Two-Minute Challenge

[kerravonsen]

This challenge (meme) is a mutation of one that I stumbled across over the last couple of days and I can't remember where it was.

Get yourself a timing device that you can set to go off (and like ring a bell) after two minutes. Also get yourself a means of generating a random word, like putting a pin in a dictionary. (Me, I used a script which plucked a random line from a dictionary file; same diff). Think of a character you'd like to write about.
Pick the word. Set the timer. You have two minutes -- now write a ficlet using that word and that character.
...Time's up! You can now correct for typos and punctuation, and nothing else.

I found this rather addictive -- I ended up writing five of them on the way home. The original meme used a secret word provided by the meme-er, but I found random words to be more fun anyway.
I admit, if it popped out a word I'd never heard of, I tried again.

Two-Minute Challenge #1
Character: Methos
Word:satirized

The smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. Of course they really didn't know what they were doing. They hadn't been there. So it was really their own crooked, distorted, lost in a mirror views they were satirizing.

But he still couldn't help smiling at "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum".

Two-Minute Challenge #2
Character: Buffy
Word:putty-faced

It was ugly. Of course they were all ugly. But this one was putty-faced -- as if someone had taken a bit of flesh-coloured clay and poked holes in it for eyes and mouth. Holes indeed. Nothing there but blackness.

But it was just another demon, and needed slaying.

Two-Minute Challenge #3
Character:Xander
Word:pillow

Light and fluffy -- like a pillow. He had the muscles of a pillow, that was for sure. As useless in a fight as a pillow. Xander sighed. Mister Pillow-man, that was him.

And Willow was using his shoulder as a pillow.

Xander smiled.

Two-Minute Challenge #4
Character:Duncan Macleod
Word:pie

Amanda licked the purple-blue juice from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes glinted. "My, Duncan, I never knew you had it in you," she purred. "That was delicous."

"Don't tell me it was your grandmother's recipe," Methos said. "I won't believe you."

"Of course not," Duncan said. "Clan men never cooked. I got the recipe from Darius. Blueberry pie."

Two-Minute Challenge #5
Character: Avon
Word:sharp-tailed grouse

"What on earth is it?"

"A present from President Sarkoff," Blake said, stroking the stuffed bird lightly. "A sharp-tailed grouse."

"Maybe it's symbolic," Avon commented dryly. "A sharp-tailed grouse for a sharp-tongued grouse."

"In that case, it must belong to you," Blake said with a smile.

Comments

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh, brava!

But how can you write in two minutes flat what would take me at least fifteen? :-(

[kerravonsen]

Oh, brava!

(grin) Thank you!

But how can you write in two minutes flat what would take me at least fifteen? :-(

Panic? Necessity is the mother of invention? You never know 'til you try?

I wrote the first thing that came into my head. Mind you, the "Duncan" and "pie" one nearly stumped me. Wheras the "Buffy" and "putty-faced" one nearly wrote itself. Guess it's a bit like a riddle: What goes with character and word?

C'mon, give it a go! (grin)

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Nifty! I especially like the Xander one--it deserves to be in a longer story, where its effect will multiply. And the Avon is fun as well. Please, sir, will you write some more? [winsome smile]

I have to agree with vilakins; I could never do that in two minutes! But I think I've found something to do for writing exercises for the next week or two. :)

:-) !

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

If you really did all of those in two-minute hits, bravo to you! Brilliant, funny, perfectly in-character, just a little snapshot, and a great turn on sharp-tailed grouse!

:) Thanks!

Re: :-) !

[kerravonsen]

Thank you. (blush)

[kerravonsen]

I've now tracked down the original, I found it at charabok's LJ, right here.