Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
SEPTEMBER 2022 SCIENCE FICTION MICROSTORY CONTEST (Comments only)
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Nostalgia: That which makes the the past perfect and the present tense.
JF: Yup. :) Lots of room for great storytelling.
Beautiful, Justin. The delicate, melancholy weaving of dreams and sensory recollections put me in mind of Bradbury.
Thanks Tom! It may be autobiographical. :)
I put in a mention of this group. Doubt I'll sell more than a handful of copies, but maybe somebody somewhere will be inspired to come over here. :)
Congratulations, Jeremy, and best of luck.
Jeremy wrote: "My short story collection is out on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCSDPX21"It's a terrific collection. I've read it and I'd urge all of us to buy a copy. There are, and over these past 10 years have been, seriously fine tales and books done by members of this group, and we can each help one another by buying and/or reviewing one another's works.
Jot wrote: "we should all pick up a copy. I will"Yes! Good point, Jot.
Best of luck with the collection, Jeremy. :)
Mine's up. It seems to be a variant of Justin's, I'm afraid. Great minds...;)
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We all borrow from someone, Jot. Clark himself owes a lot to H.G. Welles. As do we all.
As Tom notes, very few sf stories don't include borrowed tech, Jot. And many borrow styles, plots, and/or characters as well.
Marianne wrote: "Mine's up. It seems to be a variant of Justin's, I'm afraid. Great minds...;)"I've got no corner on the market when it comes to memories! Great story!
Mine's up. Robots don't waste a lot of time on nostalgia.
Justin wrote: "Good stories Tom and Jot! Fantastic!"Thank you, Justin!
Kalifer wrote: "Mine's up. Robots don't waste a lot of time on nostalgia."A human indulgence, to be sure.
For super-intelligent disembodied systems, there may be a tinge of emotions but it is cerebral rather than visceral because there is no viscera. However, we are beginning to see robots with exquisite senses of touch so that is the beginning. I don't see pain being a sense yet but that will happen. They will sense weakness when their batteries run low and there will be a sense of urgency to get back to the changing station. There will be reward mechanisms in robots for "doing a good job and pleasing humans or the central AI. This is not years or months but days away.
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Oh wow! You're the first person, I believe, to receive a copy. I have a proof, but have not received my author copies yet.Hope it came out ok.
And - thank you. If you make it to Toronto, I'll be happy to do so. Drinks on me.
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A lot of my stories seem to feature locations in Manhattan. I do like NYC.
Mine's up. Probably obvious I've worked in a museum/archives.Jeremy, I'm so looking forward to holding a copy of the book. And now you and Jot have reminded me--is it Ottawa or Toronto that Missassaugu's near?
Mississauga is just west of Toronto. :)
Jeremy wrote: "Mississauga is just west of Toronto. :)"Thanks, Jeremy. I've a relative there I've never met.
Justin wrote: "Great stories Paula and Kalifer!!"Thank you, Justin!
Hi Justin. Thanks for the compliment!
Just about every story excellent, this time.
I think everyone did this month's challenge proud. All deeply felt. Hard to choose.
There's a few stories this month that are not only ready for publication, but could win awards too.Absolutely superb vintage, bottled in September '22!
Seems like almost any of this month's stories could be named best of the past year or even more. Agreed, a proud and amazing vintage.
Elements: Lost Technology and/or Extinct Humans.