Last week’s challenge: Must Contain Three Things.
This week is one of my favorite brands of challenge — the subgenre smash-up.
Your goal is simple: pick one subgenre from each of the two tables below (preferably randomly, using either a die or a random number generator) and then mash those two genres up into a single story.
This time around, let’s say you have 2000 words. Write it at your online space, link back here in the comments so we can all see it. You’ve got one week — due next Friday by noon EST.
Subgenre Table 1
- Haunted House
- Space Opera
- Cryptozoological
- Sword & Sorcery
- Cozy mystery
- Dystopian
- Zombie
- Espionage
- Arthurian Fantasy
- Vampire Erotica
- Greek Mythology
- Kaiju
- Utopian
- Lovecraftian
- Extraterrestrial
- Conspiracy Thriller
- Steampunk
- Dieselpunk
- Cornpunk
- Urban Fantasy
Subgenre Table 2
- Weird Tales
- Technothriller
- Noir Detective
- Biopunk
- Heist / Caper!
- Slasher / Final Girl
- Alternate History
- Disaster Porn
- Superhero
- Eco-Thriller
- Bumbling Detective
- Wild West
- Artificial Intelligence
- Comic Fantasy
- Psychological Thriller
- Regency Romance
- Magical Realism
- Bodice Ripper
- Paranormal Romance
- Satanic Horror
Casondra Brewster says:
I have no idea how I’m going to Sword & Sorcery & TechnoThriller. New sword making is the tech? I don’t know. But it’s time to get back into the swing of things.
February 2, 2015 — 8:36 PM
Emily North says:
Espionage and The Wild West. Ok, I thought the last one was tough….
February 2, 2015 — 11:46 PM
percykerry923 says:
Here’s my story. Chuck, I think you gave me the idea for a dystopian science-fiction-cum crime thriller novella mini-series. Thank you for that 🙂
http://www.thecrimocopoiea.blogspot.in/2015/02/detective-d-in-dystopiana.html
February 3, 2015 — 6:50 AM
Lauren Greene (@laurenegreene) says:
Here’s mine. Urban fantasy and alternate history. This was tough but fun for me, something I don’t normally write.
http://www.lululandadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-wall.html
February 3, 2015 — 7:28 AM
momtojuju says:
loved it. so epic.
February 4, 2015 — 9:35 PM
Lauren Greene says:
Thanks!
February 5, 2015 — 1:12 PM
Sam Phillips says:
Brilliant. I loved it.
February 5, 2015 — 11:12 AM
Lauren Greene says:
Thanks! I had so much fun with this challenge.
February 5, 2015 — 1:13 PM
Sam Phillips says:
Thanks RNG – Urban Fantasy and Biopunk it is. And I think I might have the beginnings of an idea – praps with a nod to Bas-Lag…
February 3, 2015 — 8:21 AM
Sam Phillips says:
…and here it is. Part of a larger whole I think, since I’m less than halfway through the tale I meant to tell and it’s still taken much cutting to get down near 2000! “Like Clockwork”
http://idreamofgypsies.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/like-clockwork-flash-fiction-challenge.html
February 5, 2015 — 9:49 AM
Lauren Greene says:
Amazingly done. I can’t wait to read more.
February 5, 2015 — 1:23 PM
Sam Phillips says:
Thanks Lauren. Really glad you like it. Definitely going to be more up soon!
February 5, 2015 — 2:06 PM
Brad Nelms says:
Arthurian Fiction and Artificial Intelligence. I had an easier time writing an Automaton in the 6th century than trying to do AI. So sit back and enjoy: The Son of the The King!
http://www.thedailypawn.com/2015/02/flash-fiction-son-of-king.html
February 3, 2015 — 2:06 PM
Jemima Pett says:
I thought going with the automaton approach was a clever idea. Well done!
February 6, 2015 — 5:53 AM
Brad Nelms says:
Thanks!
February 8, 2015 — 10:30 PM
Sara Marschand says:
Boy Scouts, I’m sorry. My mashup is Cryptozoology and Disaster Porn. http://www.mothershipmusings.com/?p=290
February 3, 2015 — 11:56 PM
S.Stars says:
Haha. I love that story! Smartly written.
