This week, we return to a classic. I will give you 20 subgenres. You will pick two from the list either using a d20 or random number generator (or use tea leaves or falcon guts or something), then you will write a short story that mashes up those two subgenres. (So you might get Kaiju Noir, or Superhero BDSM, or Parallel Universe Whodunit!)
This time, you’ll get 1500 words.
This is due by next Friday (2/12), noon EST.
Post at your online space.
Link to it in the comments below. So we can all read it!
THE SUBGENRE LIST:
- Kaiju
- Cli-Fi (Climate Change Fiction)
- Southern Gothic
- Zombie
- Weird West
- Mythology
- Body Horror
- Grimdark Fantasy
- Whodunit?
- Military Sci-Fi
- Comic Fantasy
- Technothriller
- Superhero
- BDSM Erotica
- Heist / Caper
- Magical Realism
- Parallel Universe
- Noir
- Time Travel
- Alien Horror
Joe Turner says:
If I could only do one of your challenges for eternity, it’d be this. Providing, of course, I actually get it done. I got:
15 – Heist/Caper
18 – Noir
February 5, 2016 — 8:25 AM
john freeter says:
Lucky…
February 7, 2016 — 12:51 AM
Beth says:
The random number generator gave me 10 & 11. (Yes. it did) Turns out it was harder to hit that BDSM erotica number than I thought. But I’ll play by the rules. 🙁
February 5, 2016 — 8:33 AM
Beth says:
It gave me 11 and 12, which, I’m pretty sure I’m not qualified so I re-rolled for 5 and 15. I’m reading A Rope of Thorns right now so that’s pretty close to where my head is anyway, but 1500 words is going to be a challenge. Thinking on it.
Any other Beths roll an 11?
February 5, 2016 — 8:10 PM
Kristin Mireles (@kristinmireles) says:
Really, it’s the cosmos that determine which numbers we are given. The idea that any of this is random is purely hegemonic. It was your fate, as BDSM + Body Horror is mine. I’ve written some tawdry stuff before, but believe me, I giggle like a little schoolgirl every time I write a racy scene. But apparently, it’s my lot in life! o_0
February 6, 2016 — 12:11 PM
caszbrewster says:
Agreed on cosmos determination.
February 6, 2016 — 5:44 PM
Jonny B says:
My dreams of a Kaiju Erotica were dashed by getting15/19, but I’m down for a Time Travel Caper.
February 5, 2016 — 8:58 AM
thatcalamity says:
I don’t know you Jonny but I feel like we’d get along.I was hoping for Kaiju BDSM too
February 5, 2016 — 10:32 AM
Jonny B says:
There’s no reason it can’t be done. In fact, I might have to try it. Especially as I completely forgot about my Time Caper!
February 19, 2016 — 7:32 AM
persimmonromance says:
I have eight and ten. So military sci-fi grimdark fantasy. Not my usual, but I could do do this.
February 5, 2016 — 9:06 AM
thesexiestwriter says:
Alien horror BDSM erotica… I was gonna re-roll, but no, I can work with this…
February 5, 2016 — 9:23 AM
Pavowski says:
Cli-Fi Noir. That’s either impossible or brilliant.
February 5, 2016 — 10:27 AM
thatcalamity says:
Weird West Alien Horror. I’m so down for this.
February 5, 2016 — 10:32 AM
moira says:
using my MDT Tarot deck and only the trumps, I pulled le diable and L’emperatrrise. For those who don’t know, that is 15 and 3. Heist/Caper I know, but WTH is Southern Gothic? Could someone tell me?
Merci….
Moira
Fabulous idea by the way. I love this.
February 5, 2016 — 11:05 AM
Fatma Alici says:
Here’s a link that goes into it. But, basically horror like stuff in the south.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Gothic
February 5, 2016 — 8:50 PM
Jon says:
Southern Gothic, read some Flannery O’Connor. You’ll be glad you did.
February 6, 2016 — 1:25 AM
caszbrewster says:
Flannery O’Connor is one of my writing muses.
