Warmup Wednesday!

Directions: Write a scene or an entire story of 100 words on the nose (no more, no fewer), inspired by this photograph. No judging. All fun. (Normal Flash! Friday guidelines regarding content apply.)
Don’t forget to add your Twitter handle & link to your blog, if you please.

And a few words on how your week’s going would be nice.

 This week’s challenge: Emotional Rollercoaster! Start with one emotion and end with its opposite (eg start sad and end happy, or start happy and end sad).

 

PD photo by Skitterphoto, at Pixabay.

Flash! Friday: Vol 3 – 7

WELCOME! Today the Flash! Friday team brings yet one more sparkly Year Three feature. (SO MUCH FUN! CAN YOU STAND IT!?) First we introduced you to our teams of dragon captains, last week we shook up the contest format, and today it’s the…

RING OF FIRE!!!!!!

Today we launch the newest feature here at the lair: the RING OF FIRE! FF is a thriving and diverse community from all over the world, and many of you have written dozens of stories for our judges. Why should the champs be the only ones to earn a badge or get their names on a wall??

* BEGINNING TODAY, ALL FLASH! FRIDAY PARTICIPANTS can work toward earning the “Ring of Fire” badge. The RoF badge is separate from the judging process; think of it as a “frequent participant” merit badge. To earn the badge:

* Submit a story to Flash! Friday at least three times per month. (That’s it!)

* Note that as we’ve only two Fridays left in January (today and the 30th), the earliest anyone will be eligible for the badge is the first Friday in February (Feb 6). To keep/earn the badge in February, you will need to submit three times in February, which yes, can include Feb 6. A little tricky getting started, but we’ll untangle ourselves soon enough.

*  To request the badge, please contact the Dragon Team here, citing the three dates you submitted stories in a given month (the count begins today), and including (1) your name/penname, (2) city/country/part of the world, and (3) a 10-word bio & a single link to your blog or Twitter. Then your name will go up on the Ring of Fire “Wall of Flame” page (which will launch Feb 6), and you can flash this badge to your heart’s content on your own blog/Facebook/Twitter etc. The Ring of Fire eligibility starts fresh each month; once you’ve earned it, you’ll keep it unless you go a month without participating three times. And yes, we’ll remind you about this. A lot. ❤

REMINDER: New format: Remember the former “Dragon’s Bidding” (an element required in addition to the photo) is now focusing on the primary elements of story: character, setting, conflict, and theme. The new word count window is 190 – 210 (exclusive of title/byline). Please be sure to follow these new guidelines carefully!

Tweet any questions to the Flash! Friday team at @flashfridayfic. And HAVE FUN!!!!

♦♦♦♦♦

Judging today are our mischief-loving (causing??) Team Three dragon captains Eric Martell and Carlos Orozco. Carlos liberally distributes bonus points for unpredictable plots, while Eric begs you to double and triple proofread your stories before submitting. Read more at their judge pages, linked above.        

 ♦♦♦♦♦

Awards Ceremony: Results will post Monday. Noteworthy #SixtySeconds interviews with the previous week’s winner post Wednesdays.  I (Rebekah) post my own unbalanced writings sometimes on Tuesdays or Thursdays under “Dragon Munchies” (see the drop-down menu in the right-hand sidebar).

Now, grab your surfboards and get paddling!

* Word count: Write a 200-word story (10-word leeway on either side) based on the photo prompt.

* How: Post your story here in the comments. Include your word count (min 190 – max 210 words, excluding title/byline) and Twitter handle if you’ve got one. If you’re new, don’t forget to check the contest guidelines.

* Deadline: 11:59pm ET tonight (check the world clock if you need to; Flash! Friday is on Washington, DC time)

* Winners: will post Monday. 

* Prize: The Flash! Friday e-dragon e-badge for your blog/wall, your own winner’s page here at FF, a 60-second interview next Wednesday, and your name flame-written on the Dragon Wall of Fame for posterity.

AND HERE IS YOUR TWO-PART PROMPT:

(1) Required story element (this week: setting. The below setting must play a crucial role in your story):

 

(2) Required photo prompt to incorporate:

Old Woman. CC2.0 photo by Giorgio Grande.

 

Flash! Friday–Vol 2 – 16

***Posting results momentarily, minus the hiccup. ***

Well, I knew it was bound to happen: my first quarter judges have all signed off–the last one’s doing so today. They’ve all dutifully turned in their keys to the lair, and though I’m a soggy mess seeing them go, it’s hard to be too sorry since of course they’re returning to the ranks of eligible writers. WATCH OUT!!!! They’ve been watching you closely these past months, and they’re eager as can be to leap back in.    

Next week, by the by, is going to be HUGE. So big, actually, it may well be ‘UGE. We will be welcoming our brand new Quarter 2 judge panel, AND we will be featuring a tribute to the marvelous flash contest Trifecta, which is ending this week. Be sure to come back!

And so: bidding us farewell, sort of, is Last But Not Least judge Erin McCabe. Erin, you’ve been fabulous. Thank you for your service–I hope you’ve had as much fun judging as we’ve had having you judge. Oh dear, that’s some awkward grammar. New judges: kindly disregard. We still have Standards, after all.

Awards Ceremony: Results will post Sunday. Noteworthy #SixtySeconds interviews with the previous week’s winner post Wednesdays.  I (Rebekah) post my own stuff sometimes on Tuesdays or Thursdays “just for fun.”   

Now let’s get to it!

* Word limit: 150 word story (10-word leeway) based on the photo prompt.

* How: Post your story here in the comments. Include your word count (140 – 160 words, exclusive of title) and Twitter handle if you’ve got one. If you’re new, don’t forget to check the contest guidelines.

* Deadline: 11:59pm ET tonight (check the world clock if you need to; Flash! Friday is on Washington, DC time)

* Winners: will post Sunday. 

* Prize: The Flash! Friday e-dragon e-badge for your blog/wall, your own winner’s page here at FF, a 60-second interview next Wednesday, and your name flame-written on the Dragon Wall of Fame for posterity. 

***Today’s Dragon’s Bidding (required element to incorporate somewhere in your story; does not need to be the exact word unless instructed to do so, e.g. “include the brand ‘Schwinn'”):

 

***Today’s Prompt:

Bicycle Tunnel, double exposure. CC photo by r. nial bradshaw.