Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
APRIL - 2020 - MICROSTORY CONTEST (COMMENTS ONLY)
Mine's up. Excellent theme, Justin. And, timely.
Mine's up. Very Asimovish. Justin lit a light bulb in my brain. It's short on elaboration since the story mechanism took so much room to explain. I think I will turn it into a short story later and flesh it out.
Tom wrote: "Mine's up. Excellent theme, Justin. And, timely."Thanks Tom! I think that must be a record for how fast you got your story done! Nice work!
Justin
Kalifer wrote: "Mine's up. Very Asimovish. Justin lit a light bulb in my brain. It's short on elaboration since the story mechanism took so much room to explain. I think I will turn it into a short story later and..."Yes, great story Kalifer!
Mine is up, too.Great prompt this month, but I want to lighten things up a bit.
-C
Justin wrote: "Tom wrote: "Mine's up. Excellent theme, Justin. And, timely."Thanks Tom! I think that must be a record for how fast you got your story done! Nice work!
Justin"
Thank you, Justin.
Kalifer wrote: "Mine's up. Very Asimovish. Justin lit a light bulb in my brain. It's short on elaboration since the story mechanism took so much room to explain. I think I will turn it into a short story later and..."Yes, I found it reminiscent of some of Asimov's 1950's short stories.
C. wrote: "Mine is up, too.Great prompt this month, but I want to lighten things up a bit.
-C"
It was very funny, C. (Just watch out for copyright infringement.)
No problem. They can have the prize money if I win!
Wrote a short one this month. Read the other stories after and realized there's some overlap. Please pardon my lack of originality!
Thanks Jot!Haven't had much time or energy to write in the past couple of years. Not sure how much of either I'll have in the next few either (young kids). But once in a while...
Nice story, Jeremy.Snarky AI's are always fun.
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I was trying to write a vulnerable AI, but I guess I'm out of practice.
Very interesting stories, all. I have one semi-ready, but it's too long yet.
Mod
Thanks, Tom and C. I've an edit job for a client to finish this coming week, but hopefully can get the piece up this month. Thank you!Wow--just read your new stories, Jack and Jot! Each more terrific than the other--first-rate pieces. This month's stories are incredible, people.
Maybe you could grace us with a brief review or two this month Paula? Your perspective is always interesting!
I got mine up. I had several ideas this month, but this one nagged its way to the front, sort of a continuation of last month. Go figure.
Some absolutely spectacular stories, and we're barely into the month. Voting is going to be difficult...
Funny story Jack, but this is not fantasy or sci-fi. This has happened many millions of times in the last ten years milking billions of dollars from people that can ill afford it.. A friend of mine is an IT professional and has had to clean up many computers of seniors that have had a very similar experience. Many, were people that should have know better than to trust a message that suddenly pops up on their screen with a phone number. One that has popped up on my screen several times calls itself Apple Care (absolutely nothing to do with Apple). It's a fraud! This often comes from Malware that can attack your system just by misspelling Google or YouTube or some other common site name. Unfortunately, these companies are offshore and probably should have their internet connections to the outside world eliminated if they don't conform to international law. Nigeria is probably the largest offender.
Computer email fraud is despicable. Always check the actual email address of the sender. This exposes 95% of the criminals.
Interesting stories and comments from everyone this month! I hope we're not going to start a round of defining "what is" (or isn't) science fiction/fantasy, btw; better we let people create freely in what we each see as science fiction/fantasy rather than constrict the field (and participants, as tends to occur)--imho, of course.
I just listened to a legitimate news story on CNBC about the Chinese testing Viagra as a drug therapy for COVID 19.What a story concept! You just can't make this stuff up.
-C
Hello everyone! What a fantastic group of stories! C, I had a good laugh at yours. Marianne, what a touching story! Really a standout crop this month. I'm percolating with some ideas, but Boeing has been hanging over my head and finally dropped Mjolnir. I'm not unemployed, just not paid until they decide to reopen the Everett site. At least I still have my insurance benefits. I've got savings and I'll use some paid time off, but I'm going to apply for unemployment to help slow the savings drain. I don't know if I want or should look for another communications job in the meantime. I only have a 15 mile commute, which I really hate to give up. I know a lot of people are in the same boat and worse off than me so I'm not complaining too loudly. It was nice to escape reality for a bit with your stories. Great job everyone!!
Sorry to hear Justin, but I know you will land on your feet with cat-like grace. I've seen lots of ideas on the internet about making the most of this down-time, including education and starting a business. Great opportunity to pivot when you are no longer saddled with the momentum of the ordinary. Good luck, and good hunting!
