Last week’s challenge: Voicemails From The Future!
Quick administrative —
Tami Valdura, you were the random pick for the Cocktail Fiction challenge.
Ping me at terribleminds at gmail, won’t you?
For this week’s challenge:
Hey! It’s Valentine’s Day.
So, you’ve got 1500 words to write about:
Twisted Love.
Any genre will do.
Post at your online space.
Link back here.
Due by Friday the 21st at noon.
thesexiestwriter says:
OK, here’s one I can definitely do and enjoy! Thanks
February 14, 2014 — 2:19 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
I absolutely love how my entries in these flash fiction contests bring out the nasty in me! My version of twisted love
http://criticalsexualmass.wordpress.com/
February 14, 2014 — 4:55 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
Hi Chuck,
I’ve never taken part in one of these before, so if I’m doing this wrong, let me know… but if by “link back here” you mean post my link in the comments, here I go: http://helenahannbasquiat.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/twisted-valentine-by-jessica-b-bell/
If I’ve completely f*%ked this up, tell me, please!
February 14, 2014 — 2:33 PM
Shane Vaughan says:
That was awesome! we don’t get enough poetry on here, especially not like that. Really enjoyed it. Great little tale. (And don’t worry, posting the link to your blog is exactly what to do. spot on. Hope to see you back here next week with more!!)
February 14, 2014 — 3:24 PM
Rob says:
That was fantastic! Nice work; that you banged out that poem so quickly is impressive.
February 14, 2014 — 4:06 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
It was kind of kismet, actually… I had already written it, title and all, and then someone showed me this contest
February 14, 2014 — 4:11 PM
Rob says:
Ahh, I see. Excellent work nonetheless. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting it.
February 15, 2014 — 7:14 AM
thesexiestwriter says:
As a rule, I will simply shut a file when i discover that it is poetry, I simply can’t relate. But this was fabulous. I actually found myself wanting to read more (gasp) poetry! Hope this isn’t your last entry here.
February 14, 2014 — 5:48 PM
Sian Chapman says:
This was really really good. Thanks for taking the time to pen it.
February 14, 2014 — 7:50 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
No, thank you for taking the time to read it! I hope you had as much fun as I had writing it.
February 14, 2014 — 7:59 PM
mikes75 says:
Wow, that was magnificent!
February 15, 2014 — 9:32 AM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
Thank you so much! (Blushing)
February 15, 2014 — 9:47 AM
Mozette says:
Edgar Allan Poe…. step aside, for this lady taken your place!
She has written a sickening ballad of horror with such grace,
and yet, it made me sick to my guts, I couldn’t pull away,
it kept me in my chair until the until the last piece of the play.
Most definitely something of a great works! Keep it up!
February 19, 2014 — 1:41 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Wow. Whoa. Woooh. And several other words that sound like someone in too much awe to form proper words.
This. Is. Amazing. I’m not usually into poetry (which probably sounds odd coming from someone who’s also a lyricist; I blame it on all that non-rhyming, made-up-words, stream-of-consciousness stuff that was popular for a while…) but yours won my heart right from the first line. Fantastically grisly story too! Did you do all the artwork on your website too, by the way? It’s gorgeous!
February 19, 2014 — 4:32 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
Thank you so much! I usually don’t do rhyming either. But I absolutely love Dr. Seuss and Shell Silverstein and specifically those old scary stories to tell in the dark books. This was a kind of grisly tongue-in-cheek tribute to that kind of story. As for the artwork on my website I cannot claim the felicity. The cover artwork for my book or should I say upcoming book was designed by a fashion artist named Ros Webb. The two drawings that I use for my Amazon artist page links were done by friend of mine and fellow blogger Dana Thomas. Thank you for your wonderful comments darling
February 19, 2014 — 4:39 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
By the way if you did like that I did another one back at Halloween you can find it under the Jessica Bell tab on my site. It’s called under the stairs
February 19, 2014 — 4:40 PM
curleyqueue says:
Very enjoyable! thank you!
