From last week’s selection, I’ve got ten titles for you. Pick one and go. (Note that the parentheticals are who came up with the title.)
The rules are standard:
Length: ~1000 words
Due by: 5/6, noon EST
Post at your online space, drop a link in the comments, and boom.
Still Turnstiles at Station 6 (Lori Schechter)
The Girl Who Surfed Tsunamis (Christopher)
Murder and Wine and the Oblong Door (Migo)
The Blood Lottery (Marion)
A Pretentious Title For a Pretentious Story (thisdamkid)
The Blind Tattooist (Russell)
Jeremy Pocket and the See-Through Wall (Naomi)
Malwhere (cjaybee)
I’m In Love With A Zombie But He Doesn’t Even Know I’m Alive
They Sat Outside Eating Cake (Tom Byrne)
Jenn Collins (@JennyKnox13) says:
I’m In Love With A Zombie But He Doesn’t Even Know I’m Alive
That title is beautiful and I so want someone to make it a cheeky horror romantic comedy.
April 29, 2016 — 4:35 PM
reallyniceguy2014 says:
Defford emotional goth sub-genre territory methinks.
May 2, 2016 — 5:58 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I’m a little inclined to try this, even though it would be way outside my norm. Except the cheeky comedy part. Might be doable. I’ll be back Thursday or Friday with whatever I end up writing.
May 3, 2016 — 5:51 PM
kathleea says:
Thank you. It was mine.
April 29, 2016 — 4:38 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I used Marion’s line: The Blood Lottery.
I’m continuing my dark YA story, and there’s a TRIGGER WARNING for sexual assault: https://article94.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/the-blood-lottery/
April 29, 2016 — 4:57 PM
StarNinja says:
Woof, that story was rough! I also chose blood lottery. Interesting to see how different a direction a story can go with the same title. Nice work!
April 30, 2016 — 1:11 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Thanks! That’s what’s so much fun about Chuck’s prompts – seeing what everyone does with them.
May 8, 2016 — 12:20 PM
bryanthewriter says:
I really enjoyed this work. Nicely done. Yes, it was gritty and edgy, but it made me want to read the rest of the story.
April 30, 2016 — 4:48 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Thanks, Bryan! I’ve written a lot of this story to Chuck’s prompts. Here’s the project page: https://article94.wordpress.com/mental-state/
May 8, 2016 — 12:16 PM
Marta Randall says:
Dark and well-constructed. I think I’m still struggling with what is considered YA in this day and age.
May 2, 2016 — 11:07 PM
Mark Gardner says:
Thanks for the compliment. I also wonder what’s YA these days. Both Chuck’s Atlanta Burns series and Miriam Black series are considered YA, and they both head into dark territory.
May 8, 2016 — 12:18 PM
Mark Plattner says:
Wow! That’s hardcore. Great job setting the scene and painting the awful picture.
May 6, 2016 — 12:30 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I appreciate your comment. I was hesitant at first, but I figured it would be a disservice to not do it in that way.
May 8, 2016 — 12:21 PM
Elaine says:
I don’t have an online space; is there another option?
April 29, 2016 — 6:00 PM
Goth Kitty Lady says:
Some people use Dropbox or Google Docs. Or if you’re on Tumblr you could post it there.
April 29, 2016 — 9:42 PM
Elaine says:
Thanks. I’ll look into those.
April 29, 2016 — 10:45 PM
StarNinja says:
You can also use a type writer made before 1889 to type out a letter or hand write one using a quill feather from a bird that’s been extinct for at least two thousand years, fold the story into thirds and seal it in an envelope using officially sanctioned wax from the Vatican that has been blessed by a holy man of Cardinal rank or above. Address the envelope to Sir Mr. W. Esq. I find black permanent marker with a good strong odor works best for attracting the notice of our fickle and capricious blog master. Place the sealed envelope behind a loose brick of a building that sits on the corner of an odd numbered street that intersects a named street with an even number of letters in the name. The Moon doesn’t have to be full or even “very pregnant” for this to work but YMMV. Leaving a small gift or tribute is recommended but not required. Or if you’re on a budget, stuff your story in a brown paper bag with CHUCK in all caps hastily scrawled across the front of it with whatever bodily fluids you have handy and lob it out the window of a speeding car into his front yard. Hope this helps!
