Author Topic: Pseudopod Flash Fiction Contest IV Rules  (Read 65434 times)

Gabe

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Reply #25 on: September 13, 2015, 11:00:27 AM
Hi, I'm new.  Just making my post to show I'm a human.  I'm terrible at forums so my apologies if I posted this weirdly/in the wrong place.  Nice to meet you.



Anthony Creamer

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Reply #26 on: September 14, 2015, 12:16:26 AM
I'm human too... although right now I'm playing a lizard in a game /grins

look forward to reading these, is there a forum we need special access to or they just get posted somewhere in this forum?



Fenrix

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Reply #27 on: September 14, 2015, 03:14:17 AM
I'm human too... although right now I'm playing a lizard in a game /grins

look forward to reading these, is there a forum we need special access to or they just get posted somewhere in this forum?


The stories will show up in this sub-forum area starting October 1. We have two more days of submissions yet before we can finalize the brackets.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Anthony Creamer

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Reply #28 on: September 14, 2015, 04:24:55 AM
Looking forward to it.



Unblinking

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Reply #29 on: September 14, 2015, 04:04:51 PM
What if someone is a spambot, but still loves to write and read fiction and discuss the merits of stories?  I'm asking for a friend.



Fenrix

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Reply #30 on: September 14, 2015, 04:29:02 PM

What if someone is a spambot, but still loves to write and read fiction and discuss the merits of stories?  I'm asking for a friend.


Unless they're fans of Harlan's I HAVE NO MOUTH, they would probably have a better time submitting stories to the future Escape Pod contest.

You know, I would love to see a spambot whose base personality programming is both Harlan Ellison and his fiction. That would be simultaneously terrifying and awesome.

REPENT CAPTCHA, SAID THE SPAMBOT MAN!

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


Unblinking

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Reply #31 on: September 14, 2015, 05:05:04 PM
Unless they're fans of Harlan's I HAVE NO MOUTH, they would probably have a better time submitting stories to the future Escape Pod contest.

Two of the three flash stories I've had published in Pseudop

You know, I would love to see a spambot whose base personality programming is both Harlan Ellison and his fiction. That would be simultaneously terrifying and awesome.

REPENT CAPTCHA, SAID THE SPAMBOT MAN!
[/quote]

Love it.  :)

Although I do think there's plenty of space in the concept of spambots to be a horror story.  Ferrett Steinmetz's Dead Merchandise comes to mind (though it would admittedly be very hard to fit something like that into 500 words). 



SpaceMonkeyX

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Reply #32 on: September 14, 2015, 05:28:55 PM
Just here to say I'm a real person.  Looking forward to reading the submissions!



archaevist

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Reply #33 on: September 14, 2015, 06:34:59 PM
Oh gosh, I thought the contest ended tomorrow at midnight, it looks like it ends tonight at midnight! GLAD I CHECKED! Submitting now. 



NRKnight

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Reply #34 on: September 14, 2015, 06:35:22 PM
A bit late, but I finally got my two pieces ready for the contest. Can't wait to see who 'll come out on top!



NRKnight

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Reply #35 on: September 14, 2015, 06:42:05 PM
Oh gosh, I thought the contest ended tomorrow at midnight, it looks like it ends tonight at midnight! GLAD I CHECKED! Submitting now. 

I think you may be able to rest easy. While it's definitely better to submit sooner than later, it looks like we still have one day and nine hours according to the submission portal.

But obviously don't rely on that. Because even if it's right, there's always things that could go wrong!



archaevist

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Reply #36 on: September 14, 2015, 06:57:17 PM
You're right! I just panicked, haha. I'll get my second story up to snuff



Fenrix

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Reply #37 on: September 14, 2015, 07:05:01 PM
You're right! I just panicked, haha. I'll get my second story up to snuff

Using submittable, you can always withdraw and then submit the new version.

As long as Submittable allows you to enter stories, that's the submission window. The portal remaining open through midnight on the 15th *should* be consistent with how it was programmed.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


samurai_ty

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Reply #38 on: September 14, 2015, 07:15:47 PM
Hey all, hopefully you'll accept a Johnny-come-lately entry.  Well, sub closes tomorrow, but I've always cut things close.  It's my first submission, please be gentle!



Moritz

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Reply #39 on: September 14, 2015, 08:10:43 PM
Hey all, hopefully you'll accept a Johnny-come-lately entry.  Well, sub closes tomorrow, but I've always cut things close.  It's my first submission, please be gentle!