February 20, 2014 — 4:43 PM
Helena Hann-Basquiat says:
No, thank you!
February 20, 2014 — 8:26 PM
SpeakerPatrick says:
Can I email you the story and link your blog on my social pages?
February 14, 2014 — 2:38 PM
terribleminds says:
You cannot email me the story, I am afraid! But lots of great outlets to post your site at for free — Tumblr, WordPress, etc.
February 14, 2014 — 3:13 PM
Shane Vaughan says:
Well, here’s mine. It’s pretty autobiographical, so forgive it. But at the very least its honest. Twisted Love? All love is twisted.
http://writesomethingsmidge.blogspot.co.uk/
February 14, 2014 — 3:18 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Makes that tried-and-trusted female solution of a metric ton of Haagen-Daaz and Lambrusco look pretty damn shallow by comparison, Shane. 🙂 Beautifully written – hope it helped/s to heal your pain too.
February 19, 2014 — 4:41 PM
June Weiss says:
I have such a wealth of personal resource material to draw from!
February 14, 2014 — 3:39 PM
underastarlitsky says:
I have to say i’m really liking these longer word counts recently…instead of just 1000. I’m going to be going back to the genre I love this time, Steampunk, for this challenge. Will post back shortly! 🙂
February 14, 2014 — 4:00 PM
Jeremy Podolski says:
I’ve been publishing hybrid prose pieces on my blog under the moniker of “Not quite a poem” … Twisted Love was the perfect theme for what I wanted to write for my Valentine’s Day post, so here’s the result: Not quite a poem No. 2. Telegraphing the punch. http://jeremypodolski.com/2014/02/14/not-quite-a-poem-2/ (It’s much, much shorter than the 1,500 word max. Consider it a good return for a small investment).
February 14, 2014 — 4:28 PM
Sian Chapman says:
Here’s mine. NSFW, although only slightly. 600 words or so.
Linky Link: http://antagonistsneeded.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/flash-fiction-he-understood-nsfw/
“The excuses tumble through Rowan’s head. It’s war. Things are done in war. Sides become blurred. There is no such thing as family, only us and them.
Rowan still finds himself trudging back towards the shop in the snow.”
February 14, 2014 — 7:33 PM
The Glitzy Faery says:
Is “rubbed bullets” supposed to be “rubber bullets”? I got confused at the end, because I thought they’d killed the women.
February 20, 2014 — 9:32 PM
Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) says:
I was actually a little apprehensive about this one, but ended up really enjoying it. And despite the story’s name, it is most definitely NOT erotica (you pervs :b).
I now present to you fine folks my short tale of twisted love: Hard to Swallow
http://www.ramblingbeachcat.com/2014/02/flash-fiction-friday-hard-to-swallow.html
February 14, 2014 — 10:30 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Dark as dark gets… loved it! Very, very well-written – and dare I say some good research done for putting the meat on those story bones, too? And don’t worry – I’m sure your mum will be proud rather than freaked out. 🙂
February 19, 2014 — 4:54 PM
Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) says:
-Thanks, Wendy! I’ve had a pretty terrible day, so your timing with the kind words was impeccable.
-As far as my mom goes…she’s a church counselor…still supportive, but often not a fan of the really dark stuff I occasionally write.
-Went and read yours. Would have been all sorts of awkard if it sucked since you were so complimentary of mine. Luckily, your story kicked a sizable amount of ass. Very simple premise played for masterfully creepy effect.
February 20, 2014 — 1:26 AM
The Glitzy Faery says:
Awww, that’s so sweet! OK, I know that’s probably a weird reaction, lol. But I’m a sucker for a love story, and my heart broke for him, and the choice he had to make. My first bf was clinically psychotic, so I feel for him. 🙂
February 20, 2014 — 9:43 PM
Mozette says:
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/twisted-lover.html
Okay, I wrote this one from a first person POV… and it’s kinda dark, kinda hot… kinda… everything 😛
enjoy.
