There is nothing like a weekly challenge to help spice things up, so after giving things some consideration about how I can provide more value to the people who actually visit 40daywriter.com and, especially, to the members of my 40 Day Writers Facebook group , I have decided to introduce Flash Fiction Saturdays.
What Is Flash Fiction Saturdays?
I am glad you asked. Each week, I will be supplying the creative community with a fictional story outline. I will create a main storyline, 5 action points, and a main character. Where you take it from there is up to you. I provide the ideas and the framework, you supply the story.
Who Is Eligible to Participate?
Anyone can participate. However, to submit your story you must join the 40 Day Writers Facebook group as that is where the submissions will be found and judged by the community. Joining the group is free.
How to Submit
When your submission is completed, copy and past it into the group in a message. Be sure to tag me and use #FlashFictionSaturday, #40DayWriters at the bottom of your submission so that people can easily search for and find your post.
Submission Deadline
You will have 5 days to finish your work. Submissions must be turned in the Thursday following the Saturday the prompt is released. Any submissions turned in after Thursday will not be included in the judging.
Submission Judging
Judging will be done by the community via likes and comments. The submission which receives the highest number of likes and comments will by the end of Friday will receive the reward.
Results
Results will be posted in the group that Saturday afternoon.
Prize
Your reward for all this hard work? The first prize winner will have your story hosted on 40 Day Writer’s website as the Flash Fiction Winner along with your picture. I will share your story on my social media accounts and help you to gain some exposure for your writing and start to develop your following.
Ready for your First Flash Fiction Exercise?
I was hoping you were!
Title: The Tornado
Main Storyline:
An aging woman reminisces about the past to help soothe the fears of her young granddaughter while a tornado rages outside their storm cellar doors.
- When a tornado begins building on the horizon, an aging woman takes her young granddaughter down into the storm cellar to wait it out.
- The young granddaughter huddles next to her grandmother for comfort as the doors of the shelter begin to rattle and shake in the force of the winds.
- An aging woman begins to tell her granddaughter the story of her first experience with a tornado just like this one many years ago.
- Things suddenly grow calm and the granddaughter starts to head toward the doors, but the grandmother warns her about the eye of the storm, and continues the story.
- As the storm takes a turn for the worse, an aging woman shares the blessings that came after the winds swept through the town that day.
Main Character Profile
An aging woman
Greatest character flaw: Stubbornness
Greatest character strength: Courage
Goal: To get her granddaughter through the storm alive and healthy.
Motivation: She loves her granddaughter and knows she needs to prepare her for what she’s about to face.
Apparent Conflict (the problem she thinks she faces): Her granddaughter’s fears and anxieties.
Actual Conflict (the real problem she has to overcome): Her own fears and her nightmares about that day.
Epiphany: Even the worst storms in life bring unexpected blessings in their wake.
Details Can Be Changed
What is provided for you with the Flash Fiction Challenge is a framework. It’s a place to start your writing. Don’t feel like you have to follow the exact specifications. Change it around. Make it your own unique flavor of the story.
Alter the outline, add a character that doesn’t appear. Change the focus from the current main character to another character. I build the world. You get to play in it, so you make it how you like it.
Submit Your Work to the 40 Day Writers Facebook Group Today!
You have until Thursday to complete this, but the sooner you finish, the sooner your work can begin to be judged by the other members. Judging closes on Friday, the winner will be announced on Saturday, and posted on Sunday. New challenges appear each Saturday.
Come Back Next Saturday and Sunday
Come back next Saturday for your next Flash Fiction Saturday and next Sunday to review the work of the winner.