Starter Sentence Poll #8

Faith, The Two-legged Dog has cornered a starter sentence in a tree, and it's up to you bring that sentence down...



Paulie Decibels says, "Whenever it rains on a Sunday, Peter thinks of his grandad's last words and, for the 1000th time, tries to work out what the old fool was talking about."

MRM says, "He was half way home when his pocket started ringing."

Über says, "The weak, sickly streams of winter sunlight did nothing to pierce the icy gloom and despair."

The Professor says, "He/she saw the orange Necco wafer on the counter top and started to cry."

Doc says, "It's ruined! Ruined! And it's all your fault!"


The results will go live on January 1st, 2010, @ 10:30 AM.

Line up those starter sentences!

Friday Flash Fiction still has its head stuck in Christmas...

...That doesn't mean that you have to suffer from a holiday hangover, too. Get those starter sentences going and let's start this year off right!

You know the drill or if you don't, check out the older posts to get an idea. Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section. I will then load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, December 31st @9:30 AM, Pacific Time.

Good night, good luck, and don't take Christmas crackers from warthogs.

The Best of F-F-F '09...will be out in 2010

The promised "Best of Friday Flash Fiction" won't be out today, but it will be out early some time next year. Why not, pray tell?





Work is stressing this moderator out and this household has an Xbox 360 again. In the meantime, have those starter sentences ready for tomorrow. Now excuse me, I have to unite The Three Kingdoms for the hundredth time.

The Original Friday Flash Fiction Starter Sentences

As a moderator, as a humorist, as a font of wisdom, and as a starter sentence creator, I pale in comparison to JJ.

I've always acknowledged such, and now you will have your proof. Yet, I am not ashamed, because he was (and is, though no longer practicing as far as I know) a Flash Fiction Messiah. Whatever you might think of my writing (I'm not fishing for compliments or insults. It is what it is, and I will always try to make it better), he improved it three-fold, and he taught me how to write short fiction under pressure. JJ taught me how to get out of that comfort zone that I'm always bringing up, and how to write outside of the two genres that I rarely strayed out of.

So when I put this blog together, I wanted to do the same for others, that he had done for me. I am glad that several had answered the call, and that every single one of you have indulged me, by at least popping over here to give it the old college try. At any rate, I won't dally further and now I will present to you, the original starter sentences that JJ himself conjured.

They are not in chronological order, but hey, I culled them together, damn it! So at least give me an "A" for that alone-

"In the purple and gray morning...".

"They should make people take a test..."

"I saw her/him through the smoke…"

"A Thong
A Gong
A Pair of Tongs
Someone named Wong
A Bong"

"Arms aching"

"Her arms shackled to the stone floor and her wings constricted by leather bindings..."

"Sacrifice."

"...but the creep beat me to it.".

"And then by God, I killed the son of a bitch.".

"Vampires on a train."

"Dirt, hurt, Curt, flirt, and an orange.".

"I had never seen one before except on television…"

"1) A Girl
2)A Whirl
3)A Curl
4)Something that unfurls
5)A Hurl."

"1)Rope
2)Dope
3)Grope
4)Hope
5)Slope."

JJ gave you the choice of four sentences with:
"It all started with a ham sandwich...
How did my underwear wind up...
That can't be my mother...
He woke up, wondering where his..."

"A cry went up."

“he said little as they paddled their way along the sunken streets...”

The end is near...

Well, that sign pretty much sums it up...

...Uh, no, not of the world. Friday Flash Fiction is almost done for 2009. December 29th, there will be a "Best Of Friday Flash Fiction," and I'll choose the stories that are my favorites of all your previous work. Come December 30th, have those starter sentences waiting and ready. On New Years' Eve, the poll will be ready up and on January 1st, 2010, we'll start off the new decade with F-F-F #15.

Times TBA. In the meantime?

The Ghost of Bettie Page says, "Merry Christmas!"

F-F-F #14, The Stories

Rowdy Girl is all jacked up for this week's Friday Flash Fiction...

...Look at her, she can hardly contain herself, or her dentures.

Well, before everyone settled themselves into a comfortable rut, I posted the starter sentence- Well, how did I get here?

With the conditions that, "The story cannot center around a crime and it cannot be set in a post-apocalyptic world. It also cannot be a pseudo-existentialist piece."

