F3, Cycle 38, The “I live to create madness” edition.

Posted by on July 1, 2011 Leave a comment (29) Go to comments

First off, I owe you all a deep heart-felt apology. I have been grossly absent and for that, I am truly sorry. First off, my computer died. It is now a very expensive paper weight with no hope of ever returning to active service. This kept me off line for a couple of weeks. Then I tried using the computer that belongs to my seven year old little girl, just so I can keep up with Flash Fiction Friday, an aspect of my life that is very important to me. I have friends here and I want to keep up with their writing and encourage them in any way I can. They have been very good to me and have nurtured my writing past the clumsy scribbles of a would-be hack into something of a more mature author. For that, I’m grateful. The S.N.A.F.U. of the whole kid’s computer is that it has a “Net Nanny” program that will not let me get to my own blog because it has alcohol, tobacco, and firearms references on it. It also won’t let me view your blog for the same reason. So I can check my email (which I don’t use) look at Facebook (not much use for it either) and play Solitare. I find the situation maddening. Everything I use a computer for, this thing won’t do.

To make matters worse, my work schedule has jumped to what seems like eighty hours a week and my new position is high stress and no thank you’s. My vacation rolls around and I spend a blissful week in the wild on a canoe trip. I return with batteries recharged and find a sleek, black Toshiba with all the whistles and bells. I have rejoined the 21st century. But enough of my woes, let’s get to the challenge.

This week we take a completely different tack. Tens of millions of people in the U.S. alone suffer from mental illness. The gamut is wide and varied, from OCD to agoraphobia to many things in between. This week we take on madness. Is it in the tradition of Edgar Allen Poe or more along the lines of the pychopathes that top the best seller lists? Is it benign like insomnia or is it a mystery to be solved with amnesia? Regardless, madness must ensue. So ready the straight jackets and the white van and get crazy!

Prompt: Write a story involving madness in whatever form appeals to you.
Genre: Open
Word Count: 1200 words.
Deadline: Thursday, July 7th, 6 pm EST.

Yours in the madness of ink,
Doc

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  • barbara

    You can’t go wrong with a Toshiba!  Glad to have you safely back in the fold, batteries recharged.  

    Count me in for this week’s prompt!

  • Beach Bum

    I’m in for this one as well.

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    Sweet!  I too have a Toshiba laptop… her name is Bella.  Bella is my constant companion.  I wish you a long and purpose-filled relationship with your companion.

    I thought I might have to bow out of this week’s prompt as well, but I just finished the second draft of my story… only 45 words over the limit, so… I think I can take a little detour… a brief descent into madness… let me just double-check that lifeline.

    See everybody next Thursday!

  • Evan Henry

    I’ll see what I can do…

  • http://irefusetogoquietly.blogspot.com/ SueH

    Having missed last week I’ll do my best to step up to the plate and produce something!
    (BTW -I enjoyed reading last week’s efforts, everyone. Well done!)

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    Where are my manners?

    Thank you to everyone who contributed last week.  Your stories were AMAZING… I still have a huge smile on my face from reading them.  Two of them made me cry… and, you know what?  That’s not a bad thing.  <3  

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    First draft was 1,600 words… I have just finished the second draft… it refuses to budge from 1,350 words.

    I offer my apologies in advance, in the event I cannot bring the word count down any more.

    • http://profiles.google.com/tpluck tpluck

      I know it’s hard cutting down isn’t it? It took me three goes to get mine from 1350 to 1199. 
      That’s the part of the flash exercise I think is the most useful, really. Write enough flash and your stories of 2500-3500 are tighter than a crab’s behind, and that’s waterproof.

  • http://irefusetogoquietly.blogspot.com/ SueH

    Here, y’go!

    REVERIE

  • Beach Bum

    Got mine down, a “little” over the word limit but I have a hangover.

    http://carolinaparrothead.blogspot.com/2011/07/having-all-facts.html#links

    • Beach Bum

      Meant to say “Got mine done…” I blame that typo on my aching head.

  • http://twitter.com/aldysfiction Kevin Aldrich

    Here’s mine: http://www.aldysfiction.com/blog/2011/07/05/waiting-for-goodow-fridayflash/

    This is my first time here. Love the site and the project!

    • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

      Welcome, Kevin!  Looking forward to reading your story this Friday!  :)

  • Doc

    I don’t know of anything in the rules that says that the moderator can’t make a submission to his own post so I give you “The Unwanted Man”. It can be found here:

    http://cultureofbeer.blogspot.com/2011/07/f3-cycle-38-unwanted-man.html

    Doc

    • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

      “Rules?  We don’t need no steenking rules!”  LOL!!!

      I am with you Doc…. nothing in the rules says the moderator cannot contribute a story… much looking forward to reading your entry!  I shall endeavor to keep my enthusiasm in check until Friday, however.
      :)

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    I have an excuse for going over the word count… it is all Beach Bum’s hangover’s fault… that’s right!  My powers of empathy, in helping Beach deal with his little “problem”… caused my story to go over the word limit!  (Really, Veronica?  That’s what you’re going with?)

    Oohh… I cannot wait until Friday!  I am so excited!  I see we have at least one new “face”… Welcome, Kevin!

  • Evan Henry

    Won’t be able to make this one either. I’ll make the next one, hopefully.

  • http://profiles.google.com/tpluck tpluck

    Mine is up: Slice of Life. 
    A little joke there, I hate slice of life stories where nothing happens (as opposed to a Chekhovian anticlimactic ending)
    http://www.pluckyoutoo.com/2011/07/slice-of-life.html

  • Jenny
  • http://www.vinodnarayan.com Vinod Narayan

    Not sure if this is the right interpretation of the theme, but I thought this story should be heard

    http://www.vinodnarayan.com/flash-fiction/looking-through-the-window/

    • Jenny

      As long as it’s YOUR interpretation, of course it’s right!! (: I look forward to reading it!

  • R.L.W.
  • Flannery Alden

    Here’s mine: http://prone2whimsy.blogspot.com/2011/07/f3-cycle-38-rage-diary.html

  • Mike Williams

    Somehow This didn’t get posted enjoy
    http://www.katabatikos.com/

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    Sorry… no story this week… forgot to post my link here… still, looking forward to reading everyone else’s tomorrow.

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw
  • http://natalief.livejournal.com/ natalief

    deleted duplicate comment

  • http://natalief.livejournal.com/ natalief

    I am usually so far behind reading my feeds that I always miss the deadlines here. Do you collate late stories at all? How does one get on the contributors list? I suppose I could just post a story on my blog and link back to the post here that inspired it, despite it being “late”. I will also look into how to get these “cycle” prompts by email so that I may actually have a chance of participating “on time”! ;-p
    I really enjoyed reading all of the stories this week. I know that none of us are totally “normal” and that there is really no such thing but it was interesting to see what each writer brought to the table within the subject.

  • http://veronicathepajamathief.wordpress.com/ Veronica Marie Lewis-Shaw

    I would love to read your story, Natalie!  I will look for your link.  :)