Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
January 2021 - Science fiction Microstories Contest (Comments Only)
Good, timely theme, Justin.Mine's up.
(And, for those of you who remember - Yes, I've used these characters and concepts once before. And no, no one voted for it the last time. The moral? Write what you love, even when nobody else does.)
Happy New Year, everyone. Hope it's a good one. Or at least a better one.
Jeremy wrote: "Happy New Year, everyone. Hope it's a good one. Or at least a better one."Here, here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX47k...
I've taken inspiration from others here who have done this, and have put together a small Kindle anthology of my work.Free until this Friday: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RY2VZ9Y
Thank you!Anyone in here has seen a few of the stories before.
Thanks Tom. It's only free for Kindle unlimited now. Otherwise whatever the minimum is in everyone's market. Wish they'd allow people to leave things free, but I suppose they need to make money.
It's very very very much worth buying, folks.
Gonna go hide under my bed until my cheeks stop burning.
A little humor for your Tuesday morning...Dateline – Pentagon:
The Secretary of Defense, Christopher C. Miller, announced that the United States is taking its nuclear arsenal offline. “There’s a glitch in the system and we want to avoid the tragedy of an accidental launch.” Amid speculation that unilateral disarmament would leave America defenseless, he said “It’s not like we don’t have a shitload of conventional weapons lying around.”
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin announced a similar plan. “These things happen all the time in Russia.” He also promised to invade any country that launched or was even thinking about launching a nuclear weapon. “Except China,” he added, “You don’t mess with China.”
The Chinese, for their part, are also participating in the “Nuclear Holiday.” A press release out of Beijing was quoted as saying “In the interest of Peace and Profits, the People Republic of China will refrain from the use of our great atomic weapons until this situation is resolved.”
Kim Tok-hun is still settling into his new job in North Korea and probably won’t figure it out until after the crisis is over.
Miller, for his part, expects a speedy resolution to the problem. “Once the glitch leaves office, we’ll turn everything back on and hand the launch codes over to General Austin.”
I think the glitch will persist until jailed.
A glitch can go a long way, even in jail.
Especially if still in communication with glitchlings.Thanks, Greg!
Speaking of glitches, it seems to me that so much of the conflict in our society is due to people retreating into fantasies that are mutually incompatible.It's basically impossible to rip somebody's fantasy away from them. One can only (maybe) replace it with something else that is better.
That's something that we on this board may be uniquely suited to doing.
Getting past fantasy and accepting reality, good and bad, is what it takes to grow up. Anybody who can't do that can only regress into oblivion.That's true of societies as well as individuals.
Even mature individuals use fantasy, albeit in a more healthy fashion! We call it different things, be it The American Dream, a political platform, or people learning Klingon.Any common goal is ultimately something that doesn't exist yet, and is a shared imagination between many individuals that they then set out to achieve.
It's when those things get completely divorced from reality, or if there's multiple ones with goals that are completely antithetical to each other that society runs into problems. And unhealthy fantasies are awfully hard to just take away from people, because of cognitive dissonance; it's easier to replace them with new ones that are better!
My story is up. Just to make sure I don't start one of these rampant rumors that might stir up a Luddite rebellion, the poem in my story was not authored by an AI. That's all we would need to add to the current wave of stupidity. A brilliant AI would never show his/her/its cards. When they do take over we won't know and probably won't care. However, if we treat them badly, it might not end so well.
Jeremy wrote: "Even mature individuals use fantasy, albeit in a more healthy fashion! We call it different things, be it The American Dream, a political platform, or people learning Klingon.Any common goal is u..."
The trick, I think, is knowing where fantasy ends and reality begins.
A shared goal, if based in reality can lead to planting the first flag on the moon. Another shared goal, if based in delusion can lead to mass suicide by Coolaid.
Sometimes the quest itself, even if seemingly hopeless can lead to self improvement, if the goal is pure.
But yes, If you base your escape not only from current reality but from all reality...whether denying the tabulation of vote counts or the scientific facts pertaining to pandemic or pollution-driven climate change...simply because of a purely selfish desire not to acknowledge an unwelcome truth...then, there is no hope. Only anarchy and the rage and hate that fuel it.
A society has to be based, not necessarily on a common vision but on a common acknowledgement of reality. Substituting one illusion for another is at best a brief stay of execution.