"Why?" do you ask? Because what I wanted us to do is, "less Raymond Chandler, less Richard Matheson and definitely less Sartre, with more Raymond Carver. The whole idea is to push each and every author here, out of their genre comfort zone."

Let's see what happened-

Randal drops us off in the Old West.

MRM put the Concrete Blonde's version of Roxy Music's "The End of The Line" into my head.

Dave Barber shows the all too wrong side of a popular cultural icon.

Doc relates a tale of a character that has everything come to him, slowly.

The Professor spins a yarn of someone who would probably want to forget everything.

Freida's narrator debates the values of therapy.

F-F-F #14

I can't speak for you, but I have gotten absolutely no Christmas or Hanukkah shopping done.

None.

Zilch.

Nada.

I did buy Christmas cards and we have sent most of them out, but that's all I've done in terms of purchases.

So, I'm going to make this easy on you and coincidentally, easy on me. There will be no poll or poll results to wait on, and you won't have to wait until Friday, for the starter sentence. Why, you'll even get more than six days to complete your story, if you read this message right after I post it.

"It sounds too easy," you say, "what's the catch?" The story cannot center around a crime and it cannot be set in a post-apocalyptic world. It also cannot be a pseudo-existentialist piece (I'm looking your way, Graves).

The starter sentence is- Well, how did I get here?



You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, December 22nd, all right?


Good night, good luck, and same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, (slap), whew. I hate when that happens.

F-F-F #13, The Stories

Authors Kieran Shea and Steve Weddle join us this week.



Splotchy conjured the starter sentence- "As the rumble receded westward, a fine layer of dust settled on the tall stack of vintage condom boxes."

Randal kicks things off with random Randalness.

Steve Waddle tells us about a mysterious desk.

MRMacrum gives us the old "Larry Holmes," setting us up with the jab and flooring us.

Kieran Shea takes us on a safari of sorts, into the wilds of Camden, New Jersey.

The Professor spins a prose-laden yar about a man that comes undone when he chooses a magazine as his guiding light.

David has a story about a heist that goes awry in a most unexpected way.

Doc gives us our second apocalyptic tale, about a resourcesful man.

Über takes the "Godzilla Versus Bambi" route, but she has a good excuse.

F-F-F (Lucky Number) #13

This one was truly a photo finish...



...in the closest poll ever, it's Splotchy, by a nose. He gave us the starter sentence- "As the rumble receded westward, a fine layer of dust settled on the tall stack of vintage condom boxes."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, December 15th, all right?

Starter Sentence Poll #8

...And they're off!

First out the gate, is Splotchy, via email, "As the rumble receded westward, a fine layer of dust settled on the tall stack of vintage condom boxes."

And there's David Barber with, "Who? Dead? You're joking?"

The Professor is on the rail, "As he/she opened the cardboard box and peered inside, the congealed puddles of opaque, orangish-white grease atop of each slice of pepperoni on the cold pizza made him/her feel nauseous."

MRMacrum is on the outside with, "She stepped off the bus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina."

Followed by Steve saying, "When she pulled the knife out of his neck, I knew we were in trouble."

Then bringing up the rear is Über with, "As he/she heard the crunch of tires on the gravel outside, she considered his/her options."

We'll see who comes through the final stretch on December, Friday the 11th, 2009, @ 10:00 AM.

Line up those starter sentences!

Starter sentences are like squirrels, they like to play hide and seek with you...

...and you won't catch one, unless you trap 'em.

You know the drill or if you don't, check out the older posts to get an idea. Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section. I will then load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, December 10th @9:30 AM, Pacific Time.

Good night, good luck, and guard yer nuts.

F-F-F- #12, The Stories

Chad joins us this week.

Elizabeth doesn't quite get the concept of fair competition, "no sucker punching" or even that of Flash Fiction, but these authors do.

Übermilf delivered the starting sentence, "She was always threatening to punch someone in the face, but this time she meant it."

MRMacrum tells a tale about a woman that can only be pushed so far.

Freida Bee's Florence Josephine changes things up this time.

Randal says someone gets a fistful.

Alan relates a yarn about transitions and all apologies to another blogger who uses that avatar, I didn't influence his picking that.

Chad will tell you to be careful who you mouth off to.

David gives a different rum punch, Jackie Brown.