February 14, 2014 — 11:37 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I don’t quite know what I wrote. At 970 words:
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/twisted-love/
February 15, 2014 — 1:24 AM
Mozette says:
Boy… where did that come from? I mean, it went somewhere totally … um… not where I thought it would.
shit. 🙁
February 15, 2014 — 6:17 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Tell me about it! Is that a “good” shit or a “bad” shit?
February 15, 2014 — 9:07 AM
Mozette says:
Good shit, man… good shit! Strangeness that happens in a story like that is always good shit.
Especially when you don’t know how you go where you did when you started off with something else all together. 😀
February 16, 2014 — 6:47 AM
Nadia Tsvetkov says:
Thanks for posting this challenge. Not only did I write down my story right away, I designed and made a website just so I can link it here:
http://nadiats.com/twisted-love.html
February 15, 2014 — 1:39 PM
K. Zorn says:
A short 667 words, I hope you enjoy!
http://kzorn1989.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/prompt-twisted-love/
February 15, 2014 — 1:48 PM
Elaina Roberts (Mazuri) says:
Been ages since I’ve participated, but here’s my take. Came in at just over a thousand words, but it felt like a good stopping point.
http://www.elainamroberts.com/twisted-love/
Now to go read the others 🙂
February 15, 2014 — 2:18 PM
The Glitzy Faery says:
Ha! That’s not was I was expecting, great job!
February 20, 2014 — 10:04 PM
angelacavanaugh says:
Valentine – A dark story about two immortal creatures finding love, if only for one night.
http://angelacavanaugh.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/flash-fiction-friday-valentine/
February 15, 2014 — 6:32 PM
Cora Marie says:
I promise it’s fiction, unlike the rest of my blog, and it’s a little short. Anyways, first time here so tell me what you think.
– http://www.routacular.us/2014/02/there-was-this-girl.html
February 15, 2014 — 6:58 PM
underastarlitsky says:
Here’s my steampunk/clockpunk-esque story of Twisted Love… would love any feedback/comments!
http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com/
February 15, 2014 — 9:24 PM
underastarlitsky says:
forgot to say mine came in just shy of 1500 words – about 1498 or so…
February 15, 2014 — 9:37 PM
underastarlitsky says:
don’t know why my link wasn’t to the actual story…here it is directly: http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/twisted-love/
February 15, 2014 — 11:58 PM
curleyqueue says:
Enjoyed this! You created an easy, real visual for me and I also thought you did a nice job with the mood of the piece. Thanks for sharing!
February 20, 2014 — 4:31 PM
underastarlitsky says:
Thanks so much! 😀 glad you liked it 🙂
February 20, 2014 — 7:33 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Awww… so sad! But so beautiful too. I’m going to hang my head in shame now and admit that this is possibly the first steampunk-genre story I’ve ever read. But if they’re as enjoyable and well-written as this one I will definitely be reading more. Loved this one very much.
February 20, 2014 — 4:01 PM
Rebecca Martin says:
I called my story “Tainted Love.” Very original, I know. Soft Cell totally stole the song title from me.
http://thereallydivinemissm.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/tainted-love/
February 15, 2014 — 10:35 PM
Mark Gardner says:
#high five# I imagine a clinician will be needed in the future.
February 15, 2014 — 11:32 PM
Rebecca Martin says:
A clinician for Moe or Daisy? Personally, I think they both need to seek professional help.
February 15, 2014 — 11:34 PM
Sekil Selias says:
Not the kind of twisted love you’d expect this close to Valentine’s day, but it is twisted love all the same. It’s significantly under the 1500 word limit, but I felt that I picked a suitable place to end it, and I’m sticking by that.
Here’s my fiction, “Master.”
http://m-chapman.deviantart.com/art/Master-434450806?q=gallery%3AM-Chapman&qo=0
February 15, 2014 — 11:25 PM
Benyamin Josef says:
Here’s my story entitled “Eat Me” at just under 1500 words.
