In 2024 letâs broaden our horizons with a weekly writing challenge that calls upon us all to write a story using the prompts below. Just a few guidelines otherwise it wouldnât be a real challenge now would it:
More than 100 words but no more than 200 words.
Must use the WORD of the WEEK in your story.
Must use at least 2 of the 3 prompts provided (person / place / thing).
Must use pen/pencil and paper! No typing out this story, yaâll!
Letâs become one with our scribbling handwriting and tell a great story!
WORD OF THE WEEK
PERSON | PLACE | THING
Once you have a story, copy/paste it in the comments! I canât wait to read what you come up with.
BONUS
If you want an added challenge, write a story using the WotW, all 3 prompts, PLUS is exactly 200 words in length.
I want to thank for getting this story started for me.
Did Matilda somehow orchestrate this? She was not a woman of significance so no one guessed she was behind it all. The party was going so well. We all were dancing and singing and drinking, unaware of our fates.Â
But all that was about to change when the lights went out. The music stopped. Wine glasses shattered hitting the floor.Â
âLadies and gentlemen, we are sorry for the inconvenience. Itâs time for a different kind of party to begin. My kind of party.â
A spotlight came on. The first person it landed on disappeared. Then moved on to the nextâŚ
The first episode of Elsbeth premiered on CBS/Paramount+. Itâs a tv show spin-off from The Good Wife and The Good Fight where she played Elsbeth Tascioni, a rather different kind of attorney. And while she was only in a few episodes on both shows I was really excited to see that they were going to be giving this particular character her own series. So, without needing to know much (much wasnât given in the trailer or commercials to go by) I was sold. I am a bit biased towards CBS as the majority of my favorite television shows come from this network.
I was pleasantly surprised when the show opened in a rather familiar way. Now, I must preface this by saying, if you have never seen an episode of Columbo, you may be lost as to what Iâm going to discuss next. But if you have and enjoy the concept of Columbo, and youâre on the fence about this show, let me tell you, this one pays homage in such a great way.
As most shows that are either based on a law firm, or police procedural, there is a crime but we (the viewers) donât usually come in until the lawyers and cops arrive. We get to see the victim and maybe weâll be shown how they came to die. But we are just as much in the dark as the lawyers and detectives on the case when it comes to solving for who did it.
Thatâs where a great show like Columbo comes into play. What made this show different than all the rest is that it starts from the POV of the killer. Thatâs right. We get to see how they commit the crime and sometimes even a bit of why, though the why is often the thing we get to see revealed over time. Whatâs so great about this process is the case becomes less about who did it, cause we know, and more about how Lt. Columbo goes about discovering who did it. Now, one thing that can become abundantly clear about the Columbo series is that 10/10 he knows who the killer is right away. They insert themselves into the investigation, you see, or they try to keep their distance. All the while, Columbo has sussed them out within the first few minutes. So, what makes it so intriguing then if we know who the killer is and Columbo knows who the killer is?
CHARACTER, CHARACTER, CHARACTER
Columbo is a rare breed of personality. He wears the same raincoat, button up shirt and brownish/pinkish/purplish suit, with shoes that look like heâs had them for decades. He smokes his cigars, drives a car that looks like it canât make it up a hill, and is satisfied with a bowl of chili from a dive diner for his meals. He plays up the âIâm as dumb as I lookâ routine and sometimes the killer falls for it. But the times when they donât, the times when it becomes a bit of a cat and mouse game between Columbo and the killer, those make for great television.
So, why am I telling you all this? Well, because seeing the murder from the killers POV is exactly how Elsbeth starts. When I saw this I was gobsmacked. I havenât seen a show like this since the days of Columbo so I sat back and prepared to see just how a female Columbo would square up against a formidable opponent. A killer who thought he could never be caught.
I must say, as annoying investigators go, Elsbeth is right up there. She has all the key indicators and makings of a great detective. Just like Columbo she is unassuming. She pretends to be less than âon itâ when it comes to how the letter of the law is done and when sheâs stepped out of bounds.
