The last few months have put a serious damper on my writing. I had a good schedule going for a while but it’s difficult to get back to it. I’ve been able to do more blog posts but I want to write more fiction, specifically flash fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I want to work on my bigger projects, but for now I’m treating shorter works as warm ups for the main event.
To help me exercise my neglected muse, I’m taking the StoryADay September 2015 challenge. Click here for details if you’re interested in taking the challenge too. Each day I’m going to get an email with a prompt, along with story suggestions.
I don’t know if I can actually write a story every day for 30 days but I’m going to try. I can be overly picky about prompts so I expect to have days where it doesn’t work for me. Actually that’s a terrible attitude. I will attempt to use the prompts as best I can! I can’t promise stellar stories and whichever I choose to post will probably be in dire need of editing but I’ll get them written!
I wrote one today and already I’m itching to fix it. I’m not going to, not yet. If I start editing I’ll pull myself out of creative mode and that is not acceptable. Besides I plan to do Nanowrimo so I might as well get used to the editor hat being hidden in the back of the closet.
That said, below is the story for day one. If you have suggestions they are always welcome. I won’t be terribly surprised if the mistakes I’ve already noticed are pointed out to me, but there are bound to be things I haven’t seen yet so thanks in advance for any comments.
The Prompt
Today, write a story that features people disappearing.
Faulty Memory
The clenched fists were enough to show Wizard Kevin the man calling himself Donovan was getting angry. Added to the narrowed eyes and bulging forehead, there was no mistaking it.
“I can see you’re a little upset with me. Please calm down and explain it to me.”
Donovan took a deep breath. “It started right after I left you. I went to the general store and old man Mitchell had no idea who I was! All those years of slaving away for him and he acted like he’d never seen me before. As I tried to explain who I was he vanished!
Then Emma Brown passed me on the roadway and smiled at me! She didn’t see the man she destroyed, only a new heart to break. As soon as she was a step beyond me she too disappeared.
The butcher wouldn’t take the coins I owed him, swearing I’d never been his customer. You know I pay my debts! He too was gone after a moment.
Then to top it all off, the mayor did remember me, was still angry and still expected me to fix the wall of the council house. He faded away as soon as he got me mad. This spell of yours is wrong! I was supposed to forget the people who made me angry, not the other way around and they weren’t supposed to stop existing. You’re the worst wizard there is. How could you have gotten such a simple spell so completely wrong? I want you to fix this right now?”
The wizard glanced at the villager standing before him. The man was clearly angry but Kevin couldn’t for the life of him understand why.
“Well wizard?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, have we met?” the wizard replied, before he vanished.
Rough draft 300 words
Writerish Ramblings 
Oh this sounds like a really cool challenge I may have to take apart in it. I enjoyed the story as well, it was interesting to see it go in somewhat of a full circle, now he has to be a very peaceful guy unless he wants everyone to vanish.
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Thank you! This is the first time I’ve done a challenge like this. It seems like a good way to keep myself writing. You should try it.
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I’m working on my prompt right now. I’m trying to keep it relatively light-hearted because my brain instantly went towards the dark. We’ll see how that goes. 😉 Good luck!
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You and I seem to be channeling the same Muse, today. Very different stories – but come read mine, and you’ll see what I mean. http://jahangiri.us/2013/disappeared-storyaday/
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A story a day, for 30 days? That’s a pretty good goal and good luck to you. It sounds like something I would try, but time doesn’t seem to be on my side. However, I look forward to seeing your progress.
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This sounds like exactly the challenge I need right now to start writing consistently (good or bad) again. Thanks for sharing it! I also love what you did with today’s prompt. Not the direction my mind went when I read the prompt, so it was fun to be surprised by where you took it. Keep going!
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Sometimes, I’ll read a story and expect a certain reaction to be in dialogue or in narration. And you didn’t disappoint with “You’re the worst wizard there is.” But the ending! Again, it was something you could sense, but I’ve learned to expect the unexpected, and I love how you twist the twist. Superb!
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Challenge accepted!
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Oh..I forgot to mention, great story!
I love how the ending was foreshadowed throughout, but still came as a complete surprise. I thought the wizard might attempt to fix things, or screw them up further, but as soon as he forgot Donovan, I smiled. Poor guy.
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I really enjoyed reading this. Just like you said at the beginning of this post, I have also had trouble writing on a schedule like I used to. My blog is pretty much dead to visitors now (3 posts in August will do that) and my creative juices aren’t flowing correctly because I spend so much time editing and rewriting. I think that I will join in on this challenge.
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Thank you! I’m glad you’re going to do the challenge. It’s really got my mind going in the right direction. Good luck!
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