Hi, guys! Welcome to Microcosms 49. It’s the early hours of Friday here in the UK: the time I habitually start scrabbling around for an idea for a contest.
Nope… can’t think of anything new. So, I’ll have to fall back on Plan B:
plagiarisma tribute to the Flash Dogs daily challenge on Twitter – #VSS365.For those of you who have not yet had the joy of this experience, the idea is to write a very short story (VSS), using the prompt of the day, within the 140 character limit imposed by Twitter. It’s a fun way to stretch one’s fiction muscles; entries range from the sublime to the ones I submit…
I’ve selected from the prompts given in November to provide our usual elements of character and setting. But don’t panic – you still have the normal maximum limit of 300 words.
Geoff
(If you have an idea for a future contest and would like to be guest host, please contact me.)
Our contest begins with three things: character, setting and genre.
We spun, and our three elements are – character: Sheriff, setting: Blockade, and genre: Memoir.
Write a story using those OR feel free to click on the “Spin!” button, and the slot machine will come up with a new set – you can keep clicking until you have a set of elements that inspire you. Be sure to include which three elements you’re using.
- Wizard
- Predator
- Cook
- Sheriff
- Carpenter
- Novice
- Refuge
- Blockade
- Caravan
- Ireland
- Christmas Party
- Sidewalk
- Fairy Tale
- Comedy
- Crime
- Romance
- Memoir
- Very Short Story
Judging this week is Microcosms 48 Community Pick AND Judge’s Pick, Alva Holland.
All submissions should be a maximum of 300 words in length. You have until midnight, New York time to submit.
(If you are new to Microcosms, check out the full submission guidelines.)
All being well, results will be posted on Monday.
If you like, you may use this image to inspire you – purely optional.

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