February 21, 2012

Bewitching Flash Fiction

Posted by Emily

Alex Flinn has a way with fairy tales. She can take the most well-known fable, add some spice, and turn it into something surprising and fresh. In this case, the spice is Kendra, an immortal witch and a shameless meddler in mortal affairs who’s changing the traditional fairy-tale recipe. For instance, take one part Beauty and the Beast, add two parts Kendra, and BAM! You’ve got Beastly, in which Kendra, disguised as an ugly high school student, teaches an arrogant boy about the meaninglessness of external beauty. Add a sprinkle of Kendra to a boiling pot of Cinderella, and POOF! You’ve got Bewitching, in which Kendra, returning to high school, has juuuuust the thing to help innocent Emma get rid of her conniving stepsister . . . and it isn’t a pumpkin.

Inspired by Bewitching (which you can start reading on Figment), we have a string of flash fiction mini-contests for you!

Every day for the next five days (through Saturday, February 25), we’ll be updating this post with a new iconic fairytale item and a new tag (so create a new book for each prompt). Your challenge: write a short-short story that takes that item and puts it in a new context.

You’ll have 24 hours to write a story (of 100 words or fewer) that responds to the prompt. The Figment editorial staff will read all the entries and choose its favorite, based on creativity, originality, and execution. One winner per daily prompt will receive a copy of Bewitching.

And now, onto the prompts!

Closed–(Feb 25): Write about a red cape/cloak.
Tag your story “BewitchingFlash” and “BewitchingCape”
You have until 12:00 p.m. EST on February 26 to enter.

Closed–(Feb 24): Write about a spinning wheel.
Tag your story “BewitchingFlash” and “BewitchingWheel”
You have until 12:00 p.m. EST on February 25 to enter.

Closed–(Feb 23): Write about a rose.
Tag your story “BewitchingFlash” and “BewitchingRose”
You have until 12:00 p.m. EST on February 24 to enter.

Closed–(Feb 22): Write about a pumpkin.
Tag your story “BewitchingFlash” and “BewitchingPumpkin”
You have until 12:00 p.m. EST on February 23 to enter.

Closed–(Feb 21): Write about an enchanted mirror.
Tag your story “BewitchingFlash” and “BewitchingMirror”
You have until 12:00 p.m. EST on February 22 to enter.

Click here to read the full promotion guidelines.

98 thoughts on “Bewitching Flash Fiction”

On February 21, 2012 at 12:07 pm, kainaima said:

Do you have to do all the prompts to be eligible to win or just one?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 3:27 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi kainaima,
  
  Just one! Each prompt gives you a separate chance to win.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 1:57 pm, Trinity said:

Isn’t Tuesday the 21st?

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On February 21, 2012 at 1:57 pm, Trinity said:

I thought Tuesday was the 21st?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 3:27 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Yes, it is. Thanks for the catch! We’ve corrected that.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 2:05 pm, Jasmine said:

Ah, don’t you mean FEBRUARY 22? Because if it’s January then all of us lost.

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On February 21, 2012 at 2:40 pm, Halle said:

Can we put all of our entries, for all five days, into one book? As long as we tag them for each story? Like, each chapter would be one day’s entry. But there’d be five chapters, one per day…would that be okay?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 3:26 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Halle,
  
  No, because each prompt has a different tag (in ADDITION to the general tag: bewitchingflash).
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 3:51 pm, Sami D. said:

Would it be possible to re-tag an old contest entry (that didn’t win for that particular contest) if it fits the prompt for the day?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 5:13 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Sami,
  
  No, contest entries must be original and published on Figment within the contest’s entry period.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 5:11 pm, Sara O'Hern said:

Really?! Only 100 words? Are you sure that’s right?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 6:11 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Yup!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 5:27 pm, Marisol said:

Sounds fun! Is there a word limit?

