'Teleport Us' - LitReactor's Sci-Fi Writing Challenge
The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal society, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures... (Wikipedia)
This past summer we launched our first ever public writing challenge, Scare Us!, in which we dared you to stretch your writing muscles and terrify us with short works of fiction in the horror genre.
And you came through big. In total, 156 stories were submitted, and they received 680 ratings. And the top-rated stories received critiques from some heavyweight authors.
It was so much fun, we wanted to do it again. But we have to keep things fresh, which means switching up genres. And we talked about it a lot. We wanted something that would be fun, while presenting a serious challenge. A genre that would be a great vehicle for telling stories and force you to re-examine yourself and your work.
Introducing: Teleport Us, our science fiction writing challenge!
Just like last time, this is a public contest. You don't have to be a paying member to participate. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a seasoned wordsmith. Even if it's the first story you've ever written—anyone can submit. Also, anyone can read and rate stories, and offer comments and criticism.
To get in on this, you have to write a short story in the science fiction genre between 1,500 and 4,000 words.
But you didn't think we were going to make this easy, did you? You also have to adhere to a couple of guidelines. Your story must:
- Explore a utopian/dystopian theme
- Feature a technology that's scientifically plausible
- Feature a non-human character (what is a non-human? you tell us!)
Everything else is up to you.
Here's the run of show:
- Feb 1: The submission and reviewing period begins.
- Feb 28: Submissions close.
- March 1 to March 31: The reviewing period continues.
- April 1: The top-rated stories will be selected and... well, we're not announcing everything just yet.
Got questions? Ask us in the comments section!
Never written science fiction before? I asked Kat Howard, our resident sci-fi instructor, to weigh in with some advice. Here's what she had to say:
Science fiction is the literature of possibility. This is the place where you can imagine a different world - perhaps a better one - and make it real. Approach it bravely, with a seeking mind, and as you write, allow yourself to be astonished.
Got it? Good. Start writing... submissions open in less than a month!
News by Rob Hart
Rob Hart is the class director at LitReactor. He also wrote The Warehouse, which sold in more than 20 languages and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. Other titles include the Ash McKenna crime series, and Scott Free with James Patterson. His next novel, Paradox Hotel, is due from Ballantine. Find more at www.robwhart.com.
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I'm incredibly excited for this. I missed Scare Us! and I've never been big on sci-fi, but I've had an idea rattling around that would work well. Yay!!
Does non-human mean not someone form earth? Or a person who is not a humaqnoid species? I have an idea about a race of people, who don't live on earth, but are Humanoid. Can you be more specific? thanks!
@Joe: You and I, born of woman on planet Earth and possessing normal, non-altered DNA, are human. Anything else--anything at all--is fair game.
I missed scare us as well. If I make a story for this and put it through a few rounds in the wrokshop is it considered "void" in anyway? Or must we only sumit to the event?
@Garrett, putting it through the 'shop is fine. Just make sure to submit to this before the deadline. Only caveat: The story can not have been posted elsewhere first, like a lit mag or blog or something.
I'm so excited about this! I already have a story in mind! Wheeeee!
Ooh, I loved the last writing challenge! This is going to be fun!
Sweet. I've been waiting for an excuse to write my futuristic sex-bot dystopian erotica story. You guys are in for a treat!
"Non-human" is giving me a question- would a transhuman or posthuman be allowable?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism
Time travel is plausable is it not? Please correct me if i'm wrong, because my story will have a time travel premise.
I hate to ask, but "scientifically plausible", does that mean anti-gravity cars and time travel are out? What about that trick where you make up a piece of tech: "thank god they invented the (insert tech name) that allows us to smoke in space and measure the position and time of photons without varrying degrees of accuracy."
Cause when i think plausible i think Hard Science Fiction like Contact, 2010, and Poul Anderson, Kim Stanley Robinson.
So, do i need a graduates degree in physics, or anything?
Shit, I have a question. Is ambiguity fair? My story won't be as good if I have to admit that he's non-human from the start.
@Tom, as long as they're not naturally-occuring humans like you or I, that's fine. Just make sure it's clear.
@szore and Frank, anti-gravity cars and time travel? Sure! By scientifically-plausible, we mean you can't have your narrator throw his shoe at the sun and make it explode into a unicorn army that feeds on human flesh. We're looking for stuff that feels possible--it's up to you to convince us.
@Courtney, ambiguity is fine. And fun!
Never written science fiction, but what the hell. I am going to try. When I read the "non-human" rule I took it at face value and figured the protagonist could be a cat or dog for earth or another creature not from earth, just not a human being. Am I wrong? Not that my character will be a cat or dog.
@Covewriter, it's your story! Give us your interpretation of a non-human!