April 29, 2016 — 10:02 PM
Hubert says:
I tried this, but instead of Messire Wendig receiving my story, I may have accidentally summoned some dread Elder Thing.
2 stars, would try again.
May 4, 2016 — 6:18 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Still Turnstiles at Station Six caught my attention right away. Hope it rains tomorrow so I can work on it this weekend!
April 29, 2016 — 6:24 PM
Mariah Avix says:
This may have been exactly the challenge I needed. Just write something dammit.
http://insani-x.com/2016/04/29/girl-surfed-tsunamis/
The Girl Who Surfed Tsunamis
(I haven’t added sound yet, but I think I will Saturday morning.)
April 29, 2016 — 9:21 PM
Mariah Avix says:
Happy Saturday morning there is audio. (Though I did not go and get lost in the mess of finding music to go with the audio, instead I am writing!)
April 30, 2016 — 9:20 AM
bryanthewriter says:
Nicely done! I really thought you were going a different direction with the story in the beginning. I really enjoyed the relationship you built between the girl and the water. It is sympathetic. I loved it.
April 30, 2016 — 4:58 PM
Mariah Avix says:
Thank you! Sometimes there is great destruction, sometimes you come home with a new pair of shoes.
April 30, 2016 — 7:28 PM
Christopher says:
Umm, that was awesome! Thanks for making my title turn out so good! Great job!
April 30, 2016 — 9:54 PM
Mariah Avix says:
I went full literal. Good title 🙂
May 1, 2016 — 9:01 AM
Joe Turner says:
I picked your title, but it just keeps growing, and is currently begging to be turned into a novel. Would you have any objections to this?
May 5, 2016 — 11:37 AM
Marta Randall says:
“Full literal” suited this story very well, and I enjoyed the girls spunk. One helpful hint: before a tsunami wave arrives, sea water is sucked away from the land, stranding sea life. In the big one that hit Hilo last century, plenty of people died because they ran out to harvest the fish, then couldn’t outrun the wave.
May 2, 2016 — 11:14 PM
David Williams says:
I really liked the voice of the story. Hard to capture innocence and tell a story in 1000 words, well done.
May 4, 2016 — 10:24 AM
Elaine says:
Sadly, my Correcting Selectric II died the death many years ago, but I think I still have a Wang word processor in the dungeon, which I might be able to use if I can get past the thing-that-must-not-be-named. Conveying my tale by Poe-mail would be a last resort.
April 29, 2016 — 10:42 PM
StarNinja says:
Edgar Allen Poe stopped delivering my letters years ago. If it comes down to it, good luck in deed!
April 30, 2016 — 9:39 AM
Mozette says:
An innocent scene can turn into something else right?
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/they-sat-outside-eating-cake.html
April 30, 2016 — 1:28 AM
Marta Randall says:
Well done. I like the way you use your sentences, cleanly and effectively. I was a bit confused about when the story takes place. “Crime scene” and “police” are very modern, but my the end she’s paying off the coach, which doesn’t seem modern at all.
May 2, 2016 — 11:23 PM
Mozette says:
Oh yeah, I know. I’ve been looking into exactly what they called those types of things back in the day, nobody said anything… they called it ‘the scene’ or ‘the place’… and ‘cobber’ didn’t sound right – it was right in the middle of the name change for the police of the times. Scotland Yard still hadn’t been created, so I picked a bad era to place it. 😛
May 3, 2016 — 12:17 AM
Marta Randall says:
Checked Conan Doyle?
May 3, 2016 — 12:39 AM
Mozette says:
Aahh, yes… didn’t think of looking at his work; just followed my silly brain and wrote without fact-checking. Will do that next time. 🙂
May 3, 2016 — 8:45 AM
the oncoming spork says:
I used Tom’s title.
https://apostrophobic.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/they-sat-outside-eating-cake/
April 30, 2016 — 2:22 AM
Marta Randall says:
I liked this quite a lot. Ray comes across strongly (although I’m still curious about why his assignment was structured this way) and even Andrew stands out. Maybe he should think of the con attendees as “nerds” to differentiate his POV from Ray’s, but it’s not a big deal. Also liked the reminder of the Eddie Izzard “Cake or Die” routine.
