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NOTE: In preparation for the upcoming Let’s Be Brief writing contest, the continuing theme of posts this week and next (see yesterday’s post here) will generally be on the subject of writing. For today, I just feel like telling you a story.

Ever since I was a kid (a child, that is; I’m not talking about when I graduated from being a young goat), I enjoyed reading, and particularly enjoyed science fiction. I can even remember what got me started – it was my grandmother’s attic.

You see, when I was very young (I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time), my mother, sister and I moved into my grandmother’s house, a big old semi-Victorian residence located in the Heights area of Houston, Texas. (Of course, it was probably big to me because I was rather small at the time.) Living there was fun because there was a large lot with several big old oak and pecan trees, and plenty of room to explore. The neighbors had two kids my age, and a big, friendly Collie named Butch.

But one day as I was exploring the house, I discovered, quite by accident, a secret door in the stairwell! It had been papered over some time in the distant past, but the outline was still visible if you knew where to look. Now to someone my age, this was too good to be true! I stealthily obtained a razor blade from my grandfather’s bathroom and cut the wallpaper so the door would open. After procuring various and sundry survival supplies (OK, it was a flashlight) I managed to work the door open, and voila! a whole new world opened before my eyes!

I’m sure you’ve seen in TV and movies the usual depiction of an attic: boxes of stuff, old furniture, clothes, etc. all lying around and covered in dust like they’d been forgotten by time itself. This attic was much the same, only dustier. It was unfinished (by that I mean you could see the frame of the house), and one really great feature was a window located in a small gable. The wood frames formed a kind of seat that was just perfect for gazing out onto the back yard. What a view! I was up where the birds lived, and loving it.

Then I found the real treasure: boxes and boxes of old magazines. And not just any magazines, it turned out there were literally hundreds of old Analog science-fiction magazines. Once I’d figured out what they were, I started reading one or two out of curiosity, and was hooked!

Having noticed that most of the magazines contained only one part of the cover story (they were serials, after all), the first thing I did was lay them all out in date order. Then, starting with the oldest one, I read every one of them. The best thing was, this was summer (no school!), and I had my own perfect, private spot to read: the window seat in the attic.

It was heaven.

I’ve never lost my love of good science fiction, and I think the reason I like it so much is that it exercises my imagination in ways no other fiction can. To me, my favorites were always forward-looking (although there are some that go back in time), and almost always, well, so hopeful. They gave me visions of possible futures that in many ways seemed as real as everyday life.

That’s what I like about (my particular favorite) science fiction stories: they show what’s possible. In fact, I still personally prefer the more correct term speculative fiction, because that’s exactly what it is – speculations about the future and where it could lead.

Now it’s your turn

One thing that came of reading so much as a child was that I never lost a spelling bee! Another is that it inspired my dream of becoming a writer of (you guessed it) science fiction. Alas, I’m not quite the rich and famous author – yet. But who knows?

Well, if you’ve ever nurtured the dream of becoming a writer, here’s your chance!

Starting Monday, January 15th, I give you the chance to show the world your ability to tell a story in print. Ah, but not just any story – there’s a catch. You have to write a complete story, but you can only use six words!

“Six words?” you say. “You must be crazy!”

Well, sure, but what has that got to do with it? The first MZM writing contest: Let’s Be Brief will be open and accepting entries from Monday thru Sunday, January 21st, so “point up” a pile of pencils and get ready to start exercising those little grey cells, because this is gonna be fun!

I’m getting tired of typing now, so if you’re interested and want more details, scroll down to Monday’s and Tuesday’s posts. (Or, you know, click on the links.)

One late-breaking detail to add: Shawn Callahan from Anecdote has agreed to join John Koetsier from bizhack and yours truly on the judge’s stand and help me pick out the best of the best. Thanks, Shawn and John! (You can put your arms down now – the gun wasn’t loaded!)

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