Über spins horror and redemption in her narrative.

Doc challenges your eye for detail.

The Professor provokes with this provocation.

F-F-F #12

Well, the results are in from our seventh Starter Sentence Poll.

Über gave us the starter sentence- "She was always threatening to punch someone in the face, but this time she meant it."

Man, this is just rife with possibilities...

...I wonder if Elin Woods is going to join us on this one?

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, December 8th, all right? Fore!

Starter Sentence Poll #7

Friday Flash Fiction is not amused...

...unless you pick the start sentence that you want for "Best In Show."

Lewis J. says, "Boss, you're not going to believe this." The sargeant paused as Detective Chief Inspector Lomax looked up from the pile of reports in front of him. "There's been a shooting. One dead. Its not a joke when I tell ya its Santa."

Paulie Decibels says, "'Say what you like about Stalin but at least he got things done,' said Arek."

Doc says, "Oh my, that's a nasty gash you have!"

The Professor says, "It was extreme, and the green, orange, and yellow flashes of light made his mind feel as if world around him/her was falling apart as in an avalanche."

David Barber says, "Spare us some change mister. I was the first man on the moon, ya know."

Über says, "She was always threatening to punch someone in the face, but this time she meant it."

Randal says, "Wherever they ran and hid, it was to no avail for the diabolical foot would not be stomped."

The results will go live on December, Friday the 4th, 2009, @ 10:30 AM.

Line up those starter sentences!

Ante Scriptum: I published this last week and I got the dates wrong, because I was just being lazy and I tried to extrapolate the dates from a November calendar at an angle. I have adjusted the times accordingly to compensate for the lost time.


Sometimes, you just get a sense for things...

...and sometimes, you have to feel your way around.

You know the drill or if you don't, check out the older posts to get an idea. Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section. I will then load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, December 3th @7:30 PM, Pacific Time.

Good night, good luck, and pluck those chickens blindfolded.

We've come to that fork in the road

Stick a fork in Friday Flash Fiction, it's done...

...for the week. I'm on vacation, though it will be a working one. Have your starter sentences ready for Wednesday, December 2, 2009. Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Not working on the job, "working" as in I have writing projects to finish.

F-F-F #11, The Stories

Dave joined us last week, and now we have Quin and Lewis joining us this week.

Towards the end of JJ's Friday Flash Fiction, in lieu of a starter sentence, he would post four words, instead. The idea was that you were to incorporate those words into the story and it didn't matter in what order, but they all had to be in there.

The four that I came up with were: Pater, pest, perpendicular, and schlemiel

Obviously this session was a little more difficult, so let us see what our authors came up with-

Randal confounds the moderator.

Quin hints that sometimes it's better to let the past lie where it is.

Lewis J. gives a whole new meaning to the Southern term, "breaking one's plate."

Freida says that despite the spelling, there is no "f-u-n" is dysfunctional.

Alan Griffiths gives Valentine just a few mentions, and goes in a slightly different direction.

MRMacrum dares us to go into the woods.

David Barber tells a story of a conflicted father and a family divided.

The Professor plays a homage to top pater.

Doc's protagonist wants to love someone a long time.

You never know where treasure can be found, or so says Beach.

F-F-F #11

Hey Cool Cats and Kittens, don't get your whiskers in a twist...

You can do this if you apply yourselves.

Towards the end of JJ's Friday Flash Fiction, in lieu of a starter sentence, he would post four words, instead. The idea was that you were to incorporate those words into the story and it didn't matter in what order, but they all had to be in there.

Using a Pete Smith short film I saw on TCM as a source, the four that I came up with were:

Pater

Pest

Perpendicular

Schlemiel

Once again, they can be in any order, but your story must contain all four words or that cat that craps in the lobby and porches of my apartment building, will leave a surprise on your pillow...and I ain't talking about a mint.

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, November 23rd, all right?

Pat yourself on the back

Give yourself a pat on the back, because thanks to you, Friday Flash Fiction has taken off through the stratosphere!

Uh...well, it will be back this Friday @ 9 AM Pacific Time. We had the best stories this week from top to bottom, don't ya think?

There will be no poll this week, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to come up with a sentence for after Thanksgiving break.

F-F-F #10, The Stories

Yet another starter sentence with almost infinite possibilities. Bonus points if you can guess who that dapper gent in the tux is, without looking it up.

