Happy Boxing Day

Even though my Christmas plans went pear-shaped and I now have the leisure and lack of distraction, I admit I'm relieved not to have been obliged to pick a winner from last week's offerings as it would have been impossible (and how frequently that now applies, as each of us continually raises our game; hones skills of concise, precise wordery!) Thank you all, yet again, for wonderful entertainment.  

For those in need of mental exercise other than Monopoly and mince pies:

new words for the coming week are: abdicate  love  pith

Entries by midnight Thursday 31st December, new words posted Friday 1st January (winners likely later)  

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

'Tis the season … and all change again

 The time has long passed when a standard set of criteria can be applied to the week's entries, and it truly has become a no-rules; never-the-same-two-weeks-running entirely discombobulating place to enter if you are trying to do anything other than entertain. Which seems to be fine for all of us, not least because along the way we are so very richly rewarded for our time.

This week is no exception. I have no hesitation in nominating Patricia whose 'Pop-up' entry sent me to searching out 1970s Guinness ads, and the 'tock followed tick' of the waiting surfer. Magic. 

  Words for the coming week are:  aloof  ermine  rigging 

I'll schedule new words to appear Saturday 26th December (!) but don't anticipate selecting winners from the above. Like most folk, our Christmas plans have been altered yet again from the norm and I'll be tidying and making preparations rather than travelling to Wales or hosting family it'll be Dearly Beloved and me spending our first Christmas just us two in 54 years of marriage.  

And hopefully you too will celebrate in the best way currently possible and trust 2021 will be brighter.

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

And you all deserve a decoration

What a week of entertainment! I doubt it's been surpassed for quality and wealth of enjoyment. And though my picking a winner can be no more than a going through the motions for form's sake, I really cannot say any one piece is better than the rest so having gorged on each and every one, I turned to the comments and tried to work out a universal favourite from them, but that led to even more procrastination as it seemed Perry had won the popular vote. Possibly. Or Holly. Or …  So I decided it had to be me and, after another read, and because WWI themes have an especial appeal,  Jim's 'The spoils of war' grabbed my attention yet again, so  that can be my final decision. Thank you one and all. 

this week’s words are:  Guinness  merge  slur

Entries by midnight Thursday 17th December, new words posted Friday 18th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Manufactured 'fun'

Several sorts of stomach-churning, neck-tingling, throat-catching brands of horror in this week's offerings and I think it is because David's 'No laughing matter' touches more on a reality I too have experienced – and fear I could again, the enforcement of others' ideas of 'enjoyment' one of the more to-be-feared facets of care in later life (Cue that Who song!!) that make it my winner this week.

Interesting divergence of opinion re Monty Python  et al; my lukewarm attitude has my sons declaring I have no sense of humour, whereas I stoutly claim it to be subtle. Thank you all for the stimulation.

 This week’s words are:  eradicate, tinsel urge

Entries by midnight Thursday 10th December, new words posted Friday 11th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Wrapping books to Guns'n'Roses …

 … Eighteen of them – everyone's getting books from me this year, as a thank you for the services of our local independent bookshop during lockdowns – and took me nearly as long to work out the Royal Mail website for parcel collection, but all done now. Yet  to discover whether we'll be travelling to spend Christmas with child 1 and child 3.

 Today's discovery, for you, is that Terrie's The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 129 is this week's winner, for the simple reason that I found it highly entertaining – and know I'm not the only one.

                                                this week’s words are:  allocate butler cushion

Entries by midnight Thursday 3rd December, new words posted Friday 4th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Taking the biscuit

 In the end it was David's trading custard creams for jewellery that elevated him into first place this week, such a smoothly-written tale, one of several contenders which took quite a lots of separating. At times it doesn't seem fair to you that each week the choice is mine, but I assume none of you are distressed enough to desert. And thank you, as ever for a week of writing and the all-important sharing of comments.

this week’s words are:  alarm contradict hump 

Entries by midnight Thursday 26th November, new words posted Friday 27th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Awarding the intrepid

Breaking the rules this week (but if I can't, who can?) I'm nominating a non-writer for the top spot, courtesy of  Antonia's  ever-excellent Stop The Week; I Want To Get Off (123) in recognition of Shaun's car-buying contribution. I do, of course, thank you all for another week of entertainment, in both writing and the ever-important comments, without which this site would soon cease to sparkle.

this week’s words are:  custard emboss language  

Entries by midnight Thursday 19th November, new words posted Friday 20th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Fireworks of the magic kind …

 ... is what this week brought (unlike the wider world's activities, for which much thanks.) 