February 5, 2015 — 1:16 AM
S.Stars says:
I got:
Haunted House
Noir Detective
Easy enough, I thought. But I struggled with this challenge. *glares at Mr. Wendig* Hahahaha. Anyway, I snorted something out which I have to say turned out to be a little more morbid than expected. Here it is:
http://shootin-stars.jimdo.com/flash-fiction/
February 4, 2015 — 8:19 AM
momtojuju says:
Cryptozooloogy and Noir Detective. An awesome mix and helped me clear my writers block, so thanks for that 🙂
http://momtojuju.wix.com/sheriwilliams-author#!blog/c112v
February 4, 2015 — 10:11 PM
Lauren Greene says:
I love the humor in this! Good job.
February 5, 2015 — 1:25 PM
Alister Davison says:
These challenges are great, Mr W.
Zombie meets Disaster Porn and turns out nothing like I originally expected.
http://mister-alister.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/flash-fiction-challenge-subgenre-blender.html
February 5, 2015 — 6:18 AM
Eva Therese says:
I got Conspiracy Thriller and Wild West. Wrestled a lot with it, since for me Wild West is about lawlessness and depending on yourself, while Conspiracy Thrillers are about control and requires people to give some degree of control over their lives to others. In the end I took a minor detour through the neighbourhood of Lovecraftian and arrived at this. https://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/the-subgenre-blender
February 5, 2015 — 8:44 AM
Anthony Karcz says:
Had a great time with this one (and one hell of a time limiting it to 2,000 words). Heavy on the kaiju, slightly lighter on the bio-punk; but definitely a lot of fun. Enjoy, y’all.
What Rough Beast: http://www.thetailthehead.com/2015/02/flash-fiction-challenge-what-rough-beast.html
February 5, 2015 — 10:50 AM
Henry says:
I got Dystopian and Satanic Horror. Even deciding to use more Luciferian elements in place of standard Satanic ones couldn’t save this from being a downer.
http://fistfulofwits.com/2015/02/05/flash-fiction-dreams-of-drowning/
February 5, 2015 — 3:32 PM
john freeter says:
A blend of Haunted House and Technothriller subgenres. The amount of gear available for “ghosthunters” really took me by surprise.
https://johnfreeter.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/ghosthunters/
February 5, 2015 — 3:43 PM
Alice E says:
Dystopia/Biopunk And a Spider
http://aliceekeyes.blogspot.com/p/meticulous-tie-fling-ranger-from-now.html
February 5, 2015 — 4:01 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Utopian caper/heist. I came up a bit short on anything but a pun, so instead of using the 2000 words Chuck so generously gave us, I came in at 765–so it’s a fast read, requiring very little of your precious time!
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2015/02/friday-flash-fiction-utopianheist-mashup.html
February 5, 2015 — 10:31 PM
Jemima Pett says:
… and worth every second! Great story!
February 6, 2015 — 6:03 AM
momdude says:
Seven and five, a zombie caper/heist. I just started with the opening dialogue and went with where it took me. As usual, a late and rushed job that probably needs a good edit, but for a first draft I liked where it ended up.
http://pauljwillett.com/2015/02/06/flash-fiction-deaders/
February 6, 2015 — 3:16 AM
Jemima Pett says:
I really liked that. Inspired!
February 6, 2015 — 6:17 AM
Jemima Pett says:
Nearly forgot to post this, which would have been a shame. Here is my Arthurian Fantasy-Artificial Intelligence entitled “Merlin the Missionary” (despite the earlier title in the permalink)
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2015/02/06/flash-fiction-friday-merlin-the-marvellous/
February 6, 2015 — 5:43 AM
CJ says:
Ooof, I went for a different style this week and it was a strange experiment! Here is my Greek Mythology-Alternate History short story… “Fallout”.
I had hoped to do a second one in the biopunk urban fantasy category, but plumb ran out of time.
http://imagination.cjreader.com
February 6, 2015 — 8:43 AM
smkay70 says:
Got it in under the wire. Cowboys and wizards:
http://sabrakay.com/fff-cowboys-wizards/
February 6, 2015 — 11:54 AM
J. Michael Best (@bxbstudios) says:
Two of my fav genres: Sword & Sorcery and Detective Noir. Here you go: Broads & Swords
http://www.bxbstudios.com/blog/
February 6, 2015 — 12:22 PM
stranger09 says:
I know this challenge is over, but by looking at the Subgenre Tables the seed for a Dystopian Zombie-Kaiju Biopunk Story was planted into my mind. I love this Blog.
February 26, 2015 — 1:22 AM