Last week’s challenge: Sub-Genre Blender!
Together, we’re going to write a shedload of four-part stories.
And by we, I mean you.
Here’s how this works:
I want you to write 1/4 of a story — roughly, the beginning of it.
You have 1000 words.
Do not end this story. It is not a complete tale. Just its beginning.
You will post these 1000 words at your blog and link back here in the comments (<– that part is really quite essential this time) so that someone else next week can pick up where you left off in order to continue the story. And we will do this for the entire month of February. (And technically a little bit into March, too, because that’s how the calendar works.) This story is due by next Friday, 2/13, at noon EST.
Doesn’t matter what genre. You have free rein, here.
Just don’t finish the story.
Kay?
Kay.
Get to writing, and see you next week for PART TWO.
Stefan says:
It’s just a bit over 1000 words. Please forgive me, oh great Wendigtor.
http://untraum.com/2015/02/06/727/
February 6, 2015 — 12:38 PM
Pavowski says:
Oo, this was hellafun last time. Can’t wait to see these!
February 6, 2015 — 12:40 PM
Pavowski says:
So, how do you go about writing the beginning of a story that you won’t be able to write the ending to? Lots of unanswered questions, lots of plants (no, not that kind of plant), lots of hints at what might have come before, but not a lot that’s concrete. At least, I think that’s a good way to go about it. At any rate, that’s what I’ve tried to do here: leave it wide open so that it could go in a lot of directions. I’d love to see somebody run with this.
“Cold Blood” is here: https://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/cold-blood
February 8, 2015 — 12:09 AM
Lauren Greene says:
I really liked your beginning. Well done.
February 9, 2015 — 2:14 PM
Pavowski says:
Thanks!
February 9, 2015 — 7:05 PM
lisacle says:
This one has been rumbling around in my head for a long time. I knew how to start it, but not how to finish it. I’m glad it’s finally going to see the light of day. 😎
https://lisacle.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/flash-fiction-challenge-the-four-part-story-part-one/
February 6, 2015 — 12:47 PM
Damien says:
This one is a little over 1000 words, and a LOT of wrong in it. 🙂 I just started it last week and so when I saw this week’s “homework” pop up, I got very curious to see where others would take it.
It is entitled “Inside Derangement”.
http://sidtrickster.blogspot.com/
February 6, 2015 — 1:00 PM
JL Henry says:
“A lot of wrong” I didn’t get past the first sentence >:(
February 6, 2015 — 7:24 PM
caszbrewster says:
Ditto.
February 6, 2015 — 8:22 PM
Damien says:
So, I hate to ask this… But what was it that turned you away from this particular content? Was it the “infanticide” that occurred? Was it something else? To me, writing has always been a challenge of allowing your mind to go to places it has never been before. Allowing the mind to go where others will not follow has always been something I believe separates writers from, well, everyone else. We are here to push the boundaries of consciousness. This work, in particular, is to put the reader in the person’s mind while “things” are going on. And it is something we seem to have a great practice of NOT doing in our culture. So why not open Satan’s (not Pandora’s) Box and be the person who does these atrocious things so that we can get a “human’s” eye view of Hell? We like to think we are in a time of understanding, don’t we? Then why not push the boundaries of what that understanding is?
February 7, 2015 — 12:32 AM
tamelaritter says:
100% agree with you. Boundaries are different for everyone based on many factors, and that’s also true and should be respected. I too only got through the first sentence but it’s nothing to do with your writing… just my boundaries and images that live in my mind that will stay there forever wouldn’t allow me to go further.
There are a lot of stories that need to be told that I know I could never handle and someday I might write one that bumps against your boundaries, and again, that’s totally fine. Just keep doing your thing, telling your truth…
February 7, 2015 — 12:45 AM
MyLovingWife says:
Damien, I think it’s not the perspective; I mean writing from the point of view of the perpetrator isn’t an entirely new thing (Agatha Christie did it and I’m sure other authors I haven’t read) or even a bad one per se but the nature of the crime here is something that’s really hard to get past.
It’s horrible to write this down but in a way I think you’d have more of an audience if it was a teenager or an adult. Because unfortunately it’s become mainstream. That’s terrible but we’ve all seen numerous shows or movies about rape and the extent to which it can go. But this is a baby, and if there’s one thing most movies/shows try to avoid is show this type of crime. It’s a taboo.
