On the (hopefully traffic-easy) road

 The current intention is to travel the 280 miles from home to Julia's on Thursday. On arrival we'll be busy, busy, and having already seen the wealth and variety of this week's posts, I'm not confident I'll have time to do justice to the reading and choosing a winner. So I'm scheduling this to appear on Friday with new words, and will do my best to catch up with the awards as soon as possible thereafter. Please note I have also tweaked the dates a little to allow more time for fitting round other activities. and would also like to take the opportunity to wish you and yours the best of health and happiness for 2022 

Words for the coming week: chime linen plough 

Entries by midnight  Thursday 6th January,  new words posted Friday 7th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 journey and good to arrive after more than a year's forbidding. Time enough now to read through the riches of last week, only to realise that no amount of time will enable me to pick just one winner. The podium thus becomes a level stage, on which Holly, (for 'Promise'), Jim, 'for 'Good Samaritan'), Julia (Practice), (for ('Ellis 024') and Perry, (for 'Original Story')  will have to squeeze themselves. And thank you all for the delicious entertainment.

The addiction of reading

Apologies for the tardiness in posting this week's update – I was too much absorbed in the book I was reading (Peter Benson's 'The South in winter') to remember the need to write one – how much I admire and envy the ability of novelists to do that!  (And that despite both the rich variety of what was on offer this week from each of you, and including the welcome return of Holly!

So a quick re-read this morning and it is the final line of David's 'Better the Devil you know' tale of the Ark that takes my fancy, along with a nod of recognition to Antonia, once again, for her seamless inclusion of the prompt words into an account of her weekly shop activities. Thank you, both, and also to each of you for commenting, which is the life blood of this site.

Words for the coming week: gentle, goose, weave

Entries by midnight Thursday 23rd December,  new words posted Friday 24th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Is no word safe?

The weekly task of choosing prompt words is not exactly onerous, I aim for one that works as either verb or noun; something with a bit of a kick, and, sometimes, that I know will challenge in the expectation of enjoying the skill with which you accept this. 'Espalier' was a light-hearted choice of something whose prettiness might cause some head-scratching – I certainly did not anticipate the breadth of ghastly invention with which it was used. (Nor, I have to confess, the gore!)

So thank you, one and all, for the entertainment. As I am sure you can appreciate, choosing a favourite from this wealth  of possibilities is a greater level of challenge. Perry deserves a mention for his 'Not mushroom for error' – humour all my family but me excel in  – but after much reading and re-reading, it is the elegance of Patricia's 'The girl next door' which stayed longest in my mind.

                        Words for the coming week: applaud court flood

Entries by midnight Thursday 16th December,  new words posted Friday 17th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 now it's December!

 

 I start by echoing John's comment about how wonderfully friendly and supportive folk are on this site. Inventive too,  as has been illustrated this week with wedding disasters  and varied uses of 'bubble', along with I would add, an excellent standard of writings. As ever, I am reluctant to single out the customary one or two winners, and (apparently) ignore the rest, but I am sure you appreciate the variety and the wealth of choice and will applaud your own 'winner'.  Mine, for the wealth of imagination, is David's 'Wedding of the year' 

Words for the coming week: current espalier regret

Entries by midnight Thursday 9th December,  new words posted Friday 10th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Rare-done

 There were some gruesome, gory offerings this week and no mistake - plenty opportunities for stomachs to turn – encouraging to see how well-followed the Prediction guidelines.  Without doubt, the first indication of the standard set was John's 'Desperate measures' with its trademark wicked twist, which earned him top spot, but I'm going to take this opportunity to also mention Julia (aka Practice)'s Ellis 020 for the sharpness of her responses, and Jim for his inventive and (very) final solution.

 Words for the coming week: bubble contort wedding

 Entries by midnight Thursday 2nd December,  new words posted Friday 3rd

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Weeks of absence, ably filled

And thank you for that, Julia, though I doubt I'm the only one grateful for your participation, well-knowing how fragile the existence of writing groups are. That said, I very much hope to read more of Ellis.

words for the coming week: orifice plug  stretch

Entries by midnight Thursday 25th November,  new words posted Friday26th

And I might be out of practice, but I have not the slightest hesitation in declaring Terrie's 'Fungal transfer' the winner of the week  – truly skin-crawling.

