Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 19

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 19.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST.  IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 4:30PM Pacific Time on Friday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s song prompt features an uncharacteristically rough outing from smoothster John Legend.

The tune is, “Who Did That To You?”  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/ozjs2d_xlSI

This week’s Judge is the Literarygrrl herself… Shana Hammaker!

That’s all you need from me.  The challenge is now open & runs through 4:30PM PST on Friday June 28.

Go write!!!!!

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Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 18 WINNERS

….and Week 18 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster is in the books.

We had a great turnout this week…

Judge Stacy Hoyt had a hard task choosing winners…

 

So says Judge Stacy;

 

These pieces were all fantastic, seriously.  I am blown away by the amount of talent that resides in our little group and its satellites.  Judging such evocative pieces is an exhausting nail-biting heart-wrenching exercise in waffling but in the end (alas!) there can be only three.  I loved the song and I loved all your stories!

 

In 3^rd place, we have Anna Meade’s The Death of Undine, haunting and ethereal. I loved the sudden change in Undine’s view of the man when she reclaims herself and rejoins her sister, though she’d still have loved him.

 

In 2^nd place, is Miranda Kate’s story about calling true love.  A wonderful idea for a story and what patience Ruth shows! So, so glad it had a happy ending.

 

And 1^st place has to go to Cara Michaels.  Her tale of bittersweet love, longing and ambition is beautifully wrought and engaging every step of the way.  A tight complete story and an enjoyable read.  Congratulations!

 

That about covers it.

Cara, here’s the Winner’s Badge;

 

Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks to everyone for coming out to write, read, & judge.

See you all on Tuesday…

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 18

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 18.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST.  IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 4:30PM Pacific Time on Friday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s prompt features the ethereal sounds of Faun.

The song is… “Tinta”.  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/n3UZA1MV5pE

This week’s Judge is flash fiction writer & all-around neat person… Stacy Hoyt!

That’s all you need from me.  The challenge is now open & runs through 4:30PM EST on Friday June 21.

Go write!!!!!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 17 WINNERS

With Week 17 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster in the books all that’s left to do is to announce the Winners….

Take it away, Judge Laura James!

I’ve never been able to write for this so was honoured that Jeff asked me to judge, and boy did I get a great song but with only 6 entries, JB’s was a bit too long but still a great story, my job was made very difficult.

However you’ll be pleased to here that I have made my decision – drum roll please…….

My third place goes to Miranda. This tale truly captured my imagination and the ending was beautiful.

Second place goes to AJ for delighting me with a true rag and bone tale with a superb kicker at the end.

Lisa stunned me with a seriously powerful piece of writing, so much passion and energy. To me the underlying beat & passion of the song was easy to hear within the story Lisa told, and for that she is my MWBB winner.

Congratulations to Lisa, AJ and Miranda and thanks to the others for writing such amazing stories. I am in awe of all of you 🙂

There it is…. Congratulations to our winners & all of our writers, and thanks to Laura for a job well-done.

Lisa… here’s the Winner’s Badge

See you all on Tuesday for another exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 17

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 17.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST.  IF YOU’RE NOT ON TWITTER GIVE ME AN EMAIL ADDRESS OR SOME OTHER WAY TO GET A HOLD OF YOU!

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 4:30PM Pacific Time on Friday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s tune comes to us courtesy of The White Stripes.

The song is… “Rag and Bone”.  Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/epHneMeLyis

This week’s Judge is none other than Office Mango denizen and flash fiction wiz… Laura James!

As extra incentive, this week’s 1st place winner gets a copy of Laura’s new book!

So there you have it.

We’re live…. Challenge ends at 4:30 on Friday June  14.

Are you still here?

Go write!!!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 16 WINNERS

Week 16 of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster is in the books…

Judge Angela Goff speaks…

So. No one told me it would be so tough to judge this thing, even with only 9 entries.

It goes without saying that all of the entries were fabulously well executed. Each one made me stop and think, and really look at a second layer of what was really going on with the story. All the characters were complex, and so were the situations, with a knotty moral dilemma at the center of each.

As for the judging – I guess I did it in a slightly backward way. Since I had never heard of the song, I did not listen to it until after I had read all of the entries. This allowed me to look at all 9 as a collective body of work, and discover the common theme gradually – that of a broken hero. Then I turned to the song to help me make my final decision.

