Last week’s challenge: Random Title Challenge.
So, in case you haven’t seen it, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a new cover.
It’s a beautiful cover. See?
But to me it’s the beautiful cover to an entirely different book.
So: I want you to write it.
Er, okay, you don’t have to write a whole book.
But let’s say: 1000 words or so of fiction using that cover as inspiration.
(Feel free to ignore the title. Focus just on the photo!)
Write it at your blog blog or online space.
Link back here.
Due by Friday, August 15th, noon EST.
52 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Charlie And The Whoa What Now?”
The frustrating thing for me is that this cover is from stock photography. Maybe this is why I don’t work in advertising now. Because if I was going to do a 50th anniversary cover to a book and put out a press release about it, I would have used original art.
Using stock is nothing to write a press release about.
Wait… This is a joke, right? That looks more like something out of the “Stepford Wives” or “Children of the Corn”.
I was going to say, I can do that in 5 words: “Stepford Females of All Ages”. :O) I’ll put my thinking cap on.
I was thinking the same thing. My brain keeps wanting to go to some horror plot.
I had to read some of the news articles on this to realize that’s a girl on the cover, not Charlie in drag. (One story: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28703254)
Wait wait. That was SERIOUS? I saw it flying around yesterday and thought it was a joke!
I can’t stand that cover for that book. Maybe if someone was doing a biography of Veruca Salt, great, but that for Charlie? What relationship does that have to that book? NONE.
The title is now: “Where’s…my…CHOCOLATE, you Wonka!”
Considering the book is cautionary tale about spoiled children and bad parenting, and since Veruca Salt is the worst of all the kids, I think this cover is perfect. Also, it’s a Penguin Classic release aimed at adults, not a brand new book the publisher is introducing to an audience, so they can get away with a more creative cover. I think too many people are basing their opinions about this cover on the film(s) instead of the book. Then again, I think the Dahl cartoon covers are ridiculously stupid, so maybe it’s a taste thing.
You sure that’s not Ira Levine’s The Stepford Wives?
Also, could have been worse. Could have featured these couche-tards: http://www.alwaysontherun.net/veruca7.jpg
I get more of a Jonbenet Ramsey vibe…
Bingo.
Yes.
Me, too. Good prompt, though. http://www.writingpast.com/writing-challenges-or-see-the-crappy-first-drafts/valley-of-the-doll
It was an interesting story. You mentioned you were concerned about the voice of the narrator, but I suspect a girl in that situation would think older than her years.
Thanks for reading and the feedback. Much appreciated.
Mine is up at http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/16-sunsets-revelations/
Ooooh, good and creepy… I like it! 😀
Yay! Did you read the older stuff?
Ooh.. no… not yet… hang on, I’ll go and do that! 🙂
Love it! Reminds me of ‘Constantine’ ! 😀
That is hella creepy…
Okay… it’s twisted and creepy that photo… so is what I wrote… 😛
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/charlie-and-thewoah.html
I love it! But, that’s to be expected from the author of Body Rentals.
Body Rentals?
So happy you loved it Mark 😀
http://article94.wordpress.com/body-rentals/
OOOOOHHH! I’ll be buying that when I’m at my folk’s place next!
[…] Chuck’s prompt this week was to write a story to go with the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cover revealed on Wednesday. I figured we’d all see how Joaquin was getting along with his new friends. Here’s 1000 words on the nose: […]
[…] the picture for the newest cover of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as the inspiration for his latest flash fiction challenge. Yes, I agree it is creepy, worthy of inspiration. The challenge: one thousand word based on the […]
Okay, this is a little out of my genre, but here goes:
The Good Girl: http://bethturnage.com/?p=186
I really struggled with this one. So many false starts. Here’s what I came up with in the end:
http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/8/10/new-model-amy
This was a great start, and I loved the concept. But I thought the ending could be stronger. You mention her anger at the beginning. It was the gun that didn’t go off.
As Checkhov said:
Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.
—Anton Chekhov
This was a reply to JP Juniper
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the feedback!
Great work folks. Here is mine. http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/2014/08/forever-perfect.html
Tonia–That was perfect.
Thanks! 🙂
First thought was a spin on Mommy Deareat vs Charlie as a drag queen…interesting choice Tonto.
[…] following is a bit of flash fiction written in response to Chuck Wendig’s call to action. Apparently there’s a new edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory coming out that has […]
Here is my entry. http://eichenblog.org/?p=2624
[…] challenge this week over at Terrible Minds was to write a 1,000 word flash fiction on the new cover for Charlie […]
Not sure if I should really include this, but I’ve seen people break the rules before. I just couldn’t bring myself to write 1,000 words – it was all too disturbing for me right now. So, I wrote a poem instead. At least I feel that I can move on.
https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/daydreams-and-wishes/
Okay, I should never be allowed to write after midnight, it comes out super fucking dark. Have fun with The Misfortune Teller: http://dubious-gravity.tumblr.com/post/94635073909/the-misfortune-teller
[…] week’s flash fiction challenge was based on this disturbing new cover of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. It took me awhile to think up what to write about but once it came, I wrote the story in half an […]
Here’s my story. A Beautiful Disaster http://wp.me/pBqgu-b4 (glad i’m not alone in thinking the cover image is uber creepy!).
Hope you like what I did with this… “A dirty mind is a Joy forever”
http://gembolding.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/a-dirty-mind-is-a-joy-forever/
“Enjoy” as much as you can. Here is “Charlotte”: http://lickthespoonclean.com/?p=62
http://theunstillpicture.wordpress.com/
My first blog post. The mirroring of the blog name and story title was completely unintentional– at least consciously.
Been a long time since I’ve done something like this so here goes! Please be gentle…
The Lisa
http://shuttrbear.tumblr.com/post/94796411033/i-decided-to-participate-in-a-flash-fiction
A tad long, but I liked the idea and where it led.
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/08/14/flash-fiction-i-remembered-it-was-thursday/
[…] Last week’s challenge: Charlie And The Whoa What Now? […]