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

 

 

Standing Down

The best news this week is that Sandra is feeling well enough to think about take up the reins again from next week, so this is likely my last plucking out a stimulating trio of words! I have to admit, I have found caretaking The Prediction has been a great kick start to get me writing a little again, and I have really enjoyed rediscovering a community where people interact with each others words. Speaking of words...

John's The Rice Chronicles still have me wondering who was the traitor (Justin Bieber perhaps?), Terri's 'Dillo world continues to capture the claustrophobia of trench warfare, Perry's smoky bacon cereal is something I would definitely try! Sandra's inventiveness and atmospheric vocabulary never fails to impress, Jim's rueful spy and David's sibling rivalry raising a knowing smile, and Antonia keeps up the pace with the bonfire night theme.

However, my favourite this week, for the juxtaposition of the French Revolution and a robot execution, is Patricia's Inhuman - so well done!

Words for the coming week are contract, support, surrogate

 Entries by midnight Thursday 18th November, new words posted Friday 19th November

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Chilled nights and smoke in the air

Bonfire night is here - I really don't know where the year has gone and how November has stolen up on us already. It was great to see all the variations on the gangster theme last week, with nameless and named men, and nameless and named victims. And those gulls squalling in the background! I loved Terri's spattered shoes, John's half sunken pylons and Jim's rank effluent - a descriptive and atmospheric week for sure. 

However, my choice for winner this week is Sandra with Change of focus [446] because I had absolutely no idea how she was going to manage to get the prompt words into a scene with Pettinger naked on his doorstep - but she managed it - and the chillingly laconic "river deliveries" was a delight! 

Words for the coming week are crackle, smoke, traitor

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th November, new words posted Friday 12th November 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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. 

Convalesence

Thank you all for your poems and stories this week, it's always great to see how many permutations of meaning you all can wrest out of the same words! Sandra has had a successful follow up operation and we're looking forward to having her home again; and I'm starting to understand how difficult it is for her to choose just one entry for the week, so I'm going to choose two.

First up, John's Heed the Warning Signs which created a fantastic microcosm of conflict, and I liked the juxtaposition of the boy's small hand staying his dog, and the hard gnarled hand of the harasser. My second winner of the week is Jim's Don't - I got caught up in it's rhythm and was definitely not expecting the final line! 

Words for the coming week are gangster, gull, pier

Entries by midnight Thursday 4th November, new words posted Friday 5th November (Bonfire Night in the UK!)

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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. 

Cheers everyone, and can't wait to see what you create next week - Julia

The search continues...

Sandra continues to recover from her stroke, but is currently awaiting further hospital procedures, so it's Julia here stepping in while the search for a deputy continues. My apologies for not being as familiar with the serial works of all the fabulous regulars here! 

There was a definite medical theme to the words last week, but a wide range of inventive stories which I enjoyed reading. There were several entries where I had to search for the prompts, so seamless was the writing! However, my personal favourite for the week was David 's Place your bets please which I found particularly apt as the COP26 climate conference looms.

Words for the coming week are bark native appropriate 

Entries by midnight Thursday 28th October, new words posted Friday 29th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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. 

Vacancy for a deputy administrator

 Vacancy for a deputy administrator

I mentioned the idea a few months ago but didn't foresee being victim of a sudden stroke, and although recovering well I will at some time need to go in for further procedures. so a volunteer will be needed so as to avoid a gap in words and winners. I was grateful for Julia's input and her choice of tender system overwhelm

 

words for the coming week:  needle prescribe thermometer

 

Entries by midnight Thursday 21st October,  new words posted Friday22nd

 

A hastier than usual perusal has me declare Perry's 'Must be autumn this week's winner, but thank you all for contributing in these unusual circumstances.

 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

 

 

Dates uncorrected again, but no mistakes on your part.