My top picks were:

1st “The Intern” by Valerie Haight
2nd “Dark Horses” by Ruth Long
3rd “Josie” by Miranda Kate

All three of these stood out to me in pacing, content, and satisfactory resolution of all elements (even if the story left you with a few more questions). They really got into the heads of the POV characters in a way that I felt I *knew* them, and all their long history, without mountains of backstory wedged in.

“The Intern” especially surprised me all the way through, which is difficult to do in a compact space.

This was a great challenge with some fabulous responses. Thanks to Jeff for letting me participate!!

Okey…. there it is.  Congrats to Val and all of our winners, writers, & the Judge too!

Valerie – here’s the Winner’s Badge;

 

Thanks for playing, everyone.

See you on Tuesday for another exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster!!!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 16

Welcome to the Mid-Week Blues-Buster Flash Fiction Challenge, Week 16.

This is a flash fiction challenge.  The prompt is a song.  You are not required to write about or even mention the song.  It’s there only to get the ideas moving around in your brain pan.  If you want to write about the song (or the video- it’s all good here) go for it but don’t feel like you have to.

The rules;

500 words, but it’s a slushy 500, meaning you can go up to 700 or as low as 300.

Post your entry right in the comments section of this post.

MAKE SURE TO PUT YOUR TWITTER HANDLE NEXT TO YOUR WORD COUNT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POST

The challenge starts whenever I post this on Tuesday and ends at 4:30PM Pacific Time on Friday.  You read that right.  Pacific Time.

This week’s tune comes to us courtesy of The Heavy…

The song is, “Short Change Hero”… Here’s the link; http://youtu.be/P1QUZzeZoPQ

This week’s Judge is the creator and host of Visual Dare…. the fantastic Angela Goff!

That’s all from me…

We’re live from the second you read this until 4:30PM on Friday, June 7.

What are you still doing here?

Go write!  Now!

Mid-Week Blues-Buster Week 15 WINNERS

Week 15– the Ray Manzarek Edition– of the Mid-Week Blues-Buster is in the books.

We got seven great entries this week…

I’m now going to get on with my new Blues-Buster tradition of shutting my pie hole & letting the judge take the floor.

Says Judge Lizzie Koch;

I’m in teacher mode now wanting to give everyone who took part ‘two stars and a wish’ plus a gazillion house points! But it is a contest and I have chosen three stories which appeal to me. All stories are amazing and for me to judge you makes me feel like a fraud when I learn so much from all of you with all your flash fiction pieces. You have also provided me with the confidence to have a go at the Mid- Week Blues Buster. So thank you again. And thank you The Magnificent Seven for your tales. xx

Here are my three stories which couldn’t be further apart in style and genre but all sooooo good. xx

Right here goes. . . . .

First goes to Lisa Shambrook, following hot on the heels of her winning Steampunk entry. What I loved about Lisa’s story was how the reader is taken back and forth from the events of the bar to the fear of the chase and how she came to be in such a frightening situation- without giving too much away; the clues are there for the reader to decipher how she ended up here from a night out, which is very talented writing. The chase worked beautifully with the music too. With delicious description throughout, it made for a tense and gripping read with a surprising yet justified ending. Well done Lisa.

 

Second goes to Miranda Kate.

Free love man! I love the free spirit and cheekiness of this story where anything goes. I like the realism of the characters with their laidback attitude, munchies and uncontrollable giggling. It made me smile throughout! The outcome of the four- in- a- bed is surprising but makes for a feel-good-read. It was the perfect story to The Doors music, capturing a scene, a generation and a lifestyle. 😉

 

Third is Mark Ethridge

Mark takes his character on a journey from the depths of despondency and rejection to rebirth and I was there every step of the way. I really felt the emotion behind the piece as the character tries to understand what has happened to him after being discarded like a piece of rubbish. The short sentence structure is used to great effect, building the tension and anxiety. And I’m all for a happy ending; the character deserved to come out the other side. Great story telling about resilience when faced with absolutely nothing.

That’s it…

Congratulations to all of our winners, writers, & the Judge too!

Lisa… here’s the Winner’s Badge

See you on Tuesday for another exciting episode of… The Mid-Week Blues-Buster……..