Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Inside the Box

I love a good flash fiction contest. Give me a limited word count, words that must be included and a short timeframe to enter, and I am there. Sometimes creating inside the box is more challenging and more fun! 

Awhile back, I did a guest post - "How Flash Fiction Unfurls" - over at Debi O'Neille's blog about how one of my flash fiction pieces came about, and I thought I'd do something similar here, this time for a contest entry. 

The rules - create a story in 100 words or fewer and include the following words/form of the words: stage, actor, crane, chorus, ghost.

One of the words usually strikes me. Here, it was the word stage. But I wanted to use it in a slightly different context than in the usual theater production sense. I came up with:

(It) occurs in the backstage of his mind, behind the scenes where no one can see.

At this point, I still don't know what "it" is or who "he" is, but I liked the creepy feeling this gave me. Then I played with the word actor. Again, I wanted a more unusual form or use of the word: 

Charlie's father was the exactor of the rules, of the reward and of the punishment.

I toyed with the word ghost next:

Charlie's mother is a ghost - here but not here - her body brittle bone and bruised skin, her nerves ragged and plucked.

Hmm, interesting but not quite there yet. I set the story aside for awhile - but not too long since there was only a short window to enter! My imagination tumbled the words around, shook up the images, while I did other stuff. I realized what spoke to me the most had nothing to do with the father, the mother or Charlie. It was the ghost. 

I started thinking about the ghost, asking myself questions like: What if the ghost is the exactor of the rules, etc? How terrifying would that be? Ah-ha!

Even though my entry didn't win or place in the contest, I definitely enjoyed the challenge of writing it and was pleased with the result:

**********

HOUSE ARREST

Sara skitters through the house. The ghost, an exactor of rules, of reward and of punishment, enjoys toying with her. Her nerves are ragged, plucked. Her body little more than brittle bone covered in bruised skin.

She cranes her neck, peers down the hallway. The front door stands open, the ghost setting the stage for more terror. Still, she scurries toward hope, freedom.

A chorus of thumps chases her, pounding footsteps shudder the walls, her soul. The door slams shut on her hands. Sara screams.

The ghost rips her away, leaving her fingers behind.

**********

What word would you have started with? Do you enjoy writing inside the box or do you like less limits, more freedom? Was this post interesting and/or helpful for your own writing? Would you like to see more posts like this? 

22 comments:

  1. Eek! That ending! I loved reading about your process and how the story developed. I've never written flash fiction, but this makes me want to try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sarah!

      Definitely give flash fiction a try! If you're looking for markets to give you parameters like limited word count etc, check out the Recently Published section on the sidebar or the Select Credits page, tab at the top. Good luck!

      Delete
  2. That was very interesting. I probably wouldn't have thought of using stage like that. And left her fingers behind...ouch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seeing how people use the words, which one they choose as the jumping off point etc, is one of the things I enjoy about these kinds of contests/markets.

      Ouch, indeed. :)

      Delete
  3. I loved reading about your process here. The story is fantastic.

    Back when I was teaching, I used to have to convince students again and again that writing inside the box could be very cool creatively.

    I probably would have started with ghost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, MJ!

      Interesting about your students. I think I was probably one of those kids who liked playing inside the box even waaaaay back then. :)

      Delete
  4. That was excellent. Nice twist on the given words.
    If I were Sara, I'd say it's time to move.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Alex!

      I don't think Sara has too much say in the matter. :)

      Delete
  5. It's awesome - I love how you use them in a different way than what most would have though of. I have done these before - I think they're fun.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love writing flash fiction to prompts! I've never thought of it as thinking inside the box, but I guess it is. Somehow having those constraints on me actually sets flame to my creativity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree about the constraints inspiring creativity.

      Delete
  7. Fun to take a peek at your process and I like your story! I should do more playing. I love it when I do it. I just feel like I have so little time so I've gotten tangled in my big stuff... maybe I should plan it in somehow...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Hart! Maybe making time to play with flash fiction might help smooth out any issues with the bigger projects?

      Delete
  8. I wish I was as good at this as you are, Madeline! I have to have an idea well before hand for a flash fiction contest to even think about entering.

    Even though you didn't win, I'm glad you chose the ghost one. I really liked that one and you did an excellent job with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Chrys!

      Some flash markets have themes with longer submission deadlines, so you could check them out ahead of time and play with an idea for a bit. Less pressure that way. :)

      Delete
  9. You do a great job with flash fiction, Madeline. I'm lots more comfortable with longer works and also seem to freeze when faced with a prompt. I need to do some self-training in this process because I always enjoy the results from you writers who do this so well. Thanks for the tips on thought process.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Patricia. :)

      I think freezing when faced with a prompt or a set of limitations is not unusual. If you wanted to, you could randomly choose five words, set the timer for five minutes, and just see what happens. Maybe you end up with a story or maybe even a scene for one of your longer works. If nothing else, the exercise stretches that creative muscle.

      Delete
  10. Great job! I love writing inside the box. I think it works better for me than just having to come up with ideas out of a world of possibilities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks!

      Sometimes too many possibilities can be overwhelming.

      Delete
  11. I've never written flash fiction, but I'm seeing tons of contests for it. Good for you, Madeline! Let us know what happens with your entry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This one didn't win or place or anything, but I still really like it. :)

      Delete