Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #1

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Today I am honoured, and very excited to be leading the very first of the Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo events. My challenge is the first of eight to be held each Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of October. Each challenge is different, with a different leader and different rules of participation. Participation is free, but the winner of each challenge scores a US$25 prize! I do hope you will join in. Pop over to the Carrot Ranch for full details including how to submit, and information about other contests.

 

Carrot Ranch Literary Community

When I Grow Up

BY NORAH COLVIN

Do you remember being asked this question as a child? Or contemplating it, even if you weren’t asked? Do you recall your childhood thoughts? 

I remember having no aspiration prior to the age of ten when I decided I wanted to be a teacher. Although I loved writing, creating stories, songs, poetry and plays; writing was a part of who I was, an integral part of me, I didn’t consider a writer as something I might be. 

It is often mooted that we are educating today’s children for a future of which we have no knowledge, a future we can’t begin to imagine. But hasn’t that always been so? Has any generation known exactly what life will be like for those following? While the rate of change may be increasing, change has always been. 

Though it may sometimes appear otherwise…

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29 thoughts on “Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest #1”

  1. Mabel Kwong

    Thoroughly enjoyed reading your entry and amazing support over there at the Carrot Ranch. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a detective. A problem or a plot always fascinated me – I loved finding my way out of mazes and wanted to find a way out of everything. It was probably a reason why I loved reading detective novels when I was a kid. As a teenager, I wanted to be a radio presenter. Now that dream eventuate in during my university days and then I decided I didn’t want to pursue it further. The common theme between these ambitions is that I liked the concept of story and wanted to tell stories…and well, here I am as blogger today talking to you 🙂 A great prompt, and thank you for inspiring, Norah 🙂

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  3. Sherri Matthews

    Great prompt Norah, and so good to be back! I’ll be in and out due to my limited broadband, but I want to make sure to keep involved with every contest. I’ve re-blogged at the Summerhouse and shared on my Facebook public author’s page and Twitter. Although I haven’t been around much on social media for a few months, hopefully it still helps to get the word out about our contest and your excellent post! 🙂

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  4. Sarah Brentyn

    Question: Are writers supposed to use the voice of a 6-yr-old? As in…the 6-yr-old is actually writing it? So what would spelling and grammar be like? I see those are all part of the judging.

    Kudos on a fabulous, fun prompt, Norah. 🙂 And also for being the first one to raise your hand in class. That can be tough. Good luck with the contest! Have shared.

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  5. TanGental

    this is a tricky one, Norah, darn tricky. Well done on setting the bar so high (really, I mean that. No, I do. Absolutely. Tears? No, just memory dust in my eye. I’ll be ok in a moment when I channel my inner knobbles, I was such a knobbly child). So here we go, into that time machine….

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    1. Norah Post author

      Oh, I hope it’s not too tricky, Geoff. I did say I’d be flexible in how you interpret it. I thought I was setting the bar low, being childish and all. Oh well, see how you go. I hope there are some fun responses.

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      1. D. Avery @shiftnshake

        Chuffed. Love it, never heard it. Just looked it up; chuffed is more pleasing than chuff.
        Yes, you are the leader of leaders, a true standard bearer. I couldn’t help but post a response in the wee hours of sleeplessness.
        Read the next to last poem in For the Girls. (That Girl) Your prompt put me in mind of that one.
        Enjoy the rodeo. Judging will be tough. In a good way.

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        1. Norah Post author

          I’m chuffed I taught you a new word! It’s fairly informal, rather old-fashioned, I think, and rarely used, but it seemed to fit the occasion, I thought. 🙂
          The poem is a perfect fit. Anyone would think I had read it, but I hadn’t. I’ve read all of Chicken Shift and absolutely loved it (must write a review sometime) but hadn’t started on these. It would be easier if I could get it out of ibooks. 🙂 Sometimes looking at other books loses my place in the audiobook I’m listening to, which is frustrating. When I’m finished the current book, I’ll read your book before I start another.

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          1. D. Avery @shiftnshake

            I’m flattered that you liked Chicken Shift. For the Girls is different. I had wanted to bring humor but as I got going, well… there were some of us from the ward that laughed at ourselves, but we had all lost someone too so… it’s a mixed bag and intended for those in the “club”… my friend’s daughter told me to keep a journal when I was diagnosed and that little book is what happened.

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            1. Norah Post author

              I’m looking forward to reading them. I think I’m in the club. I lost my younger sister, over 22 years ago now. She was only 36. A tragic life cut tragically short.

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  7. Charli Mills

    Woot! Woot! Way to kick off the Flash Fiction Rodeo, Norah! I love this prompt, too. It’s a good one to get us remembering back with childlike wonder to all the possibilities. So honored to have you, Ann and Robbie judging this first contest! Wow, what global partnership — an American contest funded in London and judged across Australia, the UK and South Africa! Gives me meliorist goosebumps! ❤

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      1. Norah Post author

        International and alternate spellings. Don’t they do their best to trip us up! (Just like the dam break in another of your comments. LOL!) As if we need to add predictive text into the mix. 🙂

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    2. Norah Post author

      It really is an international panel, and I hope there’ll be many international contestants too. Susan Zutautus is the first to enter. Her story is already in! Woohoo! I hope there’ll be lots more to read.

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