We are now in the sixth week of a 12-week open call for military science fiction short stories. I have responded to all submissions sent before October 18th. If you submitted something before October 18th and you haven’t heard from me, drop me a note.
So far, the average response time has been about seven days with a few stories taking a little longer because they needed a second, third, or fourth read.
As you might expect, I’ve been reading a lot of battle scenes but to make the shortlist, your submission must be a complete story with a beginning, a transition, and a strong ending. A battle vignette, by itself won’t work.
I’ve gotten lots of stories about aliens attacking settlements (aka, aliens at the wall stories), spaceship action, individual and small group action tales, and zombie stories. Don’t be discouraged if you want to submit this type of story. Tightly written, action-packed tales in these categories can still make the short-list.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen stories about sentient BOLOs or spaceships, carrier-based fighter squadrons, cyber warfare/cyber weapons (not to be confused with drones and remotely operated battle bots) and ecological weaponry. I’m also surprised I haven’t received boot camp or survival training tales or stories about the alienation soldiers experience as they return to civilian life.
What do I like? I am particularly drawn to stories that embody the traditional military values of bravery, sacrifice, a sense of duty, and camaraderie.
So far, the average response time has been about seven days with a few stories taking a little longer because they needed a second, third, or fourth read.
As you might expect, I’ve been reading a lot of battle scenes but to make the shortlist, your submission must be a complete story with a beginning, a transition, and a strong ending. A battle vignette, by itself won’t work.
I’ve gotten lots of stories about aliens attacking settlements (aka, aliens at the wall stories), spaceship action, individual and small group action tales, and zombie stories. Don’t be discouraged if you want to submit this type of story. Tightly written, action-packed tales in these categories can still make the short-list.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen stories about sentient BOLOs or spaceships, carrier-based fighter squadrons, cyber warfare/cyber weapons (not to be confused with drones and remotely operated battle bots) and ecological weaponry. I’m also surprised I haven’t received boot camp or survival training tales or stories about the alienation soldiers experience as they return to civilian life.
What do I like? I am particularly drawn to stories that embody the traditional military values of bravery, sacrifice, a sense of duty, and camaraderie.
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