Here’s the challenge this week:
I want you to take the title of one of the following Stephen King books, and write a short story based on it. The trick is, your story should be entirely different — you’re divorcing the title from the novel from whence it came, and writing Your Own Damn Thing. (Bonus points if you assume an entirely different genre — not horror at all.)
Get it? Got it? Good.
Choose a title randomly (random.org) or just pick.
1. The Stand
2. Mr. Mercedes
3. Under the Dome
4. The Shining
5. The Colorado Kid
6. The Talisman
7. The Dead Zone
8. Desperation
9. Bag of Bones
10. The Dark Half
Length: ~1000 words
Due by: Friday, April 13th (oh shit!), noon EST
Write at your online space.
Give us a link below.
Go steal a title.
82 responses to “Flash Fiction Challenge: Stolen Titles (Stephen King Edition)”
The Dark Half
https://laurengreenewrites.com/2018/04/06/the-dark-half/
Nice! I like this one! had me guessing all the way to the end! 😀
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Like it. Love stories of dual personality, especially where one doesn’t know about the other.
Thanks Graham!
Ooh. This was quite interesting.
Thank you for reading!
Pleasure 🙂
Oh, perhaps the irony of it all: Just now such a writing exercise is not possible because. . . of deadlines. To quote The Great American Philosopher, Homer J. Simpson: D’oh!
Seriously, I will pursue this challenge when time allows. Until then: Nice to meet you.
https://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/the-shining.html
I picked ‘The Shining’ and did a spin on spin on it… thought you’d like it and get a giggle out of it as the same time 😀 Oh! And it’s under 1,000 words this time. 😀
Oh yes, I did get a giggle out of it. Very nicely written.
Thank you… I started laughing out aloud at the dude flapping his arm, then the bird flapping his wings – very Monty Python! – and laughing at the image of it in my mind as I wrote was great! But really if it works well for a writer, and then works well on the page,… well that’s what it’s all about, right? 😛
As a matter of fact, that was what I found the funniest moment in your story too.
You’re right- if you aren’t bored while writing, then the reader won’t be bored while reading either.
Great job! I loved Richie. Also, you could probably continue writing this if you wanted to. Quite a cliffhanger.
Oh yes! I could have, but I was very close to the 1,000 words as it was… I wanted you guys to think: what would an old 87 year old dude keep that was that valuable which was worth guarding?
Yeah, it worked well. I really enjoyed it.
https://melodyklink.com/2018/04/07/flash-fiction-bag-of-bones/
Here’s mine! I took on “Bag of Bones.” Totally unsure on word count since MY PC ATE ITSELF, but there’s a story there. XD
Mel–this had me laughing so hard. I love what you did here.
Ha! I do hope the next time we see her she’s got a pocket-edition spellbook (super handy, you can always have it on you! Never be caught without your spellbook again. $29.95 with free salt pouch with compartments for essential herbs and a candle loop!)
Really enjoyed this one.
Didn’t edit or proofread I’m sorry if it’s terrible it’s called the stand.
https://medium.com/@dannyoakes/the-stand-3f60c66a1418
I really liked this. Intriguing story, and I enjoyed the imagery you used.
Thanks for reading it!
Damn, if that’s without edits I want to read more of your stuff. Good imagery, language, and flow. Especially liked the comment about the kind of harmless saying everyone says/has heard. It’s worth proofreading though; the mistakes kinda disturb the immersion.
I gave it a quick once over, oof. Hopefully it’s better now! Just knew if I spent any time reviewing it I’d chicken out.
Oh man I know the feels.
Outstanding. Thank you for this.
Thanks, Benjamin, that’s encouraging. And you’re welcome.
This was great. Your words put me there, right in the middle of it all. Mysterious and thrilling. Awesome job!
Great job! This was so gripping. Loved the whole atmosphere of mystery you created with your wonderful imagery.
[…] I wrote this for Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge: Stolen Titles (Stephen King Edition). […]
The Dark Half
http://edmundjasher.com/2018/04/07/the-dark-half-stories-from-nyth/
862ish words. It kills me not to have exactly 1000 words (I have problems) but I like this story the way it is. Of course, I’ve only just finished it… so, I’ll probably want it changed after a day or two. But I will refrain. Move on to other stuff.
I read this twice to fully appreciate the horror. Especially love the mise-en-scene macabre which took a beat to understand exactly what it was… constructed of. *Shudder*
I’m sad. Not because I can’t write(?) but because I don’t have a fancy personal site like everybody else has. Sorry I missed the last meeting…
The Shining
https://www.facebook.com/notes/thomas-anders-witherspoon/the-shining/10156404179708278/
Desperation
http://www.therunnerstone.com/uncategorized/desperation-a-writing-challenge/
This was hilarious. I loved it. Great job with so few words.
Sounds like my kind of party! Couldn’t stop laughing at this one. Great work!
Thought poor Mrs Muldoon was the toilet bowl for one moment. Disturbingly, I pictured this rather lucidly.
Hee, hee. Have you sought counselling for this?
Haha! This was funny as shit (pun intended).
Thank you for the kind words.
Mr. Mercedes. He’s still a killer. But only for commercial gain. http://grahamwho.com/grahamwrites/2018/04/10/flash-fiction-mr-mercedes/
Brilliantly put together. I loved this.
