Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds

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October 3, 2014 / 192 Comments

Flash Fiction Challenge: From Sentence To Story

Last week, I said, “Hey, write a really great sentence.”

And you did.

Lots of you did.

This week, I’m saying, okay, go check out those sentences in the comments, pick one of your favorites, and use it in a new short piece of flash fiction, ~1000 words long.

Post that story at your online space.

Link back here so we can all see it.

Make sure to identify which sentence you used!

Give credit both in comment and your posting.

Due back in one week: by next Friday, noon EST.

Go. Pick. Write.

155 Comments

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  1. Kevin says:

    Okay, I jumped the gun and wrote this last weekend. I only wrote 500 words, but that seemed like the natural length for what the story wanted to be. My sentence was Laurie Jameson’s:

    “The tree’s skeletal fingers stroked the ground as if to comfort the girl who lay below.”

    http://kevjava.blogspot.com/2014/10/flash-fiction-from-sentence-to-story.html

    October 3, 2014 — 11:28 AM

    Reply

  2. litbandit says:

    I took the line “I open my eyes and the sky explodes” from Justin (sithbomb)
    It’s short, really short – I always seem to do around 3-500 words.
    But I hope you enjoy!

    http://literarybandit.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/if-i-had-control-over-judgement-day/

    October 3, 2014 — 12:21 PM

    Reply

  3. Robert Niemann says:

    Okay, so I am a serious Tech Neanderthal. Where is my” Online Space?” Anyone to help me please?

    October 3, 2014 — 1:08 PM

    Reply

  4. Holly Geely says:

    I used Angela Cavanaugh’s ” I received visual confirmation through the thin spiral of wires that had been nestled into my cornea.” I got 700-ish words out of it, I hope that anyone who reads will enjoy.

    “The Supreme’s Affair”

    http://hollygeely.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/the-supremes-affair-a-short-fiction/

    October 3, 2014 — 2:39 PM

    Reply

  5. Mark Gardner says:

    I chose Steven Cowles’s line as my opener. After adding 774 words to his, I give you Kanoni: http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/kanoni/

    October 3, 2014 — 2:58 PM

    Reply

  6. Helena says:

    I used the sentence “Go back to sleep, Wallace” by JR Simm and made a 1k short story. Almost. English is not my mother tongue, so there might be some mistakes, but I tried to avoid them.
    Also, it’s a horror short story.

    http://deegrimm.blog.com/2014/10/03/pinocchio-made-of-flesh-flash-fiction-challenge/

    October 3, 2014 — 6:14 PM

    Reply

  7. lisacle says:

    When I read Sweetsoleah’s sentence last week, I knew exactly what story I wanted to tell. http://lisacle.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/flash-fiction-challenge-one-really-great-sentence/

    October 3, 2014 — 6:23 PM

    Reply

  8. Tsara says:

    Okay, this was fun. Thank-you for the challenge!!!!

    I used “I really did try.” suggested by marshskpop. Such a simple sentence, and the story wrote itself!

    I have no idea how many words it is…. but, I know I had a blast typing each one. Happy reading!!!

    http://autismanswersbytsara.blogspot.com/2014/10/short-story-to-try.html

    October 3, 2014 — 11:35 PM

    Reply

    • L. N. Holmes says:

      Tsara this was excellent. The writing is clear and concise. The characters were believable and their motivations and relationships well developed in a short amount of time. I loved the details and the characters actions. I am now a huge fan.

      October 9, 2014 — 11:09 PM

      Reply

      • Tsara says:

        I’m thrilled that you took the time to read my story, LeeAnn. And I’m really really happy that you enjoyed it!!

        I also found the tale you wrote in response to the challenge to be woven masterfully!! I was curious and anxious until the end.

        My favorite thing about visiting your site, though, was “I’m a writer because I have stage fright.”

        I’ve remembered that line randomly and often since I read it a few weeks ago, and every time I smile!!