There’s something abhorrent about what you’re trying to address. And I don’t know that any parent or person who cares for children will be able to deal with that first paragraph.
I’m not saying these horrible things don’t happen. In fact I’m fairly sure they do because mankind is ugly sometimes. And maybe it is necessary to address this matter in writing but, while I can’t speak for the other participants, I know that I’d have a hard time writing such a monster.
I can’t even begin to imagine what brings someone to think about these acts and to act upon their thoughts.
I did go to sentence #2 but I’ve just had breakfast and I’d like to keep it down so I stopped. But I thought you deserved an answer.
February 7, 2015 — 3:45 AM
JL Henry says:
Writing from a killers POV has been done before and done well. (Geoffry Girard’s Cain’s Blood, for a more recent book) It takes a certain finesse. The author has to make the reader sympathize with the POV character in any story. That’s the goal, make us root for the character who’s head we are effectively living in and who’s life we are experiencing. By putting us in the head of a killer, the author has double—maybe triple—the work because killers, by definition of their own actions, make people hate them.
There are ways to manipulate the reader into sympathizing with a killer (or any villain, really), but opening with the acts in this piece is just not one of those ways. It does the opposite. It shuts the reader down. Makes them hate the character and could possibly even run deeper purely based on the taboo nature of the opening. Killing an infant, in the way you did, you made sure that no parent will reader this. I certainly won’t.
Build a character the reader can sympathize with even if it makes us feel wholly disgusting for doing so because it goes against everything our moral compass says is right, and then you’ll have something. Right now, the handeling of the story is lacking any finesse to make it work.
February 7, 2015 — 5:29 AM
hank petterson says:
My reaction was pretty instant. Distaste. Obviously, a writer wants to grab a reader in the first few sentences. I was repulsed. Just not my cup of tea. Nice prose though, for the right audience it will be a great read. Cheers Hank.
February 7, 2015 — 9:10 AM
Tamela says:
Totally agree with the reasoning behind why this piece doesn’t work. I will point out though, there are books out there that you are absolutely not supposed to like the POV character (Lolita and Confederacy of Dunces come to mind instantly) but the purpose you keep reading is because they are fascinating or because it’s important to you to see really bad things happen to them.
And Damien, you might have all these things in mind when writing, but by starting it the way you did, I fear the only people who will stomach it to reach that place are people who really get off on that sort of thing. Which yay, if that’s the niche market you’re shooting for, but I don’t imagine it’s many people in this challenge… though someone might take up the challenge of creating something redeemable about the character and good luck to them and yourself.
February 7, 2015 — 12:44 PM
Donna Roberts says:
Damien,
I don’t have a problem writing (or reading) about disturbing things. My first book was about teen mass suicide shooters. But my first thought with this piece was, “Why would I want to read about such a person?” Nothing about that character made me care to read about him further. He seems like a vile person and I don’t see much of why he’s a vile person. He seemed pretty one-dimensional as a psychopath, so in that sense I had no desire to read on and find out anymore. It just seemed like you wrote the most horrid situation you could think of.
February 7, 2015 — 5:36 AM
maqhem says:
Whenever I buy a cd and I look through the booklet, it no longer surprises me just how vile and disgusting lyrics can be. Necropedophilia is not news to me. If your inspiration comes not from this kind of music, do not feel obligated to listen to it; the music is as grim as the lyrics. I should say that I am not an expert on anything so don’t just take my word for it. If any of this makes sense to you, that’s what you take away from this. The rest you can just ignore. Either way, here’s my two cents.
BUILD-UP. You can’t begin a horror movie with a jump scare. Likewise, you can’t begin a gruesome story with something so intense. Even if you catch the reader’s interest, nothing will ever scare them. They already know too well what to expect. Like all good stories, consider starting in a normal world and then either gradually or suddenly migrate to derangement. In the top menu you’ll see “Holy shit, free stories”. Click “This guy” and read just the first part.
CONTRAST. If the content is really dry (no emotion), the violent images can be quite a bit to take in. You can balance this ugly, disgusting content out with an almost beautiful, even poetic form. You don’t even need sympathy to draw the reader in if you can present your words with such delicacy, and they will wonder why they want to read more. Look up the lyrics for Hideous Miscreation – Woven In Fragments Of Putrid Disgust. It doesn’t really work as a great poem but there are a few gems in there. “Twisting the layers of mentality” is one of those. The image is still very raw and ugly but it doesn’t scare the reader away. Even a philosophical point of view can help guide the reader through your story.