And it is grateful I am for Terrie's blazing return, along with the sparkling and colourful rockets offered by the rest of you, all insisting on several re-readings to extract full enjoyment. Hard to choose, but eventually, so glad to have the back, I settled on the  'dillos, as captured in The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 123.

this week’s words are:  drift camel sanguine

Entries by midnight Thursday 12th November, new words posted Friday 13th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

So you get your revenge …

 ... by making me have to decide on a favourite from a whole field of favourites.

With effort, I narrowed it down to four posts, from three of you, then swithered back and forth for an age, finally deciding on the basis that I read traces of my most-favoured fictional heroes in Perry's 'Hero'. But please, please, the heel-snapping rest of you, do not despair: if this was a horse race you'd all have muddy faces. 

 this week’s words are:  scalp tine vague

 Entries by midnight Thursday 5th November, new words posted Friday 6th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Nothing took anyone's fancy?

Or did shyness keep you from stating a preference?  Last week's words certainly threw up a challenge (you are not alone in cursing the person who chose them!) but at least I can say, with confidence, that my favourite this week, for its elegant subversiveness, was Patricia's 'The Before Times'.

 this week’s words are:  casual  inherit salubrious 

Entries by midnight Thursday 29th October, new words posted Friday30th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Schedule for Friday 16th October

I thank you for your choice of winners from last week, while I visited what, to my husband, was the Jurassic coast, and to me was Hardy country, two books of whose referenced the hotel we'll be staying at.  

 this week’s words are: beard public rune

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Birds at the scarlet berries

Whatever the saying is about lots of berries meaning a hard winter, all I know is that I don't recall what has recently been identified as a whitebeam – a decades-old "free tree" opposite my kitchen window – ever having berries, never mind the quantity there this autumn. Only time - and snow - will tell.

In the meantime, I have to tell you I'm off again next week, so next Friday will schedule new prompt words and I'll ask you, once again to choose your favourite.

 This week, it's my turn, and, after two weeks off I find I'm sadly out of practice when it comes to making a decision about a winner, especially when the criteria, the factors that give pleasure vary for each and every one. In the end I decided Jim deserves a mention for his ability to keep me reading through eight episodes of 'The Box', despite the gruesome horror, but the second paragraph of Perry's 'Exiles' was so delicious that it had to be awarded first place.

 this week’s words are: proof tendon yawn

 Entries by midnight Thursday 15th October, new words posted Friday16th

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Words for Friday 2nd October

 Thank you for last week's entertainment - please do name your favourite, then do your best with the  following:

this week’s words are: former, lake plaster

Entries by midnight Thursday 8th October, new words posted Friday 9th

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

  

Words for Friday 25th September

 

This week’s words are: Santana strain third

 Entries by midnight Thursday 1st October new words posted Friday 2nd

Please nominate your favourite entries for the above words at the end of the week

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

 

It's up to you again. Times two

 Next week I’m away to Leith and Portobello, to take photos for the covers of ‘Drink with a dead man’ and ‘Snap is not a children’s game’. The following week a wedding anniversary treat. On both occasions I shall be away Thursday and Friday so have scheduled new prompt words to appear on Friday 25th September and Friday 2nd October, but I ask each of you to nominate your favourite from this week and next. I shall be back inbetweentimes, so if I have cocked it up (again!)  I ought to be able to remedy.

This week, every piece held a similar quantity of appeal, and on different days a different style appealed, or  a particular phrase snared my delight. Because they were all so close, I’ve resisted naming each, but say, at this moment, after what must be a fourth read-through of them all, I’ve decided Perry’s ‘Lookout’ was my top favourite.Thank you all for your participation..

 Words for next week: Atlantic stupefy texture

Entries by midnight Thursday 24th September, new words posted Friday 25th

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Eeny-meeny

 You will, I know, appreciate my dilemma: do I choose one from a selection of beautifully-written intrigues, such as Holly’s ‘An Unexpected Education’,  Perry’s  ‘Creggan’s Lost World’ or Patricia’s ‘Shattered?