        Hugs hugs!!!
        ~Tsara

        October 18, 2014 — 4:48 PM

        Reply

  9. Mozette says:

    A great challenge – and so many choices! I picked:

    ‘All I got for my 19th Birthday was pregnant and a criminal record’ by Russell Appelt.

    Enjoy!

    http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/criminal-minds.html

    October 4, 2014 — 1:36 AM

    Reply

    • Rose Red says:

      Whoa!~ Great intrigue. You had me the whole way. Well done.

      October 4, 2014 — 1:33 PM

      Reply

    • Russell Appelt says:

      Awesome story with a creepy twist, I loved it.

      October 4, 2014 — 1:42 PM

      Reply

      • Mozette says:

        Thanks guys! And the strangest thing is…. *drum roll thunders around us!*…. it’s my birthday this Sunday (5th, October!) …. the creepiness continues! 😛

        October 4, 2014 — 8:13 PM

        Reply

        • Laurie Jameson says:

          Happy birthday Mozette! I almost chose your sentence because it just seemed to have so many possibilities. Howver, I didn’t choose your sentence just because it had so many possibilities and I figured several people would run with it. Does that make any sense?

          October 5, 2014 — 1:12 PM

          Reply

      • Mozette says:

        So happy you enjoyed what I did with your line… I read it and knew kind of what the story was going to be about, but had to figure out how to work it… 🙂

        October 7, 2014 — 8:21 AM

        Reply

  10. angelacavanaugh says:

    I used Jonathan Dayton’s sentence:

    “Standing on the hill overlooking the warlord’s capital city, my hand rattled on the hilt of my sword as I felt feeble against the army of hill giants guarding the gates”

    http://angelacavanaugh.com/2014/10/04/1081/

    October 4, 2014 — 5:41 AM

    Reply

  11. Allison Maruska says:

    I used Goldfishbob’s sentence: There they were, the hunter and the hunted, staring each other down with a loathing that had grown from years of pursuit and evasion.

    http://allisonmaruska.com/2014/10/04/flash-fiction-those-they-hunted/

    October 4, 2014 — 10:44 AM

    Reply

  12. Betsy DuBard says:

    I used Mike’s “Juan Carlos Torquemada y Torremolino bore an unbearable name.”

    http://www.brdmusings.wordpress.com

    October 4, 2014 — 11:09 AM

    Reply

  13. kakubjaya says:

    I decided to desecrate Teddy Fuhringer’s brilliant “I don’t remember how I died or who it was that killed me, but I’m absolutely certain I deserved it.” for my story. And some day, he may find it in his heard to forgive me for it…
    http://manyfacesof.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/flash-fiction-double-tap/

    October 4, 2014 — 11:10 AM

    Reply

  14. Rose Red says:

    I chose Anne’s:
    “The corner of his lip curved, his fingers withdrew. She sighed her displeasure. He reached for his glass nestled between two pillows. The liquor gutted him like a machete pulled from flames and thrust into flesh.”

    http://geletilari.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-rated-pg-13-or-a-little-more/

    October 4, 2014 — 3:23 PM

    Reply

  15. L. N. Holmes says:

    I used coolerbs sentence: “On the day that you’re destined to die they serve cake, with exactly thirteen candles.” It’s in second person, which was challenging. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!

    http://lnholmeswriter.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/flash-fiction-challenge-1-death-cake-and-teenagers/

    October 4, 2014 — 5:28 PM

    Reply

  16. Tsara says:

    I’m having one of the most fun Saturdays I’ve had in a while!! Coffee and short story reading all day long! And such an eclectic and fun group of stories too!! One moment I’m creep-ed out, another I’m touched and thoughtful, then suddenly I’m whisked away to wild worlds and futuristic foretelling. Such delicious fun!

    October 4, 2014 — 7:52 PM

    Reply

  17. underastarlitsky says:

    Here’s my story, I used the sentence from Pavowski – “Take my hand,” he said, unscrewing it and placing it in mine. A Long Way Down. http://underastarlitsky.wordpress.com

    October 4, 2014 — 8:06 PM

    Reply

  18. Pavowski says:

    I appropriated Ryanjamesblack’s quirky little diddy: Merlin leaned against the bathroom sink, stroking his smoky beard self-consciously, studying the instructions on the “JUST FOR MEN” box with the surly frown he usually reserved for translating incantations scribed in a dead tongues.