May 2, 2016 — 11:33 PM
the oncoming spork says:
Ooh. Good eye! I changed it to “nerds.” And thank you! 😀
May 2, 2016 — 11:35 PM
Elaina M. Roberts says:
The Blood Lottery by Marion laid a well-baited trap for a plot bunny. It was so cute and fluffy, I totally caved. Here’s my bit, a little over the limit at around 1100 words. I so wanted to write more, but…yeah. Bad bunny, no carrot!
https://emrobertssite.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/flash-fiction-the-blood-lottery/
April 30, 2016 — 4:27 AM
Mark Plattner says:
Great job
May 6, 2016 — 2:18 PM
Elizabeth Rose says:
The Blood Lottery. There have been a lot of sad stories on these Flash Fiction Challenges lately. Thought I would try a different angle.
https://betheredragons.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/flash-fiction-the-blood-lottery/
April 30, 2016 — 11:40 AM
Kevin Wallace says:
Elizabeth, I like your narrative style quite a bit. You used your thousand-ish words quite well.
May 2, 2016 — 7:54 PM
Marta Randall says:
Whoa, a great revisit of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. Love the courage of your viewpoint character but want more of a hint of what she knows she’s headed for, to add to the suspense. Is she ready to risk death? Is there a reward she sees at the end of her sacrifice? Curious minds want to know!
May 3, 2016 — 2:53 AM
Melissa Clare says:
Nice work! It seems like there’s a larger story here… are you going to continue it?
May 7, 2016 — 12:49 AM
cjaybee says:
Very cool. “Malwhere” (cut from 4892 words to < 1,000)
http://pwiddershins.blogspot.com/2016/04/chuck-wendigs-latest-challenge-april.html
April 30, 2016 — 12:06 PM
Kevin Wallace says:
This is clever, and I enjoyed it. As a fellow IT nerd, I feel I share in some of Lucretia’s pain.
May 1, 2016 — 12:41 AM
cjaybee says:
Thanks, Kevin. Right there beside you, pulling cable, rebooting routers and patching the latest version of .
May 1, 2016 — 8:07 AM
Marta Randall says:
I don’t know what the story was like before you excised 3892 words, but I never felt that anything important was omitted. (My guess, by the way, was that you got rid of the scene between Higgins and the daemon, and I think that was wise.) Well rounded, well focussed. I liked this a lot.
May 3, 2016 — 9:44 PM
Melissa Clare says:
Great story! (And you have exceptional powers of editing, apparently…)
May 7, 2016 — 12:55 AM
karen j carlisle says:
Like the premise. I felt Lucrezia’s frustration.
May 8, 2016 — 8:31 PM
StarNinja says:
This one came spilling out of my brain all at once! Fitting, given that I chose the title The Blood Lottery. Here it is.
https://wormholelesstraveled.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/heroic-classics-the-blood-lottery/
Enjoy!
April 30, 2016 — 12:59 PM
thisdamkid says:
https://itsthesedamnkids.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/a-pretentious-title-for-a-pretentious-story/ This is what I’ve got. Wish it was longer, but whenever I try to write more to it, it really doesn’t seem to fit what I’m going for.
April 30, 2016 — 3:55 PM
Mark Plattner says:
This made me happy because it’s the weird abstractional stuff I want to write. You did it well.
May 6, 2016 — 3:30 PM
thisdamkid says:
Thanks you, glad you enjoyed it!
May 9, 2016 — 2:51 AM
Melissa Clare says:
I used your title too, and mine was pretty short as well. I think it’s a hard style to maintain for long (or it was for me). Fun to write, though. Thanks for the prompt!
May 7, 2016 — 1:20 AM
thisdamkid says:
No problem, read your story, I enjoyed it!
“I blessed myself seven times on seven Sundays, but the water burned my skin red and I walked away with scars but no lessons learned.” Really liked this bit of imagery.
May 9, 2016 — 2:52 AM
Melissa Clare says:
Thanks!!
May 9, 2016 — 12:30 PM
bryanthewriter says:
Challenge accepted! It is a nice break from editing my novel. Editing is what hell is like! 🙂 Enjoy my submission!
https://bryanthewriter.wordpress.com/2016/04/30/they-sat-outside-eating-cake/
They Sat Outside Eating Cake
April 30, 2016 — 4:42 PM
Fatma Alici says:
I went with the Blind Tattooist, I saw the title and thought of an idea instantly.
http://www.fatmaalici.com/2016/04/30/challenge-blind-tattooist/
April 30, 2016 — 7:21 PM
Kevin Wallace says:
I chose The Blood Lottery, but I think I might have taken it in a different direction than others would.
http://blog.kevinja.com/the-blood-lottery/
May 1, 2016 — 12:08 AM
Elizabeth Rose says:
An interesting take! I liked it.
