“Nights are drawing in”

Possibly for the first time since we married (way, way back when)  my husband omitted to refer, on the 22nd June, to the passing of the summer solstice. Not that I’m complaining. No more than I am about the quantity of good writing and the resultant difficulty of choosing a winner.

Terrie, of course, gets a ‘welcome back’ back mention, especially because episode 73 of the SAS diaries so very nearly came top, but after many readings and re-readings of the other four on the shortlist, I finally plumped for Jim’s ‘Job Seeker’ version II. Thank you all for comments and critique – such a valuable part of this place.

Words for next week: crave plaster upwind

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 11th July, words 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 social media you prefer.

White wine, Minster and memories

This week for me a get-together with a friend, not met with for forty years – a joy to roll back the years to school days. And an equal joy to return here to read this week’s offerings. But, an important question – is it only me suffering from ‘dillo deprivation?  I realise Terri has been absent for  while – does anyone know where or why she’s gone?

This week’s winner is Patricia. Initially for ‘Casting’ then, because of its title (something I too often struggle with so am all the more admiring) for "Georgie-Boy Endicott a/k/a Big Dipper", episode 169 of Kursaal  – and also I loved ‘rapscallion’.

  

Words for next week: familiar necessary thumb

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 4th July, words 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 social media you prefer.

In a week of knockout competition

So ... back to judging, with renewed vigour having written 10K of my current wip and brought it to a first-draft close (and no, no nearer self-pubbing 1, 2 and 3, having been visited with writing inspiration for 4). Also with renewed relief, having seen, once again, that there is rarely a consensus  when each of you is given a choice and discover – as I do weekly – that it is the elimination of two or three others which is often harder than the naming of the winner. 

This week no exception: from a shortlist of four, I name John as winner, for ‘The last shebang’, with David’s ‘Children’s Crusade’, Patricia’s ‘Give it  rest’ and Jerry’s ‘The Council’ as runners-up.

Please keep them coming - both posts and comments.

Words for next week: ballot distant smith

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 27th June, words 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 social media you prefer.

From blue sky to grey

Back late yesterday after an astonishingly blue-skyed and warm eight days in Iceland, begun and ended with Reykavik grey, damp and cold. A fascinating and beautiful country, visually and geologically, and some very, very good meals.

Thank you for the votes on my entry a couple of weeks ago; I've skim-read this week's and will pronounce a winner when I've had change to do so properly. but hope you will, as originally requested, post your own choices.

Words for next week: ashes navigate snare

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 21st June, 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 social media you prefer.

A Scheduled Stop

A free choice week: please post your personal favourite on Friday 14th

Words for next week: cuticle disparage generate

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

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.

Rickety, rackety bridge

My husband being the instigator and organiser of holidays, I was taken unawares by the news that we’ll shortly be off to Iceland for ten days.

So I will schedule words for 14th June and once again ask you to indicate your personal favourite:

1) On the 7th, from the words below, and, because I’ll return too late to do it justice,

2) On the the 14th using the scheduled words.

Normal service will be resumed thereafter.

This week’s winner ... well, as is becoming very normal, I’d plenty horrors to choose from. John offered a rattled door and a damaged dick, Patricia grasshoppers in aspic. David cultivated mermaids and Jerry failed to create a homunculus. However, Holly’s dead sycophants and translucent canines topped the lot and I declare her the week’s winner.

Words for next week: confidential midnight troll

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

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.

Channelling Stereophonics

Performance last week rich and varied as ever, on top of which we were treated to the extra – and to me surprising – ingredient of cocktails, only superseded by the ever-intoxicating treat of Terrie’s use of language. Yet for me there was an instant stand-out, for reasons which I’ll not attempt to analyse, as mush because it makes a change not to suffer half an hour of face-screwed indecision. So thank you David, for the wonderful  'Serengeti Incident'. And thank you to the rest of you for writing and for commenting.

Words for next week: deck, inchoate, serrate

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 30th May, 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.

Light flashing red then blue

This week one of intermittent internet, a couple of good books and writing progress. Fingers crossed I’ll get the opportunity to post words tomorrow, if nothing else, which would feel a more than a little churlish after the week’s especially rich offerings. As ever, so many worthy of top place but only one can be legitimately named if tension and momentum is to be maintained. Plus, the title as well as the content suggested it deserved first place: Patricia’s‘ ‘Runaway Rejection’, of course.

