Thursday, December 21, 2017

The holiday flash fiction contest is nigh!-your help is needed here!

Here are the guidelines:

Round One
posted: 12/22
opens: 12/23
closes: 12/25

Prompt word/s:
Number of words: 30

Round two
Posted: 12/26
Opens: 12/27
Closes: 12/28 (9am)

prompt word/s
Number of words: 25

Round Three
Posted: 12/28 (noon)
Opens 12/29
Closes: 12/30 (9am)

prompt word/s
Number of words: 25

Round Four
Posted: 12/30 (noon)
Opens 12/31
Closes: 1/1/18 9am

prompt word/s
Number of words: 20


You can write an individual story for each round OR you can write a story that builds on previous entries.

IF you write a story that builds on a previous entry, you MUST include that entry above the new entry. The previous entry does NOT count for the current entry word limitation.

Example

Round One: The Shark laid in wait for Santa Claws.

Round Two:  The Shark laid in wait for Santa Claws.
Fortunately, Santa was aware of Shark's plan and came down the drainpipe, not the chimney.

Round Three: The Shark laid in wait for Santa Claws.
Fortunately, Santa was aware of Shark's plan and came down the drainpipe, not the chimney.
Unfortunately, Shark had filled the drainpipe with Tears of Writers and Santa arrived drunk and disorderly at the Christmas feast.



And for today's fun, we need some good prompt words.  Make suggestions in the comments section. They do not have to be holiday themed.



at

63 comments:

  1. Unknown12/21/17, 7:05 AM

    Delectable
    Grinch
    Holiday
    Smiles
    Presents

    ReplyDelete
  2. Timothy Lowe12/21/17, 7:24 AM

    scotch
    kilt
    bagpipe
    blarney
    egg

    Or, what the contest is going to be...

    utter
    mayhem

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lisa Bodenheim12/21/17, 7:42 AM

    stockings
    toys
    lights
    sing
    tree

    ReplyDelete
  4. E.M. Goldsmith12/21/17, 8:06 AM

    Magpie
    Holly
    Bough
    Cheer
    Eggnog

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dena Pawling12/21/17, 8:06 AM

    The
    An
    It
    Was
    Said

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kitty12/21/17, 8:11 AM

    In honor of Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story":
    Bacchanalia
    Clodhopper
    Flick
    Furnace
    Fudge
    Tinkertoys
    Clinker
    Fragile
    Theme
    Meatloaf
    Statue
    Ovaltine

    (Notice, I did not include hooptedoodle.)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amy Schaefer12/21/17, 8:23 AM

    Kitty, I watched A Christmas Story with my kids yesterday - it is my favourite holiday movie. My youngest keeps saying: "Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defence."

    We have lots of holiday suggestions already, so I'll just add random words I like:

    euphonic
    eviscerate
    surreal
    defenestrate
    lugubrious
    placate
    preen
    whisper
    zealous

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Seese12/22/17, 6:37 PM

      @Amy Scaefer. You wouldn't know this, but I live about 30 minutes away from where Christmas Story was filmed. When I was a kid, I went to the downtown Higbee's all the time with my grandmother. And during my walks through the town where we live now, I see at least 6 or 7 leg lamps in windows.

      Delete
  8. Colin Smith12/21/17, 8:34 AM

    Dena beat me to my original suggestions (what are you doing up this early, Dena?), so here are my alternatives:

    Colour
    Favourite
    Aluminium
    Polystyrene
    Marmite

    ReplyDelete
  9. npholland12/21/17, 8:50 AM

    Zenith
    Esoteric
    Nidus
    Culmination
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown12/21/17, 9:23 AM

    Torture
    Excite
    Anxious
    Thrill
    Torment
    Enthuse
    Delight
    Hell

    Oh, wait, prompt words? Sorry I was just trying to work through my various emotions

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cecilia Ortiz Luna12/21/17, 9:36 AM

