fiftywords stories: The Trials of a Car Salesman - and a new theme!

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The Trials of a Car Salesman

He was a legal man and would accept no liability.

“I followed your instructions to the letter.”

Take her for a spin - I span.”

Bring her back in one piece - You did not specify the shape.”

I offered him one of our special cookies.

“They’re to die for,” I said.


Well, that's my attempt at the last theme "humour!". It's one of the hardest elements to bring into fiction but one of the most important, so they say. So a big thank you to everyone who challenged themselves and gave it a go! I particularly liked this short-sighted story from @saryn. Have a read on the link below!

https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@saryn/opthamological-conflict-50-word-story-theme-humor

Thanks also to everyone who joined in with a story (and to those who resteemed someone else's story or left them a comment). We had a wild range of styles and structures and I really enjoyed reading through them all. Our ranks have swelled now to twenty-three amazing authors and thirty-five wonderful stories! A big shout out to all of you!

@authorofthings, @bentheredonethat, @byn
@calluna, @crookshanks, @deirdyweirdy
@elijahniel12, @hazem91, @improv
@jrhughes, @kyrian, @mctiller
@metzli, @miniature-tiger, @navaneeth
@niallon11, @not-a-bird, @saoirseronan
@saryn, @someoneusual, @thechosenwhan
@yadah04, and @yomibolo!

I invite everyone reading to visit their blogs, read their stories and leave a comment or an upvote to encourage their efforts. You can also head straight over to the fiftywords tag where the collected works can be found.

(I've generated this list automatically - although I do believe I've read every story!
If I've missed you off, sorry! It's no slight, you're just sneaking through the cracks in my query, or it could be the gremlins again! Just let me know - it would be helpful to me too.)

I'm going to suggest a new fiftywords theme for the next couple of days "dreams and nightmares". Challenge yourself to produce a fiftywords story with some element of dreams or dreaminess, or some nightmarish aspect, whether real or imaginary. I'll round up again on Tuesday, so you have a full two days to hone your story. As before, you can follow this theme or take your inspiration where you find it. In either case, I look forward to seeing what you can come up with!

I will be happily resteeming one of the stories I like best and no doubt I will be offering some of my small upvotes as encouragement.

Thanks for reading everyone and good luck with your stories!


If you would like to join in, particularly if you're new to the platform, or recently returned, and looking for somewhere to start, please do! Just post your story with the "fiftywords" tag. You can follow the theme or simply take your inspiration where you find it. The only unbreakable(!) rule is to keep it to fifty words - ideally fifty on the nose - and also try and produce a complete and contained scene, moment, or story. In a future post I'll try and put some thoughts together as to what I think makes a good fiftywords story. But everyone will have their own ideas and all are welcome!

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Good job. Had a nice laugh at the end.

Thanks! I found it harder than I thought it would be!

This is great!! It is taking off. Some day soon, I have to join in.
I am dropping the prompt for you to share with yesterday's writers :)
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-82-5-minute-freewrite-prompt-stetson

Thank you so much for helping to encourage the freewriters!

Thanks Marianne - and yes please do!

I'm already off and running with the prompting. I even got the right prompt, which is a relief!

thanks for the mention too. I would be glad to challenge myself and make fifty-word-story with the said theme.

Interesting one, I say. A lot of idea is running in my head right now, so the real challenge is how to fit them into fifty words. lol

I think you made a great choice with your story!

Thanks for the mention @miniature-tiger! Let's keep this writing initiative going!

Let's do that! Do you think every couple of days is too much or too little though. Daily, like the freewrite, or weekly, to encourage people do give it their real best shot?

In my case, weekly is probably as much as I can muster for writing creative pieces... at least for the time being. Although to push myself, twice a week could probably be a good idea.

I think that sounds about right. Maybe I'll do a weekday one and a week-end one. Different timescales but different amounts of free time also.

Hah, I like it! I've known too many people who have tried to get out of things based on a technicality, and it almost always starts with "Well, you didn't specify..."

It's probably the line I would take myself, although only in humour!

This is a real gem. Congratulations!

Thank you @wido! Oh and welcome also - I didn't realise you were so new to posting when I was rolling through all the tears and teeth.

If you enjoy writing try your hand at a #fiftywords story.

yeah! it is a beautiful fifty word story, like it

Thanks for the mention, and the new prompt. Those cookies....

Here’s my submission for this week https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@metzli/dreams-and-nightmares-a-ride-aboard-the-ghost-ship

This is good job. Keep writing...