And, of course, there were several others snapping at her heels – a tough choice, as Antonia recognised.   Thank you all for comment and continuing participation.

Words for next week: disappoint grasshopper strap

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 23rd May, 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.

Cloaks of many colours

Another week of successful weaving a rich variety of tales from a trio of simple words. If nothing else, the Prediction has taught me about the divergence and uniqueness in the minds of each of us; no longer do I fear that what I put together will be so obvious as to be boring. Which of course, makes picking a ‘winner’ such a near-meaningless task, but I trust you are all able to know how close you came.

This week, despite David snapping at his heels, I declare John the winner, for his double bill of ‘So, you want to be in pictures’ and ‘The Assassin’s Creed’ – not least for the delight of the titles.

Words for next week: episode peg vixen

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 16th May, 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.

“Zounds! I was never so bethumped with words” [Shakespeare: King John]

Or not. And fascinating to see the crop of posts that grew from last week’s.

Jim (MORTHAN and I), Patricia (My Own Sweet Way)  and John (Friends) all went for the humorous/quirky; David (So High Above the Chimney Tops) and Terrie ((SAS) Diaries - entries 62 and 63 – check it out) had superb opening sentences, and Dave’s PARADISE taped into my nightmares, but I don’t think I’ll cause much dissension in declaring this week’s winner Holly for her ‘Angels’.

Thank you all for comments and contributions which make this site the pleasure that it is.

Words for next week: eradicate innocent tow

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

Richness indeed

Not sure whether it was the chocolate (which, for the most part, I avoided, with considerable regret) or the extra holidays, but there was certainly something in the air that spawned a wealth of entries. Which, having revelled in them, it is now my task to attempt to rank in some sort of order. Terrie treated us to three episodes of armadillo activities plus a stand alone, John, the top-class delight of ‘The Mobster’s Daughter’, and Patricia a pair of inventivenesses in ‘Hobson’s Choice’ and ‘Oblivium’, but for me, the top rung this week went to David for the chill of  ‘In the Valley of the Callipygian Hills’. Thank you all for participation and comment.

Words for next week: blithe notch rainbow

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 2nd May, words and winners posted Friday 3rd

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.

Whisky Bravo

A small celebration for me because I finally declared the three novels in the detective series I’ve been working on since 2011 both finished and something to be pleased with. Relief too, because I can finally get on with finishing book 4, stalled for several months until an early morning train of thought unwound the knots in the plot and set it firing again.

But, enough about me – though it was me who enjoyed another superb week of tiny Prediction tales (most offering a novel’s worth of impact) and I have no hesitation in declaring Antonia this week’s winner, for the enviable smoothness of her ‘Stop the Week’ series - number 43 already.

Some more challenging words this week - the first I have to thank my son for.  

Words for next week: callipygian vacillate yesterday

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 25th April, words 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 social media you prefer.

Estuarine mud and museums

Good to see the wide variety of choices picked for last week, while I spent an enjoyable couple of days in the unanticipated sunshine of Kingston-upon-Hull. Congratulations to Dave for coming out on top of the popular vote.

My shortlist for this week began just as numerous and I have to confess to being unable to choose between  a final three: Terrie for entry 55  of The Secret Armadillo Soldier (SAS) Diaries, Holly for the stunning descriptions and appeals to every sense, seen so vividly in ‘Enthralled’ and David T for the clever uniqueness of ‘The Cauldron Pouch’. Thank you all for yet another week of high class entries.

Words for next week: burnish log worsen

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 18th April, words 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 social media you prefer.

Trees no longer skeleton, black against a pale blue sky

Is what I’m seeing from my window as I type this, and I look forward to reading your choice of favourites when I return home, having no doubt it has been a tricky one.

In the meantime, see what you can do with these:

Words for next week: caution pouch sweat

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 11th April, words 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 social media you prefer.

Your wish is (sometimes) my command

Next week I invite you all to nominate your personal winner from the week’s postings from the prompts below.

