
http://aaronswordtree.blogspot.com/2013/12/200-words-at-time-part-five.html
December 25, 2013 — 11:47 PM
Smoph says:
I wasn’t expecting it go in that direction, but at the same time, given what I know about most parents, it’s totally appropriate. Good work!
January 6, 2014 — 1:03 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I missed the part about finishing one’s own story (and someone else did that nicely), so I finished the one titled “A Gifted Wizard.” It will be live in a few hours (6 a.m. 12/26 PST) at http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2013/12/flash-fiction-200-word-challenge.html
December 26, 2013 — 1:17 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Tying things up in 200 words was very hard. My first draft of a conclusion was better, but was more like 600 words!
December 26, 2013 — 1:18 AM
LC Hu says:
Soooo I kind of went over the wordcount… d’oh. But here’s my conclusion to the story by Ashley, Tony Taylor, Josee DeAngelis and Lynna Landstreet!
http://elsiewho.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/200-words-at-a-time-the-conclusion/
Thanks so much for running this challenge, it was a blast!
December 26, 2013 — 9:19 AM
Justice says:
Here’s my conclusion to a piece started by Adrienne, continued by j, Smoph, and David Kearney: http://erinmjustice.com/2013/12/26/flash-fiction-challenge-flight/
December 26, 2013 — 1:12 PM
Andy Decker says:
Here’s my contribution, beginning with Josee De Angelis’ Untitled work.
http://jonah2eight.blogspot.com/2013/12/flash-fiction-challenge-part-5.html
{all five parts are posted above, with requisite linkage}
Adding to the following:
Part 1: Josee De Angelis
Part 2: Liz Neering
Part 3: Ken Crump
Part 4: Josh Lumis
Part 5: Yours truly
Chuck Wendig – thanks for the fun.
December 26, 2013 — 2:42 PM
davekearney75 says:
I’ve also written a conclusion to the piece started by Adrienne and continued by j, Smoph and myself:
http://scenesandsequels.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/flash-fiction-challenge-part-5-the-conclusion/
December 26, 2013 — 3:33 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
I chose an originally untitled story by the following authors:
Joe Donahue wrote Part 1.
Morag Donnachie wrote Part 2.
Jeremiah Boydstun wrote Part 3.
Justice wrote Part 4 and gave the story the title “The Veteran.”
Part 5, my conclusion, is here:
http://courtcan.com/writing/flash-fiction-challenge-continuing-someone-elses-story-part-5/. I don’t know if any of the other authors thought of the story as sci-fi, but that’s definitely how it wrapped up. Which is a woot in my book. 😉
Chuck, thanks so much for creating this challenge. It’s been cramazing fun, and it’s made December a great writing-month for me. Already a fantastic start to my New Year. PENMONKEYS FTW.
December 27, 2013 — 12:30 AM
momdude says:
I chose to take the option of finishing the story that I started four weeks ago. I want to thank Michael D. Woods, Liz Neering, and Kyra Dune for their contributions, as well as Angela Carina Barry for her alternate take in Week Two. Here’s the conclusion of “Winter Takes All”.
http://pauljwillett.com/2013/12/26/flash-fiction-the-final-two-hundred-words/
Chuck, thanks for doing this every week and giving us something to hone our skills on. Without challenges like this we would be much the poorer, unable to use your playground to dare to fail magnificently.
December 27, 2013 — 2:23 AM
Chris says:
I’m a late arrival, just found the thread this week. I finished the creepy story about the Black Dot / Cup of Comfort Coffee Shop. Thanks for the original four writers for making such an intriguing tale.
Part 1: Josee De Angelis
Part 2: Liz Neering
Part 3: Ken Crump
Part 4: (name unknown) here’s the last link: http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2013/12/16/flash-fiction/.
Part 5: Me. http://roktyping.blogspot.kr/2013/12/flash-fiction-part-5-black-dotcup-of.html
This was a lot of fun. Thanks, Chuck.
December 27, 2013 — 9:20 AM
Mildred Achoch says:
Kirsten Bruce, Josee De Angelis,ttaylor, smorph and now my addition to this interesting story 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/notes/mildred-achoch/the-trouble-with-turtle/10151868366391527
December 27, 2013 — 9:25 AM
Kirsten Bruce says:
Mildred, you rock! Thanks so much for giving it an ending. I just finished an ending for it too, of course I didn’t check here first… Thanks again for contributing!
December 28, 2013 — 12:25 AM
Wanderer says:
http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/1000-word-story-in-v-parts-part-v/
I finished up Adrienne, j, smorph, and Joyce’s dark story and called it “The Hunted”
December 27, 2013 — 2:16 PM
Dangerdean says:
I’m disappointed that, even with six days off, I wasn’t able to finish one of these off in time. Oh well, back to work tomorrow, and I can write when it’s quiet, and read all the finished stories.
December 27, 2013 — 11:34 PM
Smoph says:
I’m planning to finish off a couple myself, now that I am done travelling.
January 6, 2014 — 1:12 AM