Month: March 2015

Flash Fiction Challenge: Mind Games

aricebo 1999 flash fiction prompt
Aricebo photograph copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

Kyra rolled her eyes. “Okay, that is a radio telescope, and a very old one. Do you know how crazy you sound?”

Hawk continued looking through the binoculars. “That is what they want you to think it is. Are you familiar with the theory of alpha wave manipulation?”

Kyra sighed in exasperation. “Yes, it’s a long-discredited theory of mind control using microwave transmission.”

“It was discredited by the people who wanted to build it. Look through these.” He handed the binoculars to Kyra.

She gasped as she saw a spectrum of colorful waveforms emanating from what she’d thought was a defunct radio telescope. “Oh my lord! But who? Why?”

He took the binoculars back and said, “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture and the written prompt above. Do not include the prompt in your entry. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. No political or religious entries, please.

On Tuesday night, judges will select the strongest entries, and on Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll so they may choose the winner. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms. Please note the rule changes for 2015.

GreenPrints Magazine is Accepting Submissions

GreenPrints Magazine open submissionsGreenPrints Magazine is looking for personal gardening stories: expressive, thoughtful, humorous, angry, contrite, flippant, searching, witty, observant, sad, inviting, etc. They focus on the human, not how-to side of gardening. Stories should be no more than 2000 words.

Prizes: up to $150 per article & publication

Entry fee: FREE

Deadline: Ongoing

For more information, please visit their website.

Indies Unlimited is pleased to provide this contest information for the convenience of our readers. We do not, however, endorse this or any contest/competition. Entrants should always research a competition prior to entering.

Steven M. Stucko Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

Congratulations to Steven M. Stucko whose entry won this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

The voter-selected story is recognized with a special feature here today and wins a place in our 2015 Flash Fiction Anthology, which will be published as an eBook when this year’s challenges are completed.

Without further ado, here’s the winning story:

Continue reading “Steven M. Stucko Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”

Cursive’s Connection to Creativity

Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino

What do the creative processes of Truman Capote, Joyce Carol Oates, Vladimir Nabokov, JK Rowling, Jackie Collins, and Quentin Tarantino have in common? Each of these brilliant writers prefers, or preferred, the slower process of writing by hand. Truman Capote wrote lying down, très louche. Joyce Carol Oates is never without a pencil and a small pad of paper. Vladimir Nabokov wrote on index cards, and then moved them around to test the flow of scenes — a sort of cut and paste. JK Rowling prefers to write her first drafts by hand, as does Jackie Collins: her last manuscript topping out at a whopping 2000 pages of cursive. And Quentin Tarantino, the uber-talented creative genius, writes his screenplays by hand. Continue reading “Cursive’s Connection to Creativity”