AND WE’RE BACK.
And we return with an old favorite.
We shall make subgenres dance together for our whims.
I will give you 20 subgenres. You will pick two from the list either using a d20 or random number generator (or use monkey knuckles or coffee grounds or whatever), then you will write a short story that mashes up those two subgenres.
Length: We’ll say 1500 words.
Due by: Next Friday (5/19), noon EST.
Post at your online space.
Link to it in the comments below. So we can all read it!
THE SUBGENRE LIST:
- Political Thriller
- Erotic
- Fairy Tale / Fable / Folklore
- Haunted House
- Weird West
- Body Horror
- Near-Future Sci-Fi
- Sword & Sorcery
- Occult Detective
- Historical Fantasy
- Comic Fantasy
- Vampire
- Superhero
- Bodice Ripper
- Heist / Caper
- Space Opera
- Biopunk
- Medical Thriller
- Paranormal Romance
- Splatterpunk
Tamra Hart says:
I was skimming the list and initially misread 18 as Dental Thriller, so now my brain is stuck on that concept.
May 12, 2017 — 1:43 PM
Tracy S says:
@Tamra Hart Dentistry is a medical field…
May 12, 2017 — 2:29 PM
Maurice says:
Dr. Emile Molar is a dentist on the edge! Three days from retirement, he’s about to work on the dental bridge of his life!
May 16, 2017 — 7:00 PM
Win Barker says:
Near Future Sci Fi / Biopunk here we come!
May 12, 2017 — 4:05 PM
Tracey Steinbach says:
I want someone to do a space opera bodice ripper!
May 12, 2017 — 6:03 PM
Mark Gardner says:
I did #7 & #15: https://article94.wordpress.com/2017/05/12/scandalous-contradiction/
May 12, 2017 — 7:46 PM
AN says:
If you smash 8, 17 and 18 together you might get a Nanobiotechnoshaman Thriller. Does that break the rules?
May 12, 2017 — 8:51 PM
gloriousmonsters says:
I got Vampire and Superhero and wound up immediately writing 650 words about a little girl who idolizes Batman and decides she’s a superhero after she gets bitten by a vampire. I know two things: this is probably the weirdest thing I’ve written, and I’m not going to be able to stick to the 1.5k word limit because I already have so many ideas for it.
(this is what I love about these things; you get the oddest stuff when you try to fit genres together)
May 12, 2017 — 10:19 PM
Mozette says:
A smidge over the 1,500 word mark. But it was fun doing this one.
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2017/05/my-hero.html
enjoy.
May 13, 2017 — 2:01 AM
Jeffery Reynolds says:
Erotic medical thriller might have been… well… anyway, random rolls done, results obtained, story written. Folks can view the results here: http://trollbreath.com/index.php/2017/05/13/the-sneak-thief/
May 13, 2017 — 4:03 AM
Christopher Slagle says:
Fun read! I enjoyed the gradual introduction of the fairy-tale element.
May 15, 2017 — 10:04 AM
Jeffery Reynolds says:
Thanks! I was trying to keep it a mystery as long as possible which fairy tale I was playing with. Although the “goose vase” at the beginning might have been a little too cute and given it away. 🙂
May 18, 2017 — 4:32 AM
Adan Ramie says:
A good laugh. I really enjoyed the giant’s wife – she seemed like a pleasant woman.
May 17, 2017 — 2:40 PM
Jeffery Reynolds says:
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it. I really wanted his wife to be that loving, kind, motherly sort of character you see on some British television shows. Always pleasant and cheerful, sees the bright side of everything. 🙂
May 18, 2017 — 4:33 AM
Adan Ramie says:
Reminds me a bit of Shaun’s mother in the movie Shaun of the Dead. Cheerful even in the worst situations.
May 18, 2017 — 9:12 PM
curioushart says:
I wrote a genre fusion of #3 (based on The Faerie Queen) and the 2015 AP Calculus Exam. Since Mathematics is not on your list, I will not be participating this week.
May 13, 2017 — 9:41 AM
jazzpianotrio says:
Hey Chuck, why are Amazon.co.uk charging £21.56 for Thunderbird? It’s $19 on Amazon.com. $19 usd to gbp is £14.75. What gives?