    Murmur
    Thin
    Grasp
    Time
    Mere

    ReplyDelete
  12. Karen McCoy12/21/17, 9:44 AM

    Ham
    Pie
    Spin
    Rant
    Slumber

    ReplyDelete
  13. Madeline Mora-Summonte12/21/17, 9:54 AM

    sand
    dune
    palm
    tree
    seaweed
    driftwood
    jellyfish

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mike Hays12/21/17, 10:03 AM

    cartilage
    limb
    skull
    sled
    decoration

    ReplyDelete
  15. Barbara12/21/17, 10:12 AM

    Crocodilian
    Rhythm
    Tweezers
    Peanut
    Lollipop

    ReplyDelete
  16. Julie Weathers12/21/17, 10:12 AM

    Oh, stop tempting me.

    chestnut
    pudding
    gingerbread
    chatelaine
    pismire
    welkin
    sanguine
    cozen
    galimaufry
    sweven
    besom
    espy

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown12/21/17, 10:13 AM

    coprophagous

    ReplyDelete
  18. Unknown12/21/17, 10:15 AM

    coprophagous

    ReplyDelete
  19. Claire Bobrow12/21/17, 10:19 AM

    peel
    fruitcake
    robot
    comet
    ale

    ReplyDelete
  20. RKeelan12/21/17, 10:46 AM

    Bin
    Hex
    One
    Two
    Six

    And since I've made my prompt word suggestion contribution, I have a question: If you choose to build on a previous entry, does it have to be your entry, or can it be any that strikes your fancy?

    I may have imagined it, but it seemed from the previous blog post like that would be allowed.

    ReplyDelete
  21. E.M. Goldsmith12/21/17, 10:52 AM

    At this point we should hand Janet a dictionary, both OED and Webster’s, and be done with it.

    Didn’t we decide that we could only use our own entries to build our stories? Or did I imagine that?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sherry Howard12/21/17, 11:18 AM

    This feels like a playground where the kids are planning mayhem for the adult in charge, AKA the query queen.

    Occult
    Persnickety
    Mistletoe
    Cheezits
    Gosling

    ReplyDelete
  23. Janet Reid12/21/17, 11:28 AM

    Miss Julie you are the Mistress of Mischief,
    and the rest of you are accolytes at the shrine of Jocularity.

    I'm getting some very terrible ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Colin Smith12/21/17, 11:30 AM

    Elise: I think using other people's stories is definitely on the table--Janet may even have approved, if I recall the comments.

    My understanding of what Janet says above is that we can build on ANY of the previous stories, or create new stories. If you do the math, the last story should have a TOTAL of 100 words, including all previous stories used.

    I presume there will still be a prize for each round, and a grand prize for an over-all winning story? Or, since each story can be stand-alone, will there only be prizes for each round?

    ReplyDelete
  25. John Levins12/21/17, 11:37 AM

    Janet,your flash fiction example was pretty darn good! I love “Tears of Writers!” It inspired these words:

    Tears
    Disorderly
    Claws

    ReplyDelete
  26. RosannaM12/21/17, 11:59 AM

    Oh, boy. Most of the above commenters are wicked. Wicked indeed, with words one would have difficulty fitting into a two thousand word entry, let alone a paltry 100 word limit. I think they're getting coal in their stocking!

    I do have a question, though. Are we going to get 5 words each round, or a total of 5? Like maybe, 2, 1, 1, 1?

    ReplyDelete
  27. John Davis Frain12/21/17, 12:03 PM


    cat

    or, as I refer to them, catastrophe.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Julie Weathers12/21/17, 12:07 PM

    Miss Janet

    Well, gallimaufry pretty much describes these contests. Note the correct spelling this time.

    I have no doubt you're getting terrible ideas. The very premise of this contest terrified me.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Unknown12/21/17, 12:13 PM

    It's a sad commentary on my state of Christmas readiness that I'm looking forward to this contest!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Kate Larkindale12/21/17, 12:24 PM

    So many of my favorite words have already been mentioned, so allow me to toss a few more into the soup:

    Morbific
    Socks
    Galoshes
    Mukluk
    Ocean

    ReplyDelete
  31. Steve Stubbs12/21/17, 12:25 PM

    Theme:The Shark De-claws Santa

    Tardy Wurdz:

    Putrid
    Pulchritudinous
    Ugh
    Blah-G (rhymes with blog)
    Versial (the opposite of controversial)
    Grinch, Wrench, Ryan-Stench
    Cossack in a Cassock
    Unpresidented
    Brobdingnagian
    Cryptoversifier

    ReplyDelete
  32. Terri Lynn Coop12/21/17, 1:16 PM

    I gotta roll with Dena on this one.

