Last week’s challenge: “Rise of the Phoenix.”
This week?
Below you’ll find a list of 20 cocktails.
I love cocktails because they have great names. Evocative in their own fun way. So, you’ll choose a random cocktail from the table and use that as the title of your story. Use a d20 or a random number generator or, if none of those are really fizzing your gin, go ahead and use one that’s not on the list.
You’ve got 1500 words this time.
Due by June 20th, noon EST.
Post at your online space. Link to it in the comments below.
(Feel free to add “the” to any of the below titles.)
The Cocktail List
- Rusty Nail
- Pisco Sour
- Bee’s Knees
- Corpse-Reviver
- French 75
- Monkey Gland
- Boulevardier
- Twelve-Mile Limit
- Bird of Paradise
- White Lady
- Dirty Martini
- Rum Punch
- Mary Pickford
- Tuxedo No. 2
- Gin Rickey
- Paloma
- Blind Abbot
- Buttery Nipple
- Moscow Mule
- Screaming Orgasm
Pavowski says:
Love a good cocktail. Random.org served me up a nice tall glass of #15, Gin Rickey.
June 13, 2014 — 12:25 PM
Pavowski says:
Maybe I was a bit myopic. I tried to think of ways to make the title “Gin Rickey” not have anything to do with liquor and came up dry (haw) so I decided to lean into the skid and embrace my tunnel vision. I even ended up getting a bit of Father’s Day magic into this one, though it wasn’t even almost my intention at first.
These characters are a lot saltier than my usual fare, which was kinda fun to write. “Gin Rickey” is here: http://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/gin_rickey/
June 14, 2014 — 10:16 PM
Mike Berkey says:
That didn’t go where I was expecting it to go. Pretty cool–I like how offended the guy gets when he doesn’t get any of the blue shit with umbrellas. Now I kinda want to learn what’s in the case and what the deal is with their family. 🙂
June 15, 2014 — 11:59 AM
Pavowski says:
I started out with Rick as a sort of everyman and was quickly bored to tears with him, so I tried making him even dodgier than Lem. I think it works better. But seriously, who doesn’t like that blue shit with the umbrellas? Come on!
June 15, 2014 — 4:34 PM
amaryllis2012 says:
Really enjoyed this–a kick of tension is as good as caffeine in the morning.
June 19, 2014 — 10:34 AM
Pavowski says:
Glad I was able to achieve tension 🙂
June 19, 2014 — 10:42 AM
Hannah says:
Really interesting family dynamic and Rick and Lem were well developed and intriguing.
June 16, 2014 — 8:59 AM
Pavowski says:
Thanks!
June 16, 2014 — 9:30 AM
thesexiestwriter says:
I got corpse-reviver. Easier than buttery nipple, I guess…
June 13, 2014 — 12:27 PM
April says:
I’m taking Twelve Mile Limit.
June 13, 2014 — 12:49 PM
April says:
Here’s mine: http://worlddominationcommittee.com/2014/06/13/twelve-mile-limit/
June 13, 2014 — 3:07 PM
Mark Gardner says:
The beginning had an almost Judge Dredd feeling to it. I’ll have to mark this to be stolen.
June 13, 2014 — 5:39 PM
Mark Baron says:
Fantastic job, very eerie!
June 18, 2014 — 2:24 PM
Hannah says:
Love post-apocalyptic type stories and what an ending!
June 16, 2014 — 9:04 AM
Rachel says:
What, no Sex On The Beach?
Actually, there are a million of those stories already. Nevermind, forget I said anything.
June 13, 2014 — 1:23 PM
Jon Stoffel says:
I don’t know what it is, but the d20 makes me yearn for a Boulevardier. I’ll go get my blender… or whatever.
June 13, 2014 — 1:48 PM
Hannah says:
Hah! Got my favorite drink at the moment on the first roll. Now I just need to drink one while writing…
June 13, 2014 — 1:54 PM
Hannah says:
http://secondstaronther.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/paloma/
This went in a completely unexpected direction, but I’m glad it did! Hope you enjoy reading it.
June 13, 2014 — 5:30 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I like it. I always have difficulties writing sex, but you pulled it off and remained tasteful.
June 13, 2014 — 5:47 PM
colinjkeats says:
Very nice! Romance-fantasy. Not a bad word to say about this one!
June 15, 2014 — 4:52 AM
Hannah says:
Thanks so much!
