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Solitaire Stories by Andy Hoover: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Andy Hoover
After about a year of tinkering, I have invented a new method of quickly writing pieces of short fiction. I plan to spend 2026 testing and refining this method by using it to craft a brand-new short story… every single day of the year! This experimental storytelling method requires only a standard pack of playing cards (plus a notebook, or whatever) and a commitment to follow the suggested narrative road wherever it leads. I've always loved writing, but have struggled with finishing anything, largely because I'm an inveterate tinkerer with perfectionist tendencies, a penchant for over-complicated plot-lines and world-building, and a fear of failure (and probably success, too). I have decided to short-circuit these liabilities and confront these fears and leave my fate to the whims of cartomancy, which I understand is the practice of divining one's fate via playing cards. I did not research this practice much, nor will I do much research of any kind on behalf any of the stories.
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- 5 days ago28 min
Short(er) Story Double Feature (Stories #136 and #134)
This episode consists of two weirdly similar Solitaire Stories I wrote in July. The first one only took about 14 minutes so I decided on the fly to double up this week (partially to make up for the travel-related late release of this episode.)The first story (Story #136, written 7/22/26) is called "The Ballad of Lazy Mike". In this one, an IT professional known somewhat unfairly as Lazy Mike finds unexpected employment at an internet café. At first he finds this work a bit beneath him, and in time he becomes known -- somewhat unfairly, again -- as Angry Mike. It is the story of the rise -- and perhaps the very beginning of the fall -- of Lazy/Angry Mike.The second story (Story #134, written 7/17/26) is titled "The Last Hurrah of the Impressive Reflexes". In this one, the hard-working frontman of a hard-working local rock and ska band befriends and recruits a drummer. He then suffers through the kind of drama one might expect to befall an overbooked rock and ska band. Will he persevere and soldier on, or will he accept the sad fact that his best skanking (and management) days are behind him?
- 2 weeks ago18 min
Mosaic House (Story #133)
This is the story I wrote on 7/16/26. From my synopsis notes: "Our protagonist seeks to flip a piece of real estate following a number of ambitious aesthetic improvements. The tile guy goes overboard, which leads to multiple clashes and an eventual (sort of) catharsis." This one is a bit shorter than most as it was a one-page (rather than a two-page) story variant, though it expanded to an (almost) normal length during the typing phase. I ended up quite liking it! (Though note I have a bit of a cold, so this performance might be a bit more lethargic than most.) Enjoy!
- 3 weeks ago20 min
The Second Time Capsule (Story #130)
This is the story that I wrote on 7/10/26. In this one, an elementary school teacher, disappointed by the contents of an unearthed time capsule at his school, decides to take another run as the project... so as to do right by the schoolchildren of his day, and of the future. However, the teacher's unexpected feelings towards his own planned, "meaningful" contribution to the second capsule gives him second thoughts. Is he pointlessly sacrificing present contentment for some nebulous future benefit? (Also, it's Hawaiian Shirt Day, which doesn't help.)
- Aug 21, 202625 min
Yeoman Curewell (Story #129)
This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 7/9/26. In this one, a well-meaning but neurotic and somewhat aimless grandson of a famous mayor navigates high society during the city's benefit-and-gala season. He also must manage the fraught-but-loving relationship he enjoys/suffers with his semi-retired firecracker of a mother. These two challenges intersect and synchronize, first in a frustrating way and then in a restorative one.Some dodgy pronunciations in this one! No cussin' though, save a "hell" at the very end. Enjoy!
- Aug 13, 202624 min
Clark Convenience, North and South (Story #125)
This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 7/2/26. In this one, an entrepreneur, recently separated from his wife, attempts to take advantage of an exploitable gap in the convenience-store-gas-station market outside of Verylong National Park. The whole thing seems like a slam dunk, until it doesn't.
- Aug 6, 202623 min
The Inside Job (Story #124)
This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 7/1/26. In this one, a demolitions man looking to go the extra mile for his new employer develops a major crush on a bank teller and becomes a skilled hobbyist florist in a bid to impress her. The bank in question is a historical location known for its unconventional architecture, but it is not immune to armed robbery, as our protagonist unluckily discovers.
- Jul 29, 202630 min
Second Contact (Story #113)
An introverted farmer hears an explosion out in his father's old apple orchard. He investigates and ends up rescuing a beautiful astronaut, at significant cost to his health. The astronaut does not forget his kindness, and some time later the farmer is summoned by her to Houston, where he may had a minor-but-significant part to play in a top-secret mission.
- Jul 20, 202626 min
Daredevil Cake (Story #110)
A quiet and observant young reporter on the death-defying daredevil beat is dispatched to cover the retirement of one of the all-time greats of the trade. She's not alone in this journalistic pursuit, and must outwit a better-positioned rival in order to secure the relevant scoop for herself. And then there's the mercurial daredevil himself, who has one final, highly dangerous stunt up his filigreed and rhinestone-studded sleeve... will all his guests survive the big BBQ celebrating his retirement? Turns out it's a legitimate question!
About Solitaire Stories by Andy Hoover
After about a year of tinkering, I have invented a new method of quickly writing pieces of short fiction. I plan to spend 2026 testing and refining this method by using it to craft a brand-new short story… every single day of the year! This experimental storytelling method requires only a standard pack of playing cards (plus a notebook, or whatever) and a commitment to follow the suggested narrative road wherever it leads. I've always loved writing, but have struggled with finishing anything, largely because I'm an inveterate tinkerer with perfectionist tendencies, a penchant for over-complicated plot-lines and world-building, and a fear of failure (and probably success, too). I have decided to short-circuit these liabilities and confront these fears and leave my fate to the whims of cartomancy, which I understand is the practice of divining one's fate via playing cards. I did not research this practice much, nor will I do much research of any kind on behalf any of the stories.
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