Or, for unadulterated gut-punch horror, ably demonstrated by Patricia’s ‘Hush-a-bye. ‘ David’s ‘Hear no evil or Jim’s ‘The Box V’. In addition, John provided a shock of involuntary laughter, and Antonia a cheer for good news.

Took a lot of reading, mental ordering and re-ordering, but my last minute choice was Jim … by a whisker.

Thank you all for participation, for comment, and for enjoyment.

 Words for next week: foster manuscript stigma

Entries by midnight Thursday 17th September, words and winners posted Friday 18th

  Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Fairy godmother?

This week felt like I’d sprinkled magic words and they each and every one sprung to life. To a different, magic, unanticipated life. Not that Merlot is a sparkling wine but each tale made it do so. And so it seems most apt to award John top spot this week for his ‘Grapes of Wrath', not that any made me wrathful,  Thank you one and all for the participation.

Words for next week: bubble demolish siesta

Entries by midnight Thursday 10th September, words and winners posted Friday 11th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

A mixed week of reading

Five books read this week, ranging from a really dire one star to a magnificent five star (Sarah Moss’s ‘Ghost’). The benefit of the dire was it made me reappraise the way I’ve attempted to show the vulnerabilities of my MC, and I am reminded to thank you for your indulgence in allowing me to post my random Snap pieces, as well as for contributing and commenting yourselves. It’s not so much that we need praise as to know we’ve been read.

And it is in the hope of reading more (and I’m confident I’m not alone) that Patricia gets a special mention for her ‘Pledge’ and, although not the only one, for reading pleasure received, Terrie takes top spot for ’Secret Armadillo diaries entry 120’.

Words for next week: echo  grind  Merlot

Entries by midnight Thursday 3rd September, words and winners posted Friday 4th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Branches laden to the ground

Our plum tree, that is. Don’t remember it ever being that laden before. Fruits aren’t all as sweet and juicy as they first appear, much like last weeks tales, some of which  held horrors akin to the wasp-buried, sap-leaking, mould-spotted monstrosities lurking amongst the good stuff.

All good stuff though, according to the rules of this stupendous site, and of a variety which, as usual, makes it hard to choose, but the fact that I had, after the first read, to avert my eyes from John’s ‘Afflicted’ suggests it deserves acclaim (and the dessert of ‘Revenge served cold’ confirmed it).

Words for next week: origin  pawn vacant

Entries by midnight Thursday 27th August, words and winners posted Friday 28th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Scheduled words

Back now after a couple of days researching Scottish East Coast harbours North for my current wip - I only have to say 'Sometime I need to go to ...' for my itchy-footed husband to be booking a hotel and planning the route, thus we gain a night in a hotel in which to talk to each other instead of focus on our separate interests. And relieved to see the variation (and John's cop-out) in the naming of favourites - one vote each for Patricia, David and me  (Thank you Patricia) - from last week.

Words for next week: metronome poke spine

Entries by midnight Thursday 20th August, words and winners posted Friday 21st

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Going on a trip!

I’m away next Thursday and Friday. I’ll schedule new words Friday morning but hand over to you the task of choosing a favourite from this week’s posts, and naming  it on Friday. I do so with some relief, especially because, as early as Wednesday morning, I knew selecting a ‘winner’ this week was going to be, in the nicest possible way, a nightmare. However, has to be done.

Jim’s ‘The sight below turned my breath to ice’ and Holly’s magnificently awful ‘Every sated breath he takes is one from my sister’s lungs’ are just two examples of the many high spots, buts top prize this week goes to David for his ‘We’re All Mad Here’ whose first line was so wonderful (and the rest to-the-point, and breath-takingly gruesome )cured me (albeit maybe only temporarily) of my knee-jerk antipathy to poems what rhyme. And I do feel bad for not mentioning the rest of you … Thank you indeed for ALL posts, so thoroughly entertaining.

