UPDATED WITH WINNER: LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown: June Edition
Flash Fiction: A style of fictional literature marked by extreme brevity - The Gatsby/Summer Edition
Welcome to LitReactor's Flash Fiction Smackdown, a monthly bout of writing prowess.
How It Works
We give you inspiration in the form of a picture, poem, video, or similar. You write a flash fiction piece, using the inspiration we gave you. Put your entry in the comments section. One winner will be picked and awarded a prize.
The Rules
- 25 words is the limit. (You can write less, but you can't write more.)
- The whole story must only be 2 sentences. No more. No less.
- It can be any genre.
- Give it a title (not included in the word count, but keep it under 10 words).
- We're not exactly shy, but let's stay away from senseless racism or violence.
- One entry per person.
- Editing your entry after you submit it is permitted.
- We'll pick a winner on the last day of the month.
- LitReactor staffers can't win, but are encouraged to participate.
- All stories submitted on or before June 27 will be considered. We'll run the winner on June 28.
This Month's Prize
A copy of Stephen King's new pulp fiction book Joyland (Hard Case Crime). Here's the synopsis from Amazon.com with a note from the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King, about why you can't get this as an eBook.
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book."
– Stephen King
Your Inspiration
Since it's June and the first day of summer/solstice are on the horizon, let's use a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to inspire flash fiction pieces about summer, heat, and ifyoulike, Gatsby-related stuff.
In two weeks it'll be the longest day in the year... Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.
-Daisy in The Great Gatsby
Now Get Writing!
And the winner is...Werus
Phew...this edition of the Flash Fiction contest was full of really fantastic entries, but Werus' entry had the best combination of images. I love the picture of the robed figure (which morphs completely when you realize who it really is!) and the allusion to (I'm assuming) Gaelic solstice rituals was a great touch. Anyway, read it for yourself:
Darkness Comes
A robed figure raises a jeweled dagger towards the sky, chanting, “Chuige oíche.”
Behind him a voice calls, “Harry! Remember to bring in the cat.”
Column by Taylor Houston
Taylor Houston is a genuine Word Nerd living in Portland, OR where she works as a technical writer and volunteers on the marketing committee for Wordstock, a local organization dedicated to writing education. She has a BA in Creative Writing and Spanish from Hamilton College and attended Penn State's MFA program in Creative Nonfiction. She has taught writing at all levels from middle school to college to adult, and she is the creator of Writer’s Cramp, a class for adults who just want to write!
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Birds hung motionless after I flipped the switch; I’d successfully stopped time. I gazed at the wonder I’d wrought before suffocating amidst immovable air.
Resolution
He made New Year’s "never again" promises, stroking my bruised cheek. The air-conditioner kicks on as I cross the summer threshold, the gun still smoking.
She's the Most Persistent Woman
"Daisy," I said, "do you always repeat what you just said? Do you always repeat what you just said, Daisy," I asked.
The Summer Reading List
She knew, as she set aside her summer reading, if she could crawl into this fictional world she would do only one thing. Save Gatsby.
The Cold Must Break
Jack, despair all through him, wanders aimless amid the steaming summer haze. Frozen tears melt from his cheeks, as with the frost all around him.
The long day faded into a dazzling blend of purple and reds, he mumbled: “We are what we pretend to be.”
Still Waiting
"Christ died and he was buried..." said my father before dropping headfirst to the floor. Mississippi heat exhaustion taught me to wait for the resurrection.
Love Letters
When I die, I want to be buried in your handwritten, loose leaf letters. I want your stories to live in my old skin like wrinkles on hands.
The Longest Evenings
Childhood slips by as sticky fingers clutch popsicles and bare feet run through the cool grass. Heedless of the coming end, we play on.
Solstice
Summer came and summer stayed. With knife in hand, however, Summer made sure that Autumn never left.
Darkness Comes
A robed figure raises a jeweled dagger towards the sky, chanting, “Chuige oíche.”
Behind him a voice calls, “Harry! Remember to bring in the cat.”
Check
The first day of summer. 4 more months until the season starts.
Solstice Interrupted
Turning to walk away, he mentioned that today was the longest day of the year. “Not for you,” I muttered as I cocked the hammer.
Solstice and the Malcontent
Warm air mugged her like a wet washcloth as she zoomed, cramp-toed in borrowed heels and summer suit. The Montauk Express loomed in the haze.
Indian Winter
Rita passed; believing in Indian summers, endless suitors and the grandest of gestures. Now she sits on her porch like a cautionary metronome, ceaselessly rocking.
After she died (my solstice bride); I saw the longest ,as the best day of my life. Every year, the solstice becomes shorter in time.
...And Now Kids, For My Next Trick
"Another extravagantly wild party" the tired magician sighed.
"It's gonna be a long summer, but hey,
they don't call me The Great Gatsby for nothing."
F*CK the Solstice
The sweat ran down her arm, leaving a sweltering trail of pain and chaos. The conspired tear surprised her as she pulled the trigger.
Ache
Sarah yearned whenever she was near him, and her heart swelled with heat-infused love. His lips brushed hers, as he whispered, "Love you, Peggy."
High Society
Paper fans fluttered—goslings trying to catch wind—and I imagined their bodies a shuffling deck of cards. Damp and delirious, the women simply melted.
Servants Break: Outside in Back
"If he could, he'd buy the sun and charge us, making today the most expensive day."
"But he can't, so enjoy it for fifteen minutes."
VOYEUR
She caught them behind the barn; a pair of boys sharing kisses in the drunk of night. She watched, touched herself, and kept it secret.
WWGD
My blistered hands will drive a shovel in smoldering heat tomorrow, but I've been invited to a pool party tonight. What would Gatsby do?