Friday Flash Fiction: "To Serve Man"

And now, my half-assed attempt to cross a Connie Willis farce with some kind of British crime caper, while name-checking The Twilight Zone. But, hey, nothing is original, right?

Read "To Serve Man" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #62: "Application Revisitation, Part 1"

We talked so much this week, we had to split our discussion into two podcasts! Here's part one. Stay tuned for part two next week.


[ Download mp3 - 29 MB ]

00:59 - "villainous"
02:12 - following up on Application Rumination
04:15 - DeeAnn considers "gimmes" for teams to bypass applications
07:49 - acknowledging different levels of fun
10:05 - advocating for more transparency in Game applications
11:52 - WHO? When? What's on second.
14:01 - what does "creative" mean, anyway?
16:57 - applying for shorter events: BANG, DASH, etc.
18:47 - what happened with BANG 28
19:34 - the not-so-secret puzzle hunt cabal
24:54 - is the application part of the event?
26:02 - new BANGtalk mailing list to discuss GC issues
26:18 - does BANG demand now require a new sign-up paradigm?
27:25 - on completing a Game application and then not being accepted
29:19 - the anvil question cliffhanger!
31:09 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast!

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Skullcrusher Mountain" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

 

Friday Flash Fiction: "Godwin's Backstory"

So I expanded my 127th 512, "Godwin's Law," into a longer story. Banged out an 11,000-word first draft on Wednesday, then cut it down to 9,500 on Thursday and submitted it for my Sunday critique group.

This is one of the sections I excised. I still think it's good, and writing it helped me figure out what was going to happen in the present timeline of the story, but it threw off the pacing of the narrative. Plus it's all laying pipe, and I've already got a lot of pipe in the story.

Maybe I'll use this in another story later; meanwhile, it's the right length to be this week's 512.

Read "Godwin's Backstory" at 512 Words or Fewer

YAtopia Pitch Contest

Don't ask me how I heard about this, because that has been lost in the haze of carefree web surfing. (It was probably Twitter.)

Pitch Contest with Natalie Fischer!

Hello guys. I have another amazing opportunity for you. Fantastic agent, Natalie Fischer of Bradford Lit agency, is going to be hosting this round of pitch contest! And some of you lucky people will get the chance to submit to Natalie after... (she's currently closed to submissions).

To see what a recent interview with Natalie and to find out her likes, visit here. The only difference from the other pitch contests is that us YAtopians will choose our top 20 to give to Natalie who will then pick her winners from that...

Follow the link above to read all the rules. I'm not sure my novel is ready to be pitched (and it's certainly not YA), but I might as well start somewhere.

There are currently just over 100 entries, so fellow writers: you've still got time to jump in!

SnoutCast #61: "Games and Taxes"

You should really hear this song before listening to this week's show (you'll understand why later):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxwfy_anDwA

And now, let's talk about everyone's favorite subject: taxes!


[ Download mp3 - 33 MB ]

00:59 - "fiscal"
01:33 - why DeeAnn likes filling out tax forms
04:08 - do adults not like following instructions?
09:02 - and now she's just making up words
10:46 - debating the definition of "unusual"
13:21 - why we formed the "Team Snout" organization
17:19 - Cover Your Ass Now is the name of my Village People cover band.
19:45 - fun with paperwork
23:17 - the advantages of being "Team Snout"
25:27 - being non-profit, but NOT tax-exempt
27:54 - practical advice for GCs taking money from teams
31:20 - how special is your hobby?
33:29 - the worst thing you could do right now is beatbox
34:19 - upcoming events: check PuzzleHuntCalendar.com
35:36 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast !

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

  

Friday Flash Fiction: "Inconvenient Proposal"

Just be glad I didn't name her fiancé Brad, okay?

Read "Inconvenient Proposal" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #60: "WTF"

In which we are even more unprofessional than usual, and Jasper expresses his displeasure.

P.S. Congratulations to newlyweds Pauline and Brian!


[ Download mp3 - 23 MB ]

00:00 - apologetic teaser (she actually means "from me to you")
01:37 - "ramblin'"
04:42 - of weddings and Games
07:13 - three puzzles
10:27 - just for fun
12:51 - ONE: the coaster was inspired by "Beer" from BANG XX
14:28 - TWO: the table signs had Morse Code-decorated borders
15:11 - THREE: the fortune cookies required cooperation
19:00 - wedding expectations
20:28 - "I guess we're done"
22:45 - find upcoming events at PuzzleHuntCalendar.com
24:17 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast !

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

  

Friday Flash Fiction: "Post-Apocalyptic Day Care"

Better late than never, that's what I always say! Also: better crappy than none.

Read "Post-Apocalyptic Day Care" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #59: "Puzzle Recycling"

Geez, we sound like an old married couple or something.


[ Download mp3 - 43 MB ]

01:10 - "conservationalist"
02:33 - Have we talked about this topic before? Whatevs.
05:29 - puzzles we recycled for Puzzled Pint, November, 2010: "Fantasy"
06:21 - DeeAnn's puzzle: Paper Magick from 8-Ball
14:10 - Curtis' puzzle: Floo Network from Hogwarts
16:51 - from concept to completion
20:10 - everyone has second act problems
21:30 - why DeeAnn enjoyed the MegaHard stamps (as seen in Curtis' Ignite talk)
26:27 - Nothing is original. Get over it.
35:32 - the idea is not the finished thing; cooking analogy
38:29 - good playtesters are invaluable
41:02 - anecdotal evidence that originality is overrated
44:10 - please... e-mail us!
45:07 - upcoming events: Puzzled Pint (4/12, PDX), DASH 3 (4/30, various cities); see Puzzle Hunt Calendar for more
45:42 - The End

Got a comment or question? E-mail podcast@snout.org or post at snout.org/podcast !

Music: "Branches" Royalty Free Music by DanoSongs.com; instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Baby Got Back" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

 

Friday Flash Fiction: "Fools for Love"

I'm pretty happy with this one. See what you think.

Read "Fools for Love" at 512 Words or Fewer