Thanks C, much appreciated! First I have to finish Jack's audiobook! I'm almost done editing and want to get it out into the world. After that... the sky's the limit! :)
Justin wrote: First I have to finish Jack's audiobook! I'm almost done editing and want to get it out into the world."Justin, take care of yourself and those six kids first. This is a tough time for everyone. I'm single, self-employed and a loner during normal times, but this is still difficult. Thankfully, the weather has gotten warmer here (Colorado) and I can get out on my bike every day.
I had a video conference with a client (about eight people) a couple days ago. Some people who are really social are struggling a lot. I feel for them. That said, my daughter, the social butterfly, and her husband just laid down hard-wood floors in their house! Now she is making homemade masks for people in her church.
Thanks Jack! We are fortunate to live on 1.5 acres, have a full sport court in the backyard for the kids to play tennis, badminton and basketball on, room to ride their bikes on the property, a play structure to swing on, and of course - video games. We are all doing okay here. We pick up our groceries after ordering them online, sanitize and quarantine them all out in the garage building, and wash all produce thoroughly. I'm getting good runs in on my treadmill and as the weather gets nicer I'll get out on the road again. We are doing okay, especially compared to many people. With Boeing work on pause, I can get PHM finished and off to ACX quality control. You wanted it in May and by golly you'll have it! :) Thanks again!!
'Glad you're using your downtime so productively, Justin, and I wish you...and, all of us...the best in these uncertain times. Here's to a brighter tomorrow.
A good Passover, Easter, and, beginning 4/24, Ramadan, to each of you!
Mod
Northeaster for Easter; hope its a Passover.
Mod
All we had was cold weather (20s) and snow. I hate April. Be safe on the ladder, Jot!
Mod
Yeah, be careful, Jot--and your son-in-law. And watch out in that cold now, Jack, no skiing in the April avalanche season!X-country's okay, though--mostly.
Drinking is safe if practiced in moderation.I figure antiseptic from the inside-out will be therapeutic. No?
C. wrote: "Drinking is safe if practiced in moderation.I figure antiseptic from the inside-out will be therapeutic. No?"
C, you're as bad as those people who think drinking bleach is going to kill the virus. It will, but it will also kill the host. That said, I'm with you. Is it bad to say "I need a Corona"? OK, make it a Corona Light.
Jack,If you're worried, skip the lime! lol
To help polish our skills and present a flavor of our art to other members in the group, I am continuing this friendly contest for those who would like to participate. There is no money involved, but there is also no telling what a little recognition and respect might generate. The rules are simple:
1) The story needs to be your own work and should be posted on the goodreads (GR) Discussion board, which is a public group. You maintain responsibility and ownership of your work to do with as you please. You may withdraw your story at any time.
2) The stories must be 750 words or less.
3) The stories have to be science fiction, follow a specific theme and potentially include reference to items as requested by the prior month's contest winner.
4) You have until midnight EST on the 22nd day of the month to post your story to the GR Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion. One story per author per month.
5) After, anyone from the LI Sci-Fi group or the GR Science Fiction Microstory Discussion group has until midnight EST of the 25th day of the month to send me a single private vote (via GR or to author.jotrussell@gmail.com) for a story other than their own. This vote will be made public once voting is closed. Voting is required. If you do not vote, your story will be disqualified from the contest. You don't need a qualifying story to cast a vote, but must offer the reason for your vote if you don’t have an entry.
6) To win, a story needs at least half of the votes, or be the only one left after excluding those with the fewest votes. Runoffs will be run each day until a winner is declared. Stories with vote totals that add up to at least half, discarding those with the fewest votes, will be carried forward to the next runoff election. Prior votes will be carried forward to support runoff stories. If you voted for a story that did not make it into the runoff, you need to vote again before midnight EST of that day. Only people who voted in the initial round may vote in the runoffs.
7) Please have all posts abide by the rules of GR and the LI Sci-Fi group.
8) For each month, there will be three discussion threads:
a) Stories - For the stories and the contest results only.
b) Comments - For discussions about the stories and contest. Constructive criticism is okay, but please avoid any spoilers about the stories or degrading comments directed towards any individuals. If you want to suggest a change to the contest, feel free to start a discussion about the idea before making a formal motion. If another member seconds a motion, a vote can be held. I will abstain from voting, but will require a strong two-thirds majority to override my veto.
c) Critiques - Each member can provide at most one critique per story, with a single rebuttal by the author to thank the critic and/or comment to offer the readers the mind set of the story to account for issues raised by the critique. Critiques should be of a professional and constructive manner. Feel free to describe elements that you do and don't like, as these help us gain a better perspective of our potential readers. Remarks deemed inflammatory or derogatory will be flagged and/or removed by the moderator.
9) The winner has THREE days after the start of the new month to make a copy of these rules and post a new contest thread using the theme/items of their choosing. Otherwise, I will post the new contest threads.
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Theme: isolation (self-imposed, involuntary, solo, as a group, etc.)
Required elements: a virus (computer, biological, something that replicates exponentially), unexpected help