HL Fullerton
@hlfullerton.bsky.social
180 followers 190 following 190 posts
Reads, writes, reads some more
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Since it's almost Turkey Day in the US I'm resharing my only pubbed story from 2024. It's a little about food and alot about something else

"Friend of the Fanilae" @kaleidotrope.bsky.social
#2024ShortStories

kaleidotrope.net/autumn-2024/...
“Friend of the Fanilae” by H.L. Fullerton
kaleidotrope.net
The best time to start a project is the worst possible time

I once started painting a kitchen because I dropped hot crab dip which went EVERYWHERE So after I washed down everything, I thought since there's no good snack, I might as change colors. The ladder was already in the room! I had paint!
Worth a watch
Did you miss the virtual #NoKings protest that was healthcare-themed?

You can watch the recording at youtu.be/ss8yd0mM9ZQ?...

bsky.app/profile/did:...
I've asked for changes. Usually it goes ok. A few times it caused bad feelings on pub side and I got back a maybe-this-isn't-the-place-for-you
A few of those I pressed on with and we settled on some version.

And those turned out to be ones where things weren't great. Red flags are red.
Red.
Most of us have probably signed something early on that we wouldn't now. But the thing with contracts is no one knows what changes a writer requested, pushed back on, had changed....readers see the story not the deal

Basically I'm saying it's ok to ask for changes and it's ok to walk away.
Signing away those rights for this particular story won't make a difference.

But let me assure you dear writer, you have no idea which of your stories will grow legs. Nor do you know who is seeing your name on a. Cover, in a TOC and using you as a role model.

Most of us, hi, incl myself here...
Here's the thing about contracts unfavorable for the writer: grabby publishers do it because they know how badly writers want to be published. And maybe a less established writer sees a name they recognize in their dream pub and rationalizes, well so and so signed this contract OR
Props to Benjamin for sharing the details of his contract. Unfortunately no props to MRM because there's a lot of extremely outre stuff in here that I'd refuse to sign. Let's run it down. (Context: If you're negotiating a contract with Strange Horizons, I'm the person you're negotiating with.)
New neuroscience short story forthcoming in @analogsf.bsky.social! Which also means a story of - ultimately successful - negotiations with their new publisher.

Includes full final text of my contract for all to use while they finish rewriting their boilerplate.

benjaminckinney.com/analog-negot...
Rome wasn't burnt in a day. Nero played that apocryphal fiddle for a loooong time
Reposted by HL Fullerton
Any dictionary can be a pocket dictionary with big enough pants.
A year tops. Longer than that with the short fic scene being what it is you run risk of a publication closing. Story may not be as timely/relevant. And writers leave the scene too.

Which means as a writer I'd self-select to sub my most evergreen piece and one I wouldn't mind missing other windows
Reposted by HL Fullerton
Legit thought this was gonna start with SASEs 😅

A good thread, seriously. It’s not just you— things are ROUGH out there in short fic land…
<totters out onto porch>

<settles into rocker>

<thumps cane a few times>

Let's talk about what the process of submitting short fiction used to look like, shall we? And about what it looks like now.
If you have months that are busy personally or professionally you may want to consider skipping those....I'm thinking that most people might find months like September or December might be busy/stressful enough without more to do

But if you have the time, you'll be drowning in stories (positive)
Reposted by HL Fullerton
Announcing our first open call for 2026 - "Tea or Coffee, Stars, and Gravity" which will ask for hard SF stories with tea or coffee, stars, and gravity all playing a prominent narrative role. Info here - aanpress.com/submissions.... Important: Be sure to read the cover page to the PDF.
Reposted by HL Fullerton
There are hundreds of years of history of women’s scientific accomplishments not being recognised or being minimised (“not notable”). It *still* happens. Many female scientists are only acknowledged on Wikipedia thanks to the efforts of, yes, other female scientists, notably physicist Dr Jess Wade.
Lol the Nobels can't even acknowledge women's contribution to discovery. But sure let's acknowledge The Machines.
They already did their version of that idea: man gets out of virtual simulation

It starred Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburn
give tron to the wachowskis.
Am I currently writing a short story with no idea of how some of the fundamental plot issues will be resolved and hoping things clarify as I go?

No, why do you ask?
Everyone knows the only way to become a real boy is to tell a bunch of lies that make your nose grow, run away from the only person who truly loves you, get eaten by a whale and other shit only to have a blue fairy use her powers on you
Reposted by HL Fullerton
Could you spare a few bob to help a weird little litmag keep going?

Here's 3 ways you can support us:

1) Become a subscriber! inner-worlds.ghost.io/support-inne...

2) Make a one-off donation! inner-worlds.ghost.io/support-inne...

3) Buy past issues as EPUB & PDF! innerworlds.gumroad.com
Internet convention says Mr Pope is clearly his husband
What other travel destinations are left on your must see list?
Reposted by HL Fullerton
Translunar Traveler's Lounge is open for speculative fiction, 5000 words and under. Please check the guidelines before submitting, but other than that, don't self-reject. translunartravelerslounge.com/submissions/
Submissions
Broadly defined, the type of fiction we are looking for is “fun”. [Go to Submissions]
translunartravelerslounge.com
With the confidence of someone who never before encountered a bad egg, I cracked the egg directly into the bowl atop the mound of other ingredients...

Oh the hubris!

#TragicFlaw
I thought this was going be a Greek mythology joke with a meaningful metaphor
Like yeah he gave humans fire but he STOLE it so if you think stealing is okay I guess you can cook your food
But like better than what I can come up with
You know what, some people hate Prometheus, but I think it's a decent movie. Has a few significant problems, but still solid. Which probably goes for a lot of the franchise. Maybe the problem is that too many people like Alien for too many different reasons (and hate it similarly).
This will be the third or fourth rapture in my lifetime