Words for next week: abstain nothing shroud

Entries by midnight Thursday 13th August, words only posted Friday 14th

 Winners to be named by you

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Although I hope not to repeat it, but remembering the mess of scheduling I made back in February, I do think it would be sensible to have some sort of back-up – a deputy, a sleeping partner – for Prediction. Unless called upon to take over, there would be no need for whoever to be excluded from being chosen as favourite.; the main requirement is to be a reliably regular participant here, of which there are several. If interested and/or willing to be nominated, let me know.

Byron’s comment on the seasons

“The English winter – ending in July, to recommence in August”

It hasn’t felt that bad, but this year’s July does seem to have had a dearth of blue skies.

Thank goodness, then, for Prediction, which this week was chock-full with off-the-wall ideas and epic offerings, my favourite of which was Perry’s ‘Beachhead’ which sent my mind travelling way beyond the words.

Top place this week, however, for its small-scale setting but colourful and vastly entertaining characters, goes to Terrie’s SAS diaries entry 116 – thank you both.

Words for next week: coin peacock twitch

Entries by midnight Thursday 6th August, words and winners posted Friday 2nd

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Blurring of the days

Antonia said it – ‘Good Reads’ – and this another week of an excellence we have got so used to I initially took Terrie’s ‘Brain-fried’ as a straight-forward apology instead of the brilliantly prompt-led piece it was. 

As usual, what I name ‘winner’ for the week is not an indication that others are in any way less accomplished or entertaining, just the one I pick on has some particular hook that catches my attention. This week Patricia managed it twice, with ‘In Plain Sight’ and ‘First appearances’

Words for next week: greed  state usurp

Entries by midnight Thursday 30th July , words and winners posted Friday 31st

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Small but perfectly-formed

100% top quality this week, so I’m going to permit myself to indulge in my liking of the Scottish accent, and the knee-jerk reaction to anything with crows in it, and name David’s ‘On A Cold and Frosty Morning’ my undoubted favourite. Which is not, of course, to say I didn’t gain a great deal of enjoyment from reading each and every one of the others – thank you all. 

And thank you too for the endorsement of the importance of this group – I was enormously pleased to see three of us coincide here around 16.53 on the fifteenth,  and aim to keep it going as long as I am able.

Words for next week: deviate  emery  stunt

Entries by midnight Thursday 23rd July , words and winners posted Friday 24th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Back to Hot Chocolate, I fear ...

and yes, I know I’ve used it before, but when the lyrics are so appropriate …

Nevertheless, I’m well aware that at the Prediction it’s a beverage vigorously stirred with a liberality of horror – something which doesn’t come as easily to me to write as it evidently does to many of you. This week we’ve had several varieties: David’s haunting, Patricia’s chilling, Jim’s gruesome and John with a double dose of insidious and stomach churning which earns him this week’s number 1 spot.

Words for next week: blaspheme fizz ugly

Entries by midnight Thursday 16th July , words and winners posted Friday 17th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

This week stalled

Despite flow charts and spreadsheets, re-writings and a new starting  point, my current novel has refused to make any progress this week, thus my inability to add scenes – i.e. no reason to write – is making me bad-tempered. All the more reason, therefore, to thank you for the encouragement given by your comments on what I did post here.

I’ve said before, I’ve no interest in “winning” because, as most of you know, that’s not, and never has been, the raison d’être of this site. I assume, like me, participants primarily welcome the opportunity to exercise writing muscles by attempting to match in quality the best of what appears here and thereby entertain. Motivation is personal. As host, my weekly obligation is to choose three words and to name those who particularly entertained me. This week (and remembering Jim won last week) I name three who regularly contribute do so; all very different, all superb: Terrie for ‘SAS Diaries entry 112’, David for ‘Sisters are doing it for themselves’ and Patricia for ‘Collared’.

Words for next week: amuse decrepit platform  

Entries by midnight Thursday 9th July , words and winners posted Friday 10th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

"Brought to you by courtesy of …"

Words for next week, that is. I brought up a blank page to begin to write this, decided another chore needed attending to first and, in the process, gleaned words which accompanied action. Plenty action in this week’s entries, but the darkness – and the potential – of Jim’s ‘Go figure’ propelled it to top place.

