Tag Archive for Fiction Writing

Flash Fiction: The Blackbird

June 10, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing No comments

flash fiction black bird blackbirdI didn’t write for the last Terribleminds.com flash fiction challenge because… fill in your own excuse here. I couldn’t miss this week’s flash fiction challenge, though. We were given a list of 20 books, films, comics, and TV shows. We were to randomly choose two of these and then write a piece of flash fiction which would be described as a mixture of the two.

Chuck Wendig described the challenge like so…

“…the result should be thematic and stylistic, not actual mash-up fanfiction. (Again, envision you take your story into a pitch meeting and to pitch it, you combine two seemingly unlike pop culture properties. It’s like that.)”

I rolled my virtual D20, and I got Batman and Pride & Prejudice, which is an interesting combination.

So here we go, this is The Blackbird which should hopefully be described as Batman meets Pride & Prejudice. You see?

Anyway, hope you enjoy it, and feel free to comment.

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National Flash Fiction Anthology (Part 2 – Captive Audience)

June 6, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing No comments

This is the second piece of flash fiction I entered into the National Flash Fiction Day contest. If you want to read the first one you can get to it from here.

Flash Fiction – Captive Audience

Private Mason picked his way through the rubble of what was left of the town’s museum. The attack had started so quickly that there was no time to rescue many of the works of art that had been housed there. Ripped and scorched paintings lay on the floor, while pieces of broken display cases and their contents were scattered across the cracked marble floor.

The soldier picked his way across the floor, trying not to step on anything that only a week ago would have been priceless. The gunfire and shells exploding outside shook the building, and clouds of dust dropped from the cracked ceiling that blinded Mason, made him stagger and trip over.

Flash fiction annunciation henry tanner paintingHe rubbed his eyes and looked up, that was when he saw her. A miracle, a painting had survived. Mason’s parents were devout Catholics, so he could recognise images of Mary and the angel Gabriel. He stood up and rubbed the dirt from the brass name badge that hung at an angle underneath the painting.

‘Annunciation by Henry Tanner. 1898’ Masons took the crucifix on the gold chain that hung around his neck and held it tightly. ‘You’re still looking out for me aren’t you?’

Masons looked at the painting, the background noise of gunfire faded into white noise and he lost himself in the image. Mary looked so beautiful and innocent as she looked in wonder at Gabriel. There was something so loving and warm in her smile, a smile that was reaching out to him. The more he looked at her, the more he felt the warmth of her love growing within his chest.

The image flickered, and Mason saw that Mary was smiling at him, it felt as if time had slowed down, every shot and explosion that shook the building had been slowed down to a low pitched growl, as broken rubble and plaster fell to the ground as slow as snowflakes.

The warmth in Mason’s chest grew hotter. Finally the heat became so intense that the private was shaken from the loving embrace of the painting. Instinctively he looked down at his chest, and that was when he saw the dark red patch growing around the end of the bayonet protruding from his chest.

The bayonet quickly disappeared, and he fell on to the floor feeling the agony of the attack for the first time. Left only with the image of the painting and the sound of his killer’s slow and heavy footsteps running away, he gripped the crucifix around his neck tightly again and smiled.

‘Guess you couldn’t wait’

National Flash Fiction Anthology (Part 1 – The Scream)

June 6, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing No comments

The Scream Painting flash fictionA few weeks back, I came across the website for the National Flash Fiction Day that takes place on the 22nd June. Every year they run a competition for any flash fiction writers willing to give it a try. They decide on a theme and then it’s up to you to write one or two pieces of flash fiction that fit into that theme. The lucky few people chosen as winners would feature in this years anthology as well as get armfuls of books and e-books and things.

Well this year the theme was art, and it didn’t matter if the link was tenuous or obvious as long as it was there.

I wasn’t lucky enough to be chosen this year, but that’s no reason no not to share the entries with the world. Or at least the 13 or 14 people who may accidentally come across this blog over the course of several years.

The below is the first of two pieces of flash fiction, and if you do come across it I’d be interested to know what you think.

Flash Fiction – The Scream

“Ray! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…. I’m so…. sorry…! Ray?’

