Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner December 15, 2012 - 9:54am

I hear day 15 is the hardest."

WHY ARE YOU BASTARDS TRYING TO MAKE ME SMOKE! 

OtisTheBulldog's picture
OtisTheBulldog from Somerville, MA is reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz December 15, 2012 - 9:59am

you're going to have to shake that ass.

This will not be a problem for me.

H.I.Marcuson's picture
H.I.Marcuson from Toulouse is reading a book on spelling December 15, 2012 - 10:22am

DONT CRACK, DONT SMOKE.

I stopped early feb and started again with the WAR (funnily enough). It begins with just one drag of a friends cig and then it sucks you back in. I'm back to twenty a day and I feel like shit. And to break it again I know I've got to go through those first three days of thinking about it every-fucking-second. Which will be impossible to do over the festive season. Just up the dose on your ecig to 16mg and tough it out.

DONT CRACK.

dufrescm's picture
dufrescm from Wisconsin is reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep December 15, 2012 - 10:31am

Don't let them crack you, Matt!  Stay smoke free!

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner December 15, 2012 - 10:34am

No dude, I've been cold turkey this whole time. No e-cig. No nicotine. I get ya though. I'm fine. I'm just weirded out by the peer pressure. Haha I feel like I'm fourteen down at the river, riding four-wheelers. 

 

"Got em from my old man. Go ahead, I dare you"

Bill Tucker's picture
Bill Tucker from Austin, Texas is reading Grimm's Fairy Tales (1st Edition) December 15, 2012 - 10:35am

As someone who spent years doing ska radio, I approve all references and videos regarding Reel Big Fish. As for the Pit, I love my prompt and I can't wait to get to writing it. God, I love Flash!

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner December 15, 2012 - 10:38am

God, I love Flash!"

Wait. Why. This might help. Why. To me, it's always seemed like self indulgent masturbation. Sort of like talking points on the news, or more generally, our ADD culture.  Like, "I'm too busy to read, hurry up and tell me a story!"

 

Why do you love it? 

Bekanator's picture
Bekanator from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay Hunter December 15, 2012 - 10:43am

I managed to crank out a first draft last night. I haven't written a whole story in a day in QUITE some time, so it was a great feeling. Granted, I'm a bit over the 1200 words, but I've got three entire days to slice and edit this thing. The word limit has proven to be refreshing. Smaller stories, smaller ideas, more contained fiction. 

I never write flash, so this will be a nice way to generate some work for my short story collection.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On December 15, 2012 - 10:46am

Why do you love it? 

I'll say for me, it keeps me from rambling. It focuses me. I don't see it like news talking points because that diminishes it. It's more like a haiku vs. a sonnett; it's not so much dilution as brevity. 

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner December 15, 2012 - 10:47am

haiku vs. a sonnett

 

Admittedly, there is something zen about this and there is something to be said about word economy and capturing essence. I'll think it over, maybe it's a matter of perception. 

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch December 15, 2012 - 10:58am

Is my bracket going to be number 12 again? Just sayin... That was my number both round 1 and round 2. 

Flash fiction: I was never good at it. But I should try harder.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch December 15, 2012 - 11:02am

If you guys are not familiar with my avatar, here's a lil' treat. She's awesome. Oh please tell me the video will eventually appear??? If not, just say I'm crazy and leave it at that.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner December 15, 2012 - 11:04am

It's the evil sister from Bob's Burgers I think. 

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch December 15, 2012 - 12:06pm

But... I did attach a video to that post and it's not showing up at all. Ah well.

Richard's picture
Richard from St. Louis is reading various anthologies December 15, 2012 - 1:35pm

i love flash fiction. my story will be 999 words. technically, if you are going to submit work, 1,000 words is the ceiling for flash fiction. 1,200 will just be a very short story. just fyi.

good luck all.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 2:04pm

I challenge someone to write a story exactly 666 words long.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On December 15, 2012 - 2:08pm

@R.Moon: Maybe after my stint on WAR, I may take you up on that.

bryanhowie's picture
bryanhowie from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING. December 15, 2012 - 2:21pm

I'm aiming for under 1000, but you never know what will come out.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 3:01pm

@Dino: try it. I think I'm gonna work on one.

Covewriter's picture
Covewriter from Nashville, Tennessee is reading & Sons December 15, 2012 - 3:42pm

R Moon is out.? I find that hard to believe. His writing rocks. As for my prompt, Bill I still don't have a clue. I hope inspiration hits tonight. I don't have it right now. 

NikKorpon's picture
NikKorpon from Baltimore is reading Book and books and books and December 15, 2012 - 3:56pm

This was the rare one where the story fell out as soon as I read it. I love it when that happens. Wish it happened more often.

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 4:03pm

Thanks Cove. That means a lot.

Liana's picture
Liana from Romania and Texas is reading Naked Lunch December 15, 2012 - 5:13pm

I know my story but I don't know how to write it.

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines December 15, 2012 - 5:17pm

Trade you problems, Liana. lol. 

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines December 15, 2012 - 5:19pm

Seriously, I was thinking about this as I shaved my legs today. My writing lately feels SO hit and miss; if I've got a solid story idea like I did for Year of the Pig, then everything falls together and I can use my bag of tricks to write the fecking thing. When I have a difficult story and a narrator that even I can't sympathize with, everything goes to shit, even with all the bag of tricks deployed. BULLOCKS. 

wickedvoodoo's picture
wickedvoodoo from Mansfield, England is reading stuff. December 15, 2012 - 5:22pm

I think I have something.