I could justifiably claim it revenge for the difficulty you put me to each successive week – this week no exception! – but in truth I shall be away from home next Friday celebrating an anniversary, so will schedule only words.

This week another one of vacillation, trying to decide whether that one is marginally the most appealing, in ways which have no rules but are based on mere (and constantly variable) gut reaction. And it is the truth (and no lessening of prime position for the winner) that given an hour either way, had the sun gone behind a cloud or the phone rung, another might have taken its place . What I can say, in this particular hour, the currently most impactful tale of the week is Patricia’s ‘Party of Four. John’s ‘Once a scoundrel, always a scoundrel’ came close and Terrie’s haiku – first one ever on the Prediction? – a third delight.

Words for next week: syrup scrap wrench

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 4th April, words 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 social media you prefer.

Worms not only in the moon

Worms enough found wriggling in this week’s stories, their nastiness insidiously, or otherwise, invading our minds. And giving enjoyment and admiration for the skill and variety with which three comparatively innocent words can be woven to tell such tales. For a master-class in succinctness – a well-trimmed worm perhaps? – check out Rosie’s perfectly-titled ‘The Short Answer is No’.

I thank you all for participation, both in posting and comment, and declare this week’s winner, for a lightly-trod but especially nasty perpetrator: Dave W’s ‘Surprise’.

Words for next week: bruise poster  revolution

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 28th March, 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 social media you prefer.

From new tattoos to singed ears

Another week where I am tempted to delegate, but my conscience tells me that best left for emergencies and holidays. And so, we have enjoyed John’s  episode 3 of ‘Mexican Cutie’, Patricia’s ‘Job well done’ and a yearning to go home, as was Zaiure’s narrator followed by the casual horror of Jim’s ‘Change of  Plans and the  jilting of Monica. AR took the sensible, and brave, way out, Chris fell victim to a nasty scam and Rosie produced a dark elf with singed ears.

.

After much indecision, and counting the many plaudits, I declare this week’s number 1 to be Jim.

Words for next week: digit furtive Lolita

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 21st March, 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 social media you prefer.

Spice of life

It’s always a pleasure and a source of  delight to see how many varieties of nastiness can be drawn from seemingly innocent words. Last week’s innocuous selection brought  tattoos, death metal and drunken gerbils.   Brought fuzzy-felt and disembowelment, poodles, Robin Hood and sexual secrets, shelf-stackers, type-casting and a Teddy in a castle.

And I’m expected to make some sort of judgement as to which this week strikes me as ‘the best’?

However, checking the tone of your comments, I doubt there’ll be any complaint about Terrie’s ‘beer-flustered gerbils being counted this week’s winner, nor that I declare there were too many second-placed to individually name.  

Words for next week: crate nerve simultaneous

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 14th March, 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 social media you prefer.

The guilty pleasures of binge reading

Is what I’ve been experiencing this week. One after another, addictively, all six of Jane Casey’s novels featuring  detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent.  And following Patricia’s question about publication, I should have mentioned ‘The Blacksmith’s Wife’ which was my first Prediction serial. Lulu seems to have lost the Preview, but if you click here  it’s possible to read all episodes and see at least the first 20 slightly disarranged illustrations.

This week’s winner? John, for both his witty comment on the English language and for the promise of ‘Mexican Cutie’, despite it having put a sliver of a relentless song in my head. In second place, Patricia, for ‘Autumnal Equinox’. Thank you all for a week of excellent reading, and I urge you to check out Zaiure’s too-late-to-qualify ‘Furrow’

Words for next week: felt map tenuous

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday 7th March, 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 social media you prefer.

The impossibility of making space

Space on my bookshelves, that is; so much so that I was almost relieved when five of the twenty-seven books I’ve read this year are destined for the charity shop;.

Near-impossible also, to choose a single  ‘winner’ this week. I’m tempted to name Patricia’s ‘Avant-Couriers’ as persuasion to take this further, and there’s three or more jostling for position, but  in the end it came down to Dave T.’s ‘Strange Voodoo and Jim Deegan’s ‘Tomorrow?’. And I simply could not choose between them. Thank you all for taking part and commenting.

Words for next week: gig plough wit

Entries by midnight (GMT) Thursday, 28th February words and winners posted Friday March 1st

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.