The short story is the keystone of science fiction fandom. It is even more meaningful to the readers of Amazing Stories because it has been a part of the magazine since its inception back in 1926. But, with the oversaturation of self-published work available on the interweb today, the short story has become an elusive form of quality. There is one website out there, however, that determined to break this trend: dailysciencefiction.com (DSF).
The aesthetic of the website is not overpowering to new visitors. Readers will find a moderate title header across the top next to a simple yet memorable logo (pictured here). The circular button with a sketched retro rocket blasting off in a plume of smoke is a perfect representation of the stories you’ll find on the site. It is pure science fiction—brief and to the point.
Next, you will find a box containing the mission statement of DSF. The gist of their interests is explained:
“We publish “science fiction” in the broad sense of the word: This includes sci-fi, fantasy, slipstream—whatever you’d likely find in the science fiction section of your local bookstore.”
This sums up the content, but don’t let the vagueness fool you. This isn’t one of those sites where every budding writer can plaster their hackneyed work. Like a lot of reputable fanzines, the submission process goes through a firewall of first readers before making it to the editor gauntlet. For those authors lucky enough to make it to DSF publication, they earn the assurance that their story’s exposure will not be limited only to those who visit the site; in addition to being exclusively featured on the site’s front page, the stories are sent via email to all subscribers. So those with better access to their email than the internet can still get their daily dose of science fiction.
Though Daily Science Fiction accepts submissions from 100 words up to 10,000 words, they have a preference for the shorter, flash fiction of 1000 words or less. And you will not find any retreads here. All work is original and unpublished. Every day (Monday through Thursday), a fresh new story is featured, and every new story is sent directly to the subscriber’s inbox.
Just like every high-quality short story, it doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. To prove that, dailysciencefiction.com has provided a convenient outlet for finding well written, original works in the genre. As the title implies, it is science fiction on a daily basis. The fact that it comes directly to you rather than you coming to it is just a bonus.
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