“FIRST AID TO TROUBLED WRITERS,” the Boston Globe announced in 1928—“GRINDS OUT PLOTS WITHOUT ANY FALSE START.”
Calling all writers who are obsessed with plot and obsessives who can write a mean story. We want you!
THE RULES:
Every Wednesday for five weeks, we will post a prompt from William Wallace Cook’s classic how-to manual Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots. Use the prompt to write your own 500-word (or less) story before the following Monday at 5:00 PST. Stay tuned for the first prompt on October 19.
THE RICHES:
Weekly winners will get to read their stories on OPB’s “State of Wonder,” see them published on tinhouse.com, and receive the brand-new paperback edition of Plotto.
After five weeks, Grand Prize Judge Paul Collins will crown one winner the Plotto Writer-in-Residence. The Plotto Writer-in-Residence will be awarded a long weekend writer’s retreat at the Tin House studio in Portland, travel expenses paid.
TIN HOUSE JUDGES: Masie Cochran, Thomas Ross, and Sabrina Wise.
GRAND PRIZE JUDGE: Paul Collins—Guggeinheim fellow, author of nine books, and mastermind behind the Introduction to Plotto.
PLOTTO: THE MASTER BOOK OF ALL PLOTS
In the 1920s, dime store novelist William Wallace Cook painstakingly diagrammed and cataloged his personal writing method—“Purpose, opposed by Obstacle, yields Conflict”—for the instruction and illumination of his fellow authors. His efforts resulted in 1,462 plot scenarios and Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots was born. A how-to manual for plot, Plotto offers endless amalgamations to inspire limitless narratives. Open the book to any page to find plots you may never have known existed, from morose cannibals to gun-wielding preachers to phantom automobiles. Equal parts reference guide and historical oddity, Plotto is sure to amaze and delight writers for another century.
Hear our Grand Prize Judge talk Plotto on NPR here.
We’ll be back with the first prompt on OCTOBER 19!
Terms and Conditions
Open to U.S. residents aged 18 or over only. One entry per person per week. Entries must be the original work of the entrant and not previously published anywhere else. Entrants will retain copyright in their submitted entries; however, by entering, all entrants license Tin House a worldwide royalty-free perpetual license to publish and use each entry in any and all media (including print, radio, and online) for publicity and news purposes. There is no cash or other alternative to the prize stated and the prize is not transferable and no part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions. By entering, any subsequent winners agree to allow the free use of their names and general geographic locations for publicity and news purposes during this and future promotions by Tin House. Completion and submission of a short story will be deemed acceptance of these terms and conditions.
Winners will read their stories on OPB’s State of Wonder, which will require them to sign a material release permission form. The Grand Prize Winner will be notified by phone; the phone call will be recorded for an episode of State of Wonder.
How haunters remember their own among 2016's deaths
Dan Howland from the dearly departed Journal of Ride Theory snapped these all-the-feels tombstones at this year's Davis Graveyard (previously) haunt.
Michael Weinberg writes, “After over a year of community development, the Open Source Hardware Association has released its new certification program. Hardware with the certification logo is guaranteed to meet the community definition of open source hardware. As a bonus, any hardware registered before the end of October is eligible to receive the coveted 000001 […]
The fight for the Mario speedrun record is getting a bit King of Kong
Have you guys seen the documentary King of Kong about the acrimonious back and forth battle for the world record on the original Donkey Kong arcade machine? If not, we can’t recommend it high enough.
Anyway, we’re currently wondering whether a sequel might be in the offing based on the interminable struggle to knock fractions of time off any% speedrun record for the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES.
The master at this sort of malarkey is a fella by the name of Darbian, who has once again captured the record after losing it to a plucky upstart earlier this week.
Darbian knocked more than 0.3 seconds off the existing mark by completing the game in just 4 minutes 56.878 seconds and pulled a muscle during the celebrations.
In a discipline where competitors are usually separated by F1-like margins, a third of a second is a huge.
Related: Nintendo NES Classic - How to order
You can see his efforts, posted to YouTube yesterday in the clip below
If you’re wondering how Darbian did it (and don’t want to watch the video), he managed to warp to different worlds, meaning he only needed to complete a total of 8 levels to oust King Koopa and rescue The Princess.
Darbian’s return to the game wasn’t scheduled. When breaking the record back in April he claimed: "I have reached my potential in this category - I'm done! My quest is over.”
Can anyone take the record from him and force him back into competition again? With the NES Classic out on November 11, maybe you can throw your hat into the speed-running ring?
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