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On December 15, 2012 - 5:32pm

Same boat with Liana--the concept finally fell into place early this morning while driving in the dark to get coffee. I've been jotting down ideas and snippets of dialogue, but I'm still not sure yet how to structure it. I mean, there's an obvious way to go, but I would almost surely need at least double the allowable word count to pull it off, and I'm in The Pit.

@drea: I can totally relate. Not the leg-shaving bit, but the hit-and-miss part. Confidence is high on this end that you'll pull through and figure it out.

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines December 15, 2012 - 5:36pm

Bless you for saying so, Dino Parenti (and for not shaving your legs) 

I'm 90% done. Technically it's good, just not sure if it is compelling enough (and by compelling, I mean, by WAR crowd tastes) 

Richard's picture
Richard from St. Louis is reading various anthologies December 15, 2012 - 7:16pm

so far i've got nothing.

dufrescm's picture
dufrescm from Wisconsin is reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep December 15, 2012 - 7:22pm

Did some research this afternoon, and now I'm getting my write on!

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 7:27pm

so far i've got nothing.

- This could be an intriguing start to a story...

wickedvoodoo's picture
wickedvoodoo from Mansfield, England is reading stuff. December 15, 2012 - 7:37pm

Sorry. Had to do it.

This is to make up for the roobish Utah put on page one.

 

 

wickedvoodoo's picture
wickedvoodoo from Mansfield, England is reading stuff. December 15, 2012 - 7:39pm

WAR ENSEMBLE!!!

People in the pit, how you loving this little word count and short deadline? Good fun, no? Sometimes in war you gotta fire from the hip.

Still some people here in the top bracket too! Hope you guys are loading the big guns!

 

Jeff's picture
Jeff from Florida is reading Another Side of Bob Dylan by Victor Maymudes December 15, 2012 - 7:46pm

Also - Jeff!!! Where you at. Coming for ya, mister. And I got me a pitchfork

Right where I always been Mr. Wicked Voodoo -- feet planted firm -- spidey sences up full.  I gotta mind to run my flag all the way out of this pit and to the summit. I see that pitchfork of yours and raise you a trident.

wickedvoodoo's picture
wickedvoodoo from Mansfield, England is reading stuff. December 15, 2012 - 7:47pm

Well met, good sir.

A clash of the prongs it shall be!

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life December 15, 2012 - 8:04pm

Wait - Liana, you're against me, yes? We're not doing flash, are we? I thought only the pit was doing flash? Christ, I should pay more attention to things. No clue what's gpoing on most of the time. 

Jonathan Riley's picture
Jonathan Riley from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland December 15, 2012 - 8:07pm

@Jefferey, I meant to respond to Lianna earlier but was tied up and messaging from my phone does not always work. You guys are in the winners bracket and you guys have 2500 words and a full week to write. I know this because I pay very close attention.

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines December 15, 2012 - 8:20pm

\m/ !!!SLAYER!!! \m/

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 8:47pm

I like this Slayer mentality going on here. 

This chick is fucking badass...

TomMartinArt's picture
TomMartinArt from Amherst, MA December 15, 2012 - 8:56pm

Now we're cooking. As long as we're posting Slayer, I'm going to do that and whore at the same time. This is my band, with me on vocals. 

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like December 15, 2012 - 9:02pm

I have an idea and the final lines of my story.

Now, to scrap them.

Jonathan Riley's picture
Jonathan Riley from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland December 15, 2012 - 9:03pm

Right on Mr. Martin.

jyh's picture
jyh from VA is reading whatever he feels like December 15, 2012 - 9:03pm

Even good music on autoplay is like an alarm clock (ie bad).

Sound's picture
Sound from Azusa, CA is reading Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt December 15, 2012 - 9:05pm

 

Enjoy. 

R.Moon's picture
R.Moon from The City of Champions is reading The Last Thing He Wanted by Joan Didion; Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schimdt PH.D; Creating Characters by the editors of Writer's Digest December 15, 2012 - 9:22pm

To hell with him? Shit...

Gordon Highland's picture
Gordon Highland from Kansas City is reading Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore December 15, 2012 - 9:33pm

Goddammit, all week I was looking forward to this time to write, and now that I have it, I'm doing anything but. Christmas shopping and all that shit. Sigh. I did treat myself, though: nothing but barbecue all weekend. I live a few blocks from the greatest such restaurant in the country—according to Mr. Bourdain and most residents here—and picked up a slab, a pound of burnt ends, and fries. That's enough for five meals. Maybe I'll get up at 3am and see what heartburn does for my writing.

Ben Freeman's picture
Ben Freeman from Charlottesville, Virginia is reading everything I can December 15, 2012 - 9:50pm

@Gordon have no fear, for I am no farther along. Where'd the barbecue come from? I cook a lot of bbq competitions and I think I permanently smell like smoke and grease because of it. I would kill for some proper KC burnt ends right now though.

JEFFREY GRANT BARR's picture
JEFFREY GRANT BARR from Central OR is reading Nothing but fucking Shakespeare, for the rest of my life December 15, 2012 - 9:53pm

I permanently smell like smoke and grease

 

You should bottle it. I would buy that cologne. Bitches love smoke and grease. 

drea's picture
drea from Rural Alberta, Canada is reading between the lines December 15, 2012 - 9:57pm

This whole page is metal and meat. 

Jonathan Riley's picture
Jonathan Riley from Memphis, Tennessee is reading Flashover by Gordon Highland December 15, 2012 - 10:23pm

I want to taste KC bbq. I never have. Heard it was great. Memphis bbq is awsome. Have either of you ever come to the Memphis in May Barbeque Festival? Fantastic.