I’m sharing an image with you.
You can use that image as inspiration for a 1000-word piece of flash fiction.
Or, you can share a link to a different image below.
(Please don’t share more than one image, and if it’s NSFW, please offer warning. And nothing triggery or weird, I don’t want this to be a road with a bunch of tire-popping potholes for people’s safety and sanity, okay?)
Then, write a story based on the image above, or one of the other images in the comments.
The trick is, please don’t write a story based on an image you have shared.
Be inspired by what something else has left for you.
That is, in many ways, how our stories work, after all.
Again:
Pick an image.
Use that image as the inspiration for your flash fiction.
Post the fiction at your blog, link back here so we can read it.
Due by 4/10, noon EST.
166 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Share An Image, Write A Story”
Ha… this is the best day ever to say “Shirley, share an image with me!” Behold, straight from the deep:
http://imgur.com/gallery/LM3AQiR
That’s Sponge Bob weird.
This is a fantastic image! I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but this is my image of choice.
Those little guys are freaky cool.
I think they’re angels…but from what religion I cannot say.
They are cute as heck! WANT ONE NOW!
Here is an image I cobbled together myself. It is a fairy holding the model of the universe as defined by superstring theory. Yes it on an astrology blog. I write about astrology too. Shut up.
http://astrologyexplored.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Fairy-and-String-Model.png
Beautiful
Kristin,
Thank you.
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p520/thechoice2014/185516_181030535301200_179181975486056_429789_8325346_n_zps6apqhbig.jpg
Oh, I like this!
thanks!
[…] Today’s challenge is titled, Flash Fiction Challenge: Share An Image, Write A Story […]
I cheated. Because I’m a cheatie-mc-cheater-pants. Actually, I did this exact challenge a few months back for a site that totally gave up on itself. So I’m going to just pretend that I was reading Chuck’s mind… several months early. Yeah, that’s it. https://shananwinters.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/flash-from-the-past/
I’m glad you cheated!
Image http://www.nga.gov/feature/sculpturegarden/sculpture/sculpture1-fs.shtm
I actually took a picture of this while I was in DC but didn’t know how to link a personal pic.
Here’s one from FB: http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article5400985.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/O3mjNTx.png
lol. That may be too good to pass up…
It is simply irresponsible to house a nuclear power plant in your spider farm. Damn those lax zoning regulations!
Okay, SO not going there!
Awesome picture. I combined it with Kristin Mireles’s picture below to create the following story:
https://poordicks.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/flash-fiction-challenge-radioactive-arthropods-for-everyone/
Ok, I got this one…totally writing about Oberon
https://criticalsexualmass.wordpress.com/
This is hilarious. Thanks for setting the bar on the bloody moon.
Thanks, you never know how a story like that will be received…
Prudes abound. Their loss.
Waiting for Oberon…
Ha! That was golden! Five thumbs up!
Love it. I can almost smell the tour van.
that’s, er…kinda gross! Thanks, cause gross rocks!
[…] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/04/03/flash-fiction-challenge-share-an-image-write-a-story/ […]
Here’s one of mine from my research on the Standing Stones of Wales, Carreg Sampson. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v170/DocDana/100_1362.jpg
Okay… let’s try this again… I used your image.
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/the-witching-hour.html
Oh, Mozette! Don’t you know there’s always a catch? Nicely done!
Thank you so much! I knew being a practicing witch would pay off… knowing all the dark stuff and how to perform the dark magicks would work in my favour; even if I don’t work them. 🙂
Thanks for the image. Here, have a short story in return. I grew up around stones like this as well as obelisk and carvings (and plenty of castles).
https://p33d33.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/chuck-wendigs-image-challenge-the-welsh-dragon/
I find these to be incredibly fascinating. And terrifying too, for some reason:
http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-step-well-india-image24654441
I hear you! I keep envisioning the torrential rains they must have that fill those wells!
I’ll just leave this here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/3746114291/
I keep coming back to this one. Each time his expression seems to change.
I’ll tell you what I think: “The gods must be… insane?….?????”
Oh, here’s another one: “I found the White Devil’s techno-vagina inadequate. Two Stars.”
Oh please…continue with this last one. I suffer incontinence gladly.
Hehe I’m glad you liked it 😉
Don’t know if I could drag an entire story out of it though. Maybe.
Okay last one, promise: “And I thought I was hardcore about MY ear hoops!”
I’ve always loved this image. http://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-32097860/stock-photo-gone-with-the-wind
Love the image so much i had to make a quick one. hope you enjoy.
https://adamskistoryblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/42/
That was fun! I always get a chuckle out of folks carrying on with their lives in the face of absurdity. 😎
[…] A flash fiction challenge from Chuck Wendig, 1000 words based on an image. […]
I went with Chuck’s image–
https://douglasdanieldotcom.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/chuck-wendigs-flash-fiction-challenge-oberon-is-here/
Oooo, had me hooked to the very last line. Well done, sir.