Beach give us the starter sentence- "The old camera had been in a box for decades, the pictures never developed, and now with the prints in his hand his blood ran cold from looking at the images that came from it."

MRMacrum says...well, I don't want to give it away.

Randal gets all Poe-tic.

Freida weaves a tale of a famous actress and a blogger that we all know.

David Barber joins the fray for the first time, Madonna, with a nice little clip of his own.

Alan Griffiths says that this is a new era.

Paulie Decibels gives a new view of history as we know it.

Übermilf shows us that some monsters are real than we had imagined.

Doc tells a story that is just wrong...though hilarious.

Beach hears echoes of whispers from the past.

The Professor speaks of loss and remembrance.

F-F-F #10

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, surely you can manage at least two hundred.

Beach give us the starter sentence- "The old camera had been in a box for decades, the pictures never developed, and now with the prints in his hand his blood ran cold from looking at the images that came from it."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, November 17th, okay?

Starter Poll #6

Don't be a fakir and wash your face with glass, pick the sentence you want for Friday Flash Fiction, instead.



So here it goes, the real moisturizing deal and silica-free-

Doc says, "When I was a kid, my father once told me to never trust a man that whistles and it didn't make much sense then, but it sure does now!"

MRM says, "Spitting out the sandy glob of swamp goo, he cussed his luck, his friends, and Life in general."

Über says, "Drivers all over the world emerged from their cars, bewildered and frightened by the growing realization that automated transportation everywhere had ceased operating -- without warning or explanation."

Randal says, "The evidence snapped, the incredible moustache went off to mail the blackmail to both male and female."

Beach says, "The old camera had been in a box for decades, the pictures never developed, and now with the prints in his hand his blood ran cold from looking at the images that came from it."

The results will go live on November, Friday the 13th, 2009, @ 10 AM.

Line up your next starter sentences

Okay, Jerry Colonna, it is incredible that I messed up.

Okay, I goofed up. It was a holiday, I was too busy and I slept in. How is all that possible at the same time? It is, trust me. So let's post those sentences and fast. I will then load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, November 12th @4:00 PM, Pacific Time, and not the usual 9:30 AM.

Good night, good luck, and keep taking pictures of people plucking chickens.

F-F-F #9, The Stories

All that flash fiction is makin' Paris Hilton itch
(uh-huh)

Towards the end of JJ's Friday Flash Fiction, in lieu of a starter sentence, he would post four words, instead. The idea was that you were to incorporate those words into the story and it didn't matter in what order, but they all had to be in there.

The four that I came up with were: Lies, compromise, disguise, and redemption.

"Simple enough," you say? Unlike paparazzi chasing after celebrity-bait (celebs could eat dinner every day outside of the Thirty Mile Zone and not be bothered), Friday Flash Fiction is never easy.


Doc relates that there is a ghost in the machine of a different nature.

Believe you me, when I say that Randal's story will not have you "kissing everything in sight."

Übermilf turns a mundane Kinko's into an adventure.

Alan Griffiths says that detectives should always keep their eyes open.

MRMacrum's protagonist leads an unexpected double life.

The Professor tells a tale of the universal need to be loved.

F-F-F #9

We are going to change things up this time...

...though this isn't necessarily as experimental it seems. Towards the end of JJ's Friday Flash Fiction, in lieu of a starter sentence, he would post four words, instead. The idea was that you were to incorporate those words into the story and it didn't matter in what order, but they all had to be in there.

Here are your four:

Lies

Compromise

Disguise

Redemption

Once again, they can be in any order, but your story must contain all four words or the wind tunnel technicians at General Motors will make you wear uncomfortably tight clothes and blow smoke over your head.

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, November 10th, all right?

F-F-F #8, The Stories.

Eight is considered the luckiest number of all in Chinese culture and this is the eighth installment of Friday Flash Fiction, so let's see how lucky we as readers, will get.

We put the starter sentence up for a poll and that high school German-speaking wunderkind won out.

Randal says, "Warning: choking hazard, small parts, not suitable for children under 3 years was what the Li'l Edgar Allan Poe Posable Figure box said, but Johnny didn't listen because he was almost thirteen so he ripped off the head and ate it."




Randal whispers of a most unusual muse.

MRMacrum tells us of posable action figures in the Final Frontier.

