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The Three Words Project: Short Stories Inspired By Readers
Banana. Elephantine. Kendama. -- What kind of worlds can be created from just three words?
In the summer of 2014, I asked the readers of my email newsletter to send me just three words, which I would use to inspire flash fiction pieces I'd write on the spot. The project ended up a lot more popular than I expected, with dozens of word sets coming in both that summer and the following winter. The words ranged from fedora to susurrus, from explosion to widdershins, and I was inspired to write flash fiction stories just as diverse in content.
From a time traveler stuck on hold while being chased by a dinosaur, to family inheritance dispute, a magician's quarrel to a private investigator on New Mars, not to mention a haunted bone garden and a Viking coming of age story, these stories run the gamut of time and space in bite-sized pieces. Each comes labeled with the three words that inspired it, both as a tribute to the original reader and as a fun glimpse into the mind of a writer at play.
In the summer of 2014, I asked the readers of my email newsletter to send me just three words, which I would use to inspire flash fiction pieces I'd write on the spot. The project ended up a lot more popular than I expected, with dozens of word sets coming in both that summer and the following winter. The words ranged from fedora to susurrus, from explosion to widdershins, and I was inspired to write flash fiction stories just as diverse in content.
From a time traveler stuck on hold while being chased by a dinosaur, to family inheritance dispute, a magician's quarrel to a private investigator on New Mars, not to mention a haunted bone garden and a Viking coming of age story, these stories run the gamut of time and space in bite-sized pieces. Each comes labeled with the three words that inspired it, both as a tribute to the original reader and as a fun glimpse into the mind of a writer at play.
64 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 17, 2015
15 people want to read
About the author
Alex Hughes
13 books417 followersAlex Hughes was born in Savannah, GA and moved to the south Atlanta area when she was eight years old. Shortly thereafter, her grandfather handed her a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonrider series, and a lifelong obsession with scifi was born.
Alex is a graduate of the prestigious Odyssey Writing Workshop and a Semi-Finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Her short pieces are published in several markets including EveryDay Fiction, Thunder on the Battlefield and White Cat Magazine.
Alex’s work is smart, dark, adventurous, and a little funny, with a emphasis on great characters and interesting worlds. She gets her inspiration from history (she majored with a European history focus in college), family members, and headlines, as well as whatever book she has in her hand. Lately she’s been reading neuroscience books; the brain’s a cool, cool place and the mind even more so.
An avid cook and foodie, Alex loves great food of any stripe – even better if she can figure out how to put it together. Great food is like a great book; it has lots of layers that work together beautifully, and the result is delicious and harmonious. She’s working on figuring out Indian food right now – suggestions welcome!
Alex loves swing dancing, tetris, music of all kinds, and has been known to get into long conversations with total strangers at restaurants about the Food Network, much to the embarrassment of her sister. She can also balance a spoon on her nose while crossing her eyes, and talk for hours about absolutely nothing.
Alex is a graduate of the prestigious Odyssey Writing Workshop and a Semi-Finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Her short pieces are published in several markets including EveryDay Fiction, Thunder on the Battlefield and White Cat Magazine.
Alex’s work is smart, dark, adventurous, and a little funny, with a emphasis on great characters and interesting worlds. She gets her inspiration from history (she majored with a European history focus in college), family members, and headlines, as well as whatever book she has in her hand. Lately she’s been reading neuroscience books; the brain’s a cool, cool place and the mind even more so.
An avid cook and foodie, Alex loves great food of any stripe – even better if she can figure out how to put it together. Great food is like a great book; it has lots of layers that work together beautifully, and the result is delicious and harmonious. She’s working on figuring out Indian food right now – suggestions welcome!
Alex loves swing dancing, tetris, music of all kinds, and has been known to get into long conversations with total strangers at restaurants about the Food Network, much to the embarrassment of her sister. She can also balance a spoon on her nose while crossing her eyes, and talk for hours about absolutely nothing.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 27, 2017
Several short stories bt Alex C Hughes. The tone is much different from her Mind Space novels.
There are 2 stories with a female detective on Mars,with a slight resemblance to Cherabino, similar temperament, works as a PI after once been a cop. But, overall these short stories are not as dark as Mind Space. Very good read. Recommend it.
There are 2 stories with a female detective on Mars,with a slight resemblance to Cherabino, similar temperament, works as a PI after once been a cop. But, overall these short stories are not as dark as Mind Space. Very good read. Recommend it.
December 7, 2015
Three Word Project is a collection of short stories written by Alex Hughes, Atlanta resident and author of the Mindspace series. Each story is taken from a set of 3 words given to the author by her fans. She takes each set and turns them into a wonderful short story. From wizards to time travelers and private investigators to aliens, each story is different and very creative. I enjoyed all of the stories, but I think my favorite was "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts", followed closely by "Press One for Patience". As short as they are, I can't really give a good overview of the stories without giving away the entire story. I will, though, say that they are all worth reading and I recommend the book for a great diverting quick read.
December 1, 2015
Alex Hughes asked her readers to give her three words and promised to write a short story based on some of the word groups she received. The Three Words Project is a compilation of some of those stories. I love Alex Hughes's Mindspace Investigations series which is science fiction, but she showed the depth of her talent in these short stories. Ranging from science fiction to fantasy to mystery, all the stories are good, attention-grabbing, and fun.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews