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![November Theme Prompt Winner](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_e7b7456aee2442deacde54b79a9d2637~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_e7b7456aee2442deacde54b79a9d2637~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Jan 252 min read
November Theme Prompt Winner
Editors' Choice: " Human's Best Friend " by Alex McNall is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for November/December. ...
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![January Theme Prompt: Galactic Brackets](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_8da1c64703e24b4ba229b2eb981380c2~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_306,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_8da1c64703e24b4ba229b2eb981380c2~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Jan 183 min read
January Theme Prompt: Galactic Brackets
Write a sports- or gaming-related sci-fi story. Let the competition begin! Well, it's already begun in a number of venues. In the US, the...
1230
![Readers Pick for December...](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dbc166_fce7aded82c3462cb3a8e8788388a669~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/dbc166_fce7aded82c3462cb3a8e8788388a669~mv2.webp)
Rod Castor
Jan 121 min read
Readers Pick for December...
Congratulations to our very own J. Millard Simpson for winning the December Reader's Pick with 44 rockets for his story, " Potboiler " --...
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![Santa's Elves are Busy!](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_ad07879cb00d478994f192461c0af696~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_ad07879cb00d478994f192461c0af696~mv2.webp)
nathankrupa
Dec 22, 20242 min read
Santa's Elves are Busy!
Merry Christmas, everyone! When my kids get up on Christmas morning and race to the living room to see what is under the Christmas tree,...
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![The Readers Have Picked...](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dbc166_691fdd788b614ec1a984015dfa9fc479~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/dbc166_691fdd788b614ec1a984015dfa9fc479~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Dec 15, 20241 min read
The Readers Have Picked...
Nina Miller, " Lost Citizens of the Fringe " as November's best story, with an amazing 40, count them 4-0 Rockets. Congratulations!!!...
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![November Theme Prompt: Aspirational Utopias](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_a20e8974356f44fd8ac60f34fb61e0d9~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_a20e8974356f44fd8ac60f34fb61e0d9~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Nov 16, 20243 min read
November Theme Prompt: Aspirational Utopias
Write a sci-fi story set in a fictional utopian society. I admit I have lost track of what a majority of Americans envision as our ideal...
1210
![Announcing: Subscriber Submissions Month](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dbc166_f693b212487a4b418b10cb6371af86bd~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_306,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/dbc166_f693b212487a4b418b10cb6371af86bd~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Nov 1, 20242 min read
Announcing: Subscriber Submissions Month
One of the most frequent topics we chat about in the (metaphorical) smoke-filled lounge labeled EDITORS ONLY is: "What can we do to...
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![Announcement: Featured Writers](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dbc166_edc08f7f7672445181f1327b3571d923~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/dbc166_edc08f7f7672445181f1327b3571d923~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Oct 26, 20242 min read
Announcement: Featured Writers
Change can be good, friends, and I'm not talking nickels and dimes here. Most of our writers' stories here at Sci-Fi Shorts are kept...
1580
![July Theme Prompt Winner](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/dbc166_610cca896c3c4647a9b37e5f1ca18ae0~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/dbc166_610cca896c3c4647a9b37e5f1ca18ae0~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Sep 21, 20243 min read
July Theme Prompt Winner
"Lifetime Subscription" by Guy Lingham is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for July/August.
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![September Theme Prompt: The Bogeyman Cometh](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_014f40626a494d0ba433c2a91aad636d~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_306,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_014f40626a494d0ba433c2a91aad636d~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Sep 15, 20245 min read
September Theme Prompt: The Bogeyman Cometh
Write a science fiction story in which the villain or antagonist is an artificial intelligence. This Halloween, there's a lot of scary...
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![Why Colonize Mars?](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_616c39de883244b5aa185bdd9ea79893~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_616c39de883244b5aa185bdd9ea79893~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Aug 17, 20246 min read
Why Colonize Mars?
"Because it's there!" -George Mallory, English mountaineer Mars is a barren wasteland devoid of life. There's nothing there, even less...
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![The Joys of a Small Publication](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_36a2f1bce5ce4fbcbd9a613dcb330c8a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_36a2f1bce5ce4fbcbd9a613dcb330c8a~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Aug 10, 20242 min read
The Joys of a Small Publication
So many writers are nervous about submitting their stories, afraid of being judged, afraid of putting their work out there and being told...
1180
![False Simultaneity](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_7da7b0fc6e394d38a525a2cd9ad7661a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_306,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_7da7b0fc6e394d38a525a2cd9ad7661a~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
May 9, 20243 min read
False Simultaneity
"Pulling on his pants, he rushed to the door when the doorbell rang, fumbling with the latch." That's an example of False Simultaneity: ...
850
![Are We There Yet?](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_36a2f1bce5ce4fbcbd9a613dcb330c8a~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_36a2f1bce5ce4fbcbd9a613dcb330c8a~mv2.webp)
Jim Dutton
Dec 29, 20232 min read
Are We There Yet?
It would be customary at this time of year to look back at the changes, events, and developments that occurred in the year 2023. Having...
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![How To Write For Sci-Fi Shorts: A Primer](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ba5ccb_6f6fc13b8ae340cf86554eb4129450f0~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_305,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/ba5ccb_6f6fc13b8ae340cf86554eb4129450f0~mv2.webp)
Gnerphk
Nov 28, 20234 min read
How To Write For Sci-Fi Shorts: A Primer
Image Copyright 2023 - SFS Publishing LLC Writing for periodicals is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s also not for the faint of heart,...
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![Living on Another Planet](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6aa701_5c7f4da747fc4541a884e27c995e35a7~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_306,h_229,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/6aa701_5c7f4da747fc4541a884e27c995e35a7~mv2.webp)
J.A. Taylor
Jan 13, 20232 min read
Living on Another Planet
Let’s get real: As far as we know, Earth is all we’ve got. I mean, if we screw this place up, it’s a big deal, cause you know, until the...
1193
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