Free Writing Fridays #029

Your 100 Word Story

November 24, 2023

Your 100 Word Story

A BLACK FRIDAY + 2023 OPPORTUNITY

Starting today through the end of the year, I’m giving EVERYONE who participates in these Free Writing Friday challenges THREE comp months in 2024. That gets you access to 14 episodes of Sleight of Hand and the entire 100 Word Stories archive.

But wait, there’s more! If I select your story as my favorite, you’ll get ONE FULL YEAR comped! That means you get to read the entire serial from beginning to end for FREE!

I’m giving away 6 FULL YEAR comps and an unlimited number of 3 month comps starting today to December 29th!

Time to flex your writing skills and share your best 50 words to add to mine! Clock is ticking on the first weekend giveaway that ends at 10pm EST on Sunday, November 26th.

IMAGE PROMPT

A 100 WORD STORY COLLABORATION

[MY 50 WORDS]

“Are you sure this is the way? We’re, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere,” she said, gripping the steering wheel of their camper van.

“Would you say we’ve reached the end of the world?”

“You’d have to be blind not to think so!”

He smiled. “We’re almost there then.”

Write your 50 words to follow mine, then copy/paste them into the comments. Be sure to put “[My 50 Words]” first so I know it’s an official entry.

REMINDER: You don’t have to write your story just on Fridays! Take this sentiment and free write all weekend long!

NEW ADDITION TO FREE WRITING FRIDAYS

You may not know this, but for 15 weeks, I’ve done 100 Word Story Collaborations with some truly amazing Substack writers. For November and December I want to collaborate with you! That’s right! If you’re up for the challenge, read on, but if you just want to continue as you have been, doing your own free writing, the IMAGE PROMPT is below for your writing pleasure

A 100 WORD STORY COLLABORATION

I write 50 words. You write an additional 50 words.
My 50 must start. Your 50 must follow.
You have all weekend long to copy/paste your 50 words into the COMMENTS section of this post.
My 50 words will always use the IMAGE PROMPT as inspiration.
I will select my favorite 50 word addition to my story and share it in the following ways:
- Substack Notes (you will get tagged as well)
- Upcoming First Edition email on December 1st and January 1st (respectively)

If you are up for this challenge scroll to my 50 words BENEATH the IMAGE PROMPT! Good luck!

Let’s get this weekend write-life started! From this Friday forward, I’ll include an image prompt and a few words to get your brain percolating towards a story. But only if you need it! Write whatever sparks joy for you.

Here’s how:

Exactly 100 words. Not 99 or 101. The Word Count Police are tracking!
Genre? Writer’s 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 you’re 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 🔄 “Restack with a Note” and copy/paste your story for added reach and growth.

Erica Drayton Writes

Queen of 💯 Word Stories.

Stephanie Loomis

November 24, 2023

Love this idea!!

Reply
1. Erica Drayton
  
  November 25, 2023
  
  I hope to see an entry 👀
  
  Reply
Michael S. Atkinson

November 24, 2023

[my 50 words]
“What?” she said. “You’re not making sense-”
Then the car crossed the Line. The hills vanished. In their place stretched a yawning void. Absolute empty nothingness.
“How do we go there?” she asked.
“Not us,” he said. “It just wants you.”
He pushed her in before she could ask why.

Reply
Redd Oscar

November 24, 2023

[MY 50 WORDS]
The hills bent towards them before she could respond. The road climbed to vertical and then overhead. The van did not fall.
“You’re scaring me!” she cried, her hair vertical beneath her.
“Good, that means we’ll break out of this loop.”
“wha–?” the sky shattered.
“Welcome back to the beginning.”

Reply
1. Erica Drayton
  
  November 25, 2023
  
  I even counted by hand and I think this is 49 words. Not 50. We could uncontract a contraction? Is that even a word? Uncontract?
  
