Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

Flash Fiction Challenge: Charlie And The Whoa What Now?

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.

terribleminds

52 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Charlie And The Whoa What Now?”

  1. 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.

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Reply

  7. 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.

    Reply

  19. 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

    Reply

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