    Otherwise, *sigh*

    tabernacle,
    carbuncle,
    podcast,
    stealth,
    advertising

    I am SO glad I wandered back to the reef in time for this one, even though I have to lie about that robot thing. It's awkward.

    Terri

    ReplyDelete
  33. Colin Smith12/21/17, 1:25 PM

    Terri!! Lovely to see you on the Reef again! I look forward to what you come up with for the challenge. :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Beth Carpenter12/21/17, 1:44 PM

    Question: If the previous entry/entries contained fewer words than the limit, is the next entry allowed to go over? For instance, in your example, entry #1 had eight words. Could entry #2 have 30+25-8=47 words? Or is the limit still 25?

    Prompt words:
    Huh
    Bell
    Carol
    Snow
    Dark
    Play
    Solstice

    ReplyDelete
  35. Lennon Faris12/21/17, 1:51 PM

    belfries
    bah
    chime
    peace

    ReplyDelete
  36. Richelle Elberg12/21/17, 2:46 PM

    All I can add at this point is that I'm terrified. But in a good way. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous12/21/17, 3:29 PM

    Whole lotta S&M going on over here today. It would serve you right if Janet decides everyone has to use the words they suggested.

    I'm with Dena, who appears to be the only sane one in this bunch. This is going to be difficult enough as it is.

    sun
    sand
    fish
    tan
    hot


    ReplyDelete
  38. Dena Pawling12/21/17, 3:55 PM


    Colin - I wake up at 5am on weekdays. Doesn’t everyone?

    Kdjames - it’s been a looooooooong time (read: never) that I’ve ever been called sane. But if I want a fighting chance at this contest, I need words like the ones I proposed. Either that or my entries will all sound like “‘‘twas brillig and the slivy toves.”

    The rest of y’all qualify under the S&M label. And from the tone of Janet’s comment above, she will owe all of us who attempt an entry a bottle of scotch. Or three.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous12/21/17, 4:08 PM

    Dena, "sane" is a relative term over here. In keeping with brillig and slivy, this is going to be my motto for this contest:

    “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, “it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.”

    ReplyDelete
  40. Julie Weathers12/21/17, 4:12 PM

    KD

    Whole lotta S&M going on over here today. It would serve you right if Janet decides everyone has to use the words they suggested.--Fortunately, I am familiar with using those words I posted. On the plus side, I didn't suggest flibbertigibbet, which was used in RC.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Craig F12/21/17, 4:13 PM

    I would like to only see four prompt words, one used each day.

    Orange
    Purple
    Quark
    Logarithmic

    Dena- What's wrong with twas brillig and the silvery toves?

    KD- Sounds like you need a FLA vacation already. It's 82 today. Low was 68, so come on down

    ReplyDelete
  42. Julie Weathers12/21/17, 4:15 PM

    Dena

    I vote for your list. KD also has an awesome list.

    Good luck to all you intrepid souls.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Steve Forti12/21/17, 4:38 PM

    Can we do "liverpudlian" backwards again? That was fun.
    And we simply must have "bumble".

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous12/21/17, 4:42 PM

    HA! Julie, I know you're familiar with using those words. I'm always impressed by the range of your vocabulary. I just have an issue trying to fit all that into a 100-word story.

    Craig, I lived in south FL for four years. It was way too far south for this Minnesota-born girl (I've got my fingers crossed for snow!). I was hoping that list might appeal to a shark stuck in the northeastern US in December. :)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Cecilia Ortiz Luna12/21/17, 5:07 PM

    In the spirit of diversity, may I add

    Asia
    East
    Orient
    Spices
    Chi

    ReplyDelete
  46. french sojourn12/21/17, 5:19 PM


    unseemly
    rabid
    crab
    straw
    man

    ReplyDelete
  47. Jo Conn12/21/17, 5:31 PM

    How about some hipster-newsmonger-speak:
    Full stop
    Tone deaf
    Deep dive
    Unpack
    Optics
    Drill down
    Blowback
    Spitballing
    Tick tock

    ReplyDelete
  48. RosannaM12/21/17, 5:46 PM

    how about
    light
    child
    fig
    must
    stable

    I quake in my size 5 boots at some of the shenaniganical lists above. Yes. I made up that word. It fits. You all know who you are!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Cecilia Ortiz Luna12/21/17, 7:13 PM

    RosannaM,

    Shenaniganical!

