This post was written in response to Charli Mills Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch
October 14, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that reveals or explores a moment of serendipity. How did it come about? What did it lead to? You can express a character’s view of the moment or on serendipity in general. Use the element of surprise or show how it is unexpected or accidentally good.
For those of you who recognize, serendipity has been a prompt before. What can I say, but I like its magic! And it is never the same gift.
Respond by October 20, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
****
Everyone hopes for a lucky break, and many believe it will happen quite by chance. Others think they can nudge luck, just a bit, and force a lucky break.
Many successful people will tell us they were in the right place at the right time. Charlie suggests ‘serendipity is the gift we find accidentally when we make a choice or life chooses a course of action for us.’ But suppose there is no chance event, because one of the parts has planned for the event to take place, would it still be serendipity?
For example, imagine an author waiting for a lucky break, can he or she force a chance happening that will change his/her career forever? In other words, can the happy accident be provoked or do we have to sit and wait for it to happen?
Marketing for self-published authors can be exasperating. The desperate author in this tongue-in-cheek flash fiction thinks he can fish for his lucky break. Do you agree?
****
Planning My Lucky Break
‘You’ve bought five hundred copies of your novel and left them lying around London?’
‘Strategically placed.’
‘Where would that be?’
‘On the underground, buses, theatres, museums, coffee shops, wine bars…’
‘That’s your marketing campaign?’
‘It is.’
‘But will anyone read them?’
‘Everyone likes books, especially commuters, art lovers, and people who drink wine and coffee.’
‘The question is, will you ever sell your books?’
‘It just takes one influential person to read it, love it, and spread the word. Just one.’
‘And if that one influential person doesn’t find it?’
‘Then I’ll buy another 500 and do it again.’
****
Read some of the other responses to this week’s prompt here.
Rereading Jane Eyre 
I think the author is going to go broke in the meantime. Fun flash. Can you make your own serendipity – I don’t know but it could be fun trying.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I suppose he’s obsessed with finding the reader who will get him noticed. If there is such a reader! There’s something to be said for that idea, but buying your way to find the person while needing a lucky coincidence too… 😂😂😂 Well, it was fun twisting serendipity a bit!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is taking buying amazon stars and twitter followers just that little bit further. Yes great fun.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Interesting idea for sure, but perhaps there are ways to do it cheaper. I’m looking into it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s so hard to reach readers when you’re self published 😦 but at least we gave each other for support, ideas, and shoulders to cry on! 💗🌹💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do hope and pray this author’s wish comes true, and he gets a break 🙂
All author’s wish, huh 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be nice if he got a break:)
LikeLike
This is one expensive serendipity!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂😂😂 Have a great day! How’s your voice?
LikeLike
My voice is not quite back to normal. Most of the coughing has subsided, though. My sinuses are struggling, now that the heat is back on in the house. And we closed the pool, so now I have to force myself to go to the gym. ARG! Thanks for asking. Hope you are well. Busy, I know!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s almost a gamble on serendipity happening. But I do think authors can have serendipitous moments; one just can’t bank on it! A determined though perhaps misguided marketing effort. Though, target audience has some merit. And…the media might pick up the “mystery” books showing up all over town which could kick off a frenzy for others to read it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I like the idea that a chance encounter for one might have been set up by another. Although the outcome is always unpredictable…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this, Lucy, and I don’t think it’s so different for commercially published authors – apart from, perhaps, the megabucks stars. We might not give away so many books, but we do give away our time and words in blog posts, interviews, appearances, newspaper articles without any guarantee that they’ll attract people to our books. Could be cheaper in the long run just to give them away!
LikeLiked by 3 people
You’ve got a good point there. The only way we can be sure we attract readers is if we give them the book, although that doesn’t guarantee they’ll read it either!
LikeLike
That’s some marketing strategy! And like Charli and Anne say, it just might work. News of the free books could go “viral”! Great flash!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps a few of us should get together, pool our books, chat to potential readers and give them away in ‘straregic’ venues!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a plan. It would be an interesting experiment. Though sometimes people feel that if it’s free it can’t have any value. If you make them look well read with book marks and “dog ears”, people might think they are a good read left behind by mistake and dive in!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve given away over 50 copies of a poetry booklet I put together… not quite 500.
Good luck 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I haven’t done this myself! Just stretching my imagination 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s OK maybe you will one day. Or maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get an agent to help promote you 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea for your flash writing, you added humor and hope 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.💗 Being seen is so tough for independent authors:( 😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
So true, seems with the age of sharing everything it is getting harder and harder. Don’t give up on something you love and brings you joy 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.💗
LikeLike