Author Topic: Questions, Comments, Concerns?  (Read 74561 times)

Fenrix

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Reply #50 on: February 08, 2013, 04:03:07 PM
Half a bee, philosophically,
Must, ipso facto, half not be.
But half the bee has got to be
Vis a vis, its entity. D'you see?

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


will write for beer

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Reply #51 on: February 08, 2013, 07:15:14 PM
thanks! looking forward to reading all the entries. Slogged through the last PP contest over the weekend; starting on the EC entries this weekend. Lots of good stuff.

Yeah, they're dead... They're all messed up.


Unblinking

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Reply #52 on: February 08, 2013, 09:34:43 PM
But wait a minute, isn't half-a-picture still a picture?  So you're going to be above the word limit!
Good point.  I'll just submit half of half a picture. 

Problem solved.

But if:
A Half-Picture is a Picture
Then:
A Half-Half-Picture is a Picture

You're screwed!



Thunderscreech

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Reply #53 on: February 08, 2013, 10:42:32 PM
Clearly this picture-story of Zeno is going to be harder to do than I thought...



grimschrund

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Reply #54 on: February 12, 2013, 12:58:53 AM

All right, here I am with my shiny new user account and ready to go. I've submitted to the contest and I'm looking forward to seeing all the entries.

Good luck everyone!



Bdoomed

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Reply #55 on: February 12, 2013, 07:02:00 AM
When we submit our stories, should we use italics in the body copy, or use _this format_ to indicate italics? If we do use _this_, will the mods put the words in italics before the story is posted?

thx.

I really don't have a preference.  I think the usual thing to do is to use _this format_.  if you put it in italics, i might miss it and it wont be formatted to your liking.  even if i miss it when it's _formatted this way_, it will still come through when copy/pasted into the forums.  Your gamble! :P

If I want to submit one-half of a picture (should be equivalent to 500 words), what image format is most appropriate?  PNG?

Pseudopod only accepts .ctu formats.  Your puny human computer programs know not its power.  Half a picture in such a format is unspeakable, and therefore cannot be posted anyway without breaking the internet.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Fenrix

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Reply #56 on: February 12, 2013, 03:27:47 PM
Pseudopod only accepts .ctu formats.  Your puny human computer programs know not its power.  Half a picture in such a format is unspeakable, and therefore cannot be posted anyway without breaking the internet.

Bad Things happen if such a posting were to occur.

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


michelle3791

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Reply #57 on: February 14, 2013, 01:17:33 PM
Really looking forward to seeing the entries for this! Good luck to all the participants.



lowky

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Reply #58 on: February 14, 2013, 01:59:16 PM

If I want to submit one-half of a picture (should be equivalent to 500 words), what image format is most appropriate?  PNG?

Pseudopod only accepts .ctu formats.  Your puny human computer programs know not its power.  Half a picture in such a format is unspeakable, and therefore cannot be posted anyway without breaking the internet.

Does it break it irrevocably or just temporarily , cause if I could just break it for about 8 hours or so the things I could accomplish.


Ravenwolf

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Reply #59 on: February 16, 2013, 08:23:09 PM
I just registered as a new forum member, and entered one 500 word story to the contest.

I've loved listening to pseudopod for quite awhile now while driving, doing dishes, etc.

The registration said to post anything to assure I am not a bot and to solidify my forum membership. So that is what this is.

Peace...



Bdoomed

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Reply #60 on: February 17, 2013, 04:42:34 AM
That's the spirit! :)

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


lowky

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Reply #61 on: February 17, 2013, 05:18:32 AM
Welcome and good luck.


JohnCombo

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Reply #62 on: February 17, 2013, 02:28:19 PM
I can't wait to read everyone's work. Good Luck everyone.



Ettan

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Reply #63 on: February 18, 2013, 08:13:38 AM
Are you sending out acknowledgements, because I don’t know if you received my stories? Thx.

weirdwildart.com


Bdoomed

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Reply #64 on: February 18, 2013, 09:18:19 AM
I am, but only every few days.  I checked the inbox today but didnt have the time to send out receipts :)

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Harley Warren

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Reply #65 on: February 21, 2013, 03:44:59 AM
Hi,

I don't see in the rules where you have to be registered in these forums to submit for the contest, but I love Pseudopod, so what the heck. 

Also, I wanted to throw in a comment or two about the "word killing" issue.  That is, there's a lot of advice about writing out there and I think most of it needs to be taken with an attitude of flexibility.  Fiction is an art--one of the more important arts, I think.  Which means that innovation is crucial, and therefore that strict rules are anathema.  If you're stuck or want to put some spin on your writing process, advice from other writers can be great.  But there's a danger that some of that stuff might settle in and calcify, which would be unhelpful.