May 2, 2016 — 4:07 PM
Kevin Wallace says:
Thank you kindly, Elizabeth. I was hoping to contribute in lowering the sadness ratio for the week. 🙂
May 2, 2016 — 7:51 PM
Yigit Cakar (@YigitCakar) says:
I chose Marion’s title The Blood Lottery: http://yigitcakar.com/the-blood-lottery/
May 1, 2016 — 5:50 AM
Allison Maruska says:
I used The Blind Tattooist. Looking forward to reading everyone else’s take on this one.
https://allisonmaruska.com/2016/05/01/flash-fiction-the-blind-tattooist/
May 1, 2016 — 2:27 PM
lwall6710 says:
https://wordpress.com/posts/lwall6710.wordpress.com
May 1, 2016 — 2:38 PM
lwall6710 says:
lwall6710.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/they-sat-outside-eating-cake-by-lawson-r-wallace-
May 1, 2016 — 3:19 PM
Marta Randall says:
May I play, too? http://scripsit.com/website/the-blind-tattooist/
May 1, 2016 — 6:59 PM
Allison Maruska says:
Eerie. Nice use of second person.
May 6, 2016 — 7:49 AM
Marta Randall says:
Thanks, Allison. I don’t tend to like second person (it can get either preachy or hectoring) but this story just spilled out that way.
May 6, 2016 — 6:14 PM
Marion says:
I’m doing The Blind Tattooist but I’m still working on it. I’m not a “writer” so much as a rewriter.
May 1, 2016 — 10:40 PM
C. Rasmussen says:
I ended up using Turnstiles at Station 6: https://comradecharlie.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/still-turnstiles-at-station-6/
May 2, 2016 — 10:40 AM
Marion says:
I loved the surprise moment of optimism at the ending, but frankly, I was all-in at “Space Elevators.”
May 5, 2016 — 6:27 PM
Brittany DeBeeld says:
Love a good sci-fi. Very entertaining!
May 5, 2016 — 7:41 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Great story. If anything, I’d have tried to mix the initial info-dump into the main story (though I’ve used that before as well, so guilty I am too). But I love the world-building and the plot.
May 9, 2016 — 3:17 AM
M. D. Flyn (@mdflynwriter) says:
Ready for more of this story
June 6, 2016 — 1:44 PM
Jeffrey Scott says:
Here is my submission, hope you like it. I used Murder and Wine and the Oblong Door. I thought it was a great title.
http://jeffreybscott.blogspot.com/2016/05/murder-and-wine-and-oblong-door.html
May 2, 2016 — 1:40 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
I rolled a 3 on random.org, but in the end I went with the title that most inspired me, “The Blind Tattooist”:
https://medium.com/@VicenteLRuiz/the-blind-tattooist-4296f92a10ec#.rl0rzpdgw
May 3, 2016 — 6:17 AM
Marion says:
Vicente, I like the concept of the top five graduates getting numbers. Is that a real thing, or did you make it up? It adds a bit of concrete reality to an otherwise fantastical story.
May 4, 2016 — 2:43 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
I made it up, but I drew inspiration from films and TV (and I also remembered the cast from Lord of the Rings having theirs done). I thought it was something that could happen, having a tattoo done while still… under the effects of the celebratory party. The kind of event some people later regret. 🙂
May 5, 2016 — 3:05 AM
Marion says:
I thought it was an excellent touch in this story.
May 5, 2016 — 11:50 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Thanks!
May 5, 2016 — 3:49 PM
Brittany DeBeeld says:
Love the story within a story. Very cool.
May 5, 2016 — 7:47 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
May 6, 2016 — 3:30 AM
Adam Hughes says:
“They Sat Outside Eating Cake” while I thanked Tom Byrne for the title prompt:
http://adamhugheswriter.com/sat-outside-eating-cake/
May 3, 2016 — 12:33 PM
Leigh says:
Thank you Russell for the title of The Blind Tattooist!
