This month's challenge is to write a short story that passes the Bechdel Test. For those of you not familiar with the test, it has three requirements:

1. There have to be at least two women in the story.
2. They have to talk to each other.
3. They have to talk about something other than a man.

Your story can be set in any time period or world of your choosing. Stories should be a minimum of 200 words, but may run as long as you like. Include as many screencaps as needed.

If you prefer to do machinima, footage should run at least a minute long. When posting, you can embed the movie or provide a link or a teaser pic.



A few rules:
1. Challenge dates: June 1-30, 2012
2. Remember to include warnings. R-rated stories are allowed, but please f-lock the post.
3. Please tag entries with "challenge: june 12" and your username tag. If you don't have a tag, just let me know and I'll add one for you.
4. Feel free to include a teaser pic as long as it doesn't exceed 450px in width. Please place the body of the entry under an LJ cut. If you are posting to another site--Blogger, Wordpress, your own journal, etc.--please indicate this in entry.
5. Good luck and have fun!
If you still want to get something in for the May challenge, feel free to do so. Just make sure the post is tagged appropriately :)

Books
So you’re considering switching to eBooks?
Incidental Comics - The Book of the Future
The Worst Book Titles In The History Of Literature (I have seen worse, but these are still amusing)
Can a fictional character take you over?

Writers and writing
Extremely Silly Photos of Extremely Serious Writers
Literary Maps of the USA and UK
Announcing the 2011 Nebula Awards Winners
Incidental Comics - Behind Every Great Novelist
Awesome People Reading
Trust me I'm a doctor (Neil Gaiman's Commencement Address to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia)

Publishing
How A Book is Born
In the E-Reader Era, a Book a Year Is Slacking

Language
25 Handy Words That Simply Don’t Exist In English
Insults by Shakespeare
Everyday Words That Were Invented by Famous Authors

Sorry that this wasn't up sooner. I just started at a new job and given how much I've been working this past week, I probably should have just set up a bed there and camped out. Anyway...

This month's challenge is to write a short story from the point of view of an inanimate object. Your story can use any version of Sims and can be set in any time period or world of your choosing. Stories should be a minimum of 200 words, but may run as long as you like. Include as many screencaps as needed.

If you prefer to do machinima, footage should run at least a minute long. When posting, you can embed the movie or provide a link and teaser pic.

When I go to a country, I go to flea markets, antique stores. I am always looking for something. -Ursula Andress


This month's challenge is to write a scene or short story set in or otherwise involving a flea market and an object found there. Your story can use any version of Sims and can be set in any time period or world of your choosing. Stories should be a minimum of 200 words, but may run as long as you like. Include as many screencaps as needed.

If you prefer to do machinima, footage should run at least a minute long. When posting, you can embed the movie or provide a link and teaser pic.

Specially thanks to goodbye_sun for the prompt suggestion! And sorry that this wasn't up until the last minute :S



A few rules:
1. Challenge dates: April 1-30, 2012
2. Remember to include warnings. R-rated stories are allowed, but please f-lock the post.
3. Please tag entries with "challenge: april 12" and your username tag. If you don't have a tag, just let me know and I'll add one for you.
4. Feel free to include a teaser pic as long as it doesn't exceed 450px in width. Please place the body of the entry under an LJ cut. If you are posting to another site--Blogger, Wordpress, your own journal, etc.--please indicate this in the entry.
5. Good luck and have fun!

If you still want to get something in for the March challenge, feel free to do so. Just make sure the post is tagged appropriately :)

Creativity
Geek & Sundry is a new You Tube channel which will feature two shows which might be of interest to readers and writers: Sword and Laser (interviews with top authors, reviews of the hottest science fiction and fantasy books) and Written By a Kid (sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories by real kids are transformed into shorts)
‘Creative right brain’ myth debunked

Piracy and Copyright
Fan Fiction, Plagiarism, and Copyright
Chinese author group sues Apple in piracy row
My parley with ebook pirates
Copyright group wants libraries to pay for reading books to kids

Publishing
Is Magazine Publishing Really Screwed?
With This Machine, You Can Print Your Own Books at the Local Bookstore

From Chacho Puebla's Grandmother Tips Vol 2.0
Readers:
Reading a book really is better the second time round
Writers:
Famous Writers' Small Writing Sheds and Off-the-Grid Huts
Publishers:
Amazon Ditches Entire Independent Publisher; Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers of America Ditches Amazon
Free Reads:
Here Are the 2011 Nebula Award Nominees You Can Read Right Now!

I always say, keep a diary and someday it'll keep you. -Mae West


This month's challenge is to write a short story based on the prompt "diary". Your story can use any version of Sims and can be set in any time period or world of your choosing. Stories should be a minimum of 200 words, but may run as long as you like. Include as many screencaps as needed.

If you prefer to do machinima, footage should run at least a minute long. When posting, you can embed the movie or provide a link and teaser pic.

Special thanks to goodbye_sun for coming up with this month's challenge :)



A few rules:
1. Challenge dates: March 1-31, 2012
2. Remember to include warnings. R-rated stories are allowed, but please f-lock the post.
3. Please tag entries with "challenge: march 12" and your username tag. If you don't have a tag, just let me know and I'll add one for you.
4. Feel free to include a teaser pic as long as it doesn't exceed 450px in width. Please place the body of the entry under an LJ cut. If you are posting to another site--Blogger, Wordpress, your own journal, etc.--please indicate this in the entry.
5. Good luck and have fun!

If you still want to get something in for the February challenge, feel free to do so. Just make sure the post is tagged appropriately :)