Thank you, Lauren. Working my way towards your one.
Thanks Graham!
Enjoyed reading this one.
Thanks Julie – enjoying writing it.
Glorious. I love this story of the bad and the much, much worse. *Chuckles*
Thanks Rose. Bad people are the best.
Excellent!
Thanks a lot John.
This was wonderful.
The Dead Zone: https://authorjulieclark.com/short-stories/the-dead-zone-flash-fiction-challenge/
“Emma Winter can’t help but swallow the energies of those around her, including the ‘well-intentioned’ who visit her family’s farm stand.”
Long time reader, first time submitter. I present The Dead Zone, hope it is enjoyable to read.
I know the ending seems a tad weak, I was writing it so much that I hit the word limit before I knew it. Stopped at 999 words.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTJpKGC5m77nWUQJJ_pzJ7P1f3k7jCzOv7Z2lK0Ycyd3vbbBgVXji-nkRKVSkipkeFh134JPdARR7gw/pub
In the spirit of Stephen King, I wrote 3000 words in the span of two days. Here are three tales with stolen titles from the master himself.
The Dark Half (https://wormholelesstraveled.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/the-dark-half)
The Shining (https://wormholelesstraveled.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/the-shining)
Mr. Mercedes (https://wormholelesstraveled.wordpress.com/2018/04/11/mr-mercedes)
I loved all three. You’re so talented.
Aw shucks! Thanks for taking the time to read all three 🙂
The character and voices in Mr Mercedes made me grin, esp the exchange at the start. And the unexpected art commentary.
Thanks! I enjoyed writing all three but Mr. Mercedes was a ton of fun especially.
Bag of Bones, with Morra again, but she’s a little less disoriented this week. There’s so much to tell I’m struggling to keep these brief. 1050ish words.
https://www.crowbarwriting.com/bag-of-bones
This was fantastic! Loved the imagery, the characters, the creepy… witch? Mask lady? Gonna read the one from last week too! Five stars !
Thank you! Because these are pieces from a much larger world I’m working on I’m always worried they won’t make sense as standalones. Flash fiction necessitates some mystery but has to point to something
I get the same thing. Sometimes a flash fiction is just what the doctor ordered together those juices flowing, but then will it make sense to someone just joining? I think you did a very good job though.
[…] so I sometimes baulk at a title that I know hangs on something else. I’m hoping the latest flash fiction challenge from Chuck Wendig has burnt some of that idea out of me, because he’s instructed people to take a title from a […]
Say, that was fun! I’ve strayed 40 words past the limit, but since I’m on good terms with my publisher I can get away with such outrages. I went with Bag of Bones.
https://dirckwrites.wordpress.com/the-current-story/bag-of-bones/
Oh. Oh my.
My Mr. Mercedes is non-lethal in any way, but as an Israeli, my grammar mistakes might be.
😉
https://medium.com/@roiberger/mr-mercedes-aa749c93f98
[…] of Bones,” which is a result of a Steal-a-Title Challenge I decided I should get in […]
[…] Wendig, author and writer of the excellent Terribleminds.com blog, set a flash fiction challenge for his readers. The challenge was to write a short story using […]
HI everyone. Here is my effort – The Shining. Enjoy.
https://jackmdavenport.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/flash-fiction-challenge-the-shining/
The Colorado Kid is a western. Please to enjoy.
https://sambrady.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/chuck-wendig-the-colorado-kid/
I never read The Stand, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is probably nothing like that.
https://adambroggi.com/stories/the-stand/
Cheers and thanks for the challenge.
I made an attempt to use The Colorado Kid for a little Western YA thing I’ve been trying. I couldn’t work my word count down enough and scrapped it for this challenge. (You can find it on my website.) Went with The Stand, a King favorite from my youth.
Here it is per the challenge: completely retyped verbatim save for one word. See if you can find the word I changed.
Just kidding. Enjoy. 997 words.
https://benjaminjkirby.com/2018/04/12/the-stand/
My effort included here – The Shining. Enjoy.
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/43449128/posts/1825081798
Under the Dome. It was easy for me to stay away from the original plot, because I’d never even heard of this one. And I’m pretty sure King doesn’t do humor. Only 870 words.
http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2018/04/friday-flash-under-dome.html
Hah! I love how you turned such a small, common thing into such a well-narrated sorry. Great job!
Story*
[…] I’ve decided to do a flash fiction challenge. It’s created by the amazingly creative Chuck Wendig, who’s asked us to put a spin on titles of Stephen King’s books. Now, I absolutely […]
The Dark Half- not horror at all, so hope I get bonus points
Anyway, here it is- https://magicquill17.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/the-dark-half/
About a budding supervillain who doesn’t want to be one. Hope you enjoy.
[…] for Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenge: Stolen Titles (Stephen King Edition). This was written while vacationing in Iceland, on my iPhone, please excuse typos, increased […]
Almost a late entry. Written on my iPhone while vacationing in Iceland.
The Dead Zone. 765 words.
Basically a Bermuda Triangle scenario in space.
https://jamesodae.wordpress.com/2018/04/13/the-dead-zone/