Science Fiction Microstory Contest discussion
June 2025 SCIENCE FICTION MICROSTORY CONTEST (Comments Only)
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Jot if this isn't appropriate please let me know. It was just a whim spawned by a book I'm reading and was joking with my boyfriend about incorporating the ship into a story. 🙂
As long as there's no profit involved, there's no danger of copyright infringement, at least not in any actionable sense. True?
maybe I'll change it. I know in the other one that I would write in that was considered "published" because it was technically in a public forum and I don't want anyone to shy away.
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Tom wrote: "As long as there's no profit involved, there's no danger of copyright infringement, at least not in any actionable sense. True?"I pretty sure that's correct. As long as there's no profit to be made, you're fine. People do fan fiction all the time. Even Disney, a staunch copyright enforcer, doesn't go after one-offs, especially if they're not for profit.
I'm not sure the "only if profit/monies/etc." suffices as basis for a copyright-infringgement defense; may be worth checking this further. Also, is "Enterprise" required as the spaceship name? ---Asking because one of the earliest, most notable spaceship names in film was the 1950 spaceship (and its film's name) Rocketship XM. With the wonderful screenplay by Dalton Trumbo (even though no one ever spoke exactly highly of the special effects, . . . .
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Mine's up. Nice to be back at this again.
Excellent sensory description, Chris. And, a great twist.
Tom wrote: "Excellent sensory description, Chris. And, a great twist."Thanks, Tom. :)
I should check in more often! Here I was thinking it was fan fiction and now it's different. FAN-tastic!
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Theme: Spacecraft from an Actual Sci-Fi Movie
Required Element: The Ship. Your story must feature a spacecraft from a science fiction film as a central element.
Bonus: Slip in a line of dialogue referencing the film for extra (just for fun) cool kid points.
Beautifully and well done, Tom. An instant classic. Super and so appropriate for today. Bravo.
Thank you so much, Paula. Much appreciated.
Got mine up. I was going for a country song kind of vibe with friendly farmers.I could have gone for the other theme, too. So much material in B5, Star Trek or even Lost in Space.
I though LOS was pretty dumb (even the actors had hard time keeping a straight face) but I though the Jupiter II was a great ship.
I also liked the robot, one of the more intelligent members of the cast.
On the subject of copyright, the take I heard from a lawyer on a panel at a SF convention said "If you write it for yourself, there is nothing they can do about it. If you share it with your friends, they can do something but serves no purpose. If you start to get a following, you may attract unwanted attention. If you publish (and get paid), you are a target. But it always depends on the copyright owner. If they have lawyers on staff, they'll want to use them.
Better to create a parallel universe (or do a parody).
Greg wrote: "Got mine up. I was going for a country song kind of vibe with friendly farmers.I could have gone for the other theme, too. So much material in B5, Star Trek or even Lost in Space.
I though LOS ..."
I definitely felt a rural vibe, Greg.
Since I already got a story in and this one's not as polished, (and I don't want to enter it), I'll put in here:Found at Last
“Hey, Joe? You seeing this?”
“Yes, Captain. It’s a distress beacon. It’s pretty weak and the encoding method hasn’t been used in over a decade.”
“Well, take a look. Some scavengers probably activated it by mistake, but we have to check it out and report anyway.”
--
Joe landed in a clearing and hiked the rest of the way. The ship was in a valley, two kilometers away. It had crashed into a forest and the forest was doing its best to consume the ship. The power core was dead as well as the backup systems. The beacon was powered internally, most likely by a nuclear source. Scans showed only background radiation.
The main hatch would not open, using the external hand crank did not work. Judging from the damage, the door frame was probably bent. It only delayed him a few minutes as all glass in the front of the ship was shattered by the impact.
After sawing through several trees, Joe climbed in. When he activated a portable light, he looked over the controls and then realized he’d seen this ship before - or one just like it – in a museum. There were the six suspended animation tubes, a central astrogator console, and the familiar flight deck.
The interior was mostly intact and the suspended animation tubes open and empty. He pulled out the computer’s memory core and stuffed it into his bag. Besides the captain’s log, it would also have telemetry and data on the ship’s functions before, during and after the crash.
He checked: the pod was done. Good sign, but there was no way all six crew members could have fit inside. He scanned again. There was only one set of remains in the ship.
The elevator was dead, but the stairs were mostly clear.
On the lower level, he checked out the power core. It was cold, dead. All the fuel had been consumed. He forced open another door and stared into the empty space. The rover was gone, so it’s a good chance they got away.
The lone body was stuck in a doorway, shot several times by an energy weapon. The patch on his flight suit read “Smith.”
“It couldn’t be, could it?” thought Joe.
He found the airlock. Both doors were open and between them was the ship’s robot. The memory core should be enough, but he couldn’t pass this the opportunity to see this old technology in action. He unplugged several cables inside the machine. When he powered it up, it would be able to talk but not much more. After twenty minutes of charging, the lights came on and it began booting up. The upper torso swung around to face him, its manipulator clamps inactive but still menacing. He fell backward as it shouted “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!”
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I'm still working on mine but can't remember the deadline for story submission. And the app doesn't pin the rules.Can someone remind me? I won't have a laptop handy until tomorrow afternoon and if I missed the deadline I won't rush!
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Got it. Couldn't remember, too much running this weekend and my brain is fried!
A great "crop" of stories this month friends! Nicely done! I just couldn't get it in gear, so I'm sorry there is nothing from me for June. I did vote though. Again, really a good group of stories. Great work!
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Justin wrote: "A great "crop" of stories this month friends! Nicely done! I just couldn't get it in gear, so I'm sorry there is nothing from me for June. I did vote though. Again, really a good group of stories. ..."Thank you, Justin. 'Hope to see your work next month.
Hello everyone,I was wondering if any of you would like one of your books turned into an audio book? I have produced many through ACX, but if you prefer a different platform, I'm happy to get a profile there in order to take your project. I do royalty share projects so there are no up front costs for you (unless you really want to pay me per finished hour and no royalties). I'd be pleased to submit an audition and would not be offended if you declined. You can hear samples of my work at justinsewall.com - but I'd rather audition by reading a short selection from the book you want produced. I did a book for Jack McDaniel several years ago, and I've come a long way since then in terms of audio quality and editing speed. Feel free to drop me a line here or through my website. Thanks for listening!
Justin very kindly and wonderfully did a reading of five of my short fiction pieces for an ill friend of mine, and I can vouch for the professional quality and simple beauty of his readings. They are superb.
Paula wrote: "Justin very kindly and wonderfully did a reading of five of my short fiction pieces for an ill friend of mine, and I can vouch for the professional quality and simple beauty of his readings. They a..."Thank you Paula!
Required Element: Something unusual must happen during the daily routine.