May Theme Prompt: Gothic Sci-Fi
Theme: Write a science fiction story that uses gothic settings and tropes. Gothic science fiction is the oldest kind. Mary Shelley's...
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Jim Dutton
Apr 134 min read
April Prompt: Meta-Sci-Fi
Theme: Write a science fiction story that refers to itself or breaks the fourth wall in some interesting way. Metafiction is a set of...
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Jim Dutton
Mar 195 min read
March Prompt: Othering AI
Theme: Write a story about the complex relationships between humans and artificial intelligence as this new form of "life" assimilates...
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Jim Dutton
Feb 174 min read
February Prompt: On This Special Day
Theme: Write a story in which a special day plays an important role. A special day may be a holiday or a national observance of some sort...
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Jim Dutton
Jan 203 min read
January Prompt: Weather Warnings
Theme: Your challenge this month is to write a story in which the weather or climate is an important plot element. Our monthly theme...
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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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Jim Dutton
Jul 10, 20233 min read
Mathematical Sci-Fi
Despite having an abiding interest (and a degree) in mathematics, I’ve never tried to write a science fiction story in which math plays a...
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Jim Dutton
Apr 25, 20233 min read
Historical Sci-Fi
“It’s terribly hard to see, and think clearly, about the long future, when the immediate present seems so violently pressing.” American...
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Jim Dutton
Feb 16, 20232 min read
First-Contact Sci-Fi
In the two weeks prior to this writing, the US has shot down four high-altitude flying objects, three of which are still unidentified....
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Jim Dutton
Jan 20, 20232 min read
Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
In the early 1950s, humanity realized that we could destroy all human life on the planet. This realization spurred the emergence of a new...
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Jim Dutton
Sep 30, 20223 min read
Theological Sci-Fi
Science Fiction has a long history of dealing with, well, long histories. Therefore, it frequently addresses big questions like, How did...
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Jim Dutton
Sep 1, 20222 min read
Virtual Sci-Fi
Everyone here knows this, I hope: Mark Zuckerberg did not invent the Metaverse. He invented a neat way for Harvard nerds to meet co-eds...
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Jim Dutton
Jul 31, 20221 min read
Feminine Sci-Fi
Let’s be honest about something. The golden age of sci-fi produced many fine writers and many, many futuristic stories that seem to stick...
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Jim Dutton
Jun 30, 20222 min read
Ethical Sci-Fi
Stories about robots and aliens have long been vessels for science fiction writers to examine the nature of “otherness.” How do we treat...
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Jim Dutton
Jun 1, 20222 min read
Spooky Sci-Fi
In 1959, nearly at the peak of the golden age of sci-fi, Rod Serling began producing a weekly science fiction television series called...
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Jim Dutton
Apr 26, 20221 min read
Exemplars from the Masters
The zeitgeist of the golden age of sci-fi was anchored in the early 20th century, peaked in the 1950s, and continued through the...
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