My real point though is that I think that horror fiction is a special case when it comes to eradicating adjectives and adverbs.  As a reader, I like horror fiction to be a little bit purple.  I don't exactly care what happens in a Lovecraft story.  I just want to put my head in that world where all the stones are damp and the caverns are immense and forbidding.  And a glance at the first paragraph of the Fall of the House of Usher indicates that florid verbiage might be an important tool in delivering horrifying effects.  It at least creates an atmosphere.  I don't remember what happens in House of Usher, but I remember it being pretty cool.

But yeah, try to do that in less than five hundred words.  Less easy. 

Can't wait till March 3 to see the variety of things that get submitted.


favorite words from the Pseudopod flash contest:
ichor bass's pelage


Ettan

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Reply #66 on: February 21, 2013, 09:38:43 AM
I am, but only every few days.  I checked the inbox today but didnt have the time to send out receipts :)

Thanks Bdoomed. Acknowlegements of stories and IP situation now received.

I have been encouraging other people to enter the competition but don’t know if any of them has. Oh well.

Looking forward to reading and voting!

weirdwildart.com


Fenrix

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Reply #67 on: February 21, 2013, 02:48:00 PM
Hi,

I don't see in the rules where you have to be registered in these forums to submit for the contest, but I love Pseudopod, so what the heck. 


You only have to be registered to read and vote. This forum is not accessible to those who are not registered, so they do not count as being published here for "first publication" reasons.

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


Unblinking

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Reply #68 on: February 21, 2013, 02:49:37 PM
Welcome, Harley!  

I don't see in the rules where you have to be registered in these forums to submit for the contest, but I love Pseudopod, so what the heck. 

You don't have to be registered on the forums to submit.  You can shoot your stories to your submission email address and wait to hear if you won.  But if you want to read everyone else's stories, read comments on your own story, participate in the discussion, or cast votes, for THOSE things you do need to register.  And to me personally, those things are what makes these contests so much fun.  :)



Ivy Wood

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Reply #69 on: February 21, 2013, 04:02:27 PM
I submitted two stories!  :D

I assume the entries won't be posted until after the deadline passes. I'm excited to read all the stories!

"Never wrestle with a pig. You just get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." :)


Harley Warren

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Reply #70 on: February 22, 2013, 04:44:22 AM
Welcome, Harley!  

I don't see in the rules where you have to be registered in these forums to submit for the contest, but I love Pseudopod, so what the heck. 

You don't have to be registered on the forums to submit.  You can shoot your stories to your submission email address and wait to hear if you won.  But if you want to read everyone else's stories, read comments on your own story, participate in the discussion, or cast votes, for THOSE things you do need to register.  And to me personally, those things are what makes these contests so much fun.  :)

Yeah, I've been looking through previous contests.  I really expect to enjoy giving and taking thoughts on all the stories.  The gradual winnowing process will probably also be fun to watch. 

favorite words from the Pseudopod flash contest:
ichor bass's pelage


Portrait in Flesh

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Reply #71 on: February 23, 2013, 09:18:09 PM
Well, got my stories ready for their final slow simmering (so that the juices and whatnot may mingle and mangle).  Hopefully they'll get together and be tasty enough for submission later this week.

The gradual winnowing process will probably also be fun to watch. 

I spent the last one alternating between falling away to my fainting couch (overcome with the vapors, butofcourse) and banging my head against the nearest wall.

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


adrianh

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Reply #72 on: February 24, 2013, 02:28:06 AM
<waves hello>

It's the middle of the night, I've got insomnia, and I've never attempted to write horror before in my life. So - time to play with this competition thang I guess ;-)

Anyway - tedious question "Word count will be determined using Microsoft Word 2007" - any tips for those living in an MS free household?



Bdoomed

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Reply #73 on: February 24, 2013, 03:49:49 AM
Nope! Maybe keep it under 490 words?  I am letting the authors know if it is over the 500 word limit (so far only one, and it was a trifle matter at that), so you will have time to shave off a few more if need be.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


eytanz

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Reply #74 on: February 24, 2013, 10:13:31 AM
When I was running the Escape Pod contest, I found that the word count tool on the following website - http://www.wordcounttool.com/ - is consistently stricter than Word (i.e., it reports identical or higher numbers). So you should be safe if you use it (disclaimer: this is based on my experimentation with a few samples; I cannot guarantee that there are no exceptions).