February 6, 2016 — 5:46 PM
moira says:
I will. Thank you!
February 6, 2016 — 7:34 PM
rebekahspark says:
Hot dam, I didn’t know Southern Gothic was a thing and I’m working on a Southern Gothic novel!!!
I have a mood board for my story https://www.pinterest.com/acre8tiveli0760/hunting-party-mood-board/ that may or may not be of use to you. Good luck.
February 6, 2016 — 3:33 AM
AA Payson says:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/southern-gothic-literature-definition-characteristics-authors.html
I rolled a 3 too.
February 6, 2016 — 11:26 AM
madilynquinn01 says:
Going to give this a try~!
I got comic fantasy alien horror. Oh no… how am I.. ? I guess I’ll figure it out?
February 5, 2016 — 11:33 AM
Sophie Giroir says:
I’ve never heard of Cli-fi. Lol. I ended up with Magical Realism/Cli-fi. Here goes….something.
February 5, 2016 — 11:59 AM
Danielle says:
I got heist/caper and Whodunit? I’m excited and concerned that I can’t pull it off which just makes me more excited. See you soon with a finished product!
February 5, 2016 — 1:15 PM
rebeccajrobare says:
I got Time Travel + Zombie. All the tropes to play with!
February 5, 2016 — 1:52 PM
RGAustin says:
Said the voices in my head pick Mythology & Body Horror, pick Mythology & Body Horror. Shut the F*up I screamed from my alien parallel universe
February 5, 2016 — 2:34 PM
Beth says:
“Shut the F*up I screamed from my alien parallel universe”
I do that all the time. Sadly, the humans never listen.
February 6, 2016 — 4:15 AM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Messed up and missed last week’s deadline. Posted anyway.
I shall try to make sure I don’t miss this one.
Randogenerator gives me:
Technothriller + BDSM Erotica
Well. Alrightythen.
February 5, 2016 — 3:09 PM
Mariah Avix says:
Weirdly I wrote that book. And then I had to go back and cut all the sex. And then the whole book.
I’m down to Mythology/Technothriller.
February 5, 2016 — 6:14 PM
Deborah de Carvalho says:
I got 10 and 18 … hilarious.
February 5, 2016 — 5:06 PM
Luna Moon says:
I got Southern Gothic Technothriller. Sounds fun? I think? Should be interesting, at the very least.
February 5, 2016 — 7:25 PM
Fatma Alici says:
Body Horror and Noir. Ok, as soon as I finish up last weeks challenge I’ll try to figure that out.
February 5, 2016 — 8:47 PM
Fatma Alici says:
Neither of these genres are something I normally read, things related to it, but not these. But, I do these challenges to stretch my writing muscles. I actually took a very fantasy bent to all the whole thing, so its pretty much three genres, rather than two. It was fun to do, though Body Horror seriously grosses me out.
Warning: There is some gross violence done to unicorns, because I’m a bad person.
http://www.fatmaalici.com/2016/02/07/the-beast-inside-out/
February 7, 2016 — 9:58 PM
Mozette says:
I think I managed to squeeze in three of the genres by accident… you guys be the judge. 😀
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/the-mark.html
February 5, 2016 — 9:07 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Blogger’s being douchey about letting me comment there, so:
You always come up with the best ideas! 😀
February 11, 2016 — 9:11 AM
Royal Ocelot says:
Southern Gothic and Parallel Universe. Yes. I got this.
February 5, 2016 — 10:33 PM
Jon says:
Alien Horror + Heist/Caper. Ideas, I have none. Shall sleep on it and see.
February 6, 2016 — 1:27 AM
LittleBlackDog says:
Cool! I got Cli-fi/Magic Realism. I’ll put it up tomorrow after I’ve got a chance to re-read without having the bleariness of baby-induced sleep deprivation…or just having had some caffeine.