May 13, 2017 — 10:57 AM
Thomas Diehl says:
Okay, 2/19 seemed way too easy (Erotic Paranormal Romance is not exactly unusual, not to mention I don’t know anything about either genre), so I rolled again. 19/10 it is. Though I’m really intrigued by option 19/6.
So, I probably do two stories or end up with 19/10/6.
May 13, 2017 — 12:37 PM
jazzpianotrio says:
Thanks for deleting my comment related to the price of Thunderbird on Amazon.co.uk vs the price on Amazon.com Chuck. I’ll wait and pick up a second-hand copy.
May 13, 2017 — 1:42 PM
terribleminds says:
I didn’t delete it, ding-dong. It just wasn’t approved yet.
But you’re still a ding-dong, because:
a) I don’t control the price of my books
b) I don’t control Amazon
c) This post is a flash fiction post, which has literally nothing to do with my novel Thunderbird, or any of my novels, or the price of any of my novels, or Amazon, so really, I *should* delete your comment outright, but I’ll leave it here so your ding-dong nature can be on full display for all to see.
d) also, your threat is heard (oh no, a second hand copy), and I rate it 1 out of 10, very disappointing
Enjoy your book, should you buy one.
— c.
May 15, 2017 — 7:51 AM
jazzpianotrio says:
Ah ok. I apologise for thinking my comment was deleted. Still going to buy a second-hand copy though. Just waiting for a copy to be available for around £10.
Also, Amazon.co.uk have put the bloody price up to £21.72 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunderbird-Miriam-Black-Chuck-Wendig/dp/1481448714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494892375&sr=1-1&keywords=chuck+wendig+thunderbird
May 15, 2017 — 8:09 PM
Allison Maruska says:
I got superhero and medical thriller. This was fun.
https://allisonmaruska.com/2017/05/13/flash-fiction-the-healer/
May 13, 2017 — 6:32 PM
Christopher Slagle says:
Very well done! Loved the voice, the dialogue, the tension, and the concept!
May 15, 2017 — 9:31 AM
Adan Ramie says:
What an interesting idea.
May 17, 2017 — 2:48 PM
dcxli says:
Sword and Socery/Space Opera for 911 words
https://dcxli.wordpress.com/2017/05/14/duel/
May 14, 2017 — 4:26 AM
Christopher Slagle says:
Here’s a molecular biologist’s take on a biopunk-themed superhero story. https://christopherslagle.wordpress.com/2017/05/14/flash-fiction-splice
May 14, 2017 — 11:23 PM
Adan Ramie says:
Loved everything about this story. Reminds me of The Fly. Gorrific!
May 17, 2017 — 2:57 PM
Christopher Slagle says:
Thank you!!!
May 17, 2017 — 3:00 PM
Rebekah Turner (@RbkahTurner) says:
Near-Future Sci-Fi & Occult Detective. I think this exercise cured my writers slump!
http://rebekahturner.net/index.php/short-stories-2/flash-fiction/
May 15, 2017 — 9:04 PM
Sertysh says:
My tea leaves gave me 5. (Weird West) and also 15. (Heist/Caper).
https://hikelylads.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/flash-fiction-subgenre-smash-and-grab/
Also, I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who found this weeks prompt exciting! Almost like a palate cleanser!
May 16, 2017 — 5:10 PM
Adan Ramie says:
Considering the state of the world today, this one was oddly apropos.
May 17, 2017 — 3:04 PM
Maurice says:
Got my first draft done for a splatterpunk space opera. It is goddamned revolting. So, I think it’s pretty good. I’ll post it up once I have a change to set down tomorrow and give it an editing pass.
May 16, 2017 — 6:55 PM
Andys says:
Okay, so I got haunted house/Weird West, and it was interesting, because I don’t write Westerns. But here you go – Witch. http://andreaspeed.com/2017/flash-fic-challenge-witch/
May 17, 2017 — 5:57 AM
David Ralph Lewis says:
Excellent resolution and really interesting story. Good stuff.
May 17, 2017 — 11:43 AM
Andys says:
Thank you. My only exposure to Westerns has been old Jonah Hex comics and some Joe Lansdale shorts. I did my best.