I know this is an English only workshop, but can the protagonist say something in alien or spanish language as to make the story more real or interesting. Just a couple of sentences in a foreign language. Porfavor (meaning, Please.)
@Oscarone1, sí, se puede.
If I write a first person piece, and the protagonist (who is non-human) is a different character to the narrator (who is human), but the narrator features heavily in the narrative (as it is their story, their musings and thoughts, etc.) and the protagonist doesn't appear immediately, would it still count?
Or, in English: I'm thinking of writing a story told from a human's perspective, but my main character won't be human. As my protagonist and narrator are different people, my narrator will play a part in the story as a supporting character. Will this count as following the rules, or does my narrator have to be non-human?
@Seb, I updated the text. Hopefully that helps.
It makes me happy that you just said "si', se puede," because that's my background. Because to a labor union fanatic, it means "Yes, we can," and it was an agricultural union slogan by Cesar Chavez.
Nice, thanks.
And this is why we need detailed instructions on q-tips and toothpicks. Oy vey.
Just to piss off JGB, I have another question!!
No, seriously, I wasn't around for Scare Us! and I read the comment about workshopping -- is the draft we submit the final one? No revisions? I can't really tell by looking at the Scare Us ones. I think I thought of it more as a workshop game than a contest.
@Courtney, your submission is locked once you've sent it in. So make sure to revise it nice and good!
@JGB: Sometimes I want to buy you a beer.
This should be interesting! I've had a few idea's running around in the back of my head that should work out nicely for this :)
Can't wait for this! I got involved with Litreactor just as Scare Us was winding down, and I submitted something hurriedly that was never finished. Now I can suffer blocks and frustrations like everyone else right from the get-go.
Is there a fee to enter? Any catches? Do you assume rights to the story after I submit it to you or do I still own it?
Thanks
People reading this - ScareUs brought me to LitReactor, and it was AMAZING fun. And joining LitReactor was probably the smartest thing I've done yet as a writer.
Join us! Enter TeleportUs!
(I will...so long as I find the time to write something...)
SciFi is way out of my comfort zone but I missed Scare Us! so I gotta do this. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Cyborgs are non-human, right?
@ham, as noted in the post, there's no fee. You retain the rights.
@red, cyborgs definitely count as non-human. And that's the whole point: push you out of your comfort zone!
So damn excited! I already have a good Idea of what I'm going to do! Scare Us was one of the bigger highlights of last year for me, so it's really good to start this one off with another contest like it.
I'm so excited about this! Lots of ideas running rampant in my skull right now. I loved the Scare Us! challenge (which was my first time submitting a story) so Teleport Us! really has me feeling giddy.
SO giddy, in fact, that I double posted. WEEEEEEEEE!!!
I have many fleeting ideas. Before I allow my mind to wander down the wrong path, I'd like to know if the non-human can be an object A La "The Maltese Falcon". It could be a bill in the Utopian congress .
@Michael, an object isn't a character. Sorry.
I've never written sci-fi before, I can't wait, this should be fun!
I feel like screaming this whenever some filmmaker says that the REAL star of the movie is the spaceship / city / house.
I love you guys. I'm so in on this teleportation thing.
Hopefully, being winter and cold outside, I'll have a chance to be more present this time than around Scare us. The outline of my story is forming quick!
This sci-fi stuff is kicking in.
Will we retain the rights to our story?
How do we submit?
Can the non-human be a robot with a human brain?
(kidding... my idea is only half as asinine as that)
"By scientifically-plausible, we mean you can't have your narrator throw his shoe at the sun and make it explode into a unicorn army that feeds on human flesh."
This is the best single sentence story ever. Screw Hemingway's "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
@MRMC, yes, you retain rights.
@Sasha, submissions open Feb. 1. There'll be an interface for it.
@Chris, thank you.
Now you're talkin'! Count me in.
@Christ, I totally agree. The. Best. Sentence story. Ever. Hemmingway's actually has a level of ambiguity. You could have a baby that is perfectly ok except that it has no feet. Or a baby that is allergic to leather, and these were the second pair of shoes given to you by an unsuspecting aunt who was trying to be thoughtful.
I'm so in on this. I'm really not into horror, so Scare Us wasn't really my thing (my brain is just twisted enough that I would have scared MYSELF and not slept for a week).
However, I can do Sci-Fi. Whee! It'll be different, as Sci-Fi is not my genre of choice. Which is always fun.
The only science fiction I've read are the classics, and not many of those. But, I actually have a story idea that seems good to me now. I feel out-classed. Litreactor folks know SF. I'm scared but hey its all about stretching your imagination and learning to write.
Perfect. I've got a great idea for a story. It's about a guy named Montag who lives in a dystopian future where they burn books.
Question:
"Feature a non-human character"
How "featuring" does it need to be? Does that mean the main character has to be this main character? They have to have a sizeable role?
@thankeeka, main character.