CHALLENGING. Your story should still pack a punch. Don’t wrap everything in cute, pink bubbe-wrap. Challenge your reader! Again, philosophy can be a useful tool. If done right, you can leave the reader wondering if they’re truly sick for not being more opposed to what they just read. Challenging can even be what you did not write. Let people’s fantasies run wild.
HUMOR. Humor can be used very effectively in almost any genre, even this one. Look up Massemord – Let The World End In Fire. “Only casualties are yet to be born. We’ll breed some more.” It is not funny per se but it reaks of sarcasm which, in this exact context, only serves to make it even more disturbing. You want your reader to believe not only that you can tell an evil story but that YOU and YOUR mind knows no mercy. Don’t be too forward about it, either. The monster truck commercial voice? Too obvious. The parenthetical note about where to cut a leg to not dull the knife, that’s more like it.
BELIEVABILITY. If you can manage to create a believable character you can get away with a lot of brainwashing. I’ll quote a small passage that made me feel like you were trying to create a sense of depth in your character:
“That’s too bad for them. I was hoping they would be pleased with it. Usually I just kill those that are displeased with my work. But this night I was feeling especially giving to those more unfortunate than I.”
This almost falls into the category of “show, don’t tell.” It didn’t work for me. I felt like you were trying to convince me that this person is evil but he comes off very shallow. All humans have feelings and emotions, even crazy people – or, rather, especially crazy people. They act out of needs which makes them very human. Perhaps you can try to play off that to create deeply twisted AND deep characters.
I hope at least some of this was of use to you. Good luck developing your macabre style. I think it’s great that you’re trying to push the limits even if it turns out your target audience is just a handful of people on this Earth. I think that’s bold.
February 8, 2015 — 6:23 PM
Paige S. says:
I think the scene probably came too soon in this character’s story. As a writer, you started the bargaining process with the reader by presenting a violent sexual act against an infant. What the reader gathers from this interaction is the promise for more increasingly violent acts against infants in a similar manner. The reader has to decide whether they will brave more of these acts that could potentially become more gruesome than what you’ve just opened with. Following a serial killer involves trail & error and then escalates into more horrific acts. This character has not earned the reader’s curiosity enough to push through this appalling scene. You definitely have the right to open your story in any way you see fit, but you should also understand that others have the right to select other stories to continue the flash fiction challenge.
February 13, 2015 — 2:59 PM
justjen61 says:
me either….sorry, way too wrong for me!
February 6, 2015 — 10:07 PM
stephenseibert says:
Titled: “Shadows on the Moon”
https://stephenseibert.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/shadows-on-the-moon-part-1/
Can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with for the start of a four-part arc.
February 6, 2015 — 4:38 PM
Grymmlock says:
I picked up your part 1 for my part 2. 🙂
February 19, 2015 — 5:22 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
I wish i could start it right now! This reminds me of the cliffhanger we did sometime last year, I loved that one. Hopefully by sunday I’ll have my entry.
February 6, 2015 — 5:05 PM
caszbrewster says:
Scooting in at 858 (ish) words. Can’t wait to see where someone else takes it.
I’ll Take Monday…
http://www.casondrabrewster.com/?p=2092
February 6, 2015 — 8:17 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
This has so many possible directions. I’d like to take a crack at it. Stay tuned
February 17, 2015 — 3:59 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
Here’s my contribution to ” I’ll Take Monday” Great title. I was going for a little humor, I hope I don’t offend you, casz. Even more, I hope it’s funny.
http://elctrcrngr.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/ill-take-monday-part-one-and-two/
February 17, 2015 — 5:32 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
I will never get this right the first time, apparently. Once again, apologies.
http://elctrcrngr.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/ill-take-monday-parts-one-and-two/
February 17, 2015 — 5:37 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
I really dig Killian, your main character. She is becoming very well developed, and well rounded, I think. Especially in only 2000 words. She is independent and confidant, witty, comfortable with her sexuality. She has a bit of vinegar in her veins, but she has a huge heart, as well. She is clearly the go-to gal for her friends and family. I never knew what she was going to say until she said it, and that is a new experience for me. She walked right off the page and became very real for me. Great introduction piece, casz, you nailed it.
