I’ll be going through your epic list of potential flash fiction suggestions next week, but for now, it’s time to revive one of the classics: the random song title challenge
Way this works is:
Go to your music player of choice, pull up a random song, and use that song title as the title to your story. You don’t need to make the story about the song or inspired by the song (unless you want to) — all you really need is the title to run with. On iTunes, it’s shuffle, I think, but if you google “play random song” you’ll find plenty of ways to conjure one from the chaos.
Write the story with the song title as your story title.
You’ve got 1000 words.
Write it at your online space, give us a link in the comments so we can all read it.
Due by July 3rd, noon EST.
Rick Cook Jr says:
“Little Sister” by Jewel. Pulled from a random playlist of 20,000+ MP3s. Little over 1k, but not too bad.
http://panningforclouds.com/2015/06/30/little-sister/
July 1, 2015 — 12:43 AM
Rick Cook Jr says:
And here’s the link to the song, which uh… not much like the thing I wrote.
July 1, 2015 — 1:32 AM
Fred G. Yost says:
Even though some part of me could see where it was going, the rest of me hoped it wasn’t so. Well done.
My Spotify queue has been doing an excellent job of adding background music while I’m reading these. “Perro” by The Album Leaf added an element of something good.
Though now that I think about it, maybe stories are best when read in silence. I’m not sure. Either way, the story does stand well on its own.
July 2, 2015 — 5:59 PM
dmcclure17 says:
I was going to skip this one originally, but then Radiohead’s “I Am Citizen Insane” was the first song to pop up on Pandora. Couldn’t very well walk away from a title like that. Enjoy!
https://dmcclure17.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/the-song-title-a-wendig-flash-fiction-challenge/
July 1, 2015 — 10:21 AM
SamKD says:
This is great!
July 1, 2015 — 11:01 AM
Fred G. Yost says:
I always enjoy stories about normal people trying to survive in the world of the super-powered. You’ve created a fascinating universe to play in.
July 2, 2015 — 5:47 PM
Fred G. Yost says:
So, the first song that popped up was “Ash”. I’m not sure I got the feeling right, but I’m running out of time, so here’s a go. If you have any suggestions or other feedback, please let me know.
http://fredgyost.com/2015/07/01/flash-fiction-challenge-ash/
July 1, 2015 — 11:28 PM
thedebc says:
I’m so late entering this. Been working so much, no time to write!
The very first song that came to mind when I saw the prompt was was Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine.” Hope you like it!
http://wp.me/p6e1eO-1l
July 1, 2015 — 11:47 PM
the oncoming spork says:
https://apostrophobic.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/better-not-wake-the-baby/
This one went a little weird on me. I’m not used to first person.
July 2, 2015 — 2:01 AM
Ridley Kemp says:
Not that I’m a pro, but I thought the brevity served you well there. There were edgy bits lurking just outside the text.
July 2, 2015 — 4:15 PM
the oncoming spork says:
Thanks!
July 2, 2015 — 10:28 PM
Fred G. Yost says:
Agree with Ridley, the… I don’t know if choppiness is the right word, but it’s the one I’m using… the choppiness helps convey the damage, the emotional frayed ends that the narrator is trying desperately to hold together.
July 2, 2015 — 5:43 PM
the oncoming spork says:
Thanks! I was definitely frayed when it was done…
July 2, 2015 — 10:28 PM
Ridley Kemp says:
“We Are Nowhere And It’s Now” – Bright Eyes
That’ll teach me to use a random song generator not from my music library.
http://www.ridleykemp.com/stories/2015/7/2/we-are-nowhere-and-its-now
I may have *cough* gone a few words over the 1,000 word limit. I blame the admonition regarding character agency this week.
July 2, 2015 — 1:57 PM
SamKD says:
Ooh good stuff. Totally agree with Anna.
July 2, 2015 — 5:22 PM
Fred G. Yost says:
Fascinating. I love the concept, and that you didn’t stop at 1000 words. Some stories just need more space for the telling.
July 2, 2015 — 5:39 PM
the oncoming spork says:
Maaan, now I want more Birdman stories. Well done!
July 2, 2015 — 10:27 PM
Anna says:
Wow. I liked this a lot. Great idea, beautifully written.
July 2, 2015 — 3:08 PM
C.M. Simpson says:
Well. Song title is Splash Woman by Mega Ran (Jarbo), and the story is a science fiction piece on one of the dangers of colonisation:
http://cmsimpson.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/flash-fiction-challenge-due-july-3-2015.html
July 2, 2015 — 4:41 PM
Fred G. Yost says:
Awesome. You did a wonderful job painting pictures, the dullness of space travel, the excitement of the ride down, and the panic at the end.
Side note: I was listening to ‘It’s only Words’ by The Best Pessimist while reading this, it worked pretty well as a soundtrack.
July 2, 2015 — 5:30 PM
C.M. Simpson says:
Thanks, Fred. I’m glad it worked. I’ll have to look ‘It’s only Words’ up.
July 2, 2015 — 5:53 PM
Jemima Pett says:
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams. It might be a little derivative, but I enjoyed writing it.
Post will be live in c85 minutes from now.
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2015/07/03/friday-flash-fiction-happy/
July 2, 2015 — 5:49 PM
grahamwrites says:
iTunes gave me “Fucking in the Bushes” by Oasis. So I give you “Fucking in the Bushes” by me. All 820 words of it.
https://grahamwrites.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/flash-fiction-fucking-in-the-bushes
July 2, 2015 — 7:44 PM
Christine Frost says:
This one plunged me deep into the haze of nostalgia, as it was a song I haven’t heard in a very long time, and brought me back to living in West Berlin, where the movie this song was featured in was filmed…in the same year I went there. The story itself, however, took me in a direction I never expected to go in–it was like a visitation by someone else’s Muse. Here is “Six Bells Chime” (from the band Crime and the City Solution.” http://www.herravendomain.com/six-bells-chime/
July 2, 2015 — 8:52 PM
SamKD says:
Beautiful imagery.
July 3, 2015 — 8:16 AM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
https://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/dead-is-the-new-alive-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/
Dead is the New Alive (Song by Emilie Autumn)
July 2, 2015 — 9:49 PM
momdude says:
Huey Lewis & The News, “Do You Believe In Love?” Okay, I can work with that.
http://pauljwillett.com/2015/07/02/flash-fiction-do-you-believe-in-love/
July 3, 2015 — 2:39 AM
ashramswithinanut says:
Spotify gave me “Brown Eyed Girl.” So I ran with it.
https://ashramswithinanut.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/brown-eyed-girl/
July 3, 2015 — 11:51 AM
Christopher Jackson (@chrisjackson84) says:
This was FUN! I got ANGEL DUSTER by the awesome Run The Jewels, and immediately this story popped into my head.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dd5WaOA_pw&w=560&h=315%5D
Hope you all enjoy! http://www.whiskypixel.com/angel-duster/
July 3, 2015 — 1:19 PM
Q. Kelly says:
The Samsung music player gave me “Domino” by Jessie J, so of course, I wrote about the world’s worst fat camp.
http://www.qkellybooks.com/2015/07/domino-worlds-worst-fat-camp.html
July 3, 2015 — 7:24 PM
lauriegienapp says:
I LOVE this!!! but I want more!
July 7, 2015 — 5:46 PM