FICTION, LIMITED.

The concept: Given 5-10 words, I type you a quick short story based on them. Except that I'm not taking new orders yet. Maybe soon.

Thanks to everyone who's requested a story, past and present.

See all stories, indexed by number, word or description.

Recently:
#93 written for Sanmi on the opposite couch living room 9/27/08
#92 written for Jamie McDonald in my living room 9/26/08
#91 written for Pierre + Jen in my living room 9/22/08
#90 written for Jessica Benton in my living room 9/17/08
#89 written for Christopher Rovegno in my living room 9/12/08


Some of my favorites so far: #86, #88, #78, #71, #67, #54, #57, #59, #2, #11, #15, #25, #26, #34, #36, #37, #44, #46.

That's not writing, that's typing.
- Truman Capote

The small print: I will spend no more than 90 minutes (I aim for 60) writing roughly one page on my typewriter, without revising or erasing. I won't look at your words until I sit down to write the story; in fact, you should leave a lot of blank space at the top of your email to protect the words.

My address: trap @ pastemob . org.
A certain heathen came to Shammai and said to him: Convert me provided that you teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot.

Shammai drove him away with the builder's cubit which was in his hand.
- Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31

The history: A guy named Kay Neuenhofen was doing this at Burning Man in 2001 (as he has documented here) and suggested I take the hot seat for a few hours. I had a great time. I found a cheap portable Royal when I got back and wrote on that for a while; I then got some more typewriters, lost them, found them again, etc. At the moment, I'm back to just my first.
Rabbi Henry
studied the Torah, writing commentaries
more likely to be burnt than printed.
It was rumoured that they needed revision.
- John Berryman, Dream Song 136

STATISTICS through #84:

Word usage:

  • 577 total
  • 365 (63%) literal
  • 194 (34%) implicit
  • 18 (3%) dropped
One should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths.
- Hagakure, The Book Of The Samurai