As ever, I thank you for your  continuation – this site healthier by far than others I visit, a true indication we are first and foremost writers, more interested in doing so than images of  … kittens …

Words for next week: clatter, fingernail, pure  

Entries by midnight Thursday 2nd July , words and winners posted Friday 26th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Weather to be coloured in

A week of waking to pale grey skies which offer only the dreariness of dishcloths, and hinting at November, except it is not cold and the lush greenness of full-leaved trees is incongruous.  That not the reason, but despite a couple of days usefully drawing flow charts I’ve made no progress with ‘Snap’ and resorted again (and happily) to editing ‘Drink with a dead man’ – all but done and awaiting the attentions of one of my beta readers.

This weeks’ winners arrived at with a little less trauma too: David’s ‘The Generation Game’ takes top spot for providing a novel quantity of remarkable story in just 100 words, and very different but equally as entertaining, Terrie’s 'The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries - entry 110' scampers up in second place.

Words for next week: interfere kitten profile

Entries by midnight Thursday 25th June , words and winners posted Friday 26th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

running late today

so I’ll just post last week’s equally merit-earning winners, which were John’s ‘Utopia USA’ and Patricia’s  Cripplegate Junction episode 234 –– and come back to tidy up later.

I was glad to see the Shadow had other plans for Jim and totally agree with his comment about the wonderful verbs choice of Patricia’s – I read somewhere that’s possible the most important thing for vivid writing.

Words for next week:  distinguish pursue, sodden

Entries by midnight Thursday 18th June , words and winners posted Friday 19th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Inspiration: the act of breathing in

Adding up to ninety-seven words to the three provided, and crafting them to the standard most of us achieve here, on a regular basis, is no mean feat. For myself, there are occasions when an opening sentence arrives in an instant, and the rest follows, needing only a minimum amount of polish. Other times (on a ratio of approximately 7:1) it takes days for a story to emerge; another for the lumpiness to be beaten out, but as the standard of entries rises it becomes more imperative that I do so. In turn I thank those of you who do likewise. The prompt words themselves are mostly culled from cryptic crosswords, book or CD titles, and I do aim to include one verb and a couple of words that do not obviously combine. That you so frequently do precisely that is credit to your powers of inventiveness; no wonder they are occasionally capricious.

The winner this week, from a slightly smaller field, is Jim for what I very much hope is not the end of The Shadow Series.

Words for next week:  blanket lacerate Victorian

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 11th June , words and winners posted Friday 12th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

And not a raspberry in sight!

I should have had more faith, but thank you, thank you once again for such  a wonderful crop of tales – I doubt I was the only one salivating with anticipation with each new post I read.  Which, of course, means I now have to choose the most delicious and, like the punnets of raspberries I have been offered this week, to choose one from several of near-identical quality is hard.

So, I narrowed it to three, stirred them and re-read them, and eventually – at this particular minute – was able to declare it to be Holly, for her  hint-of-epic ‘Ties’.

Words for next week:  compulsory extravagant tone

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 4th June , words and winners posted Friday 5th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Easy-peasy (phew!)

This week, I doubt I’ll have much dissension over my choice of David’s ‘Lucinda and the Beast’. since praise other than mine included ‘well-crafted piece […] a pleasure to read’, ‘Show, don't tell: a classic example’, ‘ quite stunning […]the beauty of the language’, and ‘delicate, horrifying, inevitable’. All of which, in their recognition and acknowledgement of the craft, make the hosting of this site both a pleasure and a reason for pride.

Words for next week:  jaw ostracise Pavlov

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 28th May , words and winners posted Friday 29th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Sunshine on a pewter hip flask ...

... caught my eye when I sat down to type this; the lines of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh engraved design picked out sharply. Near as sharp as this week’s writings, from which I am expected to a single … favourite. The one that, in this week, this hour (another hour might bring my thoughts to change) especially appeals, a duty which accompanies the hosting of this site.

Patricia’s snakes and ladders  in ‘Cripplegate Junction/Part 231 - Playing The Game’ evoked good memories, Jim’s ‘square inch’ just one highlight of  ‘The Shadow Series: I still Am’, and John’s 5th episode of ‘The curious cases of Dr. A. Marie Abernathy’ earned several re-readings and top place.

