Flash Fiction Challenge: And Your Little Dog, Too

Calistoga Basket Dog writing prompt photo copyright K. S. Brooks.
Calistoga Basket Dog photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

Every afternoon at three-thirty, Old Mr. Pritchard would lie down for his afternoon nap.

Every afternoon as soon as Mr. Pritchard fell asleep, bratty little Becky Vogel would ride down the street with her little dog, Yappers, in her bicycle basket.

Yappers would bark and bark and bark and bark. It was a horrible, shrill, bone-rattling bark that never failed to spoil Mr. Pritchard’s nap. Oh, how he had come to hate that obnoxious little mutt.

One day, Mr. Pritchard had an idea…

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 Saturday morning, 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.

Five Flash Fiction Elements

flash fiction lightningAs I hope you all know, here at Indies Unlimited, we have a weekly flash fiction contest. The prompt goes up on Saturday, and the submission period closes on Tuesday. The word limit for our contest is 250 words. But there’s more to flash fiction than just our challenge.

As a general rule, flash fiction is considered to be less than 1,000 words long. And believe it or not, you can study how to write it. I did a web search for “how to write a flash fiction story” and got five million hits, including some for courses that would take way longer to complete than would simply writing a bunch of flash pieces until you get the hang of it.

Flash is a recognized format for fiction, with elements that each story ought to include. As usual with these sorts of things, the list of elements varies, depending on who’s writing it. I’ve seen lists of three, four, five, seven, or ten elements, or do’s and don’ts, or what-have-you. I like the number five, so for this article I’m going to stick with five things your flash fiction story should include. Continue reading “Five Flash Fiction Elements”

Which “Stood Up?” Flash Fiction Story Gets Your Vote?

Vote5It’s that time again…time to choose your favorite flash fiction story of the week! The judges have whittled down the entries to a select few, and now it’s your turn: time for the public to have the final say. It’s super easy – choose your favorite and cast your vote below for this week’s Flash Fiction champion.

Remember, the winning entries will all be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology.

Check out this week’s entries here we’ve even labeled the finalists to make them easier to spot. Make your decision, then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time.

Which "Stood Up" Story Is Your Favorite This Week?

  • Ed Drury (29%, 10 Votes)
  • Leland Dirks (23%, 8 Votes)
  • Joseph Hesch (14%, 5 Votes)
  • PJ LaRue (14%, 5 Votes)
  • Kathleen Sullivan (14%, 5 Votes)
  • John Christian Hager (6%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 35

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions are not relevant to the prompts and/or exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll. ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. The results displayed above are unofficial until verified by administration.

Flash Fiction Challenge: Stood Up

gideon putnam saratoga springs 1995 copyright K. S. Brooks
Photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

Lily arrived early and got a nice, private table. An hour passed, and the chair across from her remained empty. He’d asked to see her – so where was he?

She tried his cell phone. No answer. Couples came and left, whispering with pity as they walked past. Would he really stand her up like this?

When the last of the breakfast dishes were cleared, Lily found herself alone in the restaurant. Tears filled her eyes. The silhouette of a man appeared in the doorway. Could it be?

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 Saturday morning, 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.