Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
FEBRUARY 2019 Microstory Contest - Comments Only
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Jot
(new)
Jan 31, 2019 09:41AM
Mod
reply
|
flag
Dean, what a great story! It was so...gentle. I could really feel a sense of wonder in your writing. Nicely done!
Welcome back, Dean. Fantastic story! If there was an award for best closing line, that one would take it.
Good story C!! It's like "Red Dawn" all over again!
Thanks Justin! This time they nuked us first, and then invaded with an army of Rosie the Robots*! *Referemce: Hanna Barbera Cartoon 1962-1963 "The Jetsons" robot maid character for you millennials out there.
https://youtu.be/HsjgGOPanGI?t=75
-C
Justin wrote: "I liked your story Tom!"Thank you, Justin.
Mod
Mod
Please pray for him; in the miracle of his recovery, in the completion of his book, or for the light of the Universe to embrace him into the worlds beyond. God bless you Ben.
https://www.amazon.com/Ben-Boyd-Jr/e/...
So sorry to hear about this Jot. I will certainly pray for him.
My best wishes to Mr. Boyd and his family.
Jot wrote: "Our friend, Ben Boyd Jr., is in hospice after a long battle with cancer. And although he can no longer tolerate the chemo, he is still at work trying to complete his last book.Please pray for him..."
Will pray for him, for sure. Sorry to hear this.
Man, I struggled with this month. Writer's block, I guess. I couldn't come up with much regarding this months theme, so I submitted something pretty short. Definitely not my best work, but I guess it's all I have this month. Oh well.
As usual, you're too hard on yourself, Chris. I thought it was effective, and very funny. Good job.
Chris, I second Tom's comments. I liked it. Don't beat yourself up. There are plenty of people happy to do that for you. :) LOL! This month I had a beginning and end to my story, but for the life of me I could not figure out a good transition between the two. I finally came up with something, but it may still be a bit weak.
Anyway, your story had a good twist. Good job!
Great job, Chris. That story has a lot of heart. Other than the tiny steal vs steel the toolbox typo, it's first-rate!-C
Thanks for your kind words, but it took me over three weeks to get to that 500 word story. I almost gave up!
Hey, I hear you. I fume and stress and strain trying to come up with something a lot of the time. I've been encouraged a bit by a FB page called "I'm a sci-fi writer dammit!" (not a title I would have used, however...) Anyway, people just encourage you to write. It may not be the best or the most beautiful, but just to get the words out. You just never know what you might create.
"I'm a sci-fi writer, dammit!' is the/a website of Thaddeus Howze, who was very active in this group early on and who is a prolific and rising author in sf.
Justin wrote: "Chris, I second Tom's comments. I liked it. Don't beat yourself up. There are plenty of people happy to do that for you. :) LOL! This month I had a beginning and end to my story, but for the life..."
I thought the plot flowed along pretty well. (See my review.)
Thank you Tom, I really appreciate it. And thank you for all the reviews for all the other stories too. I know it takes time, thought and effort to do them. I enjoy getting others perspectives and I know I've been remiss in getting any reviews out myself.You are spot on with the 1950's vibe, which is what I was aiming for. I actually wrote this story a bit out of sequence. I wrote the beginning part, then the end part, and as I said the middle was the sticking part - also due to word count.
Anyway, thanks again!
Jack! What a great story! Loved it! Very different in a good way.
Justin wrote: "Jack! What a great story! Loved it! Very different in a good way."Thanks, Justin. Weird night last night. I wrote 4,000 words in my next novel, then at 11pm read all of this month's stories here. I couldn't shut my mind down so I started writing a story.
Wow. Productive evening! Again, nice work!
Jack wrote: "Justin wrote: "Jack! What a great story! Loved it! Very different in a good way."Thanks, Justin. Weird night last night. I wrote 4,000 words in my next novel, then at 11pm read all of this month'..."
You are a true writer.
Tom wrote: "Jack wrote: "Justin wrote: "Jack! What a great story! Loved it! Very different in a good way."Thanks, Justin. Weird night last night. I wrote 4,000 words in my next novel, then at 11pm read all o..."