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- On February 21, 2012 at 6:10 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Marisol,
  
  Yes! Each entry should be 100 words or fewer.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 6:18 pm, Halle said:

In that case, can we delete a book after the winner’s for that prompt are announced? I’m afraid of page-clutter. :/

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- On February 21, 2012 at 6:39 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi halle,
  
  Yes, you may do so, but please note that the winner will not necessarily be posted immediately after the contest has ended.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 6:25 pm, Marisol said:

Okay, thanks!(:

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On February 21, 2012 at 6:28 pm, Laura Traveler said:

So, how exactly do we submit these? Via email? Twitter? It’s not really clear; a 100 word story is too long for a single tweet.

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- On February 21, 2012 at 6:39 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Laura,
  
  Start a new 100-word story on Figment and tag it with the appropriate tags in the “Details” section. If you have more questions, please email me at rebecca@figment.com.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 6:48 pm, Marisol said:

Can we join again for the next few days if we already joined today?

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:41 am, Rebecca said:
  
  I’m not sure I understand your question…you may submit an entry for every prompt, if you wish.
  
  Reply ↓
  - On February 22, 2012 at 12:04 pm, Marisol said:
    
    Oh, okay. Thanks Rebecca!(:
    
    Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 8:14 pm, Jazmine Murphy said:

can the story be a few words over, like maybe ten?

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:40 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi jazmine,
  
  No, all stories must be 100 words or fewer.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 8:14 pm, Meggy said:

When will the winners be posted? Agreeing with Halle, I don’t want to clutter up my page!

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:40 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi meggy,
  
  Most likely at the beginning of next week or sooner.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 21, 2012 at 9:06 pm, Janelle Gobin said:

Hi Rebecca!

How long does it take for my entry to appear under the “show all entries” page? Is my obsessive refresh-button bruising unnecessarily paranoid?

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:40 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Janelle,
  
  It usually takes around 2 hours. If it’s still not showing up, tell me the name of your story, and I will investigate.
  
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  - On February 23, 2012 at 6:52 pm, Janelle Gobin said:
    
    Hello Rebecca!
    
    I checked today under “all entries” and my story, ‘You Pretty Girl’ for the “mirror” prompt, is still nowhere to be found! If I’ve made a transcription error in the tagging, please let me know . . .
    
    Reply ↓
    - On February 23, 2012 at 6:54 pm, Janelle Gobin said:
      
      I also re-tagged my story (using the same tags as I had before) not sure if this will help, but I’ll check back in two hours and see.
      
      Reply ↓
      - On February 23, 2012 at 9:18 pm, Janelle Gobin said:
        
        Posted another story titled “The Best Killers Wear Petals” for today’s prompt. It has been two hours and that hasn’t shown up either. Is it me????
      - On February 23, 2012 at 10:53 pm, Rebecca said:
        
        Hi Janelle,
        
        The tags were incorrect. I have removed the spaces and fixed them for you. Your story should appear now.
    - On February 23, 2012 at 10:52 pm, Rebecca said:
      
      Hi Janelle,
      
      The story did not show up because it was tagged incorrectly. The tags were supposed to be BewitchingFlash and BewitchingMirror (no spaces). Sorry!
      
      Reply ↓
      - On February 24, 2012 at 9:00 pm, Janelle Gobin said:
        
        Thank you very much, I will be diligent in tagging my stories properly from now on! Thanks again
On February 21, 2012 at 9:59 pm, Alex said:

When will the winners for each prompt be posted? All together, or one each day? What happens if one person wins two prompts?

Sorry for all the questions :/

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:39 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Alex,
  
  We will most likely post the winners at the beginning of next week. It is possible for one person to win two prompts, as each prompt presents a new opportunity for any entrant to win. Hope this helps!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 22, 2012 at 1:46 am, Emily said:

Since we can only use 100 words, may our entries to this contest be poems instead of short stories?

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- On February 22, 2012 at 10:38 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Emily,
  
  Sure!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 22, 2012 at 11:38 am, Erika said:

When will today’s prompt be posted? I was hoping to get a bit of a head-start on that so I don’t forget about it by tonight.

