Ripped from the Headlines!
In case you missed the news, here's an interesting link or three:
The earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, was unquestionably a horrible disaster. The loss of human life was appalling. The scale of the environmental catastrophe following the Fukushima reactor meltdown is still being discovered. In the midst of all this tragedy, the loss and presumed sinking of one fishing boat is scarcely a footnote.
Except that a year later, here the fishing boat is: an ocean away from where it was presumed lost, apparently derelict and adrift, but very much not sunk.
I have always been a pushover for Mary Celeste stories, and there's a great one waiting to be told here. Where has this ship been for the past year? Why hasn't it been found until now? If the Coast Guard were to board it, what would they find? Obviously, since it's a Japanese squid-fishing boat that was presumed lost during a nuclear reactor accident, it's now being sailed by a crew of giant atomic mutant squid on a revenge mission—but really, that's too obvious, even for The Friday Challenge. Try Hollywood.
Instead, for this week's Friday Challenge, what I want you to do is put on your thinking cap, and—using this event as an inspiration, from which you can depart as much as needed—show us the first 1,000 words of the story that develops.
Only the first 1,000 words; no more, and less is acceptable, too. All I want you to do is begin the story and set the narrative hook.
Think it over. Write up something. And then let's all meet back here again next Friday to talk it over.
3/23/2012: "The First Voices of Spring"
Regarding the 3/23/12 Friday Challenge, "The First Voices of Spring," as of this morning we have received two entries and two urgent pleas for deadline extensions. Therefore, in accordance with the long-established Snowdog Rule, I am extended the deadline for the 3/23/2012 Friday Challenge until 9PM Central Daylight Time tonight.
This week in The Friday Challenge...
Through the heroic efforts of M, ably assisted by Jack Calverley and a host of others, a fix was found and implemented for the
Bruce Bethke posts one last review of John Carter, essentially advising everyone to see it quickly, before it disappears from the movie theaters and you have to wait for it to come out on Blu-Ray. Join the discussion...
Ultimate Geek Fu sorts through the latest batch of movie trailers in search of the answer to the question: Is there anything coming out this Spring that looks like it's worth watching? Join the discussion...
Scott Bartlett takes the win in the 3/16/12 Friday Challenge, "My Favorite St. Patrick's Day Story." Join the adulation....
Anatoly Belilovsky, Henry Vogel, Arisia, and nm whitley all have news to share on Open Mic Saturday. Join the kaffeeklatsch...
All this and more, this week in, THE FRIDAY CHALLENGE!
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