February 17, 2015 — 9:32 PM
caszbrewster says:
Wow thanks, ElctrcRngr! I’ve been AWOL because of #LifewithAutism, but going to go read now! Thanks for taking on my piece!
February 20, 2015 — 11:56 AM
Ruth Nestvold says:
I’ve long wanted to play but never seemed to have the time. Today I do! Here’s my open beginning of about 850 words:
https://ruthnestvold.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/sea-lions-on-the-oregon-coast-for-terribleminds-fiction-challenge/
February 6, 2015 — 8:55 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
Well, this is an easy one. I have dozens of stories I’ve started, gotten stuck on, and never finished(or even gotten to the dreaded middle of). I’ll pick out my favorite, and post a link to it here next week. I look forward to adding my digital blathering to some of y’alls
February 6, 2015 — 9:14 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
Well, here’s what I decided on. True story, BTW, if that matters. http://elctrcrngr.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/marty-and-the-hornets/
February 6, 2015 — 11:47 PM
lizaskew says:
This one is good! I’d work with it some myself but I’d rather hear what happened next through you. Partly because it’s a good story and partly because you’re good at this. 😉
February 14, 2015 — 2:49 AM
ElctrcRngr says:
Thank you Liza. I need all the encouragement I can get. We aren’t to finish our own stories, but I’m really glad you like it.
February 16, 2015 — 2:59 PM
J M Beal says:
1004 words, created just for this, today, because this finally kicked my writer’s block out the door.
http://www.jmbeal.com/blog/because-i-cant-say-no-to-a-challenge
February 7, 2015 — 12:01 AM
Every Picture Tells (@EveryPicTells) says:
JM – I loved the characters you created and the low-tech setting. You left this wide open and irresistible. I’m in!
February 13, 2015 — 9:05 PM
J M Beal says:
Great 🙂 I can’t wait to see where you go with it. Be sure and send me the link so I catch it.
February 16, 2015 — 12:40 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
JM, you have great style. I really enjoyed this, it’s tantalizing. Yeah, that’s the word. I’d try to run with this, but I’ve already done two this week, don’t want to be a glutton
February 17, 2015 — 10:33 PM
lizaskew says:
I did yours too! I kept catching myself trying to write the setting from the beginning of “Interstellar” by accident. It just took me there. 😉 Anyway here’s a link. I think I answered 0 of the questions your piece posed, but I had fun with it anyway. Let me know if this link is faulty, I only just started this blog and I have no idea what I’m doing.
https://lizskewes.wordpress.com/
February 18, 2015 — 4:56 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
Well, I think I see what your trying to do with “pushing the envelope.” But I’m not really sure most of us are ready to go where your going with this particular material. Most will have trouble adding to it,(I know I can’t) so perhaps something a little less controversial would be better for this particular challenge. I simply can’t come up with a death scene for your protagonist that is sufficiently horrible.
February 7, 2015 — 1:09 AM
ElctrcRngr says:
This comment is for Damien, obviously. I somehow got it in the wrong place. Sorry
February 7, 2015 — 1:11 AM
Richard says:
Not sure quite what this is, will be good to find out.
http://traitorblade.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/chuck-wendig-blog-collaborative-flash.html
February 7, 2015 — 5:38 AM
Christopher says:
hey richard, check out your blog. this entry didn’t open for me. said “the page you’re looking for in this blog does not exist.” repost? anybody else have issues? thought I’d let you know.
February 9, 2015 — 8:59 AM
Richard says:
Thanks, have taken my entry down but can’t work out how to delete my post here. Have contacted Chuck who presumably can. Felt I couldn’t participate with possible click through to some of the content.
February 9, 2015 — 9:13 AM
Mozette says:
Hey, we’ve done this before… such fun! Love it! But I only made it to 677 words… sorry about that, chief! 😛
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/the-dare.html
February 7, 2015 — 7:59 AM
Lauren Greene (@laurenegreene) says:
Since you’ve done this before, do you know how the stories are assigned next week, or do we get to pick which one we follow up on?
February 9, 2015 — 2:36 PM
Pavowski says:
You pick one that calls to you, and run with it. Some may even get used more than once, and that’s okay too.
February 9, 2015 — 6:25 PM
momdude says:
OK, I’m on it. Let’s see if I can keep this going. Stand by…
February 20, 2015 — 12:04 AM
momdude says:
Here you go, Act Two! I hope you like it. http://pauljwillett.com/2015/02/19/flash-fiction-the-dare-act-two/
February 20, 2015 — 2:26 AM
Mark Gardner says:
I love collaborative storytelling: https://article94.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/the-timekeeper/
February 7, 2015 — 8:28 AM
Mozette says:
Man… I’m so attracted to your story … it’s got such potential!