Doc dreams a nightmare of literally a different flavor.

F-F-F #8

Like a pumpkin-stuffed crocodile at the Sam's Club in Guangzhou...



...Friday Flash Fiction puts you on ice, with a new starter sentence. The poll is in and the people have spoken-

Randal came up with, "Warning: choking hazard, small parts, not suitable for children under 3 years was what the Li'l Edgar Allan Poe Posable Figure box said, but Johnny didn't listen because he was almost thirteen so he ripped off the head and ate it."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, November 3rd, okay? Don't back down from a real challenge, because this is it, Kenny Loggins. One way or another.

Starter Sentence Poll #5

Well, I hate to be mean, but I am slightly disappointed at the lack of sentences this week.




So much so, that I will unleash The Great Pumpkin on you, if you don't try harder the next time because we need that special sentence to kick things off.

Doc says let's try JJ's slogan, "Sick with a p-h."

MRMacrum says, "She may not have known where she was going, but apparently somebody did."

Randal says, "Warning: choking hazard, small parts, not suitable for children under 3 years was what the Li'l Edgar Allan Poe Posable Figure box said, but Johnny didn't listen because he was almost thirteen so he ripped off the head and ate it."

And I've brought back Übermilf's, "How could that have grown overnight?"


Now, there will be no poll next week, so expect the unexpected and The Spanish Inquisition.

Line up your next sentences

You say you can't sleep?

You say that you're counting sheep?




Don't bother, they are stranded in Austria and it looks like they won't be jumping over your bed, anytime soon. Why don't you try coming up with a starter sentence, instead?

Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section. Then I will load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, October 29th @9:30 Pacific Time. Good night, good luck and baaahhh!

F-F-F #7, The Stories

The authors and readers of Friday Flash Fiction were asked which starter sentence should kick off Lucky #7 in our series, and the votes were unanimous...with a tie!

Beach says "The strange man dressed as Carmen Miranda walked into the bar and demanded to know who had taken his pet iguana."

The Professor says, "On the sidewalk, between the fallen cracks was..."

So let's get the stories, shall we?

Randal says that it's not brittle at all.

MRMacrum tells a tale about a surprise that wasn't in "The Crying Game."

That odd moderator, Cormac, says "I got your sidewalk, right here!"

The Professor says there's a Carmen-variation of The Mad Hatter on the sidewalks of his campus and I don't mean the opera.

Alan Griffiths relates a little South London noir tale.

The Doc tells a tale about a bar that you should avoid altogether and a bunch of unfortunate names.

Beach says one man's peanut butter...

Über spins a mystery yarn.

F-F-F #7

Here is a little insight...you see, back in the day, JJ's slogan was "Pugatorian. Sick with a "p-h."

So when I say, "Good night, good luck and keep plucking those chickens with a 'p-h?'" That's what that is about.



Now, Giant Toryan Robot says that you are all on fire, so keep it going with not one, but two starter sentences to choose from! Yes, it's the first ever tie in Friday Flash Fiction poll history!

Beach says, "The strange man dressed as Carmen Miranda walked into the bar and demanded to know who had taken his pet iguana."

And-

The Professor says, "On the sidewalk, fallen between the cracks was..."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, October 27th, okay? And if you don't? I'd suggest flame retardant underwear, because Giant Toryan Robot will find you!

Starter Sentence Poll #4

Ante scriptum- Voting ends October 23rd @ 9 AM, Pacific Time.

If you don't choose a starter sentence, Friday Flash Fiction will sweep you out to sea!

For a starter sentence, you have the choice of:

MRMacrum says, "I heard footsteps on the wet sidewalk and the sound of keys."

Beach says, "The strange man dressed as Carmen Miranda walked into the bar and demanded to know who had taken his pet iguana."

The Professor says, "On the sidewalk, fallen between the cracks was..."

Reading back, I told Doc that I would repost this and I forgot to. So, "The smell of gunpowder filled the air and my ears were still ringing from the blast, but at least this rat bastard would never bother anyone ever again."

Line up your next sentences

Vas?

Vhat do you schmell, Schatzi?

Iz it und starter sentence?

Ja, ja, it iz und starter sentence!

Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section. Then I will load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, October 22nd @9:30 Pacific Time.
Good night, good luck and don't smuggle drugs or truffles, because Schatzi is on to you.