 No mistaking today's date either since it's our wedding anniversary. A richness of years that does not, I am glad to say, match the entries here for gore and horror. What are too well-matched to separate are Patricia's four entries and although all of you once again offer superb examples of the genre, this week the prize is hers.

Thank you all for participation and - especially - for your comments which adds to the richness here. 

words for the coming week:  bridge coward swallow  

Entries by midnight Thursday 7th October,  new words posted Friday 8th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 round dozen

A round dozen

And, unsurprisingly, every one nigh on a winner. I never thought of seven dwarves rebelling, nor of the Magnificent. Was entertained by Rudy's rash behaviour about to get him into trouble again and the Grande Dame coming out in spots, and I clapped my hands at a haul of grandfather clocks. But, remembering we're about horror, and how, even after the forewarning of the title I still found myself gagging at the end, I have to award this week's top spot to David for  'Your tongue shall be split'.   

words for the coming week:  exquisite  glove  snap   

Entries by midnight Thursday 23rd September,  new words posted Friday 24th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Squirreling elsewhere?

I've been head-down editing this past few weeks, little head space for much else. 'Snap is not a children's game' version 4 almost done, then it'll need 'resting' before I re-read. Re-reading this week's entries it's hard to decide which of Perry's or Jim's is the nastiest, so I declare a well-deserved draw and thank you, Antonia and Patricia for your posting and comment participation. 

words for the coming week:  allege  rash  seven 

Entries by midnight Thursday 23rd September,  new words posted Friday 24th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Harvest reaped and stooked

A sparse field, compared to last week's rich harvest,  for which the choosing of a winner (two votes for John, and one each for Patricia, Antonia and Terrie) provided the perfect demonstration of my  weekly dilemma. I do wonder how much of a difference the choice of prompt words make, as I aim for something inspirational and no obvious pairings (then struggle to inspire myself!) The one person who never seems to have this problem, who always delivers a smoothly entertaining  example of their use, is Antonia:  this week's 'Stop the week' a perfect, shining example. 

Apologies too for my lack of comment - every time I tried, I deleted the post. Possibly Blogger or maybe some response to a clearing of cookies. Fingers crossed all will be well next week. 

words for the coming week:  lotion  trite  understand 

Entries by midnight Thursday 16th September,  new words posted Friday 17th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Holiday distractions

As well as the internet being intermittent, free time  has been at a premium. I've not yet read any of the past week's entries (72 as I type this!) so trust each of you will nominate your personal favourite. I'll make sure to do so when I get back. 

As promised, words for the coming week:  curlew   knock   warp 

Entries by midnight Thursday 9th September,  new words posted Friday 10th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Miss You

Next week I shall be in Orkney and although internet connection should be easy, and new prompt words will be scheduled to appear sometime on Friday 3rd September, I ask each of you to name your favourite entry of this week.

I know I keep saying this, but each week it seems a new set of stops has been pulled out, a new level of inventiveness attained. Which, as ever, means the singling out of just one isn't anywhere near as enjoyable as the reading of them all. However, I was especially impressed with the sharp brevity of Patricia's SNAFU so will elect that as top of the bill this week (to mix several metaphors.)

Words for the coming week:  drum    sorrow   stone

Entries by midnight Thursday 2nd September,  new words posted Friday 3rd

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

First of the rules

 is that we write horror (something I rarely achieve, being more comfortable with the cosiness of noir). Jim's 'An answer' fulfilled that to overflowing, as I'm sure we all agreed, but, as ever, well done and thank you to the rest of you who added to the week's entertainment,

 Words for the coming week:  dream  odour  virtue

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Wealth of entries

What with Perry's cast management, David's brilliant structure, Terrie's cheeky giggling and Jim's physically-challenging existence, along with Antonia's gleam of optimism, it has been a good week.  John's 'The lounge singer', with the extra bonus of craft beer and for putting the melancholy of  'Turn the page' in my head, propelled itself to the front, but thank you all. 

Words for the coming week:  cuddle  theatre  Waterloo 

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

 

High clouds and a hint of rain

And more than a hint of difficulty about separating, selecting  any one of these entries and setting it above the rest, truly a difficult choice. Eventually, after many reads and re-reads (NOT a chore!) ,  Jim's 'A Question' wriggled its nose beyond the rest,  because of its having left me curious. 

