Trees are amazing.
Trees are givers of life in many ways.
Trees, like this one, can be weird or scary.
Your job, this week, is to write a 1000-word piece of flash fiction about — you guessed it, a tree. A tree must be involved. It can be a character or a setting or some other part of the tale. It can be good or evil or neither of the two. It can be part of a horror story, a redemptive tale, a fantasy story, a crime narrative.
Whatever you want.
Due by: October 6th, Friday, noon EST
Length: 1000 words
Write at your own online space.
Link back here so all can read.
Begin.
Tsara Shelton says:
Okay, so The Fix, “To fix something, you first must break it,” that Flash Fiction Challenge stirred a story idea in me that excited me so much I broke the glass I was washing and sliced my finger nearly in half. So I have yet to write that one.
But today’s prompt matches the story i wrote when you offered us the “Create Your Own Monster” prompt (yes, my monster was a sort of tree) so I hope you don’t mind if I re-share it here: http://autismanswersbytsara.blogspot.com/2017/03/short-story-lonely-spirit-flash-fiction.html
I have only now begun to be able to write again (partly because of good story idea trauma but mostly because my finger wasn’t working. tee hee!) but I still want to work on that idea I had for The Fix. I hope turning in late assignments isn’t punishable by ants. Or bees. Or Aunt Bees. <—- I'm not as funny as you. 😀
September 29, 2017 — 9:23 AM
legreene515 says:
Spooky and sad. I was intrigued by this story, and the end didn’t disappoint. Well done.
October 10, 2017 — 11:09 AM
Tsara Shelton says:
Thank you so much! I actually loved writing this one. It gave me uncomfortable and unusual feelings for days.
November 7, 2017 — 12:24 PM
Mozette says:
https://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/time.html
I was about to sign out of my email when I found the prompt… so I thought to get in and do it. 😀
enjoy.
September 29, 2017 — 9:56 AM
StarNinja says:
That was heart breaking and heart warming all at once. Thanks for sharing this, Mozette!
October 2, 2017 — 6:52 PM
Mozette says:
Aaww… thank you. I’ve got a postcard of a tree from Nottingham Forest which – legend has it – Robin Hood and his Merrymen used to hide in… it’s centuries old and really huge (on the postcard).
Then, when I visited the UK, my tour passed one of the UK’s oldest trees – and oak – which still stood and was over 2,000 years old… we had to go off the beaten track to see it and weren’t allowed to go near it or touch it in case one of the branches fell; as they were being held up. It was a wonderful and sad sight at the same time… I asked if the tree was alive or dead, and our co-ordinator said it still lived, but the branches were so heavy it needed help to hold them off the ground.
October 2, 2017 — 8:10 PM
legreene515 says:
I loved the ending. Always hope, right? I liked the way your tree was the character.
October 10, 2017 — 12:02 PM
Mozette says:
Thank you. I’ve always wondered how it works for them… I mean, I grew up with a forest behind my house; and wondered how they ‘felt’ when the time came for the local council to rip them out of the ground. And what about the ones which outlasted the others by a couple of hundred years? I remember one which did – then had to be moved for improvements on a car park. It had been in the same spot for over 300 years – maybe more – and yet they couldn’t fell it because it protected.
That’s where my story kinda began… that one last tree in the car park. 🙂
October 10, 2017 — 9:19 PM
legreene515 says:
Strangely enough, there is a tree in my novel that plays some importance. I thought about sharing 1,000 words of it, but it’s not polished, and my hope is to one day have it published. So now I’m going to have to come up with another tree story. The possibilities are endless. Thanks for the prompt, Chuck!
September 29, 2017 — 5:44 PM
Anne Bohannon says:
To the story:
https://annebohannon.deviantart.com/art/Kaylian-s-Tree-707276076
October 1, 2017 — 12:05 AM
P Schaefer says:
I don’t usually do these, but I had one in me this time. Please check out “Under the Tree on Freedom Hill,” which came in a little thin at almost 900 words: http://catachresis.shoelesspetegames.com/under-the-tree-on-freedom-hill/
October 1, 2017 — 5:28 PM
Confessings of A Failed Writer says:
Tried linking back but it isn’t showing up here. So here’s the link:
https://confessingsofafailedwriter.wordpress.com/2017/09/17/death-of-a-fig-tree-a-parable-retold/
October 2, 2017 — 7:36 AM
legreene515 says:
This is just beautiful.
October 10, 2017 — 3:11 PM
Confessings of A Failed Writer says:
Thank you for reading and commenting !
October 10, 2017 — 3:51 PM
legreene515 says:
Here is mine. Trees, memories, life and death. I hope you enjoy it! I wasn’t sure I was going to participate this week, but this story came to me this morning.
https://laurengreenewrites.com/2017/10/03/the-tree/
October 3, 2017 — 7:27 AM
Christopher Slagle says:
Lovely story, effective structure, brought a tear to my eye. Well done!
October 9, 2017 — 9:03 AM
legreene515 says:
Thank you Christopher!
October 10, 2017 — 10:47 AM
dougkzeigler says:
Simply gorgeous.
October 10, 2017 — 1:05 PM
Tsara Shelton says:
Beautiful!