Is it wrong if it counts as fun?
Jack wrote: "Tom wrote: "Jack wrote: "Justin wrote: "Jack! What a great story! Loved it! Very different in a good way."Thanks, Justin. Weird night last night. I wrote 4,000 words in my next novel, then at 11p..."
Hell, no.
It's supposed to be fun!! Why else are we doing this? :)
Some editors have said "If you write because you want to, not because you have to, you're doomed to fail." (Maybe that's why they're editors?)
I don't believe that for a minute! I'll keep writing until they put me in the ground and even if I hardly make any money from it.
Justin wrote: "I don't believe that for a minute! I'll keep writing until they put me in the ground and even if I hardly make any money from it."Here, here!
I have actually VOWED to myself as I approach what I kind of feel is my golden age of composing/writing, that I will no longer write for any pitch, call, or submission unless it’s something that I want to write.I think it’s easy to get caught up in pushing to create for a pitch or a call, and it can end up zapping your creative spirit.
I’ve spent the last 20 years creating (mostly music) for clients, until it was ALL their stuff (which was usually bad), with their voice (which was usually mediocre).
I am now righting the ship and getting back to my roots as a composer/author with stuff that comes from my brain, and is published MY way. That may mean less money, but it sure is more fulfilling.
Now how best to market it to the world....
Jon,Yours are interesting observations. I, too, notice that everyone I talk to about my writing has a story they want to tell, or a personal twist they wish to plant on some story of mine. But since they cannot or will not write, they want me to do it for them. Hah.
I'd rather be inspired by all around me and then go my own way. In business, this worked for me every single time. But nobody likes an independent spirit freely demonstrating something they cannot do themselves, so it's never easy.
People love to gamble with ideas and wild suggestions when you are the one holding the bag. And being the lowest common denominator of you and your benefactor never earns much money IMHO. You're just promised you will. But then, I've not invested the necessary time to succeed in the business of writing yet, since I am a lazy semi-retired slug, so mine is just another op-ed.
But you're definitely on to something.
-C
I have a positronic reaction. No, not a positronic brain but a reaction to the word positronic. Okay Asimov invented the word for his robots and it was not that long after the discovery of the positron so it was a hot word at the time. When I started reading science fiction in the 1950s the term positronic already seemed dated and weird. Using antimatter as a power source was in full vogue, but to use it for making a brain, no, no, no! Asimov used it throughout his works for consistency since much was related to his earlier works. The question arrises, why have so many science fiction writers picked this up. Making brains out of positrons would be like making concrete out of nitro glycerin. Worse! Ridiculous!
I'm a great fan of Asimov's writing but not his positronic brain. There, I got that off my chest.
Kalifer wrote: "I have a positronic reaction. No, not a positronic brain but a reaction to the word positronic. Okay Asimov invented the word for his robots and it was not that long after the discovery of the posi..."He could have made it a Quantum Brain, but those concepts were relatively (pun) new back then. But if he had, Data could have been in a million places at once, entangled across the galaxy with his other selves. Then we could be praying to the Almighty Data, instead of Q. Of course, here on earth we would still call that schizophrenia, or a Psychotic break.
And with a Quantum Brain the three laws would be flipped around or come out as some perverse joke. Things might be really fun then.
Well, actually, Jack, then we wouldn't have any "language" ("we", whether AI We or human WE or conceptual WE or. . .) in which to be "praying." To the Almighty Qizophrenia or Psycho-Q or . . . ggclipseentagleMEANT zzznada nada cuz "contradictn" "there4 DAtangL". . . True, dat, Kalifer? Jack?
Paula, that just hurts my brain. But I really like thinking of God as Qizophrenia.
Mod
First round finalists:
Where Does Beauty Live? by Dean Hardage
Afterthought by C. Lloyd Preville
Positronic Faux Pas by Justin Sewall
Mod
Where Does Beauty Live? by Dean Hardage
Afterthought by C. Lloyd Preville
Votes needed from:
Jot Russell
Chris Nance
Mod