May 17, 2017 — 8:13 PM
Adan Ramie says:
This story. This character. Your writing style. I’m in awe of it all. Very well done!
May 17, 2017 — 3:14 PM
Andys says:
Thank you! I did like the character a lot. I bet a genderqueer woman with a demon sense and a Death eye could get up to some crazy stuff in the west…
May 17, 2017 — 8:15 PM
Adan Ramie says:
I wish it was a book I could pick up and read right now.
May 18, 2017 — 9:12 PM
Andys says:
I’ll take that as encouragement! I think it’ll be the start of something bigger.
May 19, 2017 — 3:02 AM
David Ralph Lewis says:
I got 4 and 6. So haunted house body horror it is! Here’s Oak Tree Manor: http://davidralphlewis.co.uk/oak-tree-manor/
May 17, 2017 — 8:39 AM
Adan Ramie says:
Love the manner of haunting in this tale. Slow and steady. Well done!
May 17, 2017 — 3:20 PM
J.W. Martin says:
Haunted House + Comic Fantasy. Not at all the kind of story I would ever think to write. Just a bit of a goof off more than anything: https://www.jwmartin.com/the-haunted-fellowship/
May 17, 2017 — 10:07 AM
Adan Ramie says:
Even when I tried to game the system, I kept getting “fairytale/fable/folklore” and “superhero”, so I finally just went with it. And went waaay over 1500 words.
https://adanramie.com/black-current-fiction/
May 17, 2017 — 1:27 PM
Maurice says:
As promised – here’s my gorefest, ‘Beasties’ for the Space Opera / Splatterpunk mashup. This is going to get disgusting.
http://ossua.com/beasties-a-terribleminds-flash-fic-challenge/
May 17, 2017 — 8:06 PM
Sam Brady says:
Great story. Good use of the gore. Not at all what I was expecting. Good stuff.
May 18, 2017 — 11:29 AM
Adan Ramie says:
Sick! Freaking loved the beastie near the end, what it did with the finger bones…
May 24, 2017 — 9:36 AM
Sam Brady says:
Here’s 1445 words of Weird West/Vampire goodness. Please to enjoy “Bible And A Gun” and comment if you feel so led. Let me know what you think!
https://sambrady.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/chuck-wendig-bible-and-a-gun/
May 17, 2017 — 9:37 PM
Martin says:
I got superhero/superpunk. This is what I came up with: http://mywrite.martinperlin.com/2017/05/flash-fiction-offer-we-cant-refuse.html
May 18, 2017 — 10:12 AM
Sam Brady says:
That was fantastic. Nice job.
May 18, 2017 — 11:27 AM
Matthew X. Gomez says:
Okay, so this was supposed to be sword&sorcery/bodice ripper. Way more the former than the latter. Round about 1600 words. https://mxgomez.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/serpent-of-smoke-a-chuck-wendig-challenge/
May 18, 2017 — 11:48 AM
Raney Simmon says:
For this challenge, I got sword & sorcery and biopunk. https://rainyday.blog/2017/05/18/our-only-hope-flash-fiction-challenge-the-subgenre-smash-and-grab/
Now, I’m nowhere near finished with this story, which you can tell. Most of this is just the beginning and a lot of it is world building. But this is what I have so far to start off the story before my hero begins her quest. Hope those of you who read it enjoy, and don’t hesitate to tell me what you think.
May 18, 2017 — 11:56 AM
Eva Therese says:
Got Haunted House and Paranormal Romace. Since we got 1500 words this time, I tried to make it a (somewhat) finished story, rather than just a slice-of-life. https://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/the-subgenre-smash-and-grab-2/
May 18, 2017 — 1:42 PM
Adan Ramie says:
Not what I was expecting. Well done!
May 24, 2017 — 9:43 AM
GuyOHarrison says:
Near future Sci-Fi / Biopunk mashup. Hope you enjoy it.
https://guyoharrison.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/enhanced/
May 18, 2017 — 4:16 PM
Adan Ramie says:
Terrifying. Gripping. I knew how it was going to end, but the story kept me engrossed through the final sentence. Bravo!
May 24, 2017 — 9:50 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Almost late!