A married couple debate the plausibility of eating human flesh.
http://springloadedcats.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/flash-fiction-twisted-love-eat-me-1500/
February 16, 2014 — 9:08 AM
Gry Ranfelt says:
Haha, that was a great one 😀 A bit of a sudden shift by the end – not plot wise, more scene-shift wise – but otherwise a DELICIOUS flash fiction.
February 17, 2014 — 4:23 AM
Benyamin Josef says:
Thanks Gry!
February 21, 2014 — 4:29 AM
curleyqueue says:
You win the award for seriously twisted with this story! great work though- funny, genuine-sounding conversation and a real nice close. Look forward to more!
February 20, 2014 — 4:39 PM
Benyamin Josef says:
Thank you thank you for the kind words. I’ll admit that this was taken from a real conversation between me and the missus. My arm is till sore.
February 21, 2014 — 4:26 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Holy… whatsit! This one definitely ‘does what it says on the tin,’ as they say! Very well written – but had to read it through my fingers (and if I could’ve hidden behind the sofa I probably would’ve as well!)
February 20, 2014 — 4:53 PM
Francesca Carrillo says:
Rather short, about 700 words.
Here’s “Poison Be Gone”:
http://francescacarrillo.blogspot.sg/2014/02/flash-fic-challenge-poison-be-gone.html
February 17, 2014 — 1:22 AM
Tonia Marie Houston says:
Good story. You created a sense of unease and tension and that’s hard work.
February 21, 2014 — 12:01 PM
Gry Ranfelt says:
My story “His Private Hooker” is about a hooker who realizes that a client has fallen maniacally in love with her.
http://authorgry.com/2014/02/his-private-hooker-flash-fiction/
February 17, 2014 — 4:11 AM
Josh Loomis says:
I’ve had some hosting trouble with the blog, but I’m back, and I bring you a story I called simply “His”.
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2014/02/17/flash-fiction-his/
February 17, 2014 — 8:54 AM
The Glitzy Faery says:
Love it!
When I started reading I thought to myself “no one has secretaries anymore”, but by the end of the paragraph, I thought “well OF COURSE a guy like that has a secretary, admin assistants are for sedan-driving pussies”, lol.
If only more lawyers were like your fictional one. 😉
February 20, 2014 — 11:27 PM
C. Ford Compton says:
I’m still stuck on 1,000 words… though it is *exactly* 1,000. Don’t be mad at me. Please?
I present a science fiction piece entitled “The Download.” Comments welcome. Enjoy!
http://penandhook.blogspot.com/2014/02/im-writer-i-promise.html
February 17, 2014 — 12:47 PM
Tami Veldura says:
A short one for me this week.
Trigger warning for… I’m not sure. Death-like subjects.
http://www.tamiveldura.com/2014/02/prompt-twisted-love.html
February 17, 2014 — 5:07 PM
Wanderer says:
Attempted it!
http://story–time.blogspot.ca/2014/02/twisted-love.html
February 17, 2014 — 5:32 PM
oddpoint says:
This is my version of a twisted love story… hehehe… enjoy 😀 , it is exactly 945 words
http://oddpoint.blog.com/2014/02/18/that-dumb-chick/
February 17, 2014 — 8:53 PM
Jon Jefferson says:
My story for the week.
http://www.10thdaypublishing.com/called-cathouse/
February 17, 2014 — 8:57 PM
Fatma Alici says:
This story ended up a lot longer than the it was suppose it. Maybe a 1000 words to long, but it was so fun I couldn’t help myself. Love between a virgin and incubus. Classic combo.
http://naharavensari.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/flash-fiction-twisted-love/
February 18, 2014 — 7:53 PM
Peter says:
I’m pilot. I’m fly.
http://oneyearinwords.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/twisted-love-0218/
February 18, 2014 — 10:12 PM
Nicki1323 says:
http://ndeneau.tumblr.com/post/77173479013/twisted-love-flash-fiction-challenge
February 19, 2014 — 9:14 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Here’s my entry for this week – not sure if it’s ‘twisted’ enough, but I’ll admit I liked the higher word count for this one. Brevity, I think, is not so much my thing. 😉
http://wcprawncrackers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/flash-fiction-challenge-customer.html
And now I shall go look at some other people’s stories – and feel completely inferior by comparison, probably 😉 I know from past experience, lotta talented people frequenting this site.
