My First Publication with The Centropic Oracle

As usual I'm late getting this to you. I've had a major breakthrough with my writing career. I recently sold a story to The Centropic Oracle and they have turned it into episode of their podcast. The Centropic Oracle is a tragically underrated science fiction and fantasy podcast that is hosted on YouTube. They specialize in story that make you think and feel. The Centropic Oracle  first came to my intention via The Templin Institute. They're a YouTube channel that examines the lore behind different works of fiction. They mentioned The Centropic Oracle on their Facebook page. I'm always on the look for new podcasts, so I decided to check it out.

I listened to a few story and instantly I was hooked. I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a part of The Centropic Oracle. I patiently awaited the day submissions would reopen. Eventually, that day arrived. My first couple submissions were...less than successful. Then I decided to try a new flash fiction story I'd recently completed. This time I actually gained traction, and the story made it past round after round. Still, I worried that I might come up short. In fact, I almost didn't submit the story, as I felt it was more of a poem than a short story. Then a surprise happened. The story made it to the final round, and got accepted.

Ironically, this made me not all that dissimilar from the protagonist of the story itself. Now, after patiently waiting several months, the story has been recorded and published. It is called "Spelling Test" and follows an young wizard as he/she struggles with a spelling test at school. But, given my love of puns, this is a spelling test based around magic spells, not grammar. I say he/she because I didn't have any particular gender in mind when I wrote this story.

I obviously drew from my own elementary school experience, and how I always dreaded spelling tests. Unfortunately, my school did not observe Opposite Day as a holiday, so I was never as lucky as the protagonist turns out to be. I'm quite pleased with how Larissa Thompson narrated the story. She brought depth and pathos to the story. It allowed me to experience the story in a way I previously hadn't considered. This was also the first time I got paid for a story. I was paid one cent per word in Canadian dollars, since Centropic Oracle is based in Vancouver. I made $4.41 CAD, which is about $3.34 USD. Not much, but I consider it a pretty big deal.

Well, I think that's enough for now. Go ahead and experience "Spelling Test" for yourself. And while you're there, be sure to check out to many other fines stories The Centropic Oracles has to offer.