Solitaire Stories by Andy Hoover

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 emerging from this project; this inherent messiness, in the service of consistency and experimental fidelity, is my promise to you. The mission statement of this whole project is that short fiction is easy (or at least fun) to write if you don't particularly care about it being perfect, and are willing to allow certain quasi-structural guardrails to both challenge and guide your story as you go. I think short fiction writing is an important skill (or pursuit) to nurture for everyone who loves reading, writing, or storytelling. I hope this podcast will serve as a proof of concept of sorts: that there is an infinite number of possible stories out there waiting to be discovered, and we only need to give ourselves permission to discover them. I can't guarantee that any of these stories will be much good, but I'm going to write and share them anyway. With any luck you'll find one you like! For extra content (and to support Solitaire Stories, if you're so inclined), please check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/AndyHoover.

Chart trend

Position in the Comedy Fiction chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#100#198JulAugSep

#42

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Jan 2026

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

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

Sep 5
18 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

Aug 28
20 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

Aug 21
25 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 con

Aug 13
24 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 an

Aug 6
23 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 hea

Jul 29
30 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

Jul 20
26 min

Margot's Close Call (Story #109)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 6/5/26. In this one, a lady scheduled to testify against a dangerous mobster has been granted witness protection and been secreted

Jul 9
21 min

Clara's New Clown Curriculum (Story #102)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 5/27/26. In this one, an aspiring rodeo clown follows her dream, develops a bit of a crush, and then suffers a career-altering work

Jul 2
28 min

Swordfight Study No. 1 (Story #106)

This is a bit of an experimental one; I wanted to see how the Solitaire Stories system works when applied to a single "climactic" fight scene. In this one, a character kn

Jun 25
22 min

Little Jed's Big Dumb Idea (Story #98)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 5/21/26. In this one, a young man recently hired by a lumber transport company tries to get in good with his bosses, a father-son t

Jun 16
24 min

Angler Bros. Swamp Tours, LLC (Story #93)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 5/14/26. In this one, an ambitious corporate lady commits to an idea-generating solo retreat in the wild and mysterious Banjothorn

Jun 9
24 min

Go Copperheads (Story #89)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 5/7/26. Per my notes, the synopsis is as follows: "A former collegiate tennis player who went on to professional glory but has sinc

Jun 2
22 min

The Slump (Story #85)

A first-person account of a fictional baseball team's terrible fictional August and miraculous fictional September. I ended up doing this one (semi-intentionally) as a bi

May 26
19 min

Earling Mortimer Impresses (Story #86)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 5/1/26. In this one, a bookish earling (like a princeling, but for earls) feels pressured to excel on a hunting weekend at the beau

May 19
20 min

Week Eleven (Story #84)

This is the story I wrote on 4/28/26. From my notes, the synopsis is as follows: "Once upon a time (in like the 90's) two counselors fell in love at the (once) iconic and

May 12
20 min

Exploding Princess Arrows (Story #75)

This is the Solitaire Story that I wrote on 4/15/26. This one is a light fantasy tale, or at least as light as a story centering on the unexpected death of a mostly-belov

May 4
24 min

Danger's Kid Sister and the Cannibal's Son (Story #69)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 4/2/26. It's a love story featuring two hardworking entrepreneurs in the meatpacking/catering trade (for narrative convenience thei

Apr 27
26 min

The Sullen Song and the Lucky Baby (Story #62)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 3/24/26. In this one, small-time, mostly-legit hustler with his fingers in a lot of local pies contemplates buying a boat. He gets

Apr 20
25 min

Couple Friends (Story #57)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on 3/16/26. This is the story of three sets of couples who all yearn to be close friends with other couples. It starts as an aspiratio

Apr 12
22 min