A big congrats to Alan Griffiths

A big congratulations to Alan Griffiths, his story "Monkey Man" from F-F-F #4 was published at Col Bury's Thrillers, Killers and Chillers.

F-F-F #6, The Stories

How can you mend a broken heart, Bee Gees? With Friday Flash Fiction, that's how.

Doc has come up with the starter sentence: "You know Javier, poets say that in the spring a young man's thoughts turn to love, but I think they're wrong."

Randal says that the glass is half full...of (vinegar).

The Doc says there's love in the Old West.

Beach loves changing things up.

MRMacrum relates a tale of generational love.

The Professor declares love for tobacco and contemplation.

Übermilf reveals that it is just a kiss away.

By the way, this is post #20, hurrah!

F-F-F #6

Mel and his singing...never mind.

I say "sugar," you say...no, that's not it either.

Oh, I know, Doc has come up with the starter sentence: "You know Javier, poets say that in the spring a young man's thoughts turn to love, but I think they're wrong."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, October 20th, okay?

Now take it away, Mel!

Now all the people in the club get tipsy

Now all the people in the club get tipsy

Starter Sentence Poll #3

Ante scriptum- Voting ends on October 16th @ 9 AM, Pacific Time.

I'm running little late today and what, no jpeg? No jpeg, just a straight-up poll.

For a starter sentence, you have a choice of the three that were submitted, plus I brought one back from the past to even things out.

Doc says, "You know Javier, poets say that in the spring a young man's thoughts turn to love, but I think they're wrong."

Paulie Decibels says, "Wait until the moon falls," said Alan. 'Just you wait...'"

MRMacrum says, "She decided to go anyway."

Patti Abbot says, "Uncle Ted's pants has deep pockets."

Line up your next sentences

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a starter sentence for the poll, before the cat-head mannequins take over this blog.

You have until Thursday morning, October 15th at 9 AM, Pacific Time. Good luck, Jim! This post will self-destruct...eventually.

F-F-F #5, The Stories

Don't get bent out of shape like Pretzel Dog, here. Friday Flash Fiction is here to straighten out your day!

So I've come up with the starter sentence: "Come with me, if you want to give..."

Doc tries to give you the cure to a century's old malady.

MRMacrum takes the bus to bizarro* fiction.

Randal is merciless.

Übermilf goes Terry Gilliam on you.

The Professor knows a waitress that says, "all will be revealed."

*Bizarro is described as "literature's equivalent to the cult section at the video store" and a genre that "strives not only to be strange, but fascinating, thought-provoking, and, above all, fun to read."

F-F-F #5

Saddle up cowgirls and cowboys, it's time to ride!

Please, think up a new starter sentence...for next week. This week has been hectic and my writing deadlines have hemmed the rest of my free time for the next few days. So I've come up with the starter sentence: "Come with me, if you want to give..."

F-F-F #4, The Stories

What?

Okay, no Rich*rd G*re jokes, damn it! It's Friday Flash Fiction time!

MRMacrum came up with the starter sentence and it is: "Hanging on with one hand, he considered his alternatives."


Doc says, "don't look down" (a Flan reference that only Flan-nites get).

MRMacrum dangles.

Randal says, "aaa-aah!"

Alan Griffiths says dangling causes shrinkage.

The Professor parlays about a road to nowhere.

Das Übermilf? Sie spricht von frische (The Übermilf? she speaks of freshness).

F-F-F #4

MRMacrum has come up with the starter sentence and...

...don't cry about it, you can write through this. Have faith in your writing.

The starter sentence is: "Hanging on with one hand, he considered his alternatives."

You know the deal, if you are in, please say so. Have it done by Tuesday @9 AM Pacific, October 6th, okay? And if you do well, I might throw you a salmon or two. Jeez, you writing polar bears are sooo sensitive.

Starter Sentence Poll #2

Voting ends October 2, 9 AM.

As always, when submitting, I ask that you please limit it to your three strongest choices. If you have more than three? Save 'em up.

Let us try not to use songs or other people's stories unless they are pretty much ingrained in our popular culture and language. It would not be cool if we had an outstanding session that had to be pulled, because some overzealous lawyer decided that they have to prove to a music corporation or publisher that they are working.