Words for the coming week:  craft  gig  impregnable 

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Action and reaction

 Terrie chuckled and winced, Jim laughed, Patricia was amused and Antonia thought about the money, while for me it was the eyebrows I admired. Whichever the response, they were all excellent reasons to award John's 'Going Green' top spot this week. Thank you all for your comments and contributions. 

Words for the coming week:  grease question wrinkle 

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 until the next time

 Four votes, three different choices, so congratulations are due to David, Terrie and Jim – which nicely illustrates my weekly dilemma, but sincere thanks to those of you who made that small extra effort. Apologies for my absence but it was impossible to find the necessary mental space. Nigh on as impossible as it was to pick a winner this week, but eventually I settled on Perry's 'House of Cars.

Words for the coming week:  effluent pearl support 

Entries by midnight Thursday 29th July,  new words posted Friday 30th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

In case of the unforeseen

  From somewhere in the west of Scotland

Please, please nominate your favourite entry from last week: comment and acknowledgement are a vital part of what keeps this site alive, more important than ever when so many others are falling by the wayside.

Words for the coming week:  nebulous  privilege  spade

Entries by midnight Thursday 22nd July  new words posted Friday 23rd

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 The Stones this time

 Last week's inclusion of 'anemone' was inspired by the postcard I was using as a bookmark, depicting Margaret Mellis' 1957 painting 'Dead anemones  https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/dead-anemones-166972  You did her proud, each entry gently steering the reader to a pit of particular horror. So proud I really, really  struggled to rate one above the rest. When the time came to choose it could have been any one of you, but Perry's nigh-literal stomach-turning 'Perspective' won the day.

A word of thanks also for your very welcome comments on my pieces - as ever the need to match quality with quality ups my efforts. 

From Sunday, for a week I shall be away from home, and very possibly in places where internet is intermittent – and so I ask each of you to name your favourite entry of the week on Friday. New prompt words have been scheduled to appear on the 16th. 

Words for the coming week:  cherry  magnet  worse 

Entries by midnight Thursday 15th July  new words posted Friday 16th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 breaking so much as loosely applying

Rules, that is, but it truly has been a tricky decision, and one which I'm a little wary of making lest you all think a triple submission might guarantee you maximum accolades.  Nevertheless, I'm citing Terrie as top performer this week for her three  episodes of what is the eagerly-awaited  'Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries '  but also Jim for the poetic 'On the beach.' 

Thank you all for the week's scintillating entertainment. 

Words for the coming week:  anemone gentle pit 

Entries by midnight Thursday 8th July new words posted Friday 9th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

What it says on the tin

Except not literally, but for so perfectly encapsulating the implied necessity of skin-crawling in her 'A Thing Of Shreds And Patches' (delicious title in itself!) Patricia sits atop the podium this week, but thank you all for a similarly fitting and entertaining set of tales this week. (With one of my writing sites bidding farewell this week, and another spelling out the date for its demise should activity not pick up, I am more grateful than ever for the regularity with which you visit, bearing gifts.) 

Words for the coming week:  calculate  muscle  still 

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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

Books galore!

Another week of rich entertainment, for which I thank you all. Last weekend I gained a pile of books, some  bought, some and borrowed; stacked-up their titles provide a pile of prompts. This week's top-spot goes to Perry for the wonderfully vivid,  "The brood swirled like an underwater eddy" 

Words for the coming week:  consolation  plain  traveller

 Entries by midnight Thursday 17th June  new words posted Friday 18th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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. 

Joined-up writing …

 ... and. it seemed, of exceptional quality this week, each post requiring several readings before I could be sure (sure-ish) which merited the number one slot. In the end, I decided on John, for his double offering of  'The Lobsterman' which brought much needed sunshine to the greyness of the past few days. As ever, though, I thank you all for posts and for comments, which brings even more cohesion to the site.