    Here, then, is “Merlin in Midtown” : http://wp.me/p4p1YR-ho

    October 4, 2014 — 9:27 PM

    Reply

  19. ryanjamesblack says:

    I was inspired by “I open my eyes and the sky explodes” from Justin (sithbomb).
    Here goes…..”Kid Lightning”

    http://ryanjamesblack.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/kid-lightning/

    October 4, 2014 — 10:10 PM

    Reply

  20. Laurie Jameson says:

    Thank you Robert Niemann for the perfect first sentence. My story, The Kitten, can be found at:

    http://lauriejameson.wix.com/scribblings

    I hope I made you proud.

    October 5, 2014 — 2:08 AM

    Reply

  21. Toni J says:

    I chose shainorton’s “I dream twice a night; the first one’s free.” and called it A Dream to Save the World.

    You can read it here: http://tonij.net/2014/10/a-dream-to-save-the-world/

    October 5, 2014 — 8:19 PM

    Reply

  22. Kurt Bali says:

    I took Noel’s (no website) “She couldn’t be sure that the fish was a condescending dickhead, but she was starting to suspect as much,” and turned it into this. Please forgive me.

    http://sixgunwizard.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-tale-of-racist-fish.html

    October 5, 2014 — 11:44 PM

    Reply

  23. Tracy May says:

    I started here: “I open my eyes and the sky explodes” from Justin (sithbomb), but I am a poet, so feel free to bend the rules a bit including editing out the starting sentence…
    http://www.adair-author.com/flash-poem-thanks/

    Flash Poem

    You said use the sentence and I thought
    I saw a sentence once
    but never heard it because it censored itself
    and you said a thousand words but 
    I heard use only what you need
    and I say unfettered I would be 
    unfettered I would have you be
    politicians answer the questions 
    they would have you ask
    I would have you ask
    I would have you ask

    October 6, 2014 — 12:56 AM

    Reply

  24. colinjkeats says:

    I picked a sentence written by miceala on September 26, 2014, her blog site http://quillaquiver.com. The sentence is: “Then finally, the scars would stop whispering”.
    Here is my link.

    http://colinjkeats.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/slice/

    October 6, 2014 — 4:21 AM

    Reply

  25. Jim Franklin says:

    here is my entry. I took Jen Spears sentence…

    “There was a lesson in this somewhere, probably something along the lines of always get a receipt when you make a deal with the devil.”

    …and came up with this little tale… The Devil’s in the Details.

    http://keyboardpizza.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/flash-fiction-the-devils-in-the-details/

    October 6, 2014 — 8:17 AM

    Reply

  26. Andy Dainty says:

    This is my story, Morality, going from the sentence, “My mortality and I was (changed to ‘are’) well acquainted.”

    http://kosmopolite.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/mortality/

    October 6, 2014 — 9:16 AM

    Reply

  28. Ashlee says:

    I used AE Smith’s sentence. I tried to post the link before and I used the wrong one. This should work:
    http://cubiclemonster.weebly.com/

    October 6, 2014 — 1:00 PM

    Reply

    • AE Smith says:

      Great story, I liked that it very much had an Old West saloon-type feel despite being set in the here and now. Thanks for using my sentence!