Beach Bum came up with-

"Jacob had been flushed with satisfaction over his five month self exile aboard his sailboat sailing the Caribbean completely separated from all civilization but now drifting in Charleston harbor looking at the smoking ruins of the city he was utterly lost wondering what had happened."

MRMacrum says-

"Hanging on with one hand, he considered his alternatives."

Doc hollers-

"What do you mean you won't take plastic? It's only $5000 for bail!"

Line up your next sentences

Please remit your new sentences or submit your old ones in the comment section.

Then I will load them into poll form tomorrow, Thursday, October 1st @9:30 Pacific Time. Goodnight, good luck, and keep plucking those chickens with a "p-h."

F-F-F #3, The Stories

What a shame that this isn't the end of October, because this Friday Flash Fiction should be titled, "A Haunting We Will Go."

The very first starter sentence via a blog poll was won by The Baroness and this is it: "There was no respite; the vivid, violent dreams that ruthlessly tormented her slumber had now relentlessly stretched the abyss, to envelop her during her day."

Doc speaks of spirits and temperance.

Randal speaks of a haunted woman.

Mr. MaCrum warns of a specter that surely looms over all of us.

Paul D. Brazill goes noir.

Beach Bum says the past is not what it seems.

Übermilf asks, "what's that smell?"

The Rules

Wait a minute, don't scream.

No, no, "don't scream," I said!

If you're not clear on just how to do Friday Flash Fiction or just what the rules are, shouting isn't going to get you anywhere, Zombie Alanis...

...here are the rules that you, you, oughta know:

You will send in your suggestion for starter sentences anytime during the week up to 12:00 AM PST on Friday.

If your sentence is not chosen and you feel it is too wonderful not to be chosen, you can send it in again the next week.

You will write an anecdote, short story, or novel length prose poem beginning with that Friday's starter sentence.

You will add comments to that post indicating your desire to participate and the completion of your story.

You may join in at any time prior to the deadline. You will display your story as a post on your own blog and it will be done by Tuesday 9:00 AM PST.

Now, on top of JJ's rules, please note that I would appreciate that you list in the comment section that you have finished your story. It makes it easier to retrieve the link and for everyone else to read the story. Especially if you've done multiple posts for that day, because then your link to the story won't be in the author's column anymore.

I will replay this blog's original post to help fill in any additional blanks-

A wise and wonderful, though sometime curmudgeonly man in Texas started something wonderful a few years back. He put together a little thing Friday Flash Fiction, in which he would provide the starter sentence on Friday morning and if you so chose, you would come up with a short story or a poem by the following Monday morning.

All you had to do was say that you wanted participate in the "comment section" and then provide a link back to your story after it was done and posted on your blog. To say that this had changed my writing was an understatement. This "Friday Flash Fiction" taught me writing discipline and it changed how I approached writing.

As with the majority of bloggers, JJ gave up blogging and I know that I've almost done the same more times than I can count. Still, I'd like to continue on the Friday Flash Fiction to give everyone else the same opportunity I had, to find their writing voices and the venue for those voices to be heard.

So Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Friday Flash Fiction. Find your inner Bukowski, your hidden Joyce Carol Oates, and the Hammett inside of you that is waiting to bubble to the surface. Make you and everyone else proud, or at least have great time doing it.

Now, I've changed the date and times to accommodate, as well as the length requirements of the poem, yet everything else remains the same.

Unlike some others on the Internet, I am not doing this to profit off of someone else's idea. You don't see me directly linking this back to my blog or any of the various things that I am involved with, and there are no banner ads.

This is strictly for you, the writer, to find your voice.

Addendum- Let's try not to use songs or other people's stories unless they are pretty much ingrained in our popular culture and language. It would not be cool if we had an outstanding session that had to be pulled, because some overzealous lawyer decided that they have to prove to a music corporation or publisher that they are actually working, instead of just collecting a check.

F-F-F #3

Wow, is this our third sentence already? Oh, they grow so big, so fast and I'm sorry...

...I'm all choked up. Hold on just a second, please. Ahem, where was I? Oh, yeah, vote, dang it! Five votes? C'mon, you gotta want it, people! I don't want any ballot-stuffing, but jeez, we can do better.

The Baroness has come through with the starter sentence and it's a good one: "There was no respite; the vivid, violent dreams that ruthlessly tormented her slumber had now relentlessly stretched the abyss, to envelop her during her day."

