Something of an unanticipated reversion

 To what I remember as childhood reading; goblins and faeries making their appearances. Nevertheless  I sense the joy of writing in every post, for which I thank you, and since I am, as ever, struggling to pick a ‘winner’ I’m declaring each of them as equal as the rest. 

Words for the coming week: cruel destination guest 

Entries by midnight Thursday22nd, new words and winners 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.

In hindsight …

…and totally unintentionally, last week’s prompt words – cousin, splinter youth – could be said to have summarised my fourteenth summer; memories of which David’s ‘A fairy tale’ similarly evoked and thereby won him top place for this week’s challenge, a mere nose ahead of Jim’s ‘Payback ‘ Thank you for participation and comments.   

Words for the coming week: clip consensus teeth

Entries by midnight Thursday15th , new words and winners 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

Winning on a whim

 I’ve said before, there’s no cast in concrete rule, rhyme nor reason as to what prompts me to declare a winner from the weekly selection of Prediction entries, and I am confident you will forgive me this week for choosing Jim’s ‘A long wait’, specifically for the delight of his first sentence and the inspiration of his naming a place ‘Muleshoe’.

 Words for the coming week: cousin splinter youth 

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.

Apologies, once again!

 Sorry,  sorry, brain not yet  in gear since returning home ,(I had a workshop to attend as well)  and. having realised my omission I'm  now about to go out, 

Take duster, lapse, and meddle as words for the coming week and I'll read, comment and declare a winner for on last week's words in the morning.

I mentioned posting new words today (31st) but see no reason not to wait until Friday ...

Scheduled words for Friday 19th May

  For encouragement (and to deliver the warm glow of having been read) please mention your personal favourite from last week. 

Words for this week: Elizabethan, incompetence priest 

Deadline 25th May. New words 31st May.  

Scheduled words for Friday 12th

 For encouragement (and to deliver the warm glow of having been read) please mention your personal favourite from last week. 

Words for next week, deadline 18th May: second unearth  whirl 

This week, all win

 Because all, as ever,  are such top-class, entertaining  entries, deserving of praise and prizes, I’m  opting out of declaring a ‘winner this week and will also do so for posting entries for a couple of weeks, because I’ll be away from home. I will schedule new words on 12^th and 19^th of May and it would be encouraging (and reduce the echoing absence) if each of you could comment and name your favourites.

Words for the coming week: battery diamond remove 

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.

Outclassed

A slender week for entries but evidence (if such were needed) that I’m outclassed when it comes to creating tales of horror, since both David’s ‘Apples from Eden’ and Jim’s ‘The Voice’ were such perfect, clever and impactful examples of how to unsettle their readers, with skill, inventiveness and freshness – a skill they demonstrate week after week.

Which makes the selection of words for each coming week a pleasurable, but minor challenge; I seek a catalyst and a couple of non-obvious companions, then sit back and enjoy seeing how they are used. This weeks I found on the spines of the pile of books I’ve yet to read.

Words for the coming week: pearl, razor, trespass  

Entries by midnight Thursday 4^th May, new words and winners 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.

That the clock is ticking …

 Is something no-one can deny (unless they insist on digital) and this week, unreal or not, Antonia gets the accolade for her untitled  description of vaults and money fountains. Odd how long childhood dreams persist. Less odd – positively excellent – is the persistence with which you all turn up to contribute to this tiny place of Prediction: you are what keeps it alive. 

Words for the coming week (the first of which I read in in one of Helen Simpson’s excellent short stories): demulcent mobile wax 

Entries by midnight Thursday April 27th, new words scheduled  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.

Flexing writing muscles

 Is one of the benefits of this weekly challenge, and this week all participants rose to it unerringly, despite the (aimed at) disparity of the prompt words. 

This week, I don’t think any one will dispute my choosing Dave’s untitled confrontation between guard and prisoner as winner, since we were all impressed with it.

Words for the coming week: clock erupt unreal  

Entries by midnight Thursday April 20th, new words scheduled  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.

Tosca superb!

 As were all of this week’s entries, and because, from those offered by Terrie, Jim and Dave I could not pick one as having more merit than the rest I’m declaring every one of you a winner.

Thank you for your contributions, your comments  and especially to Terrie for having indicated a favourite from the week before. 

 Words for the coming week: cushion flex wince 

Entries by midnight Thursday April 13th, new words  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.

Another away day!

 This time to Hull, to see Opera North’s production of ‘Tosca’. We’ll be back sometime Friday but I’m hoping, as I’ve scheduled words for next week, so you don’t have to wait too long, you  will tell us which were your favourites for last week.   

Words for the coming week: mud, orchestra, spurn 

Entries by midnight Thursday April 6th, new words  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.

Cardiff beckoned

 While visiting our daughter, husband took advantage of a big city to look for some shoes. Took a while, and my feet have yet to recover but I can now snatch time to do my duty with Prediction. 

