FLASH CHALLENGE: April '11

[kailhofer]

"The Knowing" Challenge:



How well does one person really know another?

We think we know. We expected our best friends will act a certain way, to tell a joke when things were tough, to back you up in times of trouble, or to be your wingman when you tried to pick up that hottie at the Dairy Queen back when you were 19. Except sometimes they didn't, and you may have gotten a black eye to prove it. We think we know the person we marry--but the inner workings of their mind are really a mystery. How else could you still be stunned after seventeen years of wedded bliss to find your wife laughing her head off at an old Pauly Shore movie on the TV?

Indeed, how well can we really know ourselves? Do you know the force of your every heartbeat? Do you know the movement of the musculature in your jaw when you chew? Do you know how well your liver is working today? Or that sore knot in your back when you woke this morning… do you know where it came from?

The fact is that we gloss over most of the way things actually are and actually work in our bodies or minds. We expect to keep breathing, barring serious injury, until the day we die and simply trust that everything will just keep working right until then. However, none of us know what is really going on inside ourselves and how it affects who we are or what we do.

There is a very unique way Science Fiction can allow writers to examine what makes us who we are: the symbiont. A being exists within our bodies that can examine our motivations, actions, and drives with an outsiders eye while living within the system of who we are. I am not speaking of parasitic attackers or alien invaders who possess us or seek to turn us into their meat puppets. I'm talking about a being that lives within us, that gives us something fair in return for life support, a sentient life form that can communicate with us and live in harmony.

So, I challenge you to craft a story about "first contact" between your human main character and their symbiont, but... this is not in itself challenging enough for you lot. You're better writers than that. In this challenge, your symbiont must also be disappointed in its new surroundings.





REQUIREMENTS: (1) Your science fiction story must tell the tale of the first sentient connection between a human character and the disappointed symbiont who has taken up residence inside the character; (2) 1,000 words or less, not counting title, byline, or "The End"; (3) The characters, setting, and story must be fictional and not previously published, even in these challenges; (4) One entry per author; (5) Give your story a title and a byline; and (6) Keep it clean. Rated 'PG-13'. (Basically, think, "Could I see this on CSI?")

CHARACTERS & SETTING: No copyrighted characters or settings, or references thereto. Famous, non-copyrighted fictional characters like Santa Claus, or religious figures such as the Devil, named angels such as Gabriel, or gods like Thor, etc. as supporting characters at best and at my discretion. The Wicked Witch and Dracula may be in the public domain, but don't expect me to allow them. No person that was ever a "real life" human being may be used as a character, but can be referred to, as in "President Kennedy had declared it would be so." Except as noted above under non-copyrighted fictional persons, character names may not be copied from fiction or real life, even if changed, i.e. Char-les Darween. All non-copyrighted settings are ok. Famous, unique sites like Stonehenge may be used over and again. No fan fiction, so don't bother putting your story in the Land of Oz or that great place you thought up two challenges ago.

DISQUALIFICATIONS/REFUSALS: If, in my judgment, any requirement or rule is missed, I won't post the story for voting, but authors are free to resubmit with changes until the deadline. Should a story be initially accepted and posted in the challenge, but then later judged by me to be in violation, the story may be disqualified and removed from contention at any time prior to contest end. Authors who feel a story may be in violation should send me a PM and state their case.

HOW TO ENTER: Stories must be sent by PRIVATE MESSAGE, and NOT posted into a thread. Just click the 'PM' button at the bottom of this post and paste your story in the message. You are responsible for doing your own formatting, and leave an extra line between paragraphs, just like when you see them in the 'zine. I will allow different colors, but not changed fonts or sizes, artwork, or any other embedded or external links.

DO NOT send a regular email to me.

Stories will be posted "blind"--without the author's name on them. All the story titles are literally tossed into a hat and chosen at in random order. When the poll closes after the voting week, I'll post a list of the stories and who wrote them. All entries will then be reposted in the Flash Archive with the author's byline.

Entries from new authors are strongly encouraged. C'mon. Give it a try!