Words for next week: harvest  panache  sorry

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 21stMay , words and winners posted Friday 22nd

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Light before half four

John’s ‘The curious cases of Dr. A. Marie Abernathy, Part 4’  has me enthralled, avid for continuation, and it is because I am trusting that won’t be the last (so I’ll have another opportunity to name him winner,) I’m placing him in third place. Patricia earns herself a vermilion rosette for her ‘Glory Day’ trilogy and David takes first place for ‘The Miner Forty-Niner’.

Such richness of writing deserves applause.  I have applauded myself this week, for finally making available as ebooks the first three of my ‘Love triangles with murder’ series. Details are on my Lines of communication blog for anyone interested – DI John Pettinger makes an appearance in ‘Commission & omission’. 

Words for next week: angle parody square

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 14th May , words and winners posted Friday 15th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Let me not name it to you

Last week, in a book containing glossaries of near-forgotten words, I found her name. But I fear to tell it to you for, as Terrie says, names hold great power and to reveal it might cause her to lose her magic. Suffice it to say, it’s one I doubt you’ll ever guess.

And, not for that snippet of wisdom, but because, by the narrowest of margins, Terrie’s ‘Gathering Magic’ charm-sharded its way to top place, leaving several panting in the rear, I declare her this week's winner.

Thank you all for another hard-to-choose-from week of entries (and I trust Patricia will be unable to resist a continuation with the following).

Words for next week: membrane perch  witness

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 7th May , words and winners posted Friday 8th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Not Scott Walker …

But nevertheless an attempt to make it easy – or at least easier – on myself, I decided this week’s winner would be the one with the most appealing, entertaining, individual use of  ‘goldfinch’. An entirely random rule and unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. So, we had lone and embroidered goldfinches from Terrie, ditto Patricia (along with a ‘tiny caged’ one) , a pendant from John and a ‘tumbledown lounge’ from Jim, but I was most charmed with Antonia’s ‘goldfinch in a flock of seagulls’ and am pleased to declare her this week’s winner.

Additionally, I’d like to echo John, Antonia and William’s gratitude for the richness of this site. While others languish somewhat, this has never missed a hale and healthy beat. Long may it last!

Words for next week:  palm vista weld

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 30th April, words and winners posted Friday 1st May

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever.

Yet again, a nigh-on photo finish

And yes … as predicted by John (truly, John, you’d be welcome to share responsibilities here), this week provided some tough judging, but hand in hand with that, of course, some fantastic reading and plenty of good-mannered, generous and very welcome comments.

In the end I went for the marginally more breath-taking – breath taken on reading the title – of David’s “The Water, Like a Witch’s Oils” but assure you that John, Terrie and Patricia were all jostling for places right behind.

Words for next week: extract  goldfinch  tallow

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 23rd April, words and winners posted Friday 24th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

The guilt of pinning a tale

This yet another week where to choose one above so many excellent offerings has me dithering, even though I do know you understand that not being feted and hailed ­– or offered so much as a biscuit – is no indication of less than meriting. We write for the joy of writing, in the hope of entertaining our peers and to a large extent the accolade is unnecessary. Except, somehow, it is. But, more important, is the acknowledgement of our peers, that we have written, have entertained. So this week I thank you all, and pin the tail on William’s  ‘Coming to terms II’.

Words for next week: fret  sea-glass  tear

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 16th April, words and winners posted Friday 17th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Sweet tooth

A listing in the paper this week, of the contents of food parcels for the elderly, included Custard Creams, which would suit me, but not my husband. (Not that either of us dare eat them anyway – too easy to ramp up the calories) However, for an ending par excellence, I declare Patricia's Kursaal 'The Obfuscation Orb' takes the Prediction biscuit this week. '

As ever, thank you for your entries, your comments and for not upbraiding  me about my omitting to change the date in last week's cut and paste.

Words for next week:  biscuit  quilt  suffice

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 9th April, words and winners posted Friday 10th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Whitening as I watch

Perhaps it’s the unexpected sight from my window of freezing fog and fuzzy-damp trees that dictated my choice of winners this week: Jim’s decidedly chilling ‘Tonight’s prey’. My writing week went pear-shaped when I realised that, book 5 having reached 42K words, I'd started in the wrong place, the MC was not the man I thought he was and the plot needs a total overhaul. Luckily, my beta reader returned notes and comment on book 4 which was far easier to pay attention to.