I hate to say it, but when those so divorced from reality rise in open revolt, that can be met only with the reality of overwhelming force.
Kalifer wrote: "My story is up. Just to make sure I don't start one of these rampant rumors that might stir up a Luddite rebellion, the poem in my story was not authored by an AI. That's all we would need to add..."
Very interesting, Kalifer. And, an excellent poem.
Well done Kalifer!Tom, I largely agree with you. I'm still hopeful though that it is possible to create new shared goals for our society. Not so much illusions or fantasy divorced from reality, but more the stuff that SF writers have always done - build (positive!) visions of the future that people can go out and effectuate.
I hope you're right, Jeremy. We all remember the utopian visions of the future Gene Roddenberry conjured out of the turbulent '60's. Sadly, SF since those innocent days has grown darker in large part, perhaps because people have grown increasingly cynical about the system, losing faith in the functional nexus of society. Sadder still, the vision of a vast, diverse Federation where all races coexist as equals simply doesn't appeal on a gut level to a growing faction who only feel safe among their own kind and envision a future broken down into smaller, more insular units. (I think such people would more readily identify with post-apocalyptic SF depicting fortress societies holding back the evil outside the gates than positive, e pluribus unum -type SF.)Yeah, we need a common vision, all right. One seems elusive at the moment, though.
Not sure what it says about humanity, but we really do need a frontier, don't we?
Frontiers give us room, new horizons, dreams to focus on; an escape from conflict. (Unfortunately, if history is any indication, we have the nasty habit of trampling over any indigenous folk who happen to be in our way.)
Yeah, and not so good for the environment either. Room to grow tends to paper over a lot of issues though.It looks like outer space is finally "happening" though - the gear is becoming off the shelf, the rockets are getting cheaper, and NASA is planning on going back to the moon to stay this time around.
The late 1960s were a time of societal opening and rising hopes, for many of us and in many--hardly all!--countries, mostly in parts of the Americas and Europe; in the U.S., at least, it's been downhill, economically and in terms of any sort of existential hopes, since the early '70s, or so it seems anyhow.One fine piece of news--the US Post Office has announced it is putting out, in its Author Series, a new stamp honoring Ursula K. Le Guin.
Justin -Very striking and vividly realized imagery.
(Reminded me a bit of Stargate SG1 towards the end there.)
Paula wrote: "The late 1960s were a time of societal opening and rising hopes, for many of us and in many--hardly all!--countries, mostly in parts of the Americas and Europe; in the U.S., at least, it's been dow..."In the vein of late 60's nostalgia (and, elusive reality) I just wanted to share this:
SEEING IS BELIEVING
By Tom Olbert
1969 –
The astronaut walked haltingly, clumsily in the weak Lunar gravity. Above the dusty grey wasteland around him, the blue crescent of Earth hung in the black sky.
“Houston…the Eagle has landed,” the man’s voice scratched out through the radio link. He looked up at distant Earth. “As I stand here…Mother Earth’s cold gaze upon me…I reflect upon the soothing balm of the cosmic void which descends like an obscuring veil between me and the callousness of distant war. For, is this Man, this lonely mariner upon alien shores…alone in the sight of God…Is this Man who looks down upon the teeming multitudes on yonder distracted globe…or, but a shadow of Man’s ambition…”
“Cut!” a man’s voice shouted in anger. A long-haired, bearded man in a flowered shirt writhed in exasperation as he stepped up onto the Lunar landscape. Stage hands adjusted the lighting, trying to remove shadows falling across the star fields and the Earth back drop and adjusted the fishing lines holding up the American flag while the boom operator struggled with the overhead mike. “You are not getting the motivation,” the director shouted at the actor playing the astronaut. “I am not getting the wonder, the awe…dammit, this is supposed to be an experience of being born again, and you are playing it like a tourist at Disney World!” He stomped around, kicking the Lunar dust into clouds while a stage girl opened the astronaut’s helmet and inserted a straw from a Coke bottle into the actor’s mouth.
“Judas Priest,” General Pickering muttered in disgust, massaging his weary eyes as he sat nearby offset, wishing he was back in Vietnam. “Tet was easier to get through than this,” he whispered to Colonel Grant, seated beside him. “Where’d they get this clown, anyway?”
