Help me fill in this vague recollection of a story I read? I read it probably as recently as last year. I don't remember if it's a short story or an incident in a novel. [more inside]
posted by Infinity_8 on Jan 17, 2013 - 6 answers

What print fiction magazines accept longer short stories? [more inside]
posted by pavane on Aug 27, 2012 - 3 answers

A recent conversation reminded me of something I once read. It was in a Playboy magazine, likely mid-80s, and it was either a short story or an excerpt from a novel if Playboy even does that kind of thing. From what I remember it was written in the first person about a guy (a reporter?) who hears about this Vietnam vet that has learned some art of tattooing which acts as the perfect camouflage. [more inside]
posted by komara on Jun 20, 2011 - 8 answers

Help me find the name/author of a short story with the following plot: human children are the work slaves of gremlins (goblins?), and made to do manual labor underground. Those with good behavior and who are getting older are "graduated" and told that they're being freed, but after a gremlin-only "ceremony," are killed for food instead. [more inside]
posted by NucleophilicAttack on Feb 12, 2011 - 3 answers

Raymond Carver wrote a story in which a character writes a novel, or a story, about and/or titled "The beast that ate Cleveland," or something. [more inside]
posted by From Bklyn on Jun 25, 2010 - 6 answers

Charlotte, NC, transplant writer (involuntarily amateur) looking for a writing circle/critique group/community of writers. [more inside]
posted by Scattercat on Feb 28, 2010 - 1 answer

What type of stories win the Toronto Star's short story contest? I mean, beyond what's in the Star's rules and guidelines -- does history show a bias towards a certain subject matter or style, etc.? The judges are from the Humber College creative writing program -- does that mean there are any types of writing that are especially in/out of favour?
posted by winston on Nov 27, 2007 - 0 answers

I've written some fiction. Now I want to see if it's any good. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Oct 14, 2007 - 7 answers

I remember a friend of mine telling me about a short story/novel/novella about a baseball pitcher whose pitched balls disappeared after leaving his hand, only to reappear in a totally different place and kill someone. There's [more inside]
posted by reenum on Nov 22, 2006 - 9 answers

Abstract Thinking Filter: So I created this creature that travels by temperature instead of time, so to speak. [more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold on Jul 18, 2006 - 29 answers