122 words for the 'something small' drabble topic. I couldn't tighten it more than that.

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I look at a playing card he handed me.

"So this is going to revolutionize gaming?"

Kyle swipes another sip of my coffee sitting on the table between us, nods.

"I like the art. The rules look really … mathy, though."

"The guy who designed it is a math professor. But it's going to be huge."

I shrug. We stop talking about his new job, instead gossiping about the live-action vampire game we're both in. Before he takes me home, Kyle tucks the card into the band of my top hat. I don't know it, but the card holds my future; a new job, travel, a husband. All I see is some better-than-average fantasy art, and rules text I don’t care about.

Aww, the history of Jilli and gaming, all in one drabble.

Jilli! That one's a sweetie.

Wondering about submitting a short story or two here.

I've got a few friends with stories already published there or accepted there - Kate Maloy, Susan Ito, Russell Rowland - and it's tempting. I'm worried about Vonnegut being their gold standard, though...

Submit, Deb. The chances are 50-50 going in, without any other considerations at all. Spare? Your writing is both spare and elegant. Go for it.

I'm actually thinking of expanding an existing drabble into a longer piece. Would that be kosher, do you think?

Would that be kosher, do you think?

Why wouldn't it? It's your writing and it's original. Meets the criteria, yes?

Yes, but since I've posted the drabble that would be the core of the story both here and in my livenjournal, it might count as "prior publishing", especially since this is a web magazine.

But I didn't see anything in the submission requirements mentioning that. And anyway, while the core of the story would be the drabble, it wouldn't be on one continuous form.

Will ponder.

both here and in my livenjournal, it might count as "prior publishing"

Hmmm, that is a good question. Since the internets are pretty much public domain, anything ever put on it could be considered priorly published. In my head, though, I think of "published" as having taken money for it. Kind of like the difference between amateur and professional in sports.

The net publishing area is extremely grey, and the courts (so far as I know) have yet to hand down definitive rulings on what constitutes "already published" in the electronic media. So, at the moment, it's very much in the lap of the individual publisher.

Definitely something to think about. Because I'd love to get a story up there.