Two weeks ago, I announced Literary Game No. 7. The task was to write a story between 100 and 1,000 words using the following three sentences within the story:
The sky cracked open, but no one seemed surprised.
She carried her silence like a weapon, heavier than a two-handed sword.
They found the note tucked inside a shoe, written in a language no one remembered learning.
As usual, there were some very good entries. The criteria for judging included three things:
Order of Submission, accounting for 25% of the outcome
Total 7-day payout, accounting for 25% of the outcome
And my opinion, accounting for 50% of the outcome
It was very close. But before I announce the winner, I'll introduce Literary Game No. 9. There were no entries for Literary Game No. 8.
I'm going to revive Literary Game No. 8. With a twist.
The task is to write a one paragraph story using the following words within the story.
Plinth - a heavy base or pedestal, especially for a statue or monument
Bananafish - a whimsical and haunting nod to J.D. Salinger
Velcro - modern, mundane, and universally known, yet oddly poetic in the right hands
Your paragraph can be any length. No restrictions on sentence length or number. The story can only be one paragraph. Perhaps it is only one sentence of dialogue. Wouldn't that be crafty? Or maybe it is a 10-paragraph story that loops in upon itself. Or, for strict minimalists, you have the inspiration to write a three sentence story where each sentence contains one of the necessary words. Any way you slice it, your call.
The story can be any genre. It MUST contain those three words, in any order.
Need a dictionary? Try the Oxford English. Or your preference.
Looking for synonyms? Here's a useful thesaurus. But be sure you use the exact words in your stories. They may or may not stick to the original meanings of those words.
Wondering about that J.D. Salinger reference? Read his short story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" for inspiration. LitCharts offers several summaries and analyses. And this is what Wikipedia has to say. Of course, all of this is extemporaneous and unnecessary reading. If you prefer, just write your own story. That's what I'd do.
And now for the rules:
If you haven't already, upvote and reblog this post. Then follow me.
Write a complete story in only one paragraph. No limit on sentences, upper or lower. You MUST use the three key words: plinth, bananafish, and velcro. Any literary genre.
Publish your story to your Hive blog using any frontend. Deadline: Tuesday, July 22, 12:00 UTC
Tag your story#literarygames.
Read and comment on other participants' stories. Upvote the ones you like. No self-voting!
Post to any writing community, following that writing community's posting guidelines.
Drop a link to your story in the comments below.
Have fun!
This week, the winner will be determined by the following criteria:
Submission order (50%)
My opinion (50%)
The winner will receive 3 HBD. May the best story win!
And now, let's announce the winner of Literary Game No. 7. Here are the entries:
As mentioned earlier, the outcome was very close this week. All the stories were good. But the winner of Literary Game No. 7 is 
Do you write speculative fiction? Fight writer’s block with these writing prompts and exercises. Prefer to pay by HBD or HIVE? Send $5 in HBD or the equivalent in Hive. In the Memo, write 60 Prompts and friend me on Discord. Username: cryptocracy.
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@alonicus
@lailawrites