    I love it.

    (...might steal it, too bwahahaha)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Carolynnwith2Ns12/21/17, 7:36 PM

    Light
    The
    Lamp
    Not
    The
    Rat

    Yeh, I know. Couldn't resist. I just love that movie.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Carolynnwith2Ns12/21/17, 7:45 PM

    Um, I just read the comments. You guys are as crazy as a republican at a Schumer rally.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Megan V12/21/17, 7:58 PM

    Naughty
    Bus
    Elite
    Merit
    Index
    Siege
    Pole
    Owe
    Fresh
    Resolution
    Star
    Flight
    Solve
    Play
    Shod
    Clack
    News
    List
    Persecute
    Candle
    Fast
    Crave
    Sleep

    ReplyDelete
  53. AJ Blythe12/21/17, 8:35 PM

    For those of us having a DownUnder Christmas:

    sun
    pav
    prawn
    mango
    cicada

    ReplyDelete
  54. Gingermollymarilyn12/21/17, 9:09 PM

    Speaking of S&M:

    leather
    mistress
    handcuffs
    chains
    rope
    touch
    pleasure
    boots
    stockings
    macaroni

    ReplyDelete
  55. Kae Ridwyn12/21/17, 9:13 PM

    I'm with AJ Blythe on this one. Hey! How about one of the four entries should be set Down Under?
    If that's too hard, how about just adding a little pinch of flavour instead:
    Koala
    Kangaroo
    Wombat
    Platypus
    Kookaburra

    ReplyDelete
  56. Unknown12/21/17, 9:26 PM

    Ginger, macaroni? Something tells me I shouldn't ask.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Julie Weathers12/21/17, 9:30 PM

    KD

    HA! Julie, I know you're familiar with using those words. I'm always impressed by the range of your vocabulary. I just have an issue trying to fit all that into a 100-word story.

    No, I don't really have an extensive vocabulary, but I have a fair to middling acquaintance with vintage vocabulary. If Janet were to make use of any of them, it would be one at most and they would be easy to fit in.

    Out of curiosity, I wrote up an 83-word story with 7 of the words.

    Anyway, I think y'all will have your work cut out for you even with Dena's list.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Melanie Sue Bowles12/21/17, 10:05 PM

    I'm just sittin' over here... reading. All these comments. And I'm flummoxed, blinking rapidly, unable to add a thing to the existing zany kookiness. YOWZA!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Gingermollymarilyn12/21/17, 10:34 PM

    KATHY JOYCE - Gotta throw something ‘strange’ in there to make people wonder!

    ReplyDelete
  60. John Davis Frain12/22/17, 12:53 AM

    I've been getting sideways glances from Calvin after my earlier suggestion, so I'm adding one to my previous list.

    dog


    There, the universe is back in balance.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Ashes12/22/17, 5:57 AM

    Present
    Build
    Maker
    Kind
    Pole

    ReplyDelete
  62. Mike Mikula1/1/18, 8:51 AM

    Dear Ms. Reid:

    Apologies but this was the only place on the page I could post my story.

    Part One:

    “Chuckee!” Alice screamed skyward as Charlie Chirplan climbed toward five phoebes and joined their maneuvers like he’d spent none of the past eight years in a birdcage facing the television.

    Part Two:

    Soaring with the phoebes felt right, Charlie Chirplan thought, almost as good as not having Alice’s every thought ringing in his ears, yet he worried.

    Part Three:

    Resting above a supermarket, collying a giant K, Charlie Chirplan relished the new freedoms of phoebe life. Who's a pretty bird? the only thing missing.

    Part Four:

    Alice avoided her absent friend’s cage. She watched TV and worried the vacancy on her ring finger; all was lost.

    ReplyDelete

Keep your comments succinct. Any comment that runs longer than 100 words is generally too long.

If you're commenting more than three times a day, it's too much.


Civility is enforced. Spelling/grammar mistakes may be pointed out ONLY in the blog post itself, not in any of the ensuing commenter's contributions.

If your comment doesn't show up, it's most likely that Blogger ate it. Try posting again using a GoogleID. (comment moderation is on only for older posts)