However, her personality, some might say, is the complete opposite of Columbo. Heâs quiet and keeps his cards close to the vest. Does he know who the killer is? Of course. Does he enjoy getting under their skin till they crack? Certainly. But he doesnât go out of his way to seem less than knowledgeable. There have been occasion where he will not mince words and say, âI know you did it.â And itâs up to him to find irrefutable evidence to support his theory.
Now, with Elsbeth, I have only seen the one episode. So it is possible my entire theory on the premise of this show is incorrect. That it was just for this first episode that they started by showing us the killer and how they committed their crime. But for their sake I hope I am wrong and they do this every week. It will be just what this show needs to hopefully appeal to an audience that will appreciate this kind of cat and mouse game. But she will have to prove to us, the viewers, that sheâs more than just a one trick pony. Iâll need to see much more and until I do, I reserve my judgement on whether this show is a winner. Or will CBS make that decision for meâŚ
I want to thank for getting this story started for me.
Some books should never be opened. Especially, the ones that contain secrets. They can open a door to a new world or trap you inside another.
When she saw the book, once locked away, opened to a random page, she knew her life was in danger. She looked over at the chapter it fell open on: It Walks at Night.
She didnât need to read any further to know the kind of trouble she was in. With little time to lose she started to retrace her step back outside. But before she could reach the exit a growl stopped her.
I want to thank for getting this story started for me.
The waves brought her home. After weeks of drifting with the tide she thought her life would end in the middle of the ocean.Â
Then her small boat, with no oars or sail, washed up onto land. She woke from a sleep where food was plentiful and drink never stopped flowing. Her mouth was dry and stomach empty. She would do anything for a taste of her dreams.
She spilled out over the boat and let the water wash over her, awakening her senses. Her nose led to food found inside shelter that didnât belong to her, but does now.
I want to thank for getting this story started for me.
“I’m not sure when it started, exactly.”
Shirley sucked her teeth. âYeah, right. The day you donât know when something started is the day weâre all out of the game. You just donât wanna own up to what youâve been up to.â
The other ladies sitting at the booth nodded amongst themselves. They agreed this couldnât go on any longer.
âYou never liked me, Shirley. Admit it. Thatâs why you called this meeting. Youâre jealous that Iâm better at this game than you ever were.â
âYouâre a cheater and you know it. Youâve been cheating ever since you joined us.â
I want to thank for getting this story started for me.
The hole opened up just like that. There was little time to react or consider the consequences of its appearance. We had to jump in and ask questions later.
I took hold of her hand, we smiled at each other, closed our eyes, and jumped. We had no idea how far the fall would be before we reached the bottom. Was there a bottom? And would we die on impact. But the answers were down there. They had to be. We had no other choice.
After what felt like forever we felt a burst of air that helped us land.
REMINDER: Collaborative writing with me is the FIRST Friday of every month. See you again on April 5th. Weekly prompts can be found by turning ON #Pentober52 from your subscriber settings here.
IMAGE PROMPT
Tell me about one of the tenants who live in this building. Maybe itâs someone whoâs lived there all their life. Or someone new moving in. Perhaps the landlord is clearly up to something⌠đ
You donât have to write your story today! Free write all weekend long!
MY 50 WORDS
Add your own by copy/pasting it in the comments or hit reply to this email.
They said it would start on the 1st of March and start, it did. It was just flurries at first. Innocent enough to a child. But to adults everywhere, it was a sign that they were out there. It would never stop they said. Everyone would be trapped or worse.
WRITE YOUR OWN 100 WORD STORY
Write exactly 100 words. Not 99 or 101. The Word Count Police are tracking!
Genre? Writerâs choice! So long as you give us all the thrills and the feels.
To Fic or to Non-Fic? You decide. What matters most is that youâre satisfied with the output.
Copy/paste your words in the comments, then share on your own Substack, and maybe, share to social media!