  Reply
  1. Redd Oscar
    
    November 25, 2023
    
    I thought it was 49 but then OpenOffice told me 50. I don’t know what it’s counting as a word that isn’t a word. I will uncontract something 😂
    
    Reply
Lisa Ditalia

November 24, 2023

(My 50 words)
“Now you’re really scaring me” she said. “If we’re almost there, why not tell me where where is?” “It’s a secret, you’ll know when we get there” he said with a sly devilish grin she couldn’t help but notice!” Watch out, she screamed and before they knew it, kaboom kaboom!

Reply
Stephanie Loomis

November 25, 2023

50 words (per google doc word count)
Beyond the hills stretched an abyss. She sensed the emptiness and it made her nervous.He had insisted she take the wheel, despite the cataracts that blinded her. She heard him yawn and without a second thought, she jammed her foot hard on the gas and over the final hill.

Reply
Michael P. Marpaung

November 25, 2023

[My 50 words]

She looked to him. “Now what?”
“Floor it.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded.
Ever obedient, she did as was told.
The van picked up speed, then crashed through the invisible wall. Both unharmed, they marveled at the breathtaking view.
“The clouds.” She gasped. “Professor!”
“Yes,” he said. “We found Hyperborea.”

Reply
Susie Mawhinney

November 25, 2023

“We’re almost where ?”

“You said we were going somewhere special, this is not !”

“We are, just keep driving – you’ll see…”

She put her foot down, angrily heading towards the shimmering, golden veil, she looked at him, her eyes betraying her fear but certain he wouldn’t betray her….

Or would he?

50 words, straight up, no edit!

Reply
Michael C. Nachoff

November 25, 2023

[My 50 words]

Her hand trails across the inside of the dusty windshield and she looks down at the grit between her fingertips.
“They know…”
“We’ll be okay—we’re almost at the perimeter—they’re expecting us.”
One of her trembling hands bunches the shirt that covers her protruding stomach.
“They have to know…”

Reply
Joseph Wiess

November 25, 2023

Your 50 plus my 50 result in this:

“Are you sure this is the way? We’re, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere?” she said, gripping the steering wheel of their camper van.

“Would you say we’ve reached the end of the world?”

“You’d have to be blind not to think so!”

He smiled. “We’re almost there then.”

She stared out the windshield, watching the dust blow across the Texas landscape.
“You still haven’t told me what’s out here.”

“See it for yourself.” He got out.

“What is there to see in the dark?” She followed.
“Look up.”
She looked up, awestruck by the bright universe above her.

Reply
Iris Shaw

November 26, 2023

[My 50 words]

“Where?”
“The end of the world. You know what the wizard said…”
“Oh, cut it out! That wasn’t a wizard!”
“He said, go to the end of the world. Then you’ll find it.”
“Find what?”
“Erm. He didn’t say.”
Both fell silent as they stared at the empty, shifting sands.

Reply
SDG Lemaître

November 26, 2023

[MY 50 WORDS]

They crested the final ridge and looked into the valley. There were trees bleached as bone and a bulbous minaret of sun-baked brick.

“Doesn’t look good,” she said as they slalomed down the track.

“We’ve failed,” he said. A single tear snailed down his cheek.

The well was dry.

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Dr. Fake Smile

November 26, 2023

My 50 words:
Cresting the ridge of low hills, earth opened before us. Dropping deep and wide, the canyon was long and verdant, where the earth behind us was scorched and barren.
A serpentine silver river snaked the miles of the secret valley. Hawks soared below us.
“The end of the world. Home”

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Harrie M

November 27, 2023

My 50 Words :
His ‘almost there’ totalled exactly 136 minutes last time. Not that she’d been counting. She’d promised herself she’d forget the last time.

Feeling tired, exhausted and at this point done with mundane travel ‘surprises’, she pulled over, with tears rolling down her face.

It was beautiful, but…

“Nearly there, huh?”

Reply

Erica Drayton Writes