June 16, 2014 — 8:47 AM
deinafurth says:
Blind Abbot. I didn’t even know what that drink was. Damn cool story title, though. Should be fun 🙂
June 13, 2014 — 2:33 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I had fun doing my dialog-only flash, so I tried another experimental style here. Here it is at 1003 words:
http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/moscow-mule/
June 13, 2014 — 5:14 PM
Mike Berkey says:
“Meat steps.” Awesome. I also like that it heavily implies that low-carb diets prevent zombie apocalypses. 🙂
June 15, 2014 — 12:03 PM
Mark Gardner says:
It does! You should check out the other flash fiction in the same world. Click on “The Afflicted” tag on my blog.
June 15, 2014 — 1:29 PM
Hannah says:
Strong voice, interesting story! There are a lot of small details in there that I would love to know more about.
June 16, 2014 — 9:08 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Like above, check out “the afflicted” tag on my blog for more stories from this world.
June 16, 2014 — 10:42 AM
Natalie Maddalena says:
That made me remember a recent comic with a bee looking sadly at his reflection. “What if my knees aren’t really that great?”
June 13, 2014 — 8:52 PM
Mari says:
This was extremely fun to write – a dapper millennium old arms dealer, shadow beast, crypt-bound fight scene, and a mythical, magical “six-shooter”. Any feedback would be helpful. 🙂 Here’s mine: Le Boulevardier.
http://ghostsinthemachines.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/le-boulevardier/
June 14, 2014 — 12:30 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Your blog is marked ‘private.’ I couldn’t read it 🙁
June 14, 2014 — 3:14 PM
Mari says:
Man, sorry about that – I fixed the settings so the link should work now… Thanks for letting me know!
June 14, 2014 — 4:42 PM
amaryllis2012 says:
I feel like I’m in the beginning of Oliver…can I have some more? From the details of the lighter to all the questions that are still crowding around about what exactly just happened, I was hooked.
June 21, 2014 — 8:33 AM
Mr Urban Spaceman says:
Clocking in at just over 1400 words, French 75: http://mrurbanspaceman.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/french-75-a-flash-fiction-piece/
June 14, 2014 — 6:30 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Nice continuation. I guess we have to wait a week to read the next installment.
June 14, 2014 — 3:07 PM
Mike Berkey says:
You had me at “luchador.”
June 15, 2014 — 11:43 AM
Mike Berkey says:
…and…off to read the previous installments…
June 15, 2014 — 11:45 AM
angelacavanaugh says:
So… I couldn’t help it. I used ALL 20 words in my story. And added Sex on the Beach, too.
Here’s my story Bird of Paradise: http://angelacavanaugh.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/879/#more-879
June 14, 2014 — 6:40 AM
Mark Gardner says:
As I read this I thought of the Firefly episode: Heart of Gold.
June 14, 2014 — 3:13 PM
Mozette says:
I worked on this one just now… I’m tired, have a headache and yet I think it went okay… 🙂
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/the-white-lady.html
Let me know what you think
June 14, 2014 — 7:59 AM
Mark Gardner says:
Definitely creepy – which is what I expect from you.
June 14, 2014 — 2:59 PM
Mozette says:
Aaaawww… 😀
Thanks 😀
June 14, 2014 — 7:57 PM
colinjkeats says:
Wow for finishing with a headache, awesome! Although the headache may have helped the setting, I guess. I only have one teensy critique – and this probably WAS because of your headache. This sentence confused me at first I had to re-read: “She told me that they’ve seen so many people pass through here due to that new cocktail who have lost so many friends to what it does to them.”
So usually that means you can make it flow better. Judging from what you already wrote, I’m sure you can. Good job!
June 17, 2014 — 10:25 PM
chriswhitewrites says:
Here’s mine, The Blind Abbot – some very short Aztec horror. Let me know what you think…
June 14, 2014 — 8:29 PM
Mozette says:
Well…. hellooo…. Death…. 🙂
June 14, 2014 — 9:51 PM
chriswhitewrites says:
Always waiting…
June 20, 2014 — 7:23 PM
Mike Berkey says:
Very intense! Reminds me of “The Outsider”, a bit, except even the protagonist isn’t pretending he’s a good guy. 🙂
June 15, 2014 — 11:41 AM
chriswhitewrites says:
Thanks, Mike! What a compliment.
June 20, 2014 — 7:24 PM
colinjkeats says:
Nice work. I love the accompanying pic, too. I had a little giggle at myself because I read this – Oversky – at first like a name pronounced Oh-VER-skee, instead of Over Sky … LOL obviously I haven’t read fantasy for a while.
