And as for my “stories”, there’s actually only one. I mentioned it because it’s a bit in the same vein as the robot thingy. It’s not very good nor published anywhere, but I pasted it into a story thread in an image board some time ago. The thread is archived here (search for orbiter-tan, images are mine too):
http://4chanarchive.org/brchive/dspl_thread.php5?thread_id=3261570&x=Today2C+We+Tell+Stories

ntvr- That’s probably the most thorough review of my short stories I’ve yet received- thank you for taking the time to read them and then to comment here. I’m glad you could enjoy (most) of them, and really appreciate your thoughts on what made them work or not.

On publication, some of these have been published on websites over the years. Deathwatch was in a literary zine called Amarillo Bay, Fortune City was in Quantum Muse I think, along with maybe Universal Time. Fadeout was published somewhere, and a print publisher a year ago was supposed to include it in an anthology but then that never happened. Route 66 and My Kids likewise appeared somewhere but I forget where- nowhere impressive. The others either were rejected for whatever reason (one publisher said Giant Robot was too boring. I chastened him on that- no need to be so direct to an aspiring writer. He didn’t like my tone and said never submit here again. I said don’t worry, there’s no chance I will!) or I never bothered to submit them (like Blue Chipset or Cullsman #9- because I thought they’d not sell).

The idea of not explaining the world from the start, and letting it unfold with the story- I’m glad that came across, it’s something I definitely appreciate when I’m reading fiction. It’s a bit like in media res, a bit like raising more questions than you answer. I’m working on a novel now and this sort of thing keeps cropping up. Do I need to explain the world before I start? Ha, no, just start, and explain as we go along.

Age of stories- Universal Time and My Kids were both very early stories, some of the first ‘completed’ stories I wrote, so I suppose it’s good that those stood out as less good than the others. The most recent one though- Blue Chipset- is the worst in your book! So don’t know what to take from that… (uneasy smiley face here). Route 66 is an excerpt from a longer work that I put to one side years ago- though I’ll come back to it soon I imagine.

You mention your writings- how might I find some?

Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

I like the way you usually start the stories without telling how the world behind them operates. It creates a kind of tension element where the reader has to figure out the setting and usually does, before you lay it out. It’s satisfying and didn’t get old. Yet, at least.

Fortune City: This is the first one I read. I originally took upon it due to recognizing Antifan’s art on the cover page. The commercial catchphrase trick was neat and tied down the story well. The punchline in the end could have been better, but still a good read. Made me read the rest.
My Kids: Not much substance here. I’m indifferent.
Freya 13:
Route 66: Short. Kind of pointless.
Hunting ground: Entertaining and interesting. You can see the ending coming, but it’s delivery is satisfying instead of lame. Enjoyed it.
Cullsman #9: Upon reading, I thought this was the best one. Tired idea turned upside-down and made all interesting again. Tie-in with altered Prometheus myth works very well. Story seems larger than it is. Awesome.
Fade out: Idea is kind of novel but the story is otherwise uninteresting, a conventional post-apocalyptic take. Somewhat enjoyable nevertheless.
Deathwatch: Hardest-to-predict concept out of the stories here, yet the setting is otherwise very mundane. Pessimistic, bland writing style works very well with the setup. Delivers really hard – ending again visible beforehand but at the same time, satisfying. Almost moving. I’m writing this message in the the page of this story, because I think it’s the best of the lot.
The Book of All: The concept’s kind of hard to swallow, but the writing works. Ending twist and brother character fail to deliver. Leaves an unsatisfying aftertaste.
Universal Time: Seems clumsier than the others. Has this been written longer time ago? The idea itself could work but the story itself is kind of a setting statement with a bland ending. Bleh.
The Blue Chipset and the Thing: Too confusing and messy for me. If it had a point or if it was amazing, it was just too difficult. The worst of the lot.
The Giant Robot and the Myna Bird: Very enjoyable children’s story -feel. Goes and works just as it should. I’ve written one story in the same vein too. Bittersweet and nice.