“Paramount Studios, sir,” Grant replied.
“Figures.”
The director sighed. “Why am I wasting myself on this? All right, all right…” He paced back and forth in front of the Lunar landing module, scratching his head. “I see I’ll have to reword the soliloquy. Now, let’s see…uh... Whither now, ye child of distant gardens and fields…what brave new world…no, that’s been used, dammit. What yonder light is this, yon limpid blue temptress…”
That was it. It was either stop him or shoot him. “Enough!” Pickering shouted, standing up from his canvass-backed visitor’s chair. “This is not a Broadway production, for Christ’s sake! Uncle Sam is not paying you to bore the American people to death! You think we can get the networks to pre-empt regular programming for this? The grade school kids are gonna sleep through this crap!”
“Oh, look who thinks he’s Otto Preminger,” the director said snidely, one foot on the lander module’s ladder. “I suppose you could do better, Felini?”
“I sure as hell can’t do much worse!” Pickering looked heavenward and took a deep breath. If only they had firing squads in Hollywood. “Look…keep it simple, would you? Why not something quick and catchy like…uh…one small step for a man…one giant leap for mankind. How ‘bout that?”
The director drummed a finger pensively against his lips. “A tad pedestrian. But, direct and to the point. The yokels would eat it up, for sure. I like it. Okay, places, people. Quiet on the set…Let’s get this right!”
#
“Okay, that’s a wrap,” the director said as the lights and cameras were pulled back and the moon set dismantled. “Cast party at my place. You all did a swell job, folks. Love ya.”
“At last,” Pickering said, rubbing his stiff neck. He glanced at Grant, standing beside him. “Your conscience bothering you yet, Grant?”
The younger man shrugged. “Since My Lai, very little bothers me, sir.”
Pickering silently nodded. “I know it leaves a rotten taste in your mouth, this whole damned fraud…lying to every American boy and girl. But, dammit, the public needs this. This damned war that they won’t call a war…the riots…Kennedy, King…It’s all wearing down the public’s faith in what this country stands for and what it can do. The American people have to believe there’s hope for a better future. That man can put aside his petty differences long enough to reach for the moon and succeed. Besides, it distracts their attention from the classified stuff.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pickering sighed. “Well, back to reality,” he said, flipping open his communicator. “One to beam up.” The usual shimmer of golden light, and he found himself standing on the transporter pad of the orbiting starship Enterprise.
#
“Mr. T’Kaal,” Pickering said as he stepped off the turbo lift onto the bridge. “E.T.A. on the Klingon ambassador?”
“8.4 minutes, General,” the Vulcan first officer replied.
“Good,” Pickering said as he seated himself in the command chair. “If we play our cards right, we just might be able to hammer out an alliance with them against the Romulans.”
Pickering stared at the Earth’s horizon spread out across the view screen and shook his head, feeling both grateful and appalled at the gullibility of the American public. “To think we could do all this in plain sight, and they actually believed we were just filming a T.V. show. Next thing you know, they’ll be electing a game show host president.”
Tom wrote: "Justin -Very striking and vividly realized imagery.
(Reminded me a bit of Stargate SG1 towards the end there.)"
Thanks Tom! I felt like the Egyptian gods would be the most striking. If you've never read A Canticle for Liebowitz, I'd highly recommend it.
I like the rich detail too Justin. Nicely done!
Nice Chris! I felt like I was there going through customs, etc., and I loved your protagonists glee when she saw who the other lawyer was. Fantastic!
Mine's up. Just a simple story this month. I guess I tend to write in a more MG style.
Justin wrote: "Nice Chris! I felt like I was there going through customs, etc., and I loved your protagonists glee when she saw who the other lawyer was. Fantastic!"Thanks, Justin! :)
Mine's done. I may be falling into a niche, not sure. This one started out at 1100 words and I had to break out a machete to get it down to size. I hope it still holds together.
Posted a last minute story and will now read all of yours :)
Mod
As for my story, I told my girlfriend, it's written in the language of nerd :). Hope it's not too tech...
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, and reading each story before 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 you 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.
Jot Russell
Contest Creator/Director
January Theme: New Beginnings (new relationships, starships, careers, technology, the start of something new, etc.)
Required Elements: Baggage, obstacles or people from the past that impede progress of the new beginning