Lily knelt over the body of her husband, apologising to him as she had always done, still holding the knife that had painted her hands red. She knew she shouldn’t have made him angry, she shouldn’t have pushed him; she shouldn’t have been so selfish.

She could still hear the argument they’d had ringing in her ears. She was used to Ray’s temper, especially after a drink but it was different this time, she had gone too far. Lily had always wanted to make more of her life; she had been the perfect housewife and mother for eighteen years but now after a chance meeting with an old school friend she thought that maybe it was time she went back to College, so that night she had asked Ray for permission.

‘Did you get that stupid idea from that bitch, Charlotte?’ Ray had shouted back at her. ‘Your place is here looking after this house and being my wife, or is that not good enough for you anymore?’

Lily tore herself away from her dead husband’s eyes and looked up at the old and tattered poster of The Scream by Edvard Munch stuck to her faded and peeling living room wall. The screaming figure clutched its head in terror and screamed down at the still, bloodied corpse in front of her. It screamed for her and what she had done.

Lily rubbed her eyes instinctively but they weren’t wet, she wasn’t shedding any tears for her husband, in fact the longer she stared at his body the less she started to feel, until there was nothing just a dull numbness. She stood up, dropped the knife on the floor and walked over to the phone and rang the police.

‘I killed him. I’m at 245 Poldonis Street.’ was all she said to the operator before she put the phone down.

Minutes passed, just how many minutes she wasn’t sure but as she stared at the poster again, she saw it differently. She no longer saw the terrifying image of the screaming figure. She focused on the couple in the background; the couple who were walking away; the couple who were turning their backs on the fear and horror and walking into a different picture; a different life.

Now she knew why she wasn’t crying.

Flash Fiction: Falling For Your Boss

May 25, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing 6 comments

falling dropping plummet man business man flash fictionWell after leaving the last flash fiction challenge until pretty much the last day, I thought I would actually write this one a little ahead of time. Mr Wendig from Terribleminds.com, he who is lord and master of all flash fiction challenges. Well the ones on his website anyway, and quite frankly who would want any more.

Anyway, his challenge this week was to randomly choose something from his list of psychic powers and write yourself a bit of flash fiction where the protagonist has this very same power. Well I rolled my trusty D20, and I got the power of…

Duh-duh-duuuuuuh… ‘bi-location’.

I’m pretty sure I knew what bi-location was, but checked on Wikipedia anyway. In short it is the ability to be in two places at the same time.

Here is…

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Flash Fiction: True Wealth

May 22, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing No comments

flash fiction errand wealth story penI have fallen behind with my flash fiction writing lately. Well the latest challenge by Chuck Wendig from Terribleminds.com was enough to stir me from my dilatory slumber. He provided us with a link that sent us off to a Fantasy Character concept generator. With one click of a button, five fantasy concepts were generated. All I had to do was choose one of them and then use it for the basis of a 1000 word piece of flash fiction.

Out of the five concepts I had, I chose…

“an ensorcelled errand boy is trying to rid herself of a curse.”

Hope you enjoy it, but if you think there are ways it can be improved, please let me know in the comments. I’m still learning. Read more

Flash Fiction: Phenomena

April 14, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing 4 comments

flash fiction ufo chryssalid alien attackThis week’s flash fiction challenge by Terribleminds.com follows on from the previous weeks challenge. The previous weeks challenge was to write a corker of an opening line. Chuck Wendig would then choose the lines that he thought were the best. Well this week, we have to use one of those opening lines as a starter for a piece of flash fiction. Any genre, any style, but it has to be less than 1000 words as.

The line I chose to start with, well it’s kinda obvious as it is the first line but I will write it here as well out of a sense of completion.

“My brother’s birth was preceded by three distinct and inexplicable phenomena.”

You see what I did with it? Well, I hope you like it and feel free to add a comment or two.

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More Writing Prompts and Ideas

March 24, 2013 Fiction, Writing No comments

writing prompts creative fiction fountain pen writingWriting Prompts are useful. There we go, a very obvious statement to open up with. Especially for those times when you want to write a piece of flash fiction or a short story, maybe even a whole novel if it is a particular empty Sunday afternoon, but your inspiration has deserted you and you just don’t know what to write about.