November 7, 2017 — 12:27 PM
legreene515 says:
Thanks you Tsara!
November 9, 2017 — 11:57 AM
dougkzeigler says:
I humbly submit The Great Tree. https://scotchfullyyours.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/the-great-tree/
October 3, 2017 — 8:46 AM
legreene515 says:
Creepy. I’m still thinking about this a week later, Doug!
October 10, 2017 — 3:12 PM
dougkzeigler says:
Thanks, Lauren! 🙂
October 10, 2017 — 3:15 PM
asaufley says:
This is an admittedly safe story for me. But I decided to stick with safe as I continue to tweak my writing routine.
https://medium.com/@aaronsaufley/seasons-f2ad5278d409
October 3, 2017 — 2:29 PM
dougkzeigler says:
Lovely as usual. 🙂
October 10, 2017 — 1:04 PM
legreene515 says:
Sweet. I liked this very much, and it was similar to the route I took with the prompt.
October 10, 2017 — 3:41 PM
Christopher Slagle says:
Lovely story. Thanks for sharing.
October 10, 2017 — 9:16 PM
Asil Erturan says:
This is the first time I am doing anything like this, so I couldn’t do more than 660 words. I realise I love writing, so I appreciate your blog. Here it is:
https://thedailywritingblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/flash-fiction-challenge-write-about-tree.html
Enjoy! (Criticism welcome).
October 4, 2017 — 11:53 AM
Sam Brady says:
This one is a prequel to one of my stories from earlier this year. Give them both a read and let me know what you think. Please to enjoy “Sentinel”.
https://sambrady.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/chuck-wendig-sentinel/
October 4, 2017 — 3:41 PM
legreene515 says:
So sad and really a commentary on how humans treat the very earth that nurtures them. And the trees that help provide life. Well done.
October 12, 2017 — 10:37 AM
GuyOHarrison says:
Here is my story, let me know what you think.
https://guyoharrison.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/i-do-wash-my-hands-thereof-in-innocence/
October 4, 2017 — 5:00 PM
Christopher Slagle says:
Oof, so beautifully sad. Well done.
October 10, 2017 — 9:26 PM
legreene515 says:
Wonderfully written. Made me want to cry at the end.
October 12, 2017 — 10:44 AM
Christopher Slagle says:
My story for this week’s prompt, in addition to involving a tree, was also inspired by last week’s prompt, The Fix.
https://christopherslagle.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/flash-fiction-autumns-embrace
October 4, 2017 — 9:39 PM
legreene515 says:
I enjoyed this story. I liked how you used both prompts. It was touching and well done.
October 10, 2017 — 4:39 PM
Christopher Slagle says:
Thanks so much for reading, Lauren! Glad you liked it 🙂
October 10, 2017 — 6:48 PM
Erica L Burden says:
It’s not quite 1k, but I’m happy with it. Well, not happy with it. But it’s a definitely a story. Probably.
http://writeathomemothering.blogspot.com/2017/10/tag-flash-fiction-story.html
October 5, 2017 — 11:26 AM
Vicente L Ruiz says:
Almost no entries this week… I guess they must be in moderation limbo?
Anyway, I decided to use bits of Spanish history and here’s my story, “El Olivo”:
https://medium.com/@VicenteLRuiz/el-olivo-b5e096c56691
October 5, 2017 — 1:13 PM
forestskier says:
https://wordpress.com/post/forestskier.wordpress.com/213
As well as the prompt I tried to use all the words in one of the Guardian codeword puzzles – because they looked to tell their story – had to edit some of them out to keep the word limit…
October 5, 2017 — 2:58 PM
grahamwrites says:
It’s been a while. I liked this one. Trees. Like statues, they don’t much look like they’re alive or have intentions. But. http://grahamwho.com/grahamwrites/2017/10/06/flash-fiction-i-am-become-death/
October 6, 2017 — 7:55 AM
Dirck says:
This is a little less horror than I had first intended it to be. Can it be I’m suffering a genre shift? There WAS a full moon this week…
In any event, here’s “Sheltered”– https://dirckwrites.wordpress.com/the-current-story/sheltered-flash/
October 6, 2017 — 10:24 AM
Kimberly says:
Reducing my story to 1000 words was much harder than I thought. There were some parts I removed that I really didn’t want to, but I think it still works out well.
Read Vigilant on my Writing.com account:
https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2136827-Vigilant?rfrid=kathornton
October 6, 2017 — 10:24 AM
terribleminds says:
Folks — deeply sorry all these got in moderation queue. When I travel, ideally I can log on to the site to moderate, but I lock out strange IP addresses, and traveling sometimes gives me those, and then suddenly, I can’t log on! Apologies!
October 9, 2017 — 7:52 AM
grahamwrites says:
Your apologies are futile, Chuck. You have failed us for the last time. While you were swanning around at Comic Con, we all pooled in and hired a hitman to exact our revenge.
October 10, 2017 — 5:36 AM
Teague de La Plaine says:
Thanks for the challenge, Chuck. Needed the break…
https://teaguedelaplaine.com/2017/10/06/the-tree/
October 29, 2017 — 4:04 AM