Here is my submission:
http://meanderinginmythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-blind-tattooist-flash-fiction.html
May 3, 2016 — 1:02 PM
David Williams says:
Here is my go at it. I chose the title “They Sat Outside Eating Cake” with a bit of a different view of what “outside” meant. Hope you enjoy it
http://dswilliams.com/2016/05/03/flash-fiction-challenge-ten-titles-you-made-up/
May 3, 2016 — 4:21 PM
Skye Overall says:
I chose The Blood Lottery, which was a popular title, but I think I did something a little different. http://runnerskye.com/the-blood-lottery/
May 3, 2016 — 10:39 PM
Marion says:
Russell’s title The Blind Tattooist caught my imagination. here’s my offering:
http://deedsandwords.com/?p=8763
May 4, 2016 — 10:34 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
I’m almost speechless. Amazing. Thank you.
May 9, 2016 — 3:22 AM
Marion says:
Speechless in a good way? 🙂 Thank you. I wasn’t sure I completed melded all the elements.
May 9, 2016 — 11:01 AM
Marion says:
And I meant “completely.”
May 9, 2016 — 11:03 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Speechless in a *very* good way! And *almost* because I still managed to say “amazing” and “thank you”.
May 9, 2016 — 12:11 PM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
OK, let me elaborate. I loved the Japanese touch. I found the insight into the character’s thoughts and feelings appealing and well done. And I was amazed at the amount of events you managed to pack in 1000 words: I come from writing flash fiction in 600 words and keep forgetting how much 400 words more is. You don’t (forget).
May 9, 2016 — 12:15 PM
Marion says:
It’s great to get some good feedback! Thanks.
May 9, 2016 — 12:15 PM
The Writer says:
Jeremy Pocket and the See-Through Wall –
https://atcrump.com/2016/05/04/jeremy-pocket-and-the-see-through-wall/
Thanks Naomi,
– Antwan.
May 4, 2016 — 4:14 PM
Brittany DeBeeld says:
Super cool story. Riveting.
May 5, 2016 — 7:32 PM
dcxli says:
Not my normal fare, but here is Still Turnstiles at Station 6:
https://dcxli.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/still-turnstiles-at-station-6/
May 5, 2016 — 2:17 AM
Marion says:
Your last sentence made me laugh out loud.
May 5, 2016 — 12:19 PM
dcxli says:
Thanks! I had my fair share of chuckles while writing it.
May 5, 2016 — 3:39 PM
Brittany DeBeeld says:
Loved the twist. “As powerful as her magic was…”
Great job.
May 5, 2016 — 7:36 PM
M. D. Flyn (@mdflynwriter) says:
This is awesome, I love it
June 6, 2016 — 1:36 PM
dcxli says:
Thanks!
June 7, 2016 — 3:50 AM
Ana Spoke says:
Hi, I chose Murder and Wine and the Oblong door: https://anaspoke.com/2016/05/05/murder-and-wine-and-the-oblong-door/
Thank you, Migo, for such a cool title.
Ana
May 5, 2016 — 7:25 AM
zachary8401 says:
Hey Everyone, I went with “The Blind Tattooist.” Hope you enjoy it! https://zacharymgephardt.com/2016/05/05/the-blind-tattooist/
May 5, 2016 — 12:40 PM
Mel says:
https://melodyklink.com/2016/05/05/flash-fiction-the-blind-tattooist/
I chose The Blind Tattooist, AND tied it into the previous “Sins” flash we did! WOO!
May 5, 2016 — 3:46 PM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
The Blind Tattooist. More vignette than proper story, but I still dig the title.
https://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/the-blind-tattooist-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/
May 5, 2016 — 4:26 PM
Modern Authors says:
Like everyone else, I chose The Blood Lottery by Marion. Yay!
https://modernauthors.org/2016/05/05/the-blood-lottery/
May 5, 2016 — 5:46 PM
conniecockrell says:
Loved the MalWhere idea. Here’s my take on it (live 5/6/16) http://wp.me/p6LAko-H4
May 5, 2016 — 6:44 PM
Joe Turner says:
I picked Christopher’s: The Girl Who Surfed Tsunamis.
https://joetblogs.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/terribleminds-flash-fiction-challenge-ten-titles-you-made-up/
May 5, 2016 — 7:09 PM