      October 11, 2014 — 11:40 AM

      Reply

  29. Josh Loomis says:

    I chose Vicente L Ruiz’s sentence: “I have witnessed the end of humanity.” Enjoy.
    http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2014/10/06/flash-fiction-you-had-to-have-it/

    October 6, 2014 — 3:56 PM

    Reply

  30. joeturner87 says:

    I picked Elisa M’s sentence: “For Oscar Baron, life had been complicated long before his butler’s corpse fell out of the chimney”

    It’s been a while (self-imposed Sabbatical – if there’s any other kind) https://joetblogs.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-from-sentence-to-story/

    October 6, 2014 — 5:49 PM

    Reply

  31. aspeed says:

    I used the sentence “Demons and angels are sometimes hard to differentiate, and they are even harder to kill.” Thanks, CDNWMN. http://andreaspeed.com/2014/new-flash-fic-challenge-rapture/

    October 6, 2014 — 10:47 PM

    Reply

  33. smturley1821 says:

    I used the sentence “There they were, the hunter and hunted, staring each other down with a loathing that had grown from years of pursuit and evasion.” by Goldfishbob

    http://www.fictionjourney.com/

    October 7, 2014 — 10:24 PM

    Reply

  34. JessaJ says:

    I used the sentence It took her six months to return from the grave where I put her. by kathleea

    http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/JessaJ/1423669/

    October 8, 2014 — 10:09 AM

    Reply

  35. coolerbs says:

    I chose Kirsten sentence: “There was an awkward moment as my breath hitched, my mouth too dry to swallow and my knees just seconds away from sending the rest of me folding into a pile of sweaty flesh at his feet, when I saw him smile.”

    And since it’s October, I decided to make a horror story out of it.

    I call it Showbiz!: http://coolerbs.com/2014/10/08/flash-fiction-challenge-from-sentence-to-story/
    (Yes the exclamation point is part of the title, tacky I know)

    Hope you guys like it.

    October 8, 2014 — 6:58 PM

    Reply

  36. Denicide says:

    I am quite new at this but I found Goldfishbob’s sentence so good that I had to give it a go.

    (“There they were, the hunter and the hunted, staring each other down with a loathing that had grown from years of pursuit and evasion.”)

    http://blogatonium.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/flash-fiction-check-in/

    October 8, 2014 — 7:51 PM

    Reply

  37. Tony R says:

    I’m done! I really like how this turned out actually, and I hope you all do too!

    I used the sentence originally posted by @kathleea
    “It took her six months to return from the grave where I put her.”

    http://ronnehbook.blogspot.com/2014/10/perchance-to-dream-challenge.html

    October 9, 2014 — 9:00 AM

    Reply

  38. fadedglories says:

    I wrote a story around OzFenric’s sentence.

    ‘She rises through black waters, leaving the City behind, and as the light above glimmers and grows, she knows she will need to remember how to breathe.’

    It isn’t really completed, it’s turned into a possible opener for a longer story. I’ve aimed it at a YA readership, so if your comments could tell me whether I hit the mark I’d be very grateful.

    http://nanowrimoroman.blogspot.co.uk/?zx=61a252d84cc0ddde

    October 9, 2014 — 9:26 AM

    Reply

    • tedra says:

      Thank you so much. I’m glad you liked mine. I didn’t know where you were going with it but the when the spaceship arrived, it peaked my interest. I’m just sorry it ended before we found out what was going on.

      October 9, 2014 — 12:15 PM

      Reply

    • OzFenric says:

      Faded, the highest compliment I can pay your story is that I’d love to read it. 🙂 So much potential in so short a time. Completely different to what I had imagined for this sentence, and completely wonderful. Thank you. 🙂

      October 9, 2014 — 7:25 PM

      Reply

  39. Matthew X. Gomez says:

    I took Anthony Crociata’s sentence for a spin.

    http://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2014/10/09/nothing-like-getting-rained-on-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/

    It feels half-formed to me, and not enough of me in it, but I like some of the concepts I played with here.

    October 9, 2014 — 10:32 AM

    Reply

11 Pingbacks

  1. Kanoni | Article 94
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  4. Flash Fiction – The Devil’s in the Details | Keyboard Pizza
  5. Mortality | Kosmopolite
  6. » Flash Fiction: You Had To Have It Blue Ink Alchemy
  7. terribleminds flash fiction challenge | jonah writes
  8. Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge: From Sentence To Story | JoeTblogs
  9. Variable | Crossroads + Crossbones
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  11. Flash Fiction: Check-in | Blogatonium

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