February 6, 2016 — 2:28 AM
LittleBlackDog says:
https://lilliangordontaylor.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/polar-bear/
February 6, 2016 — 3:30 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Ah! I could totally see this as a children’s picture book 😀
February 11, 2016 — 9:16 AM
rebekahspark says:
I got Mythology and Alien Horror I’m excited, terrified and completely blank right now
February 6, 2016 — 3:26 AM
ellaapollodorus says:
YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THE FALCON WOULD DIE!!!!!!
And I think that’s my title.
I got Mythology and BDSM/Erotica the first roll, but that sounded kinda like the gods on a good day, so I rolled again and got Mythology and parallel universe. Which is what I’m writing anyway, with time travel thrown in. Hmmm.
February 6, 2016 — 5:52 AM
jadefalcon14 says:
Weird West + Mythology… Sounds like that could generate something interesting. Need to think on it some
February 6, 2016 — 6:47 AM
robspalding says:
Body Horror
Comic Fantasy.
I don’t even know where to begin with that.
But I am ill and just past feverish, so hopefully a touch of fever dream will give me something.
February 6, 2016 — 7:30 AM
AA Payson says:
I first rolled a 2-3; Southern Gothic Zombie. After doing a little research as to what exactly goes into a Southern Gothic tale, it sounds to me that there might a lot of redundancy between the two. There is plenty of wiggle room to play with, and it might be something that might evolve into something bigger. Just in case, I rolled again and got a 19-10.
Time Traveling Military Sci-Fi… Could think of nothing by Stargate Fan Fiction.
Went with my first roll. Time to go exploring.
February 6, 2016 — 11:32 AM
Kristin Mireles (@kristinmireles) says:
I got 14 – BDSM Erotica
and 7 – Body Horror
This should be interesting!
February 6, 2016 — 12:06 PM
Kristin Mireles (@kristinmireles) says:
Sorry this was late; it’s been a crazy week. And I’m way over the word limit.
The Cost of Flying Too High
http://mireles-musings.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-cost-of-flying-too-high.html
February 12, 2016 — 10:04 PM
Rachel Ambrose says:
Magical Realism and Mythology. Yessssss.
February 6, 2016 — 2:37 PM
caszbrewster says:
This ought to be interesting: Weird West Kaiju. bwuahahahaha.
February 6, 2016 — 5:43 PM
caszbrewster says:
I give you, NIOBARA!
http://www.casondrabrewster.com/?p=2784
February 12, 2016 — 2:25 AM
ooakthistle says:
I got Superhero and Noir on my first roll. I tried, I really tried, but it sucked and I couldn’t get myself motivated to write more than 300 words.
I rerolled Grimdark Fantasy and BDSM Erotica – not entirely sure the final product is a mash up of these genres (especially as I had to look up Grimdark Fantasy to even see what it was), but it was fun to write.
https://betheredragons.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/sirens-song/
February 6, 2016 — 8:32 PM
LittleBlackDog says:
Very cool – I also had no idea what grimdark fantasy was, but it pulled me right in. Nice characterization on your main three characters.
February 6, 2016 — 11:30 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
I’m a fan. You could keep writing about these folks, and I’d keep reading!
February 11, 2016 — 9:21 AM
A. Farag says:
So, I got Southern Gothic and BDSM Erotica. This is gonna definitely be interesting. I’m kind of excited though
February 6, 2016 — 8:36 PM
moira says:
lots of swamps and hoodoo magic.
February 6, 2016 — 9:23 PM
john freeter says:
18 and 12. A Noir Technothriller… Cyberpunk?
February 7, 2016 — 12:55 AM
Mariah Avix says:
I got technothriller and mythology. I’m not entirely sure I actually nailed either of those genres but I tried?
http://insani-x.com/2016/02/07/false-gods/
February 7, 2016 — 1:26 PM
LittleBlackDog says:
Interesting take on the two genres – I was drawn in by the opening scene, especially the “outfit,” which was an awesome visual to start the gears turning.
February 8, 2016 — 7:16 PM
dcxli says:
I liked the set-up and the premise of the story; it read like a sort of twisted Percy Jackson story. My one critique would be about the ending. It seems a bit rushed, but certainly that could be fixed in a format longer than flash fiction.