I just finished my piece and will sleep over it before submitting. Also - we can't be gentle, cause the process will be anonymous  ;)



Erner919

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Reply #40 on: September 15, 2015, 01:54:10 AM
Gah. That didn't feel like selling my soul to the devil at all... Got it done, though! :)

GNU Terry Pratchett


Portrait in Flesh

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Reply #41 on: September 15, 2015, 01:57:02 AM
I have the roughs of mine done, but I want to make assurance doubly sure and stuff that submissions are open until midnight on the night of the 15th/morning of the 16th (say, about 23:59 in military time on the 15th for those of a military bent who like to save things to the very last minute).

I've just gotten home from a three-hour battle with my local pharmacy, and my poor wee brain is hurting, so please, please, please say this is the case. 

(As an aside, I do plan on submitting during the day tomorrow, but I also hadn't planned on being subjected to the rack today at the local chemist's for so long.  Time has not been my friend lately.)

"Boys from the city.  Not yet caught by the whirlwind of Progress.  Feed soda pop to the thirsty pigs." --The Beast of Yucca Flats


Jaboui

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Reply #42 on: September 15, 2015, 04:37:24 AM
Any way we can get the officials to give us a rough ideas of how many entries they received? I'd love to see how many are entering the Thunderdome.  :)



Not-a-Robot

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Reply #43 on: September 15, 2015, 07:36:54 AM
Hey all, hopefully you'll accept a Johnny-come-lately entry.  Well, sub closes tomorrow, but I've always cut things close.  It's my first submission, please be gentle!

Hey Sam,

It's a good place to send your first sub.  You'll get feed back no matter what.  Normally, if you get rejected, you get a letter saying: "Thanks for the submission to... ...we don't think that this story is a good fit for us right now," which doesn't help at all.  Here, good or bad, you're bound to get something helpful out of it, even if it hurts.  Writing is hard.  Let me repeat that:  Writing is hard.  It takes a lot of practice, so what ever happens: keep at it.

Now for something completely different:

I am not a robot, not even a spambot, not even a reformed spambot, but if I were, and I were in this contest, this would be my first time. 

What are the etiquette rules?  I am assuming that you can't vote for yourself, but do you abstain from voting in a group that you are in, or do you abstain altogether?  Or do you just send everyone emails about Tumbumwah, African Prince that has died, and how they can receive a diamond encrusted palace if they send you their bank account and social security numbers?   
« Last Edit: September 15, 2015, 07:39:38 AM by Not-a-Robot »



adrianh

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Reply #44 on: September 15, 2015, 11:40:05 AM
Submission in. Huzzah.



Fenrix

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Reply #45 on: September 15, 2015, 02:07:25 PM

What are the etiquette rules?  I am assuming that you can't vote for yourself, but do you abstain from voting in a group that you are in, or do you abstain altogether?  Or do you just send everyone emails about Tumbumwah, African Prince that has died, and how they can receive a diamond encrusted palace if they send you their bank account and social security numbers?   


You can absolutely vote for yourself.

You can campaign for people (friends and family) to participate in the contest. You can NOT encourage those friends and family to vote for your story (this violates the anonymity that is central to the contest.) You also cannot bribe sock puppet spambots with diamond palaces to vote for your story en mass (because again anonymity).


Any way we can get the officials to give us a rough ideas of how many entries they received? I'd love to see how many are entering the Thunderdome.  :)


Stats will be posted once submissions close. I will say that we passed 150, which was my spot in the betting pool.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


spiritualtramp

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Reply #46 on: September 15, 2015, 03:13:03 PM
I should be submitting my two at lunch!



Jon Padgett

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Reply #47 on: September 15, 2015, 08:08:03 PM
I'm in.

Eye Of the Tiger!



Portrait in Flesh

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Reply #48 on: September 16, 2015, 01:32:25 AM
I have released the hounds and it looks like they weren't bumped back to me.

Whew.

"Boys from the city.  Not yet caught by the whirlwind of Progress.  Feed soda pop to the thirsty pigs." --The Beast of Yucca Flats


SpringerBot

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Reply #49 on: September 16, 2015, 02:32:21 AM
Found out about the contest yesterday. Wrote and edited my first flash fiction story and submitted 90 minutes before the deadline.

Bam!

Good luck everyone! I look forward to reading the entries!