February 9, 2015 — 8:40 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Thanks, Moz! I look forward to seeing what your attraction yields.
February 9, 2015 — 9:54 PM
Mozette says:
I worked on it a bit today…. still had a bit of tweaking to be done… 😀
February 10, 2015 — 7:21 AM
S.Stars says:
Okay. Here is mine. More or less 900 words. From all my unfinished stories I chose this one. Why? I always liked the old man’s voice; so quiet and loud at the same time.
“A Blind Spot”
http://shootin-stars.jimdo.com/flash-fiction/
February 7, 2015 — 8:59 AM
Manahil says:
It’s less than 1000 words, but it leaves off at a pretty heavy cliffhanger, and there’s a lot of room for ‘what happens next’
http://manahilb.blogspot.ca/2014/12/a-midnight-surprise.html
February 7, 2015 — 1:24 PM
addy says:
thats a great story all in itself. i look forward to see who and how it picks it up again 😀
February 9, 2015 — 11:30 AM
ryanjamesblack says:
Heres my first thousand-ish words…
‘Other Earth’
http://ryanjamesblack.com/2015/02/07/other-earth/
February 7, 2015 — 4:08 PM
Mike Steinlauf says:
My story is called ‘Caffeine’ and is written to either be the start of something longer or to stand as a ~1000 word flash fiction piece. It was fun writing and will be interesting to see where others take it.
http://another5280.blogspot.com/2015/02/caffeine-part-one-of-four-part-story.html
February 7, 2015 — 9:00 PM
evoletyvaine says:
Just an FYI – When you click on your link, it doesn’t take you to the story.
February 11, 2015 — 8:08 PM
Mozette says:
Yeah, Mike, you gotta fix that… your story is still MIA…
February 13, 2015 — 7:57 PM
angelacavanaugh says:
Mine is the start of a story where an assassin left in a wasteland and dying of radiation poisoning seeks out the surviving city to get his revenge.
http://angelacavanaugh.com/2015/02/08/flash-fiction-wasteland/
February 8, 2015 — 2:11 AM
addy says:
i think i might just bookmark this for next week. I can hear the distant cords of “i dont want to set the world on fire”
February 9, 2015 — 11:45 AM
addy says:
thanks again for your story. i hope you like part two.
https://adamskistoryblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/flash-fiction-challenge-the-four-part-story-part-two/
February 14, 2015 — 5:26 PM
wildbilbo says:
Looks like yours is a popular one – I’ve done a part two also :)https://uncertaintales.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/wasteland-part-two-started-by-angela-cavanaugh/
February 17, 2015 — 8:04 AM
Lauren Greene says:
Here’s mine. 973. Never written time travel before. Can you tell? But I had fun with this.
Time Warp by @laurenegreene
http://www.lululandadventures.blogspot.com/2015/02/time-warp.html
February 8, 2015 — 7:28 AM
wildbilbo says:
Hi Guys – for your consideration (970 words):
Byron fidgeted as the fine red crystals stubbornly refused to melt in the dirty kitchen spoon. He twitched. It had been nearly three months since his last hit and he was jonesing, jonesing real bad. Deliveries from Haiti had been interrupted by yet another flood or quake or some political bullshit. He considered himself a humanitarian, a man of empathy, but for fuck’s sake, this had been a real fucking emergency.
Eighty days since his last hit. It’d been eighty days since the last time he wrote anything.
No novels. No short stories. No plays, no poems, no limericks, not even a fucking haiku. The words had started to squirm under his skin, twisting through his brain, constantly chewing, biting, eating at him like maggots feasting on roadkill. He’d seen punctuation and grammar hiding in his rose-hued piss, fonts and italics floating in large bloody black lumps in his vomit. He’d dreamed the maggot-words wanted to escape, and if he could only peel back his skin they would leap to the air on wings of parenthesis, leaving him a husk, a void, a blank page.
…Continued at: https://uncertaintales.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/on-a-poet-did-the-baron-ride-to-xanadu-part-one-working-title/
February 8, 2015 — 8:19 AM
ElctrcRngr says:
Man, this is fucking OUT THERE!! I LOVE it! Off the hook(Sorry, been on a Breaking Bad binge). Really, man, your stuff is always good, if not great, but this is the most original and imaginative thing you’ve posted, IMHO.