February 19, 2014 — 9:39 AM
Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) says:
Excellent job…though I probably shouldn’t have read it right before bed. Main character creeped me out something fierce.
February 20, 2014 — 1:22 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
Why thank you! Much appreciated. This is my second Chuck Wendig Challenge (read ’em for a long time, only recently started having the guts to post any.) I was worried Danny would seem tame compared to some of the characters in other people’s stories… I’m glad he still manages to be creepy in a different way 🙂
February 20, 2014 — 3:33 PM
Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) says:
That “tame” factor you were worried about is part of why the story works so well. There’s nothing supernatural or superhuman about Danny. Instead, we get to take a ride through the mind of an obsessive and borderline psychotic person…the type of person we probably come into contact with multiple times a day and never even realize it. T’was good/unsettling stuff!
February 20, 2014 — 9:07 PM
oldestgenxer says:
My birthday is tomorrow–obviously a time to reflect on all that I haven’t accomplished with my life. I’m not about to make any promises, I just hope to be able to put more into my writing this year, before I die. Whichever.
This is not a tale of twisted love…quite the contrary. It’s regular love. And not new love, either. This is old, comfortable love. After the romance fades and the spark dies and you still have to be with each other–that love. Because you know it’s love when you still want to.
Funny story: This story wasn’t a dream, but it is what the dream led to.
Take My Body Home
February 19, 2014 — 11:32 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
I really liked this – and I do think it fits Chuck’s criteria, even if the love between the two leads is pure and genuine rather than twisted. Love in twisted circumstances, maybe? Anyway, I think you did a great job.
And don’t beat yourself up about whatever you ‘haven’t’ done already. The great thing about writing is that you’re NEVER too old to make headway with it (speaking as someone who aint no spring chicken herself…)
And Happy Birthday, by the way 🙂
February 20, 2014 — 3:42 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Kind of a cool story. I liked that it wasn’t so twisted.
February 22, 2014 — 1:01 AM
curleyqueue says:
My story came in at about 150 words over the 1500 goal, but it doesn’t seem people here judge too harshly for that. Name of the story is “A Change of Chi” and here is the link:
http://wp.me/p44qkj-G
And because I am still ridiculously unsure if I’m doing this stuff right, here is the long link to the same:
http://agcurleyart.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/twisted-love-challenge-in-the-spirit-of-valentines-day-from-terribleminds-com-any-genre-1500-words/
February 20, 2014 — 4:06 PM
Lydia says:
Okay, here it goes. My entry, By Bread.
http://pleasantlyscrewed.tumblr.com/post/77312718857/flashfiction
February 20, 2014 — 5:11 PM
Shirley says:
OK, I’m taking seriously the “it’s never to late to start” thing I’ve been hearing about. I’ve always written stuff, but never with the intent of becoming a Writer.
So here, my first serious attempt, “The Heart Wants What it Wants”! This seems the right place for my depressing shit, lol. My friends are tired of looking at it. 😀 (slightly NSFW)
http://jayneaustinauthor.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/twisted-love-a-flash-fiction-challenge-chuck-wendig/
February 20, 2014 — 5:34 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I didn’t have much of a clue about this one, and its way past Valentine’s Day anyway. This is more of a future chapter than a story in its own right, but hey, it’s Twisted Love (and its live in about 30 minutes) 🙂
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/02/21/friday-flash-fiction-twisted-love/
PS – are you story buffs doing the A to Z Challenge? I hope so… Check out the previous post while you’re there.
February 20, 2014 — 6:43 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
It makes a nice change from the grimness in most of our stories!
February 22, 2014 — 1:02 AM