Words for the coming week:  bloat  pocket  wonder

Entries by midnight Thursday 3rd June  

new words posted Friday 4th;  winners later in the day

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Scuppered

Early start no longer necessary since bad weather necessitated the postponement of my husband's treat to himself of a flight in a Tiger Moth. Suffolk to visit family, not seen since October 2019, is still on. As very much was the entertainment from the set of posts from last week's prompts! Deciding who to place in top spot difficult as ever but after reading and re-reading, and attempting to calculate the most apt criteria, I plumped for Terrie's SAS Diaries entry 143, but everyone else very close behind.

 Words for the coming week:  cocktail  fast  tarnish

Entries by midnight Thursday 27th May, new words posted Friday 28th

 Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Painting with words

A brilliantly vivid set of landscapes this weeks, from  the bleakness of David's apt-named 'Doggerland' to the crab-clawed moonlit illuminating  Terrie's 'contraption' and Perry's exhausting tunnel, but undoubted winner is Jim with his FINAL WORDS, in which the raised platform on which the executioner stands is implicit in his words. 

Words for the coming week:  cutting  hawk  tea

Sorry - just remembered I'll be away from home from early Friday morning, so am re-setting deadline to eight pm Thursday

Entries by midnight Thursday 20th May, new words posted Friday 21st 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Madness of English May weather

Today, at seven a.m. the grass was frosty, the sky clear blue. By three this afternoon, sky bruised as an eight-round battered boxer, hailstones and thunder, the drama of it exhilarating.  As was,  of course the reading of this week's responses, begin swiftly and in fine fashion by John whose 'The Lobsterman' takes this week's top accolade. As ever, thank you all. 

Words for the coming week:  audience  crab  waste

Entries by midnight Thursday13th May, new words posted Friday 14th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

All things nice?

I suspect that even if I offered a trio of sweet innocent words you will all manage to find a gruesome use for them. At least  two from last week were anything but, and given the parameters of this site, the nightmare-evoking  entries were only to be expected.

That said, Patricia's  cliché-heavy 'Mode Of Expression' was a joy, but this week's top place goes to Jim for the too-long-lasting horror of his 'Last Stand.' This week's words come from my credit card statement.

 Words for the coming week:  clear  drake  significant

Entries by midnight Thursday 6th May, new words posted Friday 7th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Dedication and conversation ...

... is what each of you bring to Prediction, week after week, and as I watch other writing sites wither and die, for lack of attention, I am more than ever grateful for the regular posting of prompt-led pieces, the comments and, increasingly, extra asides … In addition I acknowledge that this weekly limbering, and the need to be concise, much aids my current editing. 

This week's top spot goes to David for 'The Assassin’s Apprentice' - the lack of awareness of the would-be assassin so very well caught. 

Words for the coming week: bolt feather mandible 

Entries by midnight Thursday 29th April, new words posted Friday 30th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 much movement in the meaning"

As Perry rightfully said of last week's words, so tonight I'm more carefully considering the flexibility of words  while staring at the spines of books in my To Be Read pile.

And while I know exactly what he meant, I detected little constraint in this week's offerings, and Perry's 'Omen' a superb demonstration of how to overcome.

Words for the coming week:  hammer  hide  liar 

Entries by midnight Thursday 22nd April, new words posted Friday 23rd 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

'The world's most trusted'

If there's one thing I've learnt over a decade of writing to prompts, it is that there is no single 'right' way of doing so, and that what I used to fear was my boringly predictable offering (because it was me that thought it) is not  – cannot be – any such thing. So, thank you, Terrie for your elegantly-expressed note as to why you didn't; well done all of you who picked up and ran with last week's words, and congratulations to  Jim whose extended finger in  'A glass of milk' reached the winning tape fractionally before the jostling rest. 

This week I've behaved myself and used volume 1 of  the Shorter OED, A-M, to choose:

Words for the coming week,  erudite  holly  meander 

Entries by midnight Thursday 15th April, new words posted Friday 16th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 bit of shameless self-promotion

Another week of inspired usage of prompt words to craft sentences and which both entertained and, as usual, tested my ability to rank them. In the end it was John's crumbling of cheap cake in 'Home hospice' that propelled it to the fore. 

