Another bountiful week

And, for the joy of it, Terrie’s ‘Love letter to Lear’ gets one of this week’s votes, while David, Jim and Antonia  dish up similarly worthy-of-mention pieces full of nastiness and dread. Thank you all – it has been a good week.

 Words for the coming week: paperclip, scarlet, specimen

 Entries by midnight  Thursday January 26th, new words and winners  Friday 27th January

  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.

Friday thirteenth, of course!

 And I’m once again struggling to choose between a quartet of high quality entries – hooray!   – and thank you.  Similarly I’m sure that if the choice was yours, you’d struggle, but after some deliberation, I’m picking David’s ‘Military operation, for the clarity of its description and the poor donkey.

Words for the coming week: appoint dust wheelbarrow

Entries by midnight  Thursday January 19th, new words and winners  Friday 20th January

 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

Twenty twenty-three

And the Prediction challenge goes on into a fresh new year, with thanks to Antonia, Jim and Terrie who put in an appearance on 2022’s final fling.

Words for the coming week: button extract mire

Entries by midnight  Thursday January 12th, new words and winners  Friday 23th January

 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 whchever. 

Last prompt words for 2022

 And the penultimate winner of the year is Jim, for ‘Something Silly’ – his variation of ‘Night before Christmas.

 My thanks to him, Antonia, David and Holly, plus all who contributed to Prediction during 2022. I wish you all a happy and joyful festive season and much inspiration for 2023.

Words for the coming week, should you need some writing inspiration: appoint coast lip

Entries by midnight  Saturday December 31st, new words  Friday 6th January 2023

 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.

Blind dating?

 Apologies : I do realise that on several occasions I’ve made a mess of the deadline dates. In part it was lack of a wall calendar, a problem addressed for next year by buying myself one, but I have double checked those below and trust I do better in 2023.

 This week, three entries and a proper choice to be made. Despite the gruesomeness of Jim and Antonia’s pieces I pick David’s ‘A berry Christmas’ for the smoothness of its delivery. 

Words for the coming week: darn  scratch unconscious 

Entries by midnight  Thursday December 22nd, new words Friday 23rd. Deadline thereafter maybe a couple of weeks. Shall we say New Year's Eve?

Stroke of luck

Jim being the only Predictioneer (apart from me) to respond to this week’s words, I was extremely pleased he rectified his omission of one prompt word and thus I wasn’t put to the embarrassment of disqualifying him.

As we approach Christmas and all the time-consuming tasks that encompasses, I anticipate a few similarly quiet weeks to come, but as it’s no effort to think up prompt words, I suggest for the coming week:  berry stock tantalise

Entries by midnight  Thursday December 16th,  new words Friday 17th. After which I might suggest a couple of week's break.

Well that was a much livelier week!

Thank you all, even though it’s forced me to take the cowardly way out and declare Holly’s ‘We're All Afraid of Something’ and David’s ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’ joint winners for the visual joy and intrigue they both brought. 

Words for the coming week: flash  introduce  weave

Entries by midnight  Thursday December 8th,  new words Friday 9^th 

 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.

Two’s company, even though there’s plenty room for more

 So thank you Jim, for your participation – post and comments – and hope Antonia’s absence is down to no more than getting to grips with a new computer.

In the hope others will find time to participate – always in short supply at this time of year – I offer

Words for the coming week: educate ribbon squash

Entries by midnight  Thursday December 1st,  new words scheduled for   Friday 2nd as I’ll be away, 

 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.

Envy is allegedly a sin

Another week when it would be wrong to decide one had merit over the other – so my thanks to Antonia and Jim both for their entertaining entries and their comments on mine.

Currently I’m editing a second draft of ‘Snap is not a children’s game’, the fifth in my ‘Love triangles with murder’ series; struggling to find ways of including a few more cliff-hanger endings, because it badly lacks tension, while reading and much admiring writers such as David Mark, Emma Viskic and  Sharon Bolton, each of whose series are both beautifully-written and compelling. 

Words for the coming week: accuse purse question 

Entries by midnight Thursday November 17th,  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

Brief flash left fingers crossed

 Patricia’s posting of a previous piece looking successful, I had hopes the gremlins had been shown the door, but seemingly not. All the more pleased to read Jim and David’s postings, and hope next week’s words enable more.  

Words for the coming week: bell revelation torso 

Entries by midnight Thursday November 17th,  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.

Circularity or recycling?

