In grade-school English, you were probably taught about plot, theme, rising and falling action, the climax, and so on. And that was...

On rare occasions, we'll publish something that's twisted around, upside-down, back to front, or that's missing important parts —...

Once again we have a new Reader's Pick story, voted for by you, our loyal readers. This time, unusually, the winner hasn't been in any...

Editors' Choice: "The TQL Gambit" by David Barlow is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for March/April. Congratulations...

It's that time again! We have a new Reader's Pick story, voted for by you, our loyal readers. The votes have been swinging this way and...

Write a sci-fi story about the mind. Of course, you'll use your mind to write the story (I hope). But that's not what I mean. That...

I've seen it countless times. Some seminar lecturer or junior college teacher says, "The past perfect tense is a sign of bad writing."...

This month, with a come-from-behind win, our Readers have Picked... " Mother Knows Best ", by Randall Andrews, with an impressive 41...

First, let me say, DON'T DO IT! Don't submit AI-generated content to SFS. We strive to publish quality flash science fiction here at...

Yes, you read that right: "And" is your enemy. So too are "or", "but", and all those commaed lists half a mile in length. Anything that...

This month, we've got an especially close race, so much so that we've been forced to add another Honorable Mention. Cool, huh? Our...

Your story must begin at the end of your plotline.

...new (to us) writer Joshua Mannix, and his story " At the Yatai on Kuiper Station Nine "! Well done! As with every such prize,...

Editors' Choice: " Human's Best Friend " by Alex McNall is the editor's pick as the winning theme story for November/December. ...

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...

Congratulations to our very own J. Millard Simpson for winning the December Reader's Pick with 44 rockets for his story, " Potboiler " --...

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,...

Dorothy Parker never did write the novel she spent half her life pursuing. O. Henry's only long work is "Cabbages and Kings", which is...

Nina Miller, " Lost Citizens of the Fringe " as November's best story, with an amazing 40, count them 4-0 Rockets. Congratulations!!!...

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...

The readers of Sci-Fi Shorts have done it again! Congratulations to our very own J. Charles Ramirez for his clear victory with " The...

One of the most frequent topics we chat about in the (metaphorical) smoke-filled lounge labeled EDITORS ONLY is: "What can we do to...

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...

The September Reader's Pick is finally in, after an extended and at times very close race.