NOTE: ONLY REGISTERED MEMBERS who have posted at least one message may submit a story. Without that one post, the system will not let you send a PM.

DEADLINE: Stories should be in by 9 p.m. Central Standard Time (GMT-6), Sunday, April 24, 2011. The stories will then be posted for voting around 10 p.m. Voting will close on May 1st at approximately 9 p.m., GMT-6.

VOTING: Stories are rated on a scale of 0-10 in whole numbers in 6 different categories by filling in scores in a form that is posted by me immediately following the post containing the stories for this challenge. Voters copy and paste the form into a PM and send it to me for tallying. One vote per user (that is, per ip address), and authors may not vote for their own story.

Every effort will be made to keep the voting fair. In the past, some voters have abstained from voting for some of the stories while voting for the others. Since total points scored decides the winner, this put the stories that weren't voted on at a disadvantage. Should this happen again, the skipped stories will be given marks equaling whatever the story's average is at the time of contest close. IF YOU WISH TO SCORE A ZERO FOR A STORY, YOU MUST ENTER A ZERO IN THAT POSITION ON THE VOTING FORM. A challenge entrant who does not vote for the other stories will receive a 10% deduction in their own score at the time of contest close, and the other stories will be given marks equaling whatever their story's average is at the time of contest close.

If more than two stories are tied at the end of voting, there will be a succession of one-day runoff votes until a single winner is chosen or the number of winners is reduced to two.

WHAT YOU WIN: Writers get improved short fiction skills, increasing their chances in the marketplace, without the lengthy investment in time a longer story would take. That, as well as bragging rights and pride--there is stiff competition each month amongst some great stories.

LEGAL STUFF: I'll try to do my best lawyer impersonation: By entering this or any challenge you are technically granting Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy perpetual electronic rights only to post and archive your challenge entry. Aphelion would rather not lay any claim on them at all, but by posting them on a public site, they'd legally count as being published no matter what.

Ok. A real lawyer would have been less interesting. I tried.

[kailhofer]

Sometimes it's better to have thought on it...

[kailhofer]

I sent one in two days ago, but it's still in my Outbox.

I think that means Nate hasn't looked at it, yet.

I hope if he rejects it, I'll have time for a rewrite.

BW

It's been a pretty heavy load at work, nearly 60 hours both the last two weeks. Being salaried sucks sometimes. Weekends have been the only time to read messages and try to recharge, but I should be caught up now except for adding last time's stories to the challenge index.

I've clarified a plotline question, rejected one submision, questioned another, and accepted two others so far.

I'll maybe get the index back up to speed tomorrow. I could really use a nap.

[Lester Curtis]

I'm trying to think of one for this . . . not sure I'll make it . . .

[Megawatts]

Well, I've got one in. Hope everyone enters. I'm sure some of the stories will be shocking!!!

[kailhofer]

That's 5 in so far. Still two days remaining...

[kailhofer]

Hello, I’m new here and I’m trying to submit a flash story to the comp. but I can’t see the ‘PM’ link at the bottom of the post. I’m probably being a bit thick, can anyone help? Or is there another way of entering?
Thanks, Dean

Welcome to the fray.

How you do a PM depends on which board style you have in your user control panel. If you use the default 'CA orbital' style (dark background with light blue/gray type), all you have to do is mouse over my user name above the avatar to the left of this message and a menu will pop up, giving the option to private message. If you use the 'prosilver' style (light background with black type), there's a PM button below my avatar at the right of the message.

Since I use the prosilver one, I hadn't noticed that it was that difficult to PM since the upgrade. I must add that to the rules and voting forms...

[Lester Curtis]

Well, I surprised myself . . . dashed one off in just about two hours, without exceeding the word-count . . . I don't think it's all that good, though, and I hope it doesn't get rejected.

We shall see.

[Lester Curtis]

Well, the Ice Gnome said he liked it . . . and now he's late posting the stories for the vote. That's okay, he's a busy guy . . .

So, I'm in! We'll see what happens!