Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
Please help me in congratulating Justin Sewall, our 25th different Champion of the Science Fiction Microstory Contest
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Congratulations Justin! What a good read (no pun intended re the name of this site!) ... but it was a great read, right from the opening 'hook' - or should I say 'net'? It really captured my interest whatever the reader-capturing device is called. Now I really want to know what happens next! Will Dr. Galt and his already-caught colleagues, held in Time Out, put their Temporally- expert heads together and devise a Way Out?
I want the sequel ... or perhaps the full novel version. (The characters and scene already, even in this mini-story form, have a larger-than-life feel to them ... I see them in the same sort of well differentiated colours, deadpan humour, etc as in a Dick Tracy film. All that enrichment makes for an enriching and fun experience of the standard trope(s).) Brilliant!
What a pleasant surprise! Thank you all very much. I really appreciate it! The quality of everyone's stories this month was absolutely incredible. I feel lucky to be in such great company!Heather, I don't know if I could pull off a sequel! But I could see this as a video short on YouTube or something like that. It would be fun to produce.
Thank you all for your vote of confidence. To quote Sally Field, "You like me. You really like me!" LOL!
Now I have to come up with something worthy of all the great scribes assembled here. I will endeavor to make it challenging and worthwhile.
Best to all,
Justin
All,I have posted the June theme and elements, but the conversation thread does not appear at the top of the group's main comment area where the other month's links are. You have to search for it in the whole list of conversations.
Jot, do I need to do something differently?
Since this is the first time I've put these out there, if I've done it incorrectly, please let me know.
Thanks, and good luck!
Did you create the comments thread as well?
Not yet. Was trying to figure out how to get June to pop to the top of the list. But I'll go ahead and do that now.
Comment thread created as well for June.
Good theme, Justin. History is a good topic; and a nice challenge added by having the restriction that we can't just easily get from 'Here' to 'There' via time travel, the help of aliens, and the like.
Thank you Heather. Since I'm new to the group, I hope it isn't a rehash for everyone. I have to admit when I saw I was in the first round finals, my mind started chewing on what I might do if I won. Still, it was hard. I think tropes ended up being easier!
Well, you certainly wrote a phenomenal story, Justin--congratulations on this. Now I'm curious how "historical"--or perhaps how "figure"--you want our character(s) to be, known Ozymandii types or person(s) who might truly have lived in a time okay?
Hi Paula, thank you so much! Now I'm worried I've set my personal bar too high. (gulp)I would like, real, actual, flesh and blood people. Sherlock Holmes would not qualify since he did not exist, but Vlad the Impaler would. Does that help?
"Sherlock Holmes would not qualify since he did not exist ... but Connan Doyle did! Hmm ... I've wanted for a while to have a go at writing about murder! Just a thought brewing at this stage, but good fun to start pondering (while staying within the theme and requirements.)
Then perhaps you change Sir. A. C. D's history and Sherlock Holmes never exists! Or maybe he's the villain and Moriarty becomes the hero because of some change in Doyle's timeline.
Justin, what about Janeece, who cleaned the fireplaces in Elizabeth I's halls? Or Pieter, soldier in the forces of Wilhelm of Mainz (or whatever)? Put differently, can the "historical figure" be peripheral, or perhaps only mentioned, or never mentioned at all? --Think Years of Rice and Salt, for instance.-- Clarifications--and, hopefully, broad interpretation appreciated.
Hi Paula,Yes, the person can be peripheral, or never mentioned at all. It does not have to be a famous person, just a real one who existed at some point in Earth history. Does that help?
Oh yes. Thanks, Justin. Gives us lots of interesting possibilities. Cool--thanks.
Congrats, Justin, on a fine story - it would have had my vote, if I had managed to stay in the loop (where did that dunce hat from last round go?).The 'It's slimming.' remark makes me giggle every time :o) (and it makes sense: Virtue would make sure to always be presentable.)
And what an intriguing theme for next month - gives us a wide scope. What if ...
Well done Justin. I think the overall standard is well reflected by the fact that I got no votes, for a story that wasn't that bad- and I don't make a habit of praising myself. My story was far from the only okay one to miss out .
A good month for those that keep stories simple and sharp- which I wholeheartedly approve of.
Dorthe wrote: "Congrats, Justin, on a fine story - it would have had my vote, if I had managed to stay in the loop (where did that dunce hat from last round go?).The 'It's slimming.' remark makes me giggle every..."
Thank you Dorthe! I will confess I remembered that line from a Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken and thought it was perfect here.
Richard wrote: "Well done Justin. I think the overall standard is well reflected by the fact that I got no votes, for a story that wasn't that bad- and I don't make a habit of praising myself. My story was far fr..."
Thank you Richard, much appreciated. It was certainly hard to choose this month. I'm thinking that will be the case every month with the caliber of writing I'm seeing here.
Andy wrote: "Congratulations Justin, a great read!"Thanks Andy!
Wow! Justin, your clever tale hit all the marks this month. I look forward to reading more of your writing, and will even spend real money to buy your published work. Congratulations!
Thank you Carol! I sincerely appreciate the compliment and your support!
At the risk of repeating myself, thank you!
Well to give you a rest from saying "thank you", Justin, I'm going to say thank you (again) to you for the topic, this month. I have been wanting for a while to try my hand at writing s/f murder mystery stories, as I think they might be an ideal 'literary vehicle' with which to lug around/throw around some emotional baggage, disguised as 'the working tools of the trade!' (or how to effectively murder someone/something that's really p'ed me off big-time without doing any such thing in real life!! OR how to get 'revenge' on someone/something that's effectively 'killed me off', {or done that to someone{s} I care about} without that Revenge being in real life either! And anyway that's one thing I like about murder mystery/noir: when 'the baddy' get's their eventual comeuppance, from a vulnerable/beat-up, but still competent-enough, protagonist/detective 'good-guy.')