I got Near-Future Sci-Fi & Occult Detective. I wrote almost 1700 words, and I’m afraid the story is not really finished, so finishing it will be an extra challenge in the future.
I hope you enjoy “A Private Enquiry”: https://medium.com/@VicenteLRuiz/a-private-enquiry-7aa931368618
May 18, 2017 — 6:52 PM
jakashadows says:
I got Vampires and Political Thriller, so I give you:
“Vampire for President”
https://jakashadows.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/flash-fiction-vampire-for-president/
A little over 1500 words at 1821
May 18, 2017 — 7:21 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I got Near-future SF and Biopunk, which are pretty overlapping. Used just under 1400 of the words Chuck allotted us.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2017/05/friday-flash-fiction-crispins.html
May 18, 2017 — 7:48 PM
aimeethere says:
Sooooo. I haven’t written any fiction in nearly twenty years, and I want to find my way back to writing again, so I figured why not jump in with both feet? Gah. Super nervous. Here is 1500 words on numbers 12 and 18, vampire/medical thriller.
https://aimeethere.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/brand-new/
May 19, 2017 — 12:05 AM
Anna Nyms says:
Wow, that was a great story. You should write more.
May 19, 2017 — 11:47 AM
aimeethere says:
Hey, thanks! I’m planning to; I managed to get one in for this week’s challenge as well. 🙂
May 25, 2017 — 11:28 PM
Ex Libris Regina says:
I love when beauty products go horribly wrong. Nice!
May 19, 2017 — 1:02 PM
aimeethere says:
Thank you! Funnily enough, I read the novella Reenu-You right after I wrote this, which is about a hair relaxer that has a v tragic outcome. It’s haunting.
May 25, 2017 — 11:30 PM
Ex Libris Regina says:
Ha! I will have to check that out.
May 26, 2017 — 6:44 AM
Adan Ramie says:
I need this to be a series.
May 24, 2017 — 10:23 AM
aimeethere says:
Man, no pressure. 🙂 (Replied to your other comment on my blog)
May 25, 2017 — 11:38 PM
Becca Smith says:
I got body horror and heist/caper. Hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!
http://marspetrichor.tumblr.com/post/160832109476/latent-impressions
May 19, 2017 — 3:55 AM
Ex Libris Regina says:
Gave me chills! Nice job.
May 19, 2017 — 12:21 PM
Becca Smith says:
Thanks!
May 21, 2017 — 10:33 AM
Frank Yacenda says:
Okay, giving this a try. I used the random number generator and got 6 and 9, Body Horror and Occult Detective. Which, until I saw this, I didn’t even know were actual genres, along with many of the others.
Anyway, here it is, for what it’s worth:
http://www.alphaopportunities.com/another_damned_message.htm
May 19, 2017 — 11:54 AM
Ex Libris Regina says:
Okay. This one messed with my head big time. LOL! Nice job.
May 19, 2017 — 12:44 PM
Frank Yacenda says:
Thanks!. If that one messed with your head, you should read some of the other twisted stuff I write.
BTW, I found some glitches that got introduced in the text while doing a rushed coding job on the initial posting. These have now been corrected.
May 19, 2017 — 3:44 PM
Ex Libris Regina says:
Just made the deadline with my Space Opera/Splatterpunk tale. This was fun.
https://exlibrisregina.com/2017/05/19/space-wedding/
May 19, 2017 — 11:56 AM
Anna Nyms says:
Like it a lot. Sort of old fashioned Space Opera feel to it.
May 19, 2017 — 2:07 PM
Ex Libris Regina says:
Thank you.
May 20, 2017 — 7:22 AM
Anna Nyms says:
I rolled Near Future SciFi/Medical thriller. This story is thrown together roughly and needs more polish. You have a really good blog Chuck, lot of tips and plenty of help.
Here’s my link everyone, enjoy.
https://annanyms.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/of-two-minds/
I like writing, it’s a lot of fun. And I’m sorry if this post is a multiple post. I’ve tried posting my link to my story, but the post did not show up, even with a status of awaiting moderation. I’ve been having some network problems this week. We switched over to a new fiber network and still are having a few problems.
May 19, 2017 — 12:00 PM
Ex Libris Regina says:
I really enjoyed this one.
May 19, 2017 — 1:03 PM