I’ve never tried one of these, but that Oberon picture conjured a story in my head. I cheated, though… didn’t manage to keep it under 1,000 words: http://cleverwholigan.tumblr.com/post/115428467260/oberon-is-here
(I’m just a beginner, so the story is probably riddled with errors.)
A few grammatical things to fix up in the beginning, but I liked where you went with it… very much.
I thought she’d be more upset about losing him though.
Thank you! 🙂 I liked the twist of her being sort of blase and “Oh well, guess I gotta get mySELF home since my dumb boyfriend got himself disappeared.” It amused me, though if I made the story longer, I don’t know if that reaction would remain the same. It was nice practice, though… I’ve recently gotten back into the writing game after 10+ years of not writing *anything*, so I’m a bit rusty and stuff like this helps flex those muscles.
Just gotta remember that like any muscle, your writing will improve with practice. 😀
Absolutely 🙂 And I’m having a blast “exercising” it 😀
http://tinyurl.com/lrsg963
I took this pic at Kata-Tjuta a few years back. http://imgur.com/fnIl7Vr
I took this pick at the Eumundi Markets in 2010… I love it because it’s so colourful.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm95/Mozette1791/Mooloolaba%202010/Mooloolaba%20-%20Day%202/Mooloolaba%20-%20Day%203/012.jpg
Starchild – A military leader’s unauthorized decision to destroy an alien starship presages a fateful expansion of Humanity into space.
https://medium.com/@ebonstorm/starchild-580bfb8f7d81
I love the picture you chose. It is so full of emotion. Your story is sad, but makes an accurate comment on much of humanity. It would be wonderful to live in a Benai kind of world in the company of star children.
This hurts. Well done.
Thanks for reading. I wanted to address the themes of perpetual warfare, constant growth and the fusion of the two as a form of cultural madness. When presented with something that might cause Humanity to truly spread to the stars before they were ready, could someone tasked with protecting the realm make the decision to protect the realm (from itself) above their own personal aggrandizement?
I’ve always loves Standing Stones… and so I used your image… 😀
Enjoy.
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/the-witching-hour.html
I know I put this in twice, my original one is up at Jana Denardo’s reply… for some reason, my original one was put down here.
This inspires me. http://i.imgur.com/fZ6n6VV.jpg
This one was tough! That’s why I picked it. Thanks for the pic! http://jackleetaylor.com/2015/04/07/clay-baby/
Some cool, random artist I found online. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/brothers-in-arms-meeting-with-a-warlord
Someone may be able to use this for a sci-fi piece.
http://elctrcrngr.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/astronomical-simulation/
This is currently my phone’s lock screen wallpaper. I’ve seen much black hole art, but none from the edge of the accretion disk. Another one for sci-fi writers. http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/images/screen/heic0409a.jpg
very useful and thanks for sharing it.
Here is a photo of a car seen in the library’s parking lot.
https://jackiperrette.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/radioactive-photo-writing-challenge/
Are they trying to ward off the government mind signals, or intercept them?
Your guess is as good as mine!
I posted more views of the car. I was totally amazed when I walked out of the building and saw it. There was another guy who also took pictures when I did. …and I work there, but was not sure whose car it was.
That is the weirdest portable microwave oven I’ve ever seen.
Photo of a soldier during the Salvadorian civil war (1982) by Giovanni Palazzo.
https://instagram.com/p/viqRIFDDBr/
Now that’s what I call ‘ham’ radio. You work at the library? Arrgh! I am SO green with envy and jealousy!
The library is awesome, but it’s also a lot of work – and depending on location, it can be …erm… challenging. The visitors definitely flavor the experience. As you can see, sometimes it’s awesome fun.
Posted mine over on my old Protagonize account, since I don’t use my blog for fiction. Based on the Oberon Is Here image, which I love. 🙂 http://www.protagonize.com/story/oberon-is-here
I really liked your voice in this story, it has a quirky sense of humor. Very honest and fresh
Thanks 🙂
That was a lot of fun to read. Overbearing Fairy Kings are always a fun topic to play with 😉
They definitely are. I write a lot about fairies, usually the Irish variety, so I’m always glad of a chance to play around with them. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Here is a beautiful image from a Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree Path. Horror writers, Hello Kitty might be waiting behind one of those trees with a large butchers knife. 😀
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cd/7b/0b/cd7b0b3c089e2cdc618df8a34d9516d3.jpg
I give you Oneironaut. It’s late, I’ve probably missed a couple of mistakes. It could be mierda. I’m going to sleep now.
http://feetforbrains.com/2015/04/06/oneironaut/
Ashronin, your picture was worth more than the internationally agreed upon average of a thousand words. I wrote another one. Thanks again for the cherry trees.
