It’s May! That means the year is one-third over, and time’s a-wasting. So let’s get right to this month’s Flash Fiction Draw.
(If you want to skip the song and dance, click here to go right to the prompt.)
If you’re unfamiliar with this, here’s the deal: I draw three cards from a deck of playing cards, each from a different suit, and use those to select a genre, setting, and random item for a writing prompt. From there, you have a week from today (Monday, May 10, in other words) to write a 1,000-word or less flash fiction piece based on the prompt. Simple, right? Right.
To recap, here’s where we stand so far. The grayed-out items have been used already:
| ♣ | ♥ | ♦ | |
| Card drawn | Genre | Setting | Object |
| 1 | Romance | Spaceship | Ray gun |
| 2 | Science Fiction | Restaurant kitchen | Key |
| 3 | Fairy Tale | Studio apartment in a big city | Hairbrush |
| 4 | Horror | Auditorium | Length of rope |
| 5 | Mystery | Sewer | Pendant and necklace |
| 6 | Thriller | Highway tollbooth | Potted plant |
| 7 | Comedy | Farm field | Tablet computer |
| 8 | Fantasy | Pawn shop | Fountain pen |
| 9 | Ghost Story | Marsh | Decorative pillow |
| 10 | Suspense | Tulip field | Vacuum cleaner |
| J | Crime Caper | Trunk of a car | Bouquet of roses |
| Q | Action/Adventure | Toolshed / Utility closet | A stray sock |
| K | Historical Fiction | Shopping mall | Suitcase |
And here’s the prompt:
As always, if you want to get right to the good stuff, here’s the prompt:
- Science fiction (“double feature“)…
- in an auditorium…
- with a tablet computer.
Remember, there’s no pressure here, so if you take longer than a week, or if your story turns out to be longer than a thousand words, or you only incorporate two of the three elements, or if you end up writing a breakaway pop hit instead of a story, it’s all valid! But be sure to email me, or tweet at me, or leave a comment below to let me know what you’ve written.