June 17, 2014 — 10:30 PM
chriswhitewrites says:
Ha! Glad you liked the story, and the pic was brilliant, wasn’t it?
June 20, 2014 — 7:25 PM
Mike Berkey says:
One flick of the d20 gives me…Corpse-reviver. Huh. I was hoping for Buttery Nipples.
Okay, hardboiled noir, Peoria, Illinois, and retelling that old saw about Hercules and Atlas.
http://billionmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/corpse-reviver.html
June 15, 2014 — 11:38 AM
Hannah says:
The hardboiled noir tone was done really well and I enjoyed the allusion to Hercules and Atlas–especially since my story veered into mythology as well. Fun read–great main character.
June 16, 2014 — 9:35 AM
colinjkeats says:
Hard-boiled-good stuff. I always liked the noir style. I wish I could write it. Good work!
June 17, 2014 — 10:45 PM
JP Juniper says:
Tuxedo (No. 2). It got… weird.
http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/6/15/tuxedo-no-2
June 15, 2014 — 12:39 PM
Hannah says:
Intriguing story! The layout with the numbers worked well–that’s hard to do. I enjoyed reading this, good work.
Quick edit: He couldn’t BARE to look at her. It should be “bear”
June 16, 2014 — 9:47 AM
JP Juniper says:
Gack! Thank you thank you thank you for pointing that out. Fixed!
*feels like an illiterate dope*
*drinks more tea*
*runs out of tea*
*cries*
June 16, 2014 — 11:06 AM
Hannah says:
I switch reign and rein ALL THE TIME. It’s so embarrassing–but it happens to us all.
*brings you more tea*
*pours you a cup*
*hands you a handkerchief*
June 16, 2014 — 11:54 AM
colinjkeats says:
I am not worthy. That was really good and I echo Hannah – got to be hard to do.
June 17, 2014 — 10:51 PM
underastarlitsky says:
I random.org’d a number before I even looked at the list. I got 8. Twelve Mile Limit. It’s kinda weird. http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com
June 15, 2014 — 5:07 PM
brucearthurs says:
Martha Grimes’ “Emma Graham” series features the 12-year-old-girl-detective Emma milking information and insights from her dotty, attic-bound grandmother Aurora (sort of Mycroft to Emma’s Holmes) by daily cocktails mixed from whatever combinations Emma can purloin from her family’s hotel’s liquor stock. Weird combinations, given weird names, but some actually sound good. I googled for a list, but no one seems to have done the compilation.
(Kind of a frustrating series, because some of the mysteries introduced in the first book still haven’t been resolved by the fourth.)
June 15, 2014 — 6:23 PM
Helen Espinosa says:
I rolled 13, Mary Pickford. Tough one for me that I had to look up, but I went with it! 🙂
https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/mary-pickford/
June 16, 2014 — 10:59 AM
Gry Ranfelt says:
Tuxedo No. 2; that’s Marvil. He’s the second guy in Vanessa’s life. Well, now he’ll demand to get to wear the good suit her dead husband wore on that cool magazine cover.
But where is it?
http://authorgry.com/2014/06/tuxedo-no-2-or-modern-mummy-matrony/
June 16, 2014 — 2:34 PM
Suzie says:
I rolled Blind Abbot. I’m… not entirely sure the resulting story works. But I like my character of the Blind Abbot. Might have to use him/her/it again!
http://suziehunt.co.uk/fiction/flash-fiction/blind-abbot
June 16, 2014 — 3:09 PM
colinjkeats says:
Oh that story works, all right. I can see a whole Night Gallery series out of the character. Only one thing I gotta say.
The name Gary.
I dunno.
AlI can think of is Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally:
Harry Burns:With whom did you have this great sex?
Sally Albright: I’m not going to tell you that.
Harry Burns: Fine, don’t tell me.
Sally Albright: Shel Gordon.
Harry Burns: Shel? Sheldon? No, no, you did not have great sex with Sheldon.
Sally Albright: I did too.
Harry Burns: No you didn’t. A Sheldon can do your income taxes, if you need a root canal, Sheldon’s your man… But humpin’ and pumpin’ is not Sheldon’s strong suit. It’s the name. ‘Do it to me Sheldon, you’re an animal Sheldon, ride me big Shel-don.’ Doesn’t work.
I kinda feel the same way about a heroic sacrificing Gary, but maybe that was what you were going for as a counter juxtaposition (if that’s a word?) of the type.