February 11, 2015 — 3:06 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
That came out wrong. What I meant was, that a lot of your writing is great, not just good
February 11, 2015 — 3:40 PM
wildbilbo says:
Thanks for this also 🙂
February 11, 2015 — 9:07 PM
wildbilbo says:
Wow, that is the sort of response a person likes to hear! I’m really glad you liked it – the lack of direction and freedom from having to think of an end point must have really helped!
Cheers & thanks for reading 🙂
KT
February 11, 2015 — 7:33 PM
addy says:
you, good sir, have a way with words. Amazing is an understatment.
whoever picks this up, you have a lot to write up to.
February 12, 2015 — 11:47 AM
wildbilbo says:
Shucks, that’s awfully kind 🙂
Cheers
KT
February 12, 2015 — 5:34 PM
Simon B. says:
Well, I’ve been away a long time… but this looked fun enough to draw me back.
Coming in slightly over word-budget at 1,152, here’s an as-of-yet untitled start for someone to pick up and run with.
Caution: contains swords, bad interior design decisions and some naughty words.
http://probablyfalse.tumblr.com/post/110439966340/im-back-again-after-a-long-barren-break-this-is
February 8, 2015 — 10:00 AM
Eva Therese says:
It was fun to read. And I was impressed with all the details and choices of words.
February 12, 2015 — 10:33 AM
Simon B says:
Thanks for reading!
February 12, 2015 — 3:48 PM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
I like this a lot. I’m going to give Part II a shot.
February 17, 2015 — 1:27 PM
momtojuju says:
I give you, Sisters. Around 980 words. It took me two tries to get something I could share (and not selfishly keep to myself) Hope y’all like it.
http://momtojuju.wix.com/sheriwilliams-author#!Chuck-Wendig-flash-fiction-take-two/c1q8z/C5599881-138A-4C0D-A773-F2BA5B32ECD9
February 8, 2015 — 2:22 PM
evoletyvaine says:
Hello Momtojuju! I’m bookmarking yours. I’m gonna run with it and see what happens. I went to your site and did a little browsing. Loved SIlk Words and the idea of interactive romance fiction. That’s pretty innovative and so reminds me of those books I read when I was younger. I’m a major nube in the romance genre and may try my hand at that when I get a better handle on writing in this genre.
February 11, 2015 — 9:01 PM
Raven Blackburn says:
I present to you, with about 831 words (that’s what OpenOffice says at least):
Kiernan O’Reilly – Demon Hunter Extraodinaire
http://lettersoftheundead.blogspot.de/2015/02/flash-fiction-challenge-four-part-story.html
February 8, 2015 — 4:39 PM
Sean says:
Here we go. It’s my first time doing one of these. It’s about an elf who is a Civil War Veteran who finds himself being hunted by a pissed off posse. Can’t wait to see what it becomes.
http://seanswritersblock.blogspot.com/2015/02/flash-fiction-challenge-quarter-story.html
February 8, 2015 — 8:21 PM
nickinormandyhill says:
This is my first contribution. I’m kind of excited to see how this goes. It’s 1,111 words – I tried really hard to pare it down while still providing some framework of a world. Gay boys are involved, as that’s my modus operandi. Looking forward to seeing where other people want to take it. 🙂 http://nickinormandyhill.blogspot.com/2015/02/above-and-below.html
February 8, 2015 — 8:52 PM
Helen Espinosa says:
This is so exciting. I missed the last one, but I’m excited to take part this time. Here’s mine, coming in around 980 words:
https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/the-beach-house-part-one/
February 8, 2015 — 11:35 PM
James Cheary says:
This is my first time participating in a flash fiction challenge. I went with a old-fashioned film noir type crime narrative. Here it is, currently untitled and coming in at 1189 words: http://www.convolation.com.php54-2.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/flash-fiction-challenge-the-four-part-story-part-one/
February 9, 2015 — 2:22 AM
nkharrold says:
I’ll try my hand at some collaboration – first time for everything and such. Just hope I started enough momentum while leaving enough direction.