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- On February 22, 2012 at 2:54 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Erika,
  
  It has already been posted! It is above.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 22, 2012 at 3:51 pm, Luna said:

How will we know who is chosen for each contest? Will you just tell everyone after the week and five contests are up, or will it take longer than that?

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- On February 22, 2012 at 3:57 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Luna,
  
  We will most likely post all of the winners at the beginning of next week.
  
  Reply ↓
  - On February 22, 2012 at 4:09 pm, Luna said:
    
    Ok, thank you for letting me know.
    
    Reply ↓
On February 22, 2012 at 9:39 pm, shuly ilya said:

hi, am i supposed to receive a pop-up confirmation for my entry, because i wrote mine, and it doesn’t show among the entries.

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On February 22, 2012 at 9:52 pm, shuly ilya said:

in reference to my former comment, the name of my story is “Orange;everywhere.”

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:55 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Shuly,
  It is tagged correctly. Is it showing up now?
  
  Reply ↓
On February 22, 2012 at 11:57 pm, Tyanna said:

Will we recieve an email letting us know that we won so that we know NOT to delete that story?

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:26 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Tyanna,
  
  Yes, you will receive an email, but it might not be until next week.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 9:45 am, Mary said:

Hello Rebecca,

I submitted my entry (Just One Bite) for the flash fiction due today, and it has been two hours, and I still do not see it in the list of entries. Have I tagged it properly?

Thank you,

Mary

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On February 23, 2012 at 9:48 am, Mary said:

Never mind, I found it!

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On February 23, 2012 at 1:06 pm, Paint Splatters said:

Are we allowed to use a part from another piece that we’re working on that follows the guidelines or does it have to be a new one?

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:54 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Paint,
  Your story must be published within the entry period. You may borrow from other stories, but your entry should be original.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 1:11 pm, SASHA said:

will the winners be told any way other than on the site. and how will the winners be choosen

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- On February 23, 2012 at 1:55 pm, SASHA said:
  
  nevermind i figured it out
  
  Reply ↓
- On February 23, 2012 at 1:55 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Sasha,
  
  The winners will be informed by email (in addition to a post on the blog). Figmods will choose the winners.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 3:41 pm, Lydia said:

How many times may we enter?

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- On February 23, 2012 at 5:58 pm, Emily said:
  
  Hey Lydia-
  You may enter once per prompt (aka once per day).
  -Emily
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 7:31 pm, Sofia Connor said:

Hi

Just wondering, is it 12:00 PM (as in noon) or 12:00 AM (as in midnight) for the deadline to enter?

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:49 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Sofia 12:00 PM as in noon.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 8:03 pm, Laura Gonzales said:

Bewitching flash.

A seed grows into a sapling.
The sapling grows into an unbloomed bush.
Bushes grow flowers.
Flowers can be anything; Like roses.
Roses can be distinguished by petal type and color.
Colors can range from blue to yellow, from red to black.
Roses are unique.
You are unique.

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- On February 25, 2012 at 1:18 am, Anna said:
  
  Um, Laura,
  You’re supposed to make a new book and tag it for the contest entry.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 9:56 pm, Roberta said:

Is poetry allowed?
It doesn’t say it’s not, so… yeah.

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:48 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Roberta,
  
  Poetry is fine. Good luck!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 10:38 pm, Rachel said:

hi i entered my piece and it said it confirmed but it hasn’t shown up yet and its been a few hours

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- On February 23, 2012 at 10:54 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Rachel,
  What is it called?
  
  Reply ↓
On February 23, 2012 at 11:46 pm, Silverpool said:

Hi! I was wondering if we could ask people to read these flash fiction stories for swaps…
Thanks

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On February 24, 2012 at 7:34 am, LaDonna said:

How do i enter my story i need an answer before 12:00 pm.

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- On February 24, 2012 at 10:58 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi LaDonna,
  
  Just create a new Figment book, tag it correctly with BOTH tags (BewitchingFlash, and that day’s tag), and then click “Publish Now.”
  