Words for next week:  share  shelf  turpid

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 26th March, words and winners posted Friday 27th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Black birds against spring sky

Another week of writing and reading richness and difficulty for me in choosing a winner from the many candidates, but while it was relatively easy to decide Terrie pipped the rest of you to the post, I was unable to decide which of hers – I was hovering between three – merited the topmost spot. So this is as much an award for  consistency as superb story-telling. Thank you all for so tirelessly posting and commenting each week; your participation propels this site to excellence.

Words for next week:  affect dregs journey

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 26th March, words and winners posted Friday 27th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Batter mix

The cookery book my mother bought me before I married is still referred to every pancake day, its ‘beat until the bubbles rise, then allow to rest’ followed slavishly. Judging this week’s entries here had similarities, except that so many of them rose to the surface only to be succeeded by the next and it was hard to pick a single one as ‘best’. But having allowed myself a couple of winners for at least the last two weeks I thought I ought to be more definite, and eventually, Jim’s ‘The Dark Side’ created a the longest-lasting bubble.

Words for next week: carillon  mail  petulant

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 19th March, words and winners posted Friday 20th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

A blossoming without a doubt!

Apart from the exceptionally  rich landscape of entries this week, I was interested in John's picturing Terrie’s army of SAS armadillos in a meadow. I’d not previously put it into words, but I see their landscape as an ancient, sometimes jungly woodland, hillocky, and rocky and covering an area of several miles.  I suspect we’ll each have our own version which is part of the magic of reading stories (and, for me, one reason I fail to find film or tv adaptions satisfactory).

This week, the winners leapt out on first read, and stayed there despite many excellent contenders who halted me but didn’t change my mind. And as I cannot choose between them I declare Patricia’s ‘Siblings’ and John’s ‘Shot in the dark’ joint winners.

Words for next week: onus plumage vouch

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 12th March, words and winners posted Friday 13th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Resumption (fingers crossed) of normality

A weekend with crime writers – brilliant workshops, bizarre conversations and friendly advice and encouragement from all – followed by reading one of Douglas Lindsay’s DS Hutton novels, which I described as ‘human, amusing and gruesome’ and then to return to this week’s many superlative offerings here, it seems obvious that John’s ‘Weekday Special’ merits top place, with Jim a close second with ‘And the verdict is….’

Thank you all for entries, comments, patience and votes.

Words for next week: sandwich turbulent violet

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 5th March, words and winners posted Friday 6th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Awaiting your verdict

And, having only a phone to squint at, a slept-in-and-late-for-breakfast morning and a day of workshops ahead of me I managed to delete rather than re-set the mistimed  scheduled post.

Deadline for mill, derelict and inefficient  is Thursday 27th.

(I noted what you say about late posting/fewer comments Patricia but doubt there's a lot I can do except trust most folk will have a final look. For myself I am as likely to be late as early.)

Hearts and arrows don’t have the same connotations here

So I’ve no intention of offering them as prompt words. what I am giving you is an opportunity to choose your favourite post which uses the words below, because I shall be away at a Crime and Publishment weekend; picking up tips on how to write and pitching ‘Drink with a dead man’ to an attending publisher.

This, of course, another week of richness on offer, for which I thank you, and am delighted to declare Terri the winner for her third episode of ‘Gathering magic’ – the whole of it enchanting.  

 Words for next week: broke elaborate key

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 20th February, new words posted Friday 21st

STOP PRESS:  https://www.philsloman.com/2020/02/the-prediction-one-time-only.html?fbclid=IwAR2uPpe7G1VEnwwYYuT4FTvoy6hmB5qHbGaSli_b-akaICQGdNdcnKH6HTM

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.

Interim

Herewith words for next week. A snatched half hour before others wake up have given me time for a quick re-read, and I declare David's Bring home for Emma  winner for last week.  You’ll have a turn to choose in a couple of weeks. As ever, I thank you for your participation and comments, which is what keeps this site alive.

Words for next week: daisy opportunity stripe

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 13th February, words posted Friday 14^th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all of the three words above in the genres of horror, fantasy, science fiction or noir. Serialised fiction is, as always, welcome. All variants and uses of the words and stems are fine. Feel free to post links to your stories on Twitter or Facebook or whichever social media you prefer.