The Not-So Austen Bookclub discussion

Writing a short story is difficult. There's just so much you want to write but can't fit into two pages. So writing a story in less than five sentences must be a incredibly difficult feat indeed.

Which is why Isabelle and I are proud to present to you the:
FIVE SENTENCE FICTION CHALLENGE!

Similar to the poetry challenge, at the beginning of every month, I will post up a writing prompt - be it a genre, theme, scenario, picture or idea. You'll have to write a story in five sentences or less which relates to, features or discusses the prompt. You can interpret the prompt any way you want, it doesn't have to be literal.

After entries are in, there will be a poll where you can vote for your favourite. The winner will receive a set of e-books from a series and the runner up will recieve a single e-book.

The writing prompt for this August 2013 is: BETRAYAL.

The winner will receive an e-book copy (epub) of all three books in the 'Slammed' trilogy by Colleen Hoover.
The runner up will receive an e-book copy (epub) of the novel 'Confessions of an Angry Girl' by Louise Rozett.

Entries close on August 30th!

This challenge is, well, challenging. It's all about "packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist". So get creative, think outside the box and have fun doing so!

Aurora wrote: "Writing a short story is difficult. There's just so much you want to write but can't fit into two pages. So writing a story in less than five sentences must be a incredibly difficult feat indeed.
..."

This sounds like a fantastic challenge! :)

Feel free to start posting up your stories! :)

A small note, I did write this as a poem rather than a story, allowing the rhyme. I hope this qualifies and that I have posted in the right location.

I tried.
I failed.
To love you once.
To love you twice.
The love I had, will never suffice.

Okay, here's mine:

Topic: Betrayal

In an absent sort of way, she felt the tears stream slowly down her face. Her thoughts followed him as he walked away. As if nothing that had just happened had mattered in the least. She felt like screaming, but could not. Instead she felt numb.

Love these!! Great job everyone :)

@Eyehavenofilter I had to delete your comment, as it unfortunately goes against the group rules. Using a cleaner term for certain words is allowed (light swearing) but as we have a wide age range in this group, the words you used cannot be posted.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may of caused - it is simply keeping with the rules of this group.

Thank you for your understanding.

Oops sorry....
I will be more aware, next time.
Thanks for the heads up!

Here's mine, I really like this idea <3:

She looked on in stunned disbelief as they shook hands. Her best friend and her worst enemy. Tears slipped down her face, they were in it all along. She was never part of the equation, never part of anything. She was alone.

@Eyehavenofilter - that's alright. Just be more cautious next time!! :)

@Melissa - that was so, so beautiful. I love the second-last sentence especially.

Thanks ^_^

These are really good :)

Wow guys, these entries are brilliant! xD

So the comp is done now right?

Yep! Here's a link to the Five Sentence Fiction August 2013 Poll

The winner will be announced at the end of this month and the prize will be sent to them via email shortly after.

The writing prompt for this September 2013 is: TRAFFIC JAM.

Here is one i have come up with for this month.

Tires screeched, the horn blared and I screamed about to run. But it was too late. The rows of blue and black and red and orange and green cars were all just a symbol now. A symbol of my brother's death.

Here's mine :)

The screech of tires fills my ears, horns blaring somewhere in the distance like a mocking chorus as I fly through the air. Worlds collide - the asphalt sticky with blood as I lie paralysed in the middle of a sea of cars, their colours swimming before my eyes. Smoke fills my lungs, the scent of petrol suffocating, terrifying. My blood is a flickering signal, telling the traffic around me to halt. I'm a human traffic light.

Nice, you guys! Here's mine.

Traffic Jam:

She hoped he understood. After waiting so long for him to ask her, she was going to be late. Horribly late. The stillness around her was almost suffocating. She wanted to scream with the injustice of it all.

Oh how Madison so despised mornings, the reason why, frustrating traffic jams. They were the main cause of her not being able to make it to homeroom on time. And now as she sat stuck right in the middle of a huge sea of cars, in teeth-gnashing frustration, she realized she was going to be late again. Out of boredom shooting a glance up at the sky through her windshield caused heavy duty shock to race through her. A ghastly zombie was descending down from the sky.

Here is September's entry (I hope it's okay):

Fingers tapping steadily on the steering wheel I let out a huff of exasperation. I was going to be late again. Something was wrong though, everyone was stuck bumper to bumper and not a soul was moving. I unbuckled my seat belt and got out of my car and my eyes widened. There was a reason no one seemed to be moving, every single person in sight was just....... gone.

I sat beside Trevor, looking over at him with nervous eyes. I wished he'd slow down; I had heard there was a traffic jam on main street earlier this morning. His eyes suddenly widened, and he turned the steering wheel frantically. I heard him curse, and then looked forward just in time to see us crash into a ford focus.
Then the blackness swallowed me, and I slipped away quietly, into that abyss that so many were afraid to succumb to; death.

August Five-sentence fiction Challenge winner and Runner-ups

A big round of applause to Melissa who has received first place for her entry! :) :D

Another big round of applause to both Anne and 1₦₥4₮3$ $ℌ4₥3 who are both the Runner-ups for their entry. :) :D

I know Melissa has already sent across her email address, your prize will be sent shortly.

If both Anne and 1₦₥4₮3$ $ℌ4₥3, if you could both send across your email addresses, I will have your prizes sent to you right away.

Congratulations to everyone who entered! All the entries were awesome! :) :D

@Melissa, your prizes have been sent. If there are any problems, just let me know! :)

^_^ Kay

Congratulations guys! The entries were brilliant! :D

And here is a link to the September 2013 Five Sentence Fiction Poll!