June 18, 2014 — 9:09 PM
Suzie says:
Thanks for the comment and so glad you enjoyed it! Interesting point about the name — it wasn’t really a deliberate choice, I just wanted something ‘everyman’ or ‘every father’, although now you mention it, it doesn’t quite have that heroic ring to it…
June 20, 2014 — 5:56 PM
drewkrull says:
Here’s mine, Monkey Gland, on a tangy, freshly squeezed blog.
http://drewkrull.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/monkey-gland/
June 16, 2014 — 4:20 PM
Jon Jefferson says:
I rolled and got the title Monkey Gland. It took me to strange places.
http://www.10thdaypublishing.com/monkey-gland-bodycount/
June 16, 2014 — 6:29 PM
Emily says:
I might be a little late to the party, but here’s mine: ‘Tuxedo’ No. 2. The main character, Jim, finds himself stuck between two suits as he gets ready for a dinner with his girlfriend and her parents.
http://theredreveur.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/creative-play-5-tuxedo-no-2.html
June 17, 2014 — 12:53 PM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
One Moscow Mule, a stale beer in a martini glass kind of tale.
http://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/moscow-mule-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/
June 17, 2014 — 8:21 PM
crow365 says:
I rolled the “Rusty Nail”, here’s mine: http://nickegelhoff.com/2014/06/17/flash-fiction-contest-the-cocktail-is-your-title/
June 17, 2014 — 8:56 PM
colinjkeats says:
Thinking this might be a starter to another longer piece. I chose White Lady.
http://colinjkeats.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/the-white-lady/
June 17, 2014 — 10:17 PM
angel011 says:
I got Tuxedo No. 2. 1,400 words, all dialogue.
http://angel011.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/flash-fiction-tuxedo-no-2/
June 18, 2014 — 4:45 AM
Jemima Pett says:
Clever dialogue and a nice development 🙂
June 19, 2014 — 11:31 PM
Mark Baron says:
I came up with Rum Punch. The story it inspired needed less than a thousand words. Here you go: http://wp.me/p4AFse-bp
June 18, 2014 — 1:00 PM
colinjkeats says:
Pinky Black … great name. Sounds like a series….
June 18, 2014 — 8:51 PM
Mark Baron says:
I have an affinity for serial fiction, and thanks! 😀 Pinky will definitely appear in future ass-kickings. 😉
June 18, 2014 — 9:05 PM
Mark Baron says:
I couldn’t resist – I set a story for another challenge in the same world, same character. http://wp.me/p4AFse-bs
June 19, 2014 — 11:36 AM
colinjkeats says:
Yes Mark, I think you have the genre down pat. Damn that pat… Good job! So what will Jimmy the Gent do to P Black.?
June 19, 2014 — 8:06 PM
Mark Baron says:
We’ll have to find out in the next installment 😉
June 19, 2014 — 9:49 PM
Mark Baron says:
Awesome job man – Loved the characters!
June 18, 2014 — 1:43 PM
whimsicalblades says:
Monkey Gland it is! This one turned out kinda grisly and it ends suddenly but I like it. First flash fiction effort, and first blog post. Probably missed the party, but here it is anyway. Enjoy! (I hope)
http://adifferentkindofsanity.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/monkey-glands/
June 19, 2014 — 8:43 AM
colinjkeats says:
Never too late. Until you are. First flash fiction was very good: well structured, and intriguing, I thought.
June 19, 2014 — 11:46 AM
amaryllis2012 says:
French 75?! And there is just no explaining how that morphed into this:
http://openwindowopenbook.blogspot.com/
June 19, 2014 — 9:58 AM
jasonjoel (@jasonjoel) says:
My first stab at one of these.
http://www.creativeconfidants.com/#!Blind-Abbot—by-Jason/c9sk/69FBF563-5937-4089-8784-1A2859FF144E
June 19, 2014 — 11:57 AM
AE Smith says:
Tuxedo No. 2: http://gigantocellularis.tumblr.com/post/89278500592/flash-fiction-tuxedo-no-2
June 19, 2014 — 2:14 PM
Jemima Pett says:
Nice! I liked the pent-up potential of the tux 😀
June 19, 2014 — 11:17 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I’ve got Twelve-Mile LImit too. I seem to be stuck in my Pete and the Swede story at present, so I’m taking July off to go to Camp NaNo and write the book. The latest installment of my asteroid miners’ romp goes live about 7pm EST (midnight UK time)
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/06/20/friday-flash-fiction-twelve-mile-limit/
June 19, 2014 — 4:28 PM
William Grit says:
http://williamgrit.com/2014/06/20/rusty-nail-karate-class/
June 20, 2014 — 2:08 AM