The time has come to announce the winner of Literary Game No. 4. In that game, I asked writers to write a story incorporating six phrases. The following stories were submitted, in order of publication:
The criteria for judging the winner included order of submission, final payout, and my own opinion (33% weight given to each criterion). All three stories were good, which made it difficult to decide which one I liked the most. Since @alonicus received the highest payout and was the first to submit a story, my opinion took a back seat in the scoring. @alonicus ended up on top and is declared the winner of Literary Game No. 4. Congratulations!
The prize was 2 HBD. Delivered.
Thanks to everyone who participated in Literary Game No. 4.
It's Time for Literary Game No. 6
Since I got no takers for
@allentaylor/literary-game-no-5-finish-this-story-hf
, I'll move on to Literary Game No. 6.
This week, I'm doing something a little different. If you have a standard deck of playing cards, you can play this game.
Here's what you do:
Draw 4 cards. You'll write a story incorporating phrases associated with those cards. Below is a list of cards in a standard 52-card deck. Beside each card is the phrase associated with that card. You'll write a story of any length incorporating each phrase associated with the 4 cards you draw.
There are 2 ways you can do this:
Either put all of the cards in the deck together in one stack and draw the top 4 cards; or
Separate the cards by suit and draw 1 card from each suit (example: You separate the cards into a stack of Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds and draw 1 card from each stack. The cards you draw are Q of Spades, 4 of Clubs, 6 of Hearts, and 10 of Diamonds).
After you draw your 4 cards, by whichever method you choose, write a story incorporating those 4 phrases. The phrases can appear anywhere in the story, but try to only include one phrase in a single paragraph.
Now, a sinister twist.
This is completely optional. Below the list of cards from which you'll draw your phrases, I've also included instructions for Jokers. You can include Jokers in your deck, or not. If you do and you draw a Joker, incorporate into your story the sinister twist associated with the Joker you draw.
Now, without further ado, here's your list of phrases associated with each card in your deck of playing cards.
Choose Your 4 Phrases from These Lists
Reminder: Draw 4 cards. Either from a single stack of cards or from 4 different stacks separated by suit. Optional: Include Jokers.
These are your phrases:
♠ SPADES
Ace of Spades – A dead bird falls from the sky with a message tied to its leg. 2 of Spades – The key turns, but the door was never locked. 3 of Spades – A whisper comes from beneath the floorboards, asking for its name back. 4 of Spades – Every clock in the building freezes at 4:44. 5 of Spades – The mirror doesn’t show your reflection—it shows someone else's morning. 6 of Spades – A stranger gives you a coin and says, “Spend it at dusk.” 7 of Spades – The radio plays a song that hasn't been released yet. 8 of Spades – You receive a letter postmarked ten years in the future. 9 of Spades – A black dog follows you, even through locked doors. 10 of Spades – You dig where the map says and find something breathing. Jack of Spades – The thief swears he stole it from a dream. Queen of Spades – She drinks tea with ghosts like it’s just another Tuesday. King of Spades – He never takes off his gloves—not even to bleed.
♥ HEARTS
Ace of Hearts – Someone you thought dead walks through the front door like nothing happened. 2 of Hearts – Two people fall in love under false names and shared lies. 3 of Hearts – You wake up with a stranger’s heartbeat in your chest. 4 of Hearts – A child draws a picture of you standing over a body. 5 of Hearts – The roses only bloom when someone is buried beneath them. 6 of Hearts – You dream of her before you meet her—and she remembers it too. 7 of Hearts – A heart is delivered in a velvet box, still beating. 8 of Hearts – Everyone you love forgets who you are—except the dog. 9 of Hearts – The fortune teller refuses to read your cards, just stares and weeps. 10 of Hearts – Your childhood home has been moved—brick by brick—to another continent. Jack of Hearts – He claims to be your twin, but you were an only child. Queen of Hearts – She can speak to animals but only when lying. King of Hearts – He rules a kingdom of memory, and yours is fading fast.
♦ DIAMONDS
Ace of Diamonds – A meteorite crashes into the field behind your house, humming softly. 2 of Diamonds – You receive two identical photographs, but only one is real. 3 of Diamonds – The debt collector wants time, not money. 4 of Diamonds – A book appears on your shelf that no one remembers writing. 5 of Diamonds – A vault opens every five years, but no one remembers why. 6 of Diamonds – The gemstone pulses like a heartbeat when it gets wet. 7 of Diamonds – You inherit a locked box labeled: “Do not open unless you’ve already died.” 8 of Diamonds – A suitcase full of counterfeit money—but the faces on the bills are yours. 9 of Diamonds – Each time you spend a dollar, someone disappears. 10 of Diamonds – A shadow detaches from a wall and offers to help—for a price. Jack of Diamonds – He collects teeth from places they should never be. Queen of Diamonds – Her laughter turns metal to dust. King of Diamonds – He builds his empire beneath the skin of cities.
♣ CLUBS
Ace of Clubs – The tree in the backyard starts growing upside down. 2 of Clubs – You find a map inked onto your own spine. 3 of Clubs – Every path through the forest leads to the same place—except one. 4 of Clubs – You hear music, but only when your eyes are closed. 5 of Clubs – The scarecrow changes positions when you’re not looking. 6 of Clubs – Your reflection begins mouthing things you haven’t said yet. 7 of Clubs – The wind keeps whispering your name—then a different one. 8 of Clubs – A building appears on a street that’s never had one. 9 of Clubs – The old man in the diner hasn’t aged in fifty years. 10 of Clubs – Someone keeps leaving you cryptic recipes for potions in your mailbox. Jack of Clubs – He carries a cane with a serpent’s eye that never blinks. Queen of Clubs – She brews storms in her teacups. King of Clubs – He knows the language of bones and makes them speak.
Optionally, you can add Jokers to your deck and incorporate these sinister twists into your story should you draw a Joker.
🃏 JOKERS (Choose one at random when a Joker is drawn):
1. Red Joker Twist – “Chaos Clause”
Rewrite any rule, law, or known fact in your story’s world. Something universally true is suddenly false. Think: "Fire no longer burns," or "People remember future events, not past ones."
2. Black Joker Twist – “Meta Break”
The narrator or a character becomes aware that they’re inside a story. They might try to change the outcome, bargain with the writer (you), or escape the plot entirely.
The Rules for Literary Game No. 6
Just like any other game, Literary Game No. 6 has rules. These are the rules for this game.
Upvote and reblog this post. Follow me if you haven't already.
Take a standard 52-card deck of cards and draw 4 cards using one of the two methods described above.
Write a story using your 4 phrases and publish it to your Hive blog.
Tag your story #literarygames.
Deadline for all stories: Tuesday, July 1, 12:00 UTC
Read other participants' stories. Comment on them and upvote them. No self-voting!
You can post your stories in any writing community as long as you follow that writing community's guidelines.
After publishing, drop a link to your story in the comments below.
Have fun!
This week, the prize is 3 HBD. Judging criteria are as follows:
Payout - Highest to lowest by rank.
Order of Submission - Highest score to the first submission and in descending order from there.
My opinion - The story I like best, the ability to incorporate the 4 phrases into the story, etc.
This week, my opinion will account for 50% of the score. Payout and order of submission will account for the other 50%. Slightly different from Literary Game No. 4.
If I receive 5 or more entries this week, I'll boost the payout to 5 HBD. The winner will be announced and the payout made two weeks from today to account for the 7-day payout period for all submitted entries.
One more thing: I'll be participating in this literary game, but I will not be competing for the prize. Expect my story to be published this Friday.
Now, go forth and create!
Image by ChatGPT