Peace, prosperity and friendship

Not yet apparent across the pond I dare say, but some 52 million Brits will be gearing up for celebration tonight. So it seems very fitting indeed to declare Antonia’s ‘Mad Italian’ episode 141 the supreme entry for last week and hope that this week’s words, along with February, draw dozens of customers to her shop.

Thank you, as ever, for your contributions and comments.

Words for next week: custom heal pound

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 6th February, words posted Friday 7^th

(winners may be a little later because I’ll be away from home)

 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.

And the earth moved

Well, in fact the house sort of shifted a bit. I thought ‘if I was alone in the house I’d be worried’ but, 6 a.m. and no-one in sight, I wasn’t. Twelve hours later I learned it had been an earthquake, epicentre six miles away. 

Much more vigorous and upheaving were the stories here this week, and it’s taken several re-reads and a glass of wine to decide Patricia gets first place for the clever ‘Back to square one’, and John a somewhat crud-encrusted one-off, new-depths-of-depravity  medal for ‘One-off’.

 As mentioned as a comment, I am trying to develop new characters and often find prompt words kick-start a trait or a plot line, so intend to pursue them here. Anything prefaced with ‘Snap:’ is part of that process, There’ll be little in the way of continuation, but I’ll aim to make them entertaining. Thanks for your indulgence.

Words for next week: decipher hare water

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 30th January, 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 social media you prefer.

January going on … and on

As do, thank goodness your contributions of comments and posts to this site – a rich bag this week. Nevertheless, not an easy choice for winner, so I’ve opted for two to share the honours:  Jim for his ‘Hiding in plain Sight’ and Holly for The Elders.

Words for next week: eighth filth shadow

s Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 23rd January, 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.

If music be the food of … winning?

No. Don’t be led into thinking that, because it isn’t always the case, and David’s so very obviously stand-out winner, with ‘Bobby Thumbed a Diesel Down’ was as much on merit for the choice of words, the wonderful phrasing and the big story in so few words as the song, and that I YouTubed it while re-reading was only a small part of it. So thank you, David.

And thank you all, for the start of another Prediction year.

Words for next week:  cradle rupture poetry

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday16th January, 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.

NOT starting as I mean to go on …

For a rag-bag of reasons, none of which in themselves were that involving but which, as a whole, seemed to have filled my time, I arrive at the first Friday of 2020 totally unprepared for judging the relative merits of the past couple of week’s entries as well as having failed to post a couple of more rule-abiding pieces, as intended. So, my apologies for such lack of discipline, but I’m declaring everyone a winner and promise to do better in future, to which end I’ve selected suitable reminders:

Words for next week:  discipline grit vow

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 9th January, 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.

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