As I was for a short spell this week, with my first-ever independent review and interview, which can be read on https://carolmckay.blogspot.com/2021/03/sandra-davies-drink-with-dead-man.html 

 Words for the coming week are: float Michelangelo wild 

 Entries by midnight Thursday 8th April, new words posted Friday 9th Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Smaller but no simpler

This month, an annual on-line short story challenge I take part in had half the number of entries it usually attracts. Choosing a top three should have been simpler, but it definitely was not. Similarly here: a shortlist, yes, but deciding on numero uno took an age. Eventually, however, it was Terrie's SAS Diaries episode 138 which nosed in front. Have to say it (again) but everyone just goes from strength to strength.

Words for the coming week are: cheap  powder  testosterone 

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

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

More than a little trepidation

Balancing the need for bookcases against the likelihood of getting back to printmaking, and wondering about disposing of it, I have looked out the manual for my etching press, and, since it's sitting there, used it to select next week's prompt words. Fewer posts don't mean an easier choice for top place. In the end I chose John's 'The summit', for his insistence on the correct use of trilogy (and apologise for the lazy misuse in mine). 

Words for the coming week are:  key lubricate unwanted 

Entries by midnight Thursday 25th March, new words posted Friday 26th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 week of extra-vivid, dreams

Plus Scrivener going rogue on me and my very excellent beta-reader pointing out (quite rightly) where novel #5 has lost the plot and gone soggy, has made this place an even more welcome diversion. As ever, I had no idea where a word such as 'hotel' might take you but was hugely entertained by all the variations, and after re-reading several times, eventually decided Jim's 'The Hotel Harrow' best hit the spot. 

This week's words are taken from the spines of the dozen books acquired in the past seven days.   

Words for the coming week are: curate pretend trilogy 

Entries by midnight Thursday 18th March, new words posted Friday 19th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Oh, Patricia!

 Woken to the news of your broken right arm!

Sending grapes and gin and good wishes, and hoping for your speedy recovery (while the writerly part of me wonders  which bone and how does it feel, because Luke breaks his arm in book 5  –- felicitously entitled 'Snap is not a children's game'!) But seriously, I do hope you are not in too much pain.

So, it was the reminder of John Wyndham which dictated this week's winner, although his 'Kraken Wakes' not one of my favourites. 'The Chrysalids', re-read last year, blew my pre-teen mind. Thank you David for  'Wiskey Galore'. 

Words for the coming week are: hotel  limit  quarter 

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th March, new words posted Friday 12th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Dead heat this week – apologies

… and 'dead heat' perhaps an appropriate description of the orange-skied frost seen from my window.

Two very different pieces, each appealing to different parts of wherever it is appreciation for such things resonate – NOT in all honesty, a problem – but try as I might I cannot place one above another so am this week declaring a dead heat between Patricia for the clever and tight-writ 'Winging it', and Perry for his blissful version of 'The Auld Triangle', and can assure you that the rest of you were very close behind. 

New words for the coming week are:  barrel provoke Scot 

Entries by midnight Thursday 4th March, new words posted Friday 5th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

No-one mentioned a rose garden

 Another week sped past, enlivened and embellished with dogs and gods and other horrors inbetween (and no-one mentioning a rose garden), which David's "pedigree Egyptian Pharaoh Hound" very neatly encapsulates, thus earning him this week's top spot. Thank you one and all for posts and much enjoyed comments. 

New words for the coming week are:  husk initial issue 

Entries by midnight Thursday 25th February, new words posted Friday 26th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Blue shadows through a hawthorn hedge

The hedge being dun-coloured, the colours beyond unexpected, I took this as a not-bad metaphor for how three dun-coloured words are, week after week, brought to unexpected light by the skills of your several keyboards. And thank you all, both for the week-on-week pleasure and for you companionship.

 And on the subject of metaphors, I'm awarding Antonia an honourable mention for her " I believe the truth has shifted a little, like shingle walked on". Top spot goes to Terrie for her beautifully-told untitled album in the attic tale.  

New words for the coming week are: Egypt  mongrel pardon

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th February, new words posted Friday 12th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 for the money!!