February 9, 2016 — 4:12 PM
Mariah Avix says:
I was really trying to keep it tight so I had to keep going back and editing down the start to make more space for the ending.
February 9, 2016 — 6:05 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Definitely loved the opening; fantastic setup and premise. I think you could’ve used a solid 2K more words with ease, because the ending was a little too rushed for me, but I still loved it.
February 11, 2016 — 9:25 AM
StarNinja says:
Great stuff, Mariah. The techno part of the techno-thriller was mild but then you can’t do too much with bleeding edge techno junk in 1500 words. I think you handled it superbly. Well done!
February 12, 2016 — 10:23 AM
ninamckissock says:
Weird West and Magical Realism. (I was hoping for BDSM Erotica, too)
February 7, 2016 — 3:08 PM
Jenny says:
Parallel Universe and Alien Horror…
February 7, 2016 — 5:30 PM
Suzanna Burke says:
Eeeek! 4 and 12. A Zombie Technothriller. What the hell, I’ll give it a shot.
February 7, 2016 — 6:34 PM
Pavowski says:
Here, then, is the Cli-Fi Noir masterpiece: The Cloud Conspiracy.
http://accidentallyinspired.com/2016/02/08/the-cloud-conspiracy/
February 8, 2016 — 2:15 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
AAAAAAA, PAVO! I *love* this! 😀 You could do this as a whole damn book!
February 11, 2016 — 9:28 AM
Pavowski says:
That thought had occurred to me. Stupid Chuck’s challenges. Spawning all these ideas for books I will never have enough time to write.
February 11, 2016 — 9:43 AM
Eva Therese says:
9 and 10, Whodunit? and Military Sci-fi. I know next to nothing about the real military, but I know a little military sci-fi if stuff like Mass Effect and Caiphas Cain counts, so I tried to emulate that. https://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/the-subgenre-tango/
February 8, 2016 — 2:21 PM
addy says:
that was great. I had my doubt on the mystery when there were only three people but then when it was all revealed i couldnt have been more surprised.
This would make a great full length story.
February 9, 2016 — 8:40 AM
Eva Therese says:
Thanks! I think it could be fun to write as a longer story, with more time to do research and come up with proper complicated clues.
February 9, 2016 — 3:16 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Nicely done! I echo the sentiments of ‘ooh, make it longer!’ because everyone loves a good ‘whodunit’ 😀
February 11, 2016 — 9:32 AM
Eva Therese says:
I know, right! 😀
February 11, 2016 — 9:52 AM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
Right, okay. I got a 5 & 14. Admittedly leaning more toward the 5, here’s my Weird West/BDSM Erotica.
https://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/paid-in-blood-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/
February 8, 2016 — 3:39 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
I don’t know as I’ve ever read Weird West, but I definitely liked it!
February 11, 2016 — 9:37 AM
cleefrost says:
Time travelling and mythology. Welp, this one had me thinking for a while. Haven’t done one of these writing challenges in months! Herewith, “Hafvilla,” wherein an unsuspecting TV host seeking adventure finds himself at a tavern owned by Odin–and he thinks it’s a movie set. http://www.herravendomain.com/hafvilla/
February 8, 2016 — 4:37 PM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Ahh! Poor Lex 😀 This was a really fun read.
February 11, 2016 — 9:40 AM
Christine Frost says:
Thank you! I really got into that one… 🙂
February 12, 2016 — 1:35 PM
dcxli says:
Heist/Caper x Grimdark Fantasy
It’s called Shoremont Keep
https://dcxli.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/shoremont-keep/
Please enjoy and leave feedback.
February 9, 2016 — 1:58 AM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Oh man. I love a good heist! Your merry band of caperers seemed like fun; I’d have loved to be able to read more of this.
February 11, 2016 — 9:44 AM
Catastrophe Jones says:
Hokay. Mine’s written, but I’ve scheduled it for Thursday, since today’s is already up, and tomorrow’s #140 of Deathwatch. You know, I think I rather enjoyed this one. Half tempted to make it a lot bigger.
February 9, 2016 — 1:19 PM