I thought of looking at fictionally manipulating history in the realm of Arthur Conan Doyle's life and work ... but then I thought about Alan Turing and like the idea of something around that real figure's life and work, in history. So my story will be about 'a murder' that would have happened - inevitably, I think - sooner rather than later had Turing not died (suspiciously or otherwise.) It's a 'sort-of murder' that probably will happen, one day, when someone else completes what Alan Turing might have completed had he lived long enough ... because there's always power factions wanting to kill off creative forces, one way or another: it's the perpetual battle (or 'elasticity', as has been mentioned in the comments already.) It's that battle to claim what is 'the normal point' that 'Fate' or 'Destiny' wants to return to - is that point of balance more towards The Good or more towards The Evil, and what are either of those anyway?
I'm going to try the 'plan it', as opposed to 'pants it' method of writing a murder mystery. I may or may not do it successfully, but in either case its going to be great fun. In fact it already is, what with researching some more about him and his work and what might have been and researching the other sorts of characters (eg detective protagonist and suspects or antagonists ... and what Turing's part will be) ... and making sure I don't forget the other elements (thunderstorm etc) while getting caught up in all of that.
Congrats, Justin. A good tropic tale well told!
Congratulations Justin. Nice storytelling!John
Hey thanks John! It was certainly fun writing this one.
Carol wrote: "Wow! Justin, your clever tale hit all the marks this month. I look forward to reading more of your writing, and will even spend real money to buy your published work. Congratulations!"Thanks for reading and rating my books. I sincerely appreciate it!!
by Justin Sewall
I jolted awake and found myself seated behind a small table in a dark room. A single light burned overhead that did little to push back the shadows. My hands were manacled to the table’s bare surface, palms turned up as if in supplication. Across the room, a large, mirrored plate glass window stared back at me - which I was certain hid someone behind it. A muffled cough confirmed my suspicions.
I had understood the risks when I entered the program several years ago. Temporal research is dangerous and delicate work after all. But after several successful forays into the past that returned with answers to questions long unanswered, like Jimmy Hoffa’s final resting place and who really shot J.R., not one of our temporal missions had come back. I was a last gasp, a final throw of the die if you will, the ace-in-the-hole to try and beat time and force it to reveal its secrets.
The giant mainframe computer INTELIVAC had blessed my temporal voyage with a simple, “Mission confirmed,” data tape and an atomic pile that pulsed with the necessary energy to split the time rift. I was wined and dined by my colleagues, then given, ahem, a more intimate sendoff from Janice in accounting. We had professed our undying love for each other as something that would last across time. But the words felt tired and trite, as I did trying to get some final winks before the mission.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
Suddenly a door I had not noticed opened swiftly and the room’s single bulb swelled with warm illumination. Two nearly identical men entered, yet they were as different as night and day. One was dressed in an impeccable black suit and wore dark sunglasses that hid his eyes and accented his closely cropped black hair. The other wore a similar suit, only in white, and sported mirrored, silver-rimmed sunglasses and a mop of perfectly coiffured blonde hair. They placed their respective black and white briefcases on the table and opened them simultaneously.
“Very sorry to keep you waiting…Doctor?”
“Galt. Dr. Edwin Galt.”
“Yes of course. Doctor Galt. I am Mr. White and this is my associate Mr. Black.” Mr. White shuffled some papers in his briefcase and passed a file to Mr. Black who nodded imperceptibly.
“We are with the Department of Corrections, Bureau of Virtue and Vice. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Let me guess,” I said to Mr. Black. “You’re Vice and he’s Virtue.” I could almost see the eye rolls behind their corresponding glasses. “That’s a common misconception,” said Mr. White. “Really, it is an anachronistic old trope. Not worthy of a temporal researcher such as yourself.”
“Then why is Virtue wearing black?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“It’s slimming,” he deadpanned.
“And you?”
“Well…Vice has such a…negative connotation. The Department feels white is much more approachable.”
“Anyway,” Mr. Black interjected, reinserting himself into the conversation.
“Quite right Mr. Black. I’m sorry.”
“Pray continue Mr. White.”
“Indeed.”
As I sat in my gray jumpsuit, I continued to wonder just where in time I was. All of the chronometric readings were null before I had been so rudely pulled out of my displacement sled.
“You’re probably wondering where you are,” said Mr. Black.
“And why,” rejoined Mr. White.
“Is this the part where I refuse to speak and demand representation?” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, there is no representation here Doctor Galt. No courts, advocates or any of that silly legal nonsense,” answered Mr. Black.
“I get it now,” I interrupted. I was beginning to get annoyed at these two…whatever they were.
“You’re good cop and he’s bad cop. Right?”
“Doctor Galt, those old tropes are in the past as you well know. Now let’s be reasonable. Your organization has continued disrupting the timeline, sending shocks throughout history and causing a great deal of consternation and confusion. We got fed up with your meddling so we devised a…” Mr. White paused, searching for the right word.
“Net,” supplied Mr. Black.
“Yes! Thank you Mr. Black. A net if you will. Every time one of your displacement sleds trips the rift, the net snags it and drags it back here.”
“And where is here?” I answered testily.
“Why Doctor Galt, it should be obvious to you.”
“It is not obvious to me!” I shouted.
“You’re in Time Out. We’ll make you quite comfortable of course. In fact, several of your colleagues are already here. I’m sure you’ll have a lot to talk about.”
(749 words in story) Justin Sewall © 2016