Tuesday, May 1, 2012

MFF = May Flash Fiction

It's that time you've all been waiting for. It's May. Spring is in the air. Bees are buzzing. Birds are singing. Wildflowers and creativity are blooming.With all this positive energy in the air (or is that pollen), I thought it was high time we held another contest here on Unwritten. 


They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, or some such thing, so I've been inspired by NPR's Three Minute Fiction to host my own flash fiction contest in which you will be all be prompted to write a story beginning with the same sentence. And it is:

I never expected to be in this position so soon, saying goodbye to my son.

My blind judge, who is my husband and not blind at all, declared that since he is usually recruited to help judge these things, then he should be the one to pick the prompt. So, there ya go! 


Here are the rules:

  1. Submit a complete flash fiction story of no more than 600 words to mystiparker @ yahoo.com (no spaces), with MFF in the subject line. No scenes or excerpts!
  2. You must use the prompt sentence as written as the very FIRST sentence in your story. You cannot modify it in any way. After that, your story can evolve into anything you wish, as long as it begins with that sentence.
  3. Please keep your submissions PG--no heavy profanity, nudity, sexual acts, etc. If you aren't sure, ask me first.
  4. Edit your story to the best of your ability before submitting. I will not be editing them for you.
  5. Along with your stories, send in a profile pic (if you have one), short bio (45-100 words), and any book covers or links you'd like to share.
  6. I will be posting selected stories as I receive them, depending on number of entries. Your comments will be greatly appreciated!
  7. Deadline is May 29, 2012 at 12:00AM EST. Anything received after that will not be considered.
  8. Winner(s) will (hopefully) be chosen by our blind judge (my husband, who is not blind) during the first week of June. Prizes are:
1st Place: One print copy of The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman, One print copy of The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, one first-page critique by one of the authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, and an interview on Unwritten!

2nd Place: One PDF of The Emotion Thesaurus, one first page critique by one of the authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, and an interview on Unwritten!

3rd Place: An interview on Unwritten!  
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Ready, set, GO!!!


~Mysti

20 comments:

  1. Hey there Mysti. As always, I love your motivational and fun site. This sounds like a wonderful exercise. I was able to immediately relate since I can still remember, as though it was yesterday, when our son left to join the army. He followed in the footsteps of his dad, and my father. Now, after two years, he's home to visit and his wife is at his side. It's not the same... the interaction I mean. While I love his wife and that he's happy, it's hard not having those quiet moments lasting late into the night, talking about everything from our favorite movies to the unanswered questions about life. I know he wants and misses those times too, but with an unspoken understanding, we say goodnight instead of talking. It's both wonderful and hard seeing your kid all grown up and it's even harder realizing they aren't children anymore. No, this isn't my entry which I'm sure you knew anyway, it was just a moment of reflection.

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    1. I thought of you, Linda when hubby gave me that prompt. It really could go a lot of ways, but I thought of all the families who say goodbye to their sons when they go off to join the military.

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  2. Hey Misti,

    Love the prompt, love the challenge and will love it when I accept my prize. :)

    Good Luck and Happy Writing for all who enter.

    TJ

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  3. Hi Mysti
    I am thinking about it REALLY HARD!

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    1. Watch out, world, that could be dangerous! ;)

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  4. I have a good feeling about this, Mysti -- win or not, this is going to be fun to write!!

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    1. Yay, Judy! I've no doubt you're up to the challenge.

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  5. I wasn't totally sure if my entry was just a scene or a complete story arc, but with the word count being so limiting, I did what I could.

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    1. The NPR contest was the same WC. Tricky, yes, but you do have until May 29 if you want to edit and send again.

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  6. My mind went in a million directions when I read this first sentence, but I have a definite scenario in mind for this, the trick is fitting it in 600 or less words, but I'm sure I can do it. can't wait to get started.

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    1. I'm sure you can do it too, Jeannie! Take your time. You have until May 29.

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  7. Hm, I'll ponder this and come up with something. Hope it's not too depressing. :(

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  8. I tried, Mysti. I lost my son in 2008 and it's hard to write about it. He was only 46, with three children and one granddaughter. His son lives with us, and his granddaughter part time. But, I'm not ready.

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    1. ((hugs)) Don't force anything, E. The time will come.

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  9. This sounds like fun & a challenging challenge :)

    I'm going to give it a try! Whoot!!

    ~Ava~

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  10. Are we limited to only one submission??? :) --judy AKA hawkseye ---

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  11. Whew!! Finally got my entry in! Can't wait to find out the winners! Great contest Mysti. Thanks for the inspiration. ;)

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