Starter Sentence Poll #1

Ante Scriptum- voting ends at September 25th, 9 AM.

Okay, when submitting, I ask that you please limit it to your three strongest choices. If you have more than three? Save 'em up.

Let us try not to use songs or other people's stories unless they are pretty much ingrained in our popular culture and language. It would not be cool if we had an outstanding session that had to be pulled, because some overzealous lawyer decided that they have to prove to a music corporation or publisher that they are working.

Doc came up with-

"She-devils come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but this one was different, as she was just the right size and definetly the right shape, curvy."

And...

"Does this taste funny to you?"

As much as I would like this sentence in there...

"The smell of gunpowder filled the air and my ears were still ringing from the blast, but at least this rat bastard would never bother anyone ever again."

I'll save that for the next poll.

Paulie Decibels says-

"Tony was a creature of narrow habit and, come rain or come shine, come hell or high water, no matter what, Tuesday was the day he ate eggs."

Das Übermilf? Sie sagt-

"How could that have grown overnight?"

Patti Abbott says-

"Uncle Ted's pants had deep pockets."

Randal says-

"She knew time was running out, fast, but opening that door was Pandora's Box all over again."

And...

"The problem is, curvy she-devils don't take kindly to suggestions from meta-narcissist, ax-wielding bloggers."

The Baroness closes this set with-

"There was no respite; the vivid, violent dreams that ruthlessly tormented her slumber had now relentlessly stretched the abyss, to envelop her during her day."

A Starter Sentence from the audience, please?

I have a story to write and I've gone 1,900 words into the thing, only to realize that it won't work in the current direction it is going. There are six characters yet to be introduced and I'm barely into the second scene.

I have an interview to write up and the person doesn't even know that I want to interview her yet. There's a third project that I won't get into, lest I unintentionally offend someone who has been kind enough to present a good writing opportunity.

This is where you come in, authors and readers of Friday Flash Fiction; it is up to you to come up with the starter sentence and you can do so by putting it in the comment section. Now the window for this will be pretty narrow, because we will then vote for the winner beyond that, via a poll.

So I will take suggestions all the way up until Thursday, 10:30 AM Pacific Time.

Goodnight, and keep plucking those chickens with a "p-h."

F-F-F #2, The Stories

Shall we fall into autumn?

All right, bad pun, but I'm too busy to do better, damn it! Luckily these authors won't let you down.

The starter sentence(s) is: “Nicole’s cataracts have worsened, so I knew she was going to be running late because she had to relearn her way around. She surprised me at the restaurant when she showed up beside our usual table and asked me, ‘wow, what just happened?’”

Übermilf gives us a vivid description of a junior league member's worst day.

Richard Matheson and Romero look to Randal for inspiration and a certain treat of my home town, that is actually made in San Leandro.

Frieda's story definitely falls on the fiction side, with someone who seems very noble and graceful in a profession where that would be construed by their peers as a weakness.

Doc talks about a mysterious man, a promise that was made to dying man and...well, you will have to click the rest to find out.

F-F-F #2

Okay, I’m sorry in that I’ll have to pick the starter sentence this week, though I will take suggestions on next Tuesday the 24th and time allowing, there will be a Blogger widget poll for everyone to vote on which one we will use.

Twenty years ago I wanted to stay home and watch Monday Night Football, but I had to be at work early that night, so I had no idea who won. As we were moving from one work site to the other, a blind man overheard my coworker ask me won. The blind man then proceeded to give the most vivid and accurate account of the game.

Now the thing is if you listen to an NFL game on the radio, it’s as if they don’t do a good job, they often do a great one in terms of play-by-play. The thing is that the blind man described exactly what happened on television, in such a way that put both the radio and TV versions to shame.

When I saw the highlights, I was shocked with all the details that he got right, everything except the colors and the physical descriptions of the players and the field. He filled in the images in such a way that if you had never seen a football game, this man (who probably was born blind) put you in that game as if you were right there at field level.

What I would like you to do is the exact opposite. The starter sentence(s) is: “Nicole’s cataracts have worsened, so I knew she was going to be running late because she had to relearn her way around. She suprised me at the restaurant when she showed up beside our usual table and asked me, ‘wow, what just happened?’”