I wrote a post a few months back (Creative Writing Prompts and Exercises) that listed ten ways of flooding your mind with new writing ideas. Is ten ideas really enough? Does my list of ten writing prompts cover every single possible way? You bet your ass it doesn’t, which is why I’m going to list even more for you here.

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February 2013 Writing Update

February 28, 2013 Writing 2 comments

jim franklin work in progress updateIt’s that time of the month. It’s time for me to look over the past 28 days and update y’all on just how well I am doing towards achieving all my objectives; an opportunity for me to describe in great length the massive echelons I have traversed in such a relatively short period. Yet this was not the month for great leaps in productivity, as far as my goals go, I have not done a great deal.

In fact the grand total of everything I have achieved in February consists of:

  • 2 pieces of flash fiction
  • 1 book read

However despite what looks to be a tremendous lack of productivity, I have not being sitting on my hands. The exact opposite in fact. (Sitting on somebody elses hands? Hands sitting on you?) OK, not the exact opposite in literal terms, but I have been very active. For those who read this post (It was one of the only three posts I wrote in February) you’ll know that I am hitting the Gym (again not literally, I have better things to do than physically assault a place of exercise). It is all this exercise business that has thrown my otherwise routine existence into chaos. New schedule aside, I am enjoying going I just haven’t got into a routine so it’s a bit more time-consuming than I would like.

So I may not have hit many objectives this month, but I am still feeling pretty good about myself. After all, it is alright for goals to change. Saying that I don’t want to make a habit of using it as an excuse, there are plenty more hours in the day to write in.

Recently, I have noticed that I’m suffering from FAE. For those not in the business of made-up psychological illnesses, FAE is Friend Achievement Envy. I have started to notice just how many people are achieving things (Jo at TheHappyLogophile.com completed the first draft of her novel, another friend of mine is planning to climb K2 or some other insanely large mountain, and I have just received a Facebook invitation to go to a play that another friend of mine is directing, and there’s other stuff too). Now I do want to make it clear that I am not bitter or hostile, I think what they are achieving is fantastic and the results are certainly a testament to all the hard work they have put in to get there. One day it will be me, proudly claiming that has taking real work to produce, but it seems for the time being my own achievements are a little further away.

One day, I’ll get my chance but it can only happen once I have learned to commit myself to something, and stay focused…

…it might be a long road but March is a whole new month. Wish me luck.

Flash Fiction: Devil’s Advocaat

February 19, 2013 Contest Entries, Fiction, Writing No comments

Advocaat bottleThe gist of this week’s flash fiction is to take something from my own life and re-tell it by pushing it through the Magic Fictionising Machine. The first thing that occurred to me was that nothing at all interesting or in any way noteworthy has happened to me in my entire life.  I quickly shook away this rather absurd thought. I’ve been alive for over 32 years something interesting will most certainly have happened.  I just needed to think what it was.

I struggled over this for hours, until my brain got bored with stressing about it. So instead, I did my usual trick…

‘Just think of something; anything that I can write about and go from there. Maybe it will turn out OK once that writing machine has had its literary way with it.’

My brain whirred and clicked into action, it was too soon after brushing my teeth to consider having another coffee so I was on my own with this one. Then it came to me, there’s a rite of passage that everyone goes through; something that not only defines you as an adult but also dictates most of your teenage life. Today I’m going to re-tell the story of the first time I drank a little more than any normal person should.

So here we go. Hope you enjoy it, if not… well it’s keeping me busy. Oh and in lieu of the comments for the previous flash fiction I will be taking my sweet time and checking it through thoroughly. Read more

January 2013′s Writing Update

January 31, 2013 Novel Writing, Writing 5 comments

writing updates 2013It has been near-as-dammit one month since I wrote my objectives for 2013, a relatively long list of thirty-four things that I had to achieve before the fireworks went off for 2014′s New Year. These updates did use to be quarterly, but I figured the longer it is between the updates the more likely it is that time will just run away with me. So monthly updates it is then…

If you want to refresh yourself with my targets you can look here, if you have memorized them all then you don’t need to check but that is one scarily-high level of commitment for minor details you have there. You’re not the one going through my bins at the dead of night are you…?

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