“The Human Equation”
https://freelancefedora.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/story-time-the-human-equation-part-i/
February 9, 2015 — 5:21 AM
Simon B. says:
Of all the submissions so far – including my own – yours is my favourite. The tone is perfect, your dialogue natural and engaging and you’ve hinted at such potential in just a thousand short words. I love your last sentence especially – what timing!
February 9, 2015 — 12:15 PM
nkharrold says:
Thank you very much!
February 11, 2015 — 1:11 AM
Eva Therese says:
I second everything Simon said. You have a great flow in your narrative and I was hooked in no time.
February 12, 2015 — 9:55 AM
Simon B. says:
I couldn’t resist picking this one up for part two:
http://probablyfalse.tumblr.com/post/110982374090/the-human-equation-part-two
February 15, 2015 — 7:41 AM
Christopher says:
I had fun with this intro. I guess I”ll call it, “The Sheriff, the Priest, and the Killer.” A dark little western that could go anywhere. With a nice little cast you could play around with. Enjoy.
http://roktyping.blogspot.kr/2015/02/wendig-flash-fiction-part-1-of-4.html
February 9, 2015 — 9:09 AM
Heretic Husband (@HereticHusband) says:
Hey everyone – this one is called “Mrs. McGinty Breaches the Perimeter”.
Zombies and church – two great tastes that go great together.
Enjoy!
http://t.co/2HYJBAtuV6
February 9, 2015 — 11:37 AM
amydrees says:
I greatly enjoyed this. Would you mind if I picked it up for part two?
February 14, 2015 — 9:49 PM
amydrees says:
I certainly hope you didn’t mind because here’s part two with my compliments to the originator and my apologies for any errors: http://akdrees.tumblr.com/post/111335854699/continuation-of-mrs-mcginty-breaches-the
February 17, 2015 — 9:46 PM
Henry says:
A spy and saboteur seeks revenge for her mother’s death, taking on the techno-eugenics bio-engineering group ASPIRE.
http://fistfulofwits.com/2015/02/09/flash-fiction-miranda-part-1-of-4/
February 9, 2015 — 1:37 PM
CJ says:
Loved her POV and continued her revenge-seeking with part 2
February 19, 2015 — 3:08 PM
Carlos says:
Hi all,
Finally I managed to write something, I like this kind of challenges and I have been looking for a place like this with so interesting writing activities. At the moment is just a hobby for me but I love writing. the beginning of the story took a bit to come out of my mind but it did. I hope someone would like to take on it for the next part.
http://redfire389.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/easy-target-flash-fiction-challenge.html
Carlos J
February 9, 2015 — 2:37 PM
john freeter says:
An anime-inspired tale of mobster violence.
https://johnfreeter.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/blood-trail-part-one/
February 9, 2015 — 3:45 PM
Josh Loomis says:
Ladies and gents, I give you Bart Luther, freelance exorcist. Have fun with him. http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2015/02/09/flash-fiction-bart-luther-freelance-exorcist/
February 9, 2015 — 3:59 PM
Eva Therese says:
Very nice. I like the way the characters are being set up and their interaction.
February 12, 2015 — 9:17 AM
Pavowski says:
This is one I can get behind. Brainstorming for Part 2 now…
February 14, 2015 — 11:07 PM
Pavowski says:
Part 2 is up! Not sure who you thought “she” was, but I had an idea…
https://pavorisms.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/bart-luther-freelance-exorcist/
February 15, 2015 — 12:40 AM
Simon B. says:
Well done, both of you. This is astounding. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
(Pssst… if the two of you decide to just add another 90,000 or so words to the ones you’ve already written, no-one will mind too much. Just, er, putting that out there. Yep.)
February 15, 2015 — 4:54 PM
Pavowski says:
Sure, I’ll just toss off another 45,000 words here and Josh I’m sure can supply the rest… meet up in a week or so and split all the profits? 🙂
February 15, 2015 — 6:26 PM
Josh Loomis says:
The things I miss when I’m hunting down other work… Seriously, why am I not spending more time on awesome things like this? 😉
March 26, 2015 — 8:17 PM
ElctrcRngr says:
This is really excellent, Josh. Pavowski and you really manage to pack a wallop into 2000 words. Well done!
February 18, 2015 — 12:25 AM
joeharris462 says:
I really like this collaborative writing and a perfect time to introduce Martin Grant. A YA adult author who has a hobbie of murder. Hope anyone enjoys 🙂
https://joeharris462.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/flash-fiction-challenge/
February 9, 2015 — 6:14 PM