Writing that is. On the way to writing this I wandered onto my Blurb site and checked profits on sales of my books over the past several years. An astounding £9.60. Just as well it's more important to me that I keep my brain ticking over.

And ticking brains a-plenty this week contributing here, but not so difficult a choice, because the pleasure received from each episode of Holly's current has been considerable so it's only right that episode number five earns top place.

New words for the coming week are:  album  shingle undiscovered

Entries by midnight Thursday 11th February, new words posted Friday 12th

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 wealth of entertainments

 As Antonia so rightly says, each of us brings here, every week, well-worded stories to meet whatever triple-worded prompt I throw at you (this week courtesy of a Seamus Heaney poem). More often than not there are two or three which have a marginally greater impact than some of the others. Often others' comments open my mind to other interpretations, And sometimes, as I have said, it's nigh on impossible to separate them and is a source of some embarrassment that in choosing one, it might appear the rest are rejected.  (Even though I know we're all grown(-ish) up enough not to be too hurt.)

This week the choice is exceptionally difficult.  All are outstandingly, magically written. Jim's, without doubt, is the most horrifying; the final line of John's 'A hunting we will go' would've propelled it to top spot, but in the end (and I've re-written this three times) I'm picking Perry's 'Port in a storm'. 

New words for the coming week are:  pilgrim  plait  roadblock 

Entries by midnight Thursday 4th February, new words posted Friday 5th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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.

Occasionally-recurring glitch

That is, the disappearance of the delete' button for mis-placed or mis-spelt comments. It does seem to be linked to updates and has been happening at least since  2004 so, fingers crossed, will eventually right itself. In the meantime, a bit more care and some small tolerance should suffice. Not as if it's exactly horror, is it? Plus I think I can delete from behind the scenes, so if you copy/paste your comment into the right place I should be able to remove the duplicate.

Not always easy to say what horror is, exactly, is it? (my writing tends towards the noir), but the subtle, slippery, shy and insidious greyness of it is very evident in this week's winner – Patricia's 'Visitors' – my favourite of the many excellent and entertaining varieties on offer – thank you one and all.  

New words for the coming week are:  allocate poach  trajectory 

Entries by midnight Thursday 28th January, new words posted Friday 29th 

Usual rules: 100 words maximum (excluding title) of flash fiction or poetry using all 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 self-indulgent

Having finally got launched on the sixth in my 'Love triangles with murder' series I'll again be hijacking the occasional set of prompts in an attempt to kickstart a scene or build a character's back story. Titled 'Mercy' there'll be little in the way of continuation but I will try and obey the rules and write a stand-alone entertainment.

Entertainment certainly to be found this week, even though Paris was a pain to use; I thank you all for your several impressive efforts which invariably made picking a 'winner' as difficult as ever. In the end, I chose Jim's 'déju vu' because of its near-silent but relentless and nigh-on invisible brand of horror. 

New words for the coming week are: early  mate  squalid 

Entries by midnight Thursday 21st January, new words 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.

Full house!

At least of the Prediction crowd, this week, and good it is to begin the year so strongly – welcome one and all to 2021.

I did spend some time pondering on the potential (or intent) of Perry's dialogue-rich triplet titles when taken as a whole, and promise the idea only occurred to me after I'd posted 'Je suis desolée', and for a while thought David's windmill shadows in the evocatively-named Wicken Fen might clinch it, but Holly's delicious 'Sink or    Swim' leap-frogged both to become first winner of the year.  

New words for the coming week are: counter  heal  Paris 

Entries by midnight Thursday14th January, new words 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.

Glass half full

Which I dare say it will be, at least a couple of times tonight.  So I've started judging early (but will, as ever, check for later arrivals before making a final choice) from what I thought was a tricky set of disparate words, but which didn't faze many of you for long. As so often, I've discarded the idea of naming a shortlist, recognising its a cop-out for me, and chosen this week's winner on the basis of the shout of laughter reading it generated: John's 'Holiday sentiment', but, as ever was entertained and impressed with the rest. 

new words for the coming week are: embarrass miracle reed

Entries by midnight Thursday 7th January, new words 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.