  Reply ↓
On February 24, 2012 at 7:38 am, Emily said:

Since this is not a heart contest, are we allowed to ask people to read our entries?

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- On February 24, 2012 at 10:57 am, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Emily,
  
  Yes, that is fine.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 24, 2012 at 9:44 pm, Jazmine said:

How will you know if you’ve won?

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- On February 25, 2012 at 2:36 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Jazmine,
  
  You will be notified by email and the winners will be posted on this blog.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 1:16 am, Anna said:

I wrote and published my story “And the Wheel Goes ‘Round” (for the spinning wheel prompt) half an hour before the time limit. However, ten minutes after 12:00 P.M. EST, I realized that I had tagged it “bewitchedflash” and “bewitchedwheel” instead of “bewitchingflash” and “bewitchingwheel”. I retagged my story properly, but I’m afraid that I was too late.

Can my story still be considered for judging?

-Anna

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On February 25, 2012 at 1:19 am, Anna said:

Never mind, I figured it out.

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On February 25, 2012 at 9:14 am, Amanda J said:

Hello,

I entered my entry for the spinning wheel last night, but it’s still not coming up. I looked through all the pages.

Sorry to bother you, but could you check it out for me?
Title: What I Am

Thanks
Amanda

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On February 25, 2012 at 9:19 am, Amanda J said:

Never mind, I finally was able to enter it.

Sorry for the trouble!

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On February 25, 2012 at 12:28 pm, Jazmine said:

when will the next prompt be up?

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- On February 25, 2012 at 2:37 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Jazmine,
  It’s up now!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 1:50 pm, Laina said:

Uhhh where’s the fifth prompt?

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- On February 25, 2012 at 2:38 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Laina,
  It’s up now!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 2:19 pm, RosyInkLiv54 said:

What is the last prompt? It hasn’t shown up on this page yet. :/

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- On February 25, 2012 at 2:38 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi RosyInk,
  It’s up now!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 2:32 pm, Charlotte said:

I can’t see the prompt for today…Has it been put up yet?

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- On February 25, 2012 at 2:38 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Charlotte,
  It’s up now!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 7:22 pm, Kritika said:

How do you know if your story got submitted to the contest? I tagged my story Vanishing Act for today’s contest (2/25/12) with “bewitchingflash” and “bewitchingcape” but I’m not sure if it got entered.

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- On February 26, 2012 at 1:12 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Kritika,
  As long as it shows up when you click “show all entries” it has been submitted successfully.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 9:58 pm, Katya said:

How do we know when our entries have been submitted?

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- On February 26, 2012 at 1:14 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  It will show up when you click “show all entries”
  
  Reply ↓
On February 25, 2012 at 11:08 pm, Haylie said:

Does your entry have to be a play off of an original fairytale, or can you just have made it up on the spot?

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- On February 26, 2012 at 1:11 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Haylie,
  
  All you have to do is place the object in a different context (than its original fairytale).
  
  Reply ↓
On February 26, 2012 at 3:29 am, Emily said:

Can you use these prompts as an inspiration for your writing even though you’re not entering the contest?

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- On February 26, 2012 at 1:11 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Hi Emily,
  
  Yes! Absolutely!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 26, 2012 at 5:19 am, Emily said:

Since there are so many entries and only one winner for each prompt, you should post two or three runner ups for each prompt, too.

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On February 26, 2012 at 12:52 pm, Kaitlyn Watson said:

When will the winners be Announced?

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- On February 26, 2012 at 1:10 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  Sometime this week! Thanks for your patience.
  
  Reply ↓
On February 26, 2012 at 8:11 pm, Jazmine said:

when will the winners be posted??

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- On February 26, 2012 at 10:06 pm, Rebecca said:
  
  This week!
  
  Reply ↓
On February 27, 2012 at 7:29 pm, Lora said:

Dangit Rebecca! Post the winners so we shall be rescued from our suspense! Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top!!!

Sincerely,
Dying with anticipation.

Reply ↓

Bewitching Flash Fiction

98 thoughts on “Bewitching Flash Fiction”

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