As ever, a thoroughly good week of superb entries and from others’ comments I doubt there’ll be much dissension at my naming David’s ‘The Curse of the Unfinished Horror’ as ‘winner’ this week, with Antonia’s untitled but intriguing final piece a worth runner-up’

Words for the coming week: shoehorn, splash, ticket 

Entries by midnight Thursday March 30th, new words  Friday 31st

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.

Reasoning maybe debatable, but …

 Today I’m anticipating several hours sat on the sofa, watching the final three matches of Rugby Union’s  Six Nations. Not, after last week, expecting to be delighted by the results, but the interaction of team members, when I’ve never been a team player, I find fascinating. As usual, too, I’ll be in competition with my husband with the General Knowledge crossword. 

Just as fascinating, as ever, is the use to which the prompt words were put. All impressive and enjoyable, but because the music reminded me of a visit to that crossroads in Clarksville, I award David top place for his ‘The Devil Went Down To Suburbia’

Words for the coming week: maul prop, try 

Entries by midnight Thursday March 23rd; new words  Friday 24^th (but maybe a bit late as I’ll be away from home.)

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.

Unsurprising snow

 After all the threat-laden warnings (and reports of a LOT more elsewhere), I wasn’t surprised to see the ends of the branches of the rowan tree clotted with white lumps when I looked out the window. Not too much on the ground, either (but I’ll be better testing that in an hour or so when I walk up for the paper.)

 An interesting selection of entries this week, Terrie’s poem especially lovely, but ultimately I decided Jim’s ‘The way of war’ squeezed itself to the top spot. Thank you all for participating with posts and comments.

 Words for the coming week: feint oblige shudder

                            Entries by midnight Thursday March 16th, new words  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.

 Distractions

There’s nothing like a weekend away, discussing the crafting of crime novels to ensure a mind gone off  in several non-routine directions. Plus I had the shock of a publisher actually asking me to send her the first four novels in my ‘Love triangles with murder’ series. (It came to nothing, as I suspected it would, my writing style quite different to their in-house style.) And then to return to a double helping of prompted pieces  – thank you Jim for your excellent words – and a wealth of 'dillo tales, for which, notwithstanding the enjoyment of reading the others,  I have to thank Terrie for.  

 Words for the coming week: forge mourn waver

Entries by midnight Thursday March 9th, new words  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.

Not all so skilled

My husband, querying this week’s words displayed on the shelf above my monitor and told they were prompt words, immediately said ‘The yellow Venom weighed 200 kilogrammes.’ He was talking Velocettes, of course (though the one he has is black). Luckily, those who took the challenge more seriously were more skilled, and once again I was vacillating between entries trying  to separate a winner.  In the end I plumped for the murky originality of Jim’s ‘The bowel and bladder’ and thank you all for your participation. 

Words for the coming week: graft ovoid soap

And, because I’ll be away for a few days over next weekend you have an extra week to ponder. Entries by midnight Thursday March 2nd new words Friday March 3rd

Unless  Jim, as winner, would be so kind as to suggest three new words on the 24^th February?

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.

Hearts no doubt viewed differently here!

 Even though the week includes St Valentine’s Day, in memory of a priest who was clubbed to death, I’ll not be offering it as  next week’s prompt, but instead offer congratulations to those of you who made more than a decent stab at last week’s words . For the mind-soaring poetry of ‘Undertones of whisper and the sound of claws on dirt’ I award Terrie top prize. Thank you all for the entertainment.

Words for the coming week: venom  weigh  yellow

Entries by midnight Thursday February 16^th, new words  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.

Apologies

For eggcup, a really horrible word, which you all, as usual, successfully incorporated. Antonia’s perhaps the smoothest, and it is the rare,  upbeat nature of her piece which shifted her to the top of my favourites this week.

Words for the coming week: achieve rust yeast 

Entries by midnight Thursday February 9th^h 2nd new words  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.

Distracted

 Having last month asked the excellent  Graham Bartlett – a retired ex-policeman who has successfully supported enough crime writers to be inspired to write his own – to look at my known-to-be-faulty novel #5, and subsequently spent time  mulling over his spot-on advice, I made the decision to turn the telling of it upside down and  completely re-write it. 

I began the process yesterday and got so deeply involved I forgot I needed to post both new words and a winner to this week’s Prediction. So, a quick re-read, and I came up with two deserving entries:  Terrie’s 'paperclipped to the moon’ in her SAS diaries entry 208 was both joyful and inspired,  and David’s ‘Artefact’ exceptionally poignant – thank you both, as well as to Jim and Antonia for their ever-reliable commenting.

Words for the coming week, eggcup, number, spectacle

Entries by midnight Thursday February 2nd Saturday December 31st, new words  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.