The writing prompt for this October 2013 is: HORROR!

The winner will receive the entire Archers of Avalon trilogy (epub) by Chelsea Fine, and the runner-up will receive the first book in The Bane Chronicles (epub) by Cassandra Clare.

((Prizes will be changed every two months to give more people a chance to win the books. :) ))

(Here's my entry for October)

Gasping sobs escape as I dig my fingers into the cracks in the boards, hands slick with blood. The walls press in around me. Terror causes my whole body to shake, for tears to cascade down my cheeks.

Will anyone find me?

Locked in a wooden casket, I slip into unconsciousness - falling into its dark embrace.

My entry for October

It's all in your head, that's what the doctor says. He thinks I'm crazy as can be, imagining monsters in the dark. He says the screaming is all mine, that the howls in the night are harmless. So I sent the monsters to his heart, so they could put fear in it and make it burn as they have done to mine.

Tell me Doctor, how does it feel inside my head?

Entry for October

I walked into the dimly lit room. Everyone was silent, as still as death; after all, I was in a morgue, what else would I expect, a room full of partiers? Then suddenly, glittering light appeared from a chandelier which, itself, faded in and out of view; music, a classical minuet dance drifted softly from a corner of the room. A cold, clammy hand gently gripped mine and twirled me around to start dancing. And I wasn’t the only one, the room filled with stiff, clumsy figures; and so I joined the eternal dance of death.

@Booknut and Tessa: Yours sound great!!! :D

Chains rattle and skeletons fall, still shackled where they died. I choke back a scream, that would only alert them. I bite my lip hard enough that the taste of copped invades my taste buds. Cold, bony fingers wrap around my ankle and down I go; being dragged through the darkness as my nails dug grooves in the rotted floorboards and cracked. "Nooo!" I screech as I'm dragged down, further and further into the dark pit; never to be seen again.

νєяαℓι∂αιиє wrote: "@Booknut and Tessa: Yours sound great!!! :D"

Thanks!

@νєяαℓι∂αιиє thanks!! Loved yours as well :)

Melissa wrote: "Chains rattle and skeletons fall, still shackled where they died. I choke back a scream, that would only alert them. I bite my lip hard enough that the taste of copped invades my taste buds. Cold..."

WOW! That sent shivers down my skin.

νєяαℓι∂αιиє wrote: "Entry for October

I walked into the dimly lit room. Everyone was silent, as still as death; after all, I was in a morgue, what else would I expect, a room full of partiers? Then suddenly, glitter..."

<3 Such an eerie feel to it!

October Entry: Horror

I became as still as death; as still as the death around me. I closed my eyes hoping that when I opened them again, the horrific sight I had just seen would be gone. I knew that it wouldn't be. The body on the floor, covered in blood, his eyes open and lifeless, sent shivers up my spine as I suddenly became aware of two chilling facts. The murderer was still out there, and I was not alone.

@Anne <3

i'm loving the entries for October

Isabelle wrote: "@Anne <3

i'm loving the entries for October"

I have to agree! x

I took a different meaning from the theme for October. What I wrote is probably not what you had in mind for the theme of horror, but I learned today that failure can be every bit as horrifying as an axe-wielding murderer.


The terror grips your entire body as you put down your arms, watching them shake uncontrollably with a kind of detached, awful wonder. Your throat aches from held-back tears, and every part of you wants to collapse and give in to the tidal wave of horror inside that already threatens to destroy you. You know in that moment that everything good, all things well-deserved, can suddenly end in a simple snap. You didn't believe it before, but now it is indisputable. The game is over, the clock continues to tick in the silence between tears, and you know that you have failed.

WordlesslyAmazed03 wrote: "I took a different meaning from the theme for October. What I wrote is probably not what you had in mind for the theme of horror, but I learned today that failure can be every bit as horrifying as ..."

I'm wordlessly amazed.
THIS IS FREAKING BRILLIANT.

Thank you. Words have always been the best therapy for me.

@WordlesslyAmazed - that was simply beautiful. You should be proud of having written such a haunting piece :)

Thank you. :)

Me when I first posted mine: Eh, not my best, but it's not bad.
Me when I see everyone else's: mine is AWFUL dear God theirs are BRILLIANCE.

Hey, that's what I think when I look at...uh...everything I've ever touched. So don't feel bad.

All the entries this month are incredible! Getting into the Halloween mood now. :D Good job everyone <3. Entries close on the 30th.

WordlesslyAmazed03 wrote: "I took a different meaning from the theme for October. What I wrote is probably not what you had in mind for the theme of horror, but I learned today that failure can be every bit as horrifying as ..."

Wow. That is SO true...

Anne wrote: "October Entry: Horror

I became as still as death; as still as the death around me. I closed my eyes hoping that when I opened them again, the horrific sight I had just seen would be gone. I knew t..."

Oooh, creepily good. XD

OCTOBER ENTRY:

she is calling, mesmerizing me to take her hand and go with her...my friend is stopping me, cant she see that its somehow important to reach there...???she cant see her calling out to me, i want to go, i need to go...why cant i go???its all pain here, it looks so peaceful with her...let me go...

September Five-sentence fiction Challenge winner and Runner-ups

A big round of applause to Booknut101 who was received 1st place for her entry! :) :D

Another big round of applause to Anne, Julia and Melissa who have all received Runners-up! :) :D

If you could all send across your email addresses to Aurora, she will send across your prizes as my computer/laptop is experiencing technical difficulties.

Congratulations to everyone who entered! All the entries were magnificent! :) :D

Just letting you know, entries for October have closed. The poll will soon be up to vote for your favourite! :) :D The writing prompt for November will also be up soon. :)