Monday, January 3, 2011

THE BROKEN BLURB CHALLENGE. FIX IT BROKEN


FIX IT BROKEN has realized something. Something big. While riding the subway, waiting in line for food, and staggering down the street, we have realized the world is one big puzzle. A puzzle of stories, all scattered and dispersed, and who knows if the pieces even fit together?

What we’re trying to say is, we all encounter stories. Sometimes we read them, sometimes we write them, and sometimes we watch or listen to them. What we want to bring to your attention is the millions of fragments of stories that we come across each day. We’ll call them Broken Blurbs. Little snippets of a conversation, a quick bit of plot, dialogue from a character we’ll never know. We hear these broken sentences uttered by strangers each day in passing, and they act as insight into stories we’ll never hear the end of, or introductions to characters we will never put a face to. Sometimes, these Broken Blurbs, whether comedic or wise, stick with us. They stand out. They leave their mark.

FIX IT BROKEN has devised a plan in order to safeguard these Broken Blurb gems, the ones that don’t deserve to be taken by the wind and whirled into oblivion. We’re asking you to pay close attention next time you hold the door for an old couple, or sit next to the crazy guy on the bus. Keep your ears alert while you take the daily commute or return that ugly Christmas sweater at the mall.

We hope to put a little “issue” together, at some point in 2011, of the best submitted stumbled-upon-phrases.

After choosing a select few “Best Broken Blurbs” they will act as writing prompts, and the best short-short fiction pieces to incorporate the Blurb will be featured in the issue, along with several notable Broken Blurbs themselves.

It all starts with your ears and other peoples lives, so get going.

Submission Guidelines

-Submit up to three Broken Blurbs to: FIXITBROKEN@YAHOO.COM
-Include your name and the location in which you heard the Broken Blurb.
-Please write “Broken Blurb Submission” in the subject line of the email.


Some examples that we’ve heard within the past few weeks:

“I thought Spike Lee was Asian.”

“Is it Memento, or is it Bukowski and Beckett?”

“I was walking home the other night and I literally saw Courtney Love peeing on a stoop.”

“Like his sweater grew wings.”


You get the idea, right?

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