A Note on Substack Notes | Click the đ âRestack with a Noteâ and copy/paste your story for added reach and growth.
THE FIRST 100 AND THE SECOND 100 PRE-ORDERS ARE HERE
I give all the details about the book here. But I wanted to share some interior âspreadsâ with you straight from the book.
With literally 20min to spare before this email is sent out to you I decided to check Amazon to see if it was there yet and BOOM! Now, I know, I know, there is an OBVIOUS typo in the title that I am kicking myself now for not noticing. I have fixed it but it will take a day or two for Amazon servers to acknowledge the title correction. In the meantime, I am off to get The Third 100 pre-order read for you by April 15th!
100 WORD STORIES UPDATE
February theme revolved around Creatures of the Night tarot cards. A deck I obtained via Kickstarter years ago that can now be purchased on their #78Tarot Etsy storefront.
From Etsy: 55 Creatures of shadow and light and everything in between provide guidance and foresight through their distinct emotions and personalities.
In March, I asked my fellow travelers of the fiction community to provide me with a first sentence. I will, in turn, take that first sentence and expand upon it to create a story. Each contributor will be mentioned in the story.
SLEIGHT OF HAND UPDATE
The story took a bit of a tumble for me. But, like anyone with a vision and a story to tell, I did not let it hold me back. I took the necessary steps needed to retrace my steps. I needed to spend quality time with my main characters. You can too by reading some questions I asked myself about each one here. And after some much needed time away I discovered what was missing. March is when I implement my plans and be they best laid or not, I have a feeling the story is unfolding as it was always meant to.
CURIO FICTION UPDATE
Itâs been a rather long time since Iâve brought up my idea for writing a collection of short stories in the genre of âcurio fictionâ but I have not forgotten it. In fact, towards the end of January an idea came to mind and in a matter of days I managed to write over 10k words for the first story. It was so long I split it into four parts and sent them on their merry way in February to all my paid subscribers. Now, Iâm hard at work on the next installment for my collection and with any luck paid subscribers will be receiving the next story the month.
I love a good theme. It helps make the story and characters more clear in my mind. So, keeping that in mind here is the tentative cover for my collection. It is one I hope to release by Spring 2025:
Coming this month, a night security guard at a mall thinks some items in an antique shop are out to get him!
THE SERIAL HOUR PODCAST
Trust me, this is not me trying to bury the lead but, and Iâm wicked glad to announce thisâŚ
The very first episode dropped last week! and I have come together to discuss our respective podcasts with all of you. Our hope is that through sharing our different journeys weâll learn from each other and you will, in turn, learn from us.
Who is this podcast for?
If youâre reading either of our serials and want to learn more about them.
You are on a serial writing journey and looking for a great community to share what itâs like.
If youâre reading any serial either on Substack or elsewhere and youâre curious to get a behind-the-scenes perspective.
Just in case you forgot, if you are a subscriber (I suppose you must be if youâre receiving this email in your inbox) and you want to participate in this yearâs weekly Pentober52 then you need to OPT-IN. Click the button below and make sure to turn on receiving emails for #PENTOBER52.
FREE-WRITING-FRIDAYS
Alas, February was the final month for weekly Free-Writing-Friday posts. From now on this will be a once a month affair. The first Friday of each month you can expect a Free-Writing email complete with the usual image prompt and the start of a story (50-words) for you to finish with your own 50 words. It was not an easy decision to make but with all the time I want to spend on my own fiction I had to let something go. I hope to see you the first Friday of every month starting this month!
They wasted little time moving through the abandoned city. No lights were working. What was once a bustling metropolis was now devoid of life. When the swarm of lights first appeared from the sky no one thought they were bad.
But after years and millions of lives lost later, humanity learned very quickly that no one was safe from the lights. Now they hide underground, where no light can penetrate.
Every night four are chosen to breach the surface for supplies and to find anyone stuck, trying to stay out of sight. With time against them, the lights came down.