http://feetforbrains.com/2015/04/08/mimic/
So, this story kind of came out of left field, but I was inspired by your gorgeous photo! Here’s my story, “Good Intentions” https://katethesape.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/good-intentions-new-flash-fiction-piece/
The URL is a little long on this picture (from the local paper/newssite), but it’s seasonally appropriate:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6492f949ddb5e4279dbbb7764f99a3216dbceb74/c=54-0-905-640&r=x513&c=680×510/local/-/media/2015/03/26/Phoenix/Phoenix/635629777376993060-image4.jpeg
Blam! A bit of superhero fiction about bureaucracy and being stuck in a rut, based on the bunny-eared lizard.
http://billionmonkeys.blogspot.com/p/captain-reptile-takes-break.html
Well, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this entry. Bravo.
Seriously though, Captain Reptile needs her own comic. “Next issue, Captain Reptile vs the W2 Gang!”
Sharing an image of my own in hopes of inspiring something fun!
https://flic.kr/p/cpGseC
Here it is, then. Steampunk Chihuahua. https://p33d33.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/steampunk-chihuahua-v2-of-chuck-wendigs-image-challenge/
I hope you like it, especially because you’re in it. Thanks for the image, it was weirdly inspiring.
And here we go with my image contribution:
https://data.archive.moe/board/tg/image/1335/56/1335567761336.jpg
Also, I’m probably going to buy some Oberon right now because of that picture. Curse you, Wendig, and your temptress ways!
Ha! My cat is named Oberon!
https://instagram.com/p/073QcROHU6/
Here’s mine. I do so love a dialogue-in-a-diner story.
http://www.agincourtdb.com/2015/04/whom-heaven-earth-and-sea-obey.html
Wasp-zilla is attacking the city! http://mireles-musings.blogspot.com/2015/04/wasp-zilla.html
https://p33d33.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/waspzilla-chuck-wendig-image-challenge-3/
Multiple warnings: Strong horror warning. Catastrophic injuries warning. Strong violence warning. Environmental disaster warning.
Kristin, you said you wanted nightmares so I hope this delivers a few.
ok now i am scratching and making sure there are no tiny wasps crawling over me. WHAT THE HELL MAN!!! I AM FREAKING OUT!!!
So yeah mission accomplished. loved it 😀
Awesome. That part about the babies freaked me the fuck out.
Awesome picture. I combined it with vlsperry’s picture above to create the following story:
https://poordicks.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/flash-fiction-challenge-radioactive-arthropods-for-everyone/
Nice.
Thanks!
Let’s see if this works.
[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dangerdean/media/423798_10151026252651568_1842193409_n.jpg.html][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/dangerdean/423798_10151026252651568_1842193409_n.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Or this, even.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/dangerdean/423798_10151026252651568_1842193409_n.jpg
I’m sure no one will be looking down here, but…
http://www.imgion.com/images/01/awesome-fire-cat.jpg
Link is fairly self explanatory: awesome fire cat.
That is pretty awesome
I love the fire cat!
[…] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/04/03/flash-fiction-challenge-share-an-image-write-a-story/ […]
[…] 1100 words conclude chapter nine. I used the prompt from Chuck Wendig, and although I know Cindy is busy with university and Miss Alister with editing, I hope to see the […]
I used Chuck’s Oberon image. There’s also an audio narration. https://article94.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/chapter-9-lunacy-part-two/
Got it at 1000 words exactly! Phew!
http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/dangomez87/1509716/
OBERON IS HERE
Really liked the story. I got into it and the reading went by fast. Great tension and a high creepy factor for me.
Thanks for the read. Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
[…] http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/04/03/flash-fiction-challenge-share-an-image-write-a-story/ […]
[…] Chuck Wendig’s Challenge this week was to write a 1,000 word flash fiction based on the picture he provided. As soon as I saw the picture, I started thinking of this story. Without the lullaby, the total word count is 1,006. The lullaby is called Cradle Song and it was written by Thomas Drekker. I took some liberties and put down the last half first because it flowed better with my story. […]
Wow, this was a popular one. I was completely inspired by Chuck’s picture, even though I’m not usually inspired by pictures. Here is my take on it called A Fairy’s Lullaby, coming in at 1006 words.
https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/flash-fiction-a-fairys-lullaby/
Here are a couple of images from “Piscina Mirabile” in Campagna (S. Italy). Maybe a vampire lair? http://magistraburke.blogspot.com/2012/08/where-would-vampires-hide-out-in-italy.html
Because puberty and PETA can be tough on vampires, too.
https://p33d33.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/draculas-puberty-chuck-wendigs-image-challenge-4/
[…] [written for the April 3, 2015 TerribleMinds.com weekly fiction challenge.] […]
Oberon’s here, But The Bard’s Gone Fishing: https://cavalaxis.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/but-the-bards-gone-fishing/ (~1330 words)