 With so few  – but always strong – participants I have a sense that I am recycling “winners” for the sake of fairness, especially when, in truth, it is hard to decide which I deem “better” than the rest. I trust, however, that you understand this and forgive me if you feel you’ve been overlooked. This week I decided David’s ‘Tangled Roots of War’ intriguing enough to take the top spot, but additionally thank the rest of you for commenting – invaluable if this site is to thrive.

Words for the coming week: industry tall unreliable 

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

 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.

Agitation

 As seen from my window. A gusty Friday morning, trees tossing orange and green, leaves flying, grey clouds heading eastwards in a hurry.  A good day to stay in and write. And re-read last week’s offerings with a view to naming ‘winner’. This week, having applauded Antonia’s epic entry, I pick Jim’s A DETOUR – PART III  as much for its future promise as current entertainment, and thank you all for your comments and participation.

 Words for the coming week: forge hour spot

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

 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.

Loyalty cards deserved

 Another week of nigh-on inseparable, but, for me, Terrie’s ‘Stirrings’, detailing  Bailey’s activities pipped Jim and Antonia at the post. Nevertheless I thank you all for continuing to contribute to what has become a slim-line offering of predictions. No blame intended – I am too often finding it hard to find time + impetus, and am acutely aware of a general slump in most writing sites. To the extent that I’ve told myself  the time might’ve come to put the site to rest. Which seems a shame, but if there’s anyone willing to take over, better to do so while there’s still some activity. 

Words for the coming week: poet scoop twinge 

Entries by midnight Thursday October 27th  new words hopefully 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.

Rats (again)

 Chemical bullets, creepy woods  and tattooed infidelity bad enough, but Antonia’s swarming rats are the stuff of nightmares, so this week I declare her winner while thanking all contributors for posts and comments.

Words for the coming week: cut quick trespass

Entries by midnight Thursday October 20th  new words hopefully 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.

Inseparable trio

 I’ve read and re-read several times, Jim’s ‘A bad idea, Holly’s ‘Forewarned (31) and Antonia’s ‘More Rats and more rats’ and find myself unable to separate them in terms of winner-deserving status, so it’s a triple crown this week, with thanks to all three of you for participating so entertainingly.

So, words for the coming week: dodge   inhibition   no-one

Entries by midnight Thursday October 13th  new words hopefully posted Friday147th

 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

Words in action

 So many excellent pieces describing interactions, fights, intended escapes – lessons to be had from them all – but my ‘winner’ this week is David’s ‘The Ghost Hunter’s Ghost’ which deposited goosepimples to run down my spine.

Holly mentioned the ‘trickiness’ of recent prompt words , and I have  wondered whether that the cause of a reduction of entries, but at the same time I am conscious that too bland a selection can fail to inspire at all. I hope my choice of  words for the first week of October –  ignorant  script  wreak – spark creativity (though there’s no accounting for Blogger functionality) : 

 Entries by midnight Thursday October 6th  new words hopefully 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

I’m heading south-west

On Saturday, we’re taking a flight from Teesside International Airport (five minutes up the road from us) and flying to Newquay in Cornwall for a few days. Weight restrictions, plus the disappearance of the power lead for my Chromebook means I’ll not be taking a laptop so here are prompt words for next week:  craft extricate faint

and for the week after (Friday 23^rd): footstep shave wax

 I’m not sure whether this past week’s absence of contributions was due to lack of time, inspiration or connectivity, but suggest, for continuity’s sake, next week you name your favourite post from these. Normal service should resume soon after the 24^th

 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 once again, apologies

Yesterday’s sad news of Queen Elizabeth’s death seems to have further disrupted  to my concentration; I’ve wandered around the house unable to settle to anything.

However, I promised words for today and am offering you: duty London mourn

 Entries by midnight Thursday September 15^th  new words hopefully posted Friday 16^th

I hope to find time to comment on this week’s entries in the next couple of days 

 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

Apologies

Domestic emergency necessitating a 200+ mile trip to daughter in hospital meant posting this was late and a lack of time to read and judge, but especial thanks to Holly for contributing twice. Plus, of course, I omitted to update the dates!

So, words for the coming week:  blind puddle wire

Entries by midnight Thursday September 8^th  new words hopefully posted Friday 9^th

 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 

Soon be September

Which puts that  that mournful Sixties lament: “Might as well rain until September” (not that rain wouldn’t be welcome here; I’m just surprised how fast the year has gone.)

Despite the relative innocence of last week’s words, they still conjured up plenty of throat gagging nastiness, but I most admired Nestean’s twisty thinking in Jim’s ‘The Chosen III’, which promises much in the way of future episodes.

 Words for the coming week:  drape  electric  wrench

 Entries by midnight Thursday August 25th,  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