Nicole Sune Sbitani (she/her) is a diplomat by day and speculative fiction author by night. The views expressed in her newsletter or on her website are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the United States.
New fantasy story out now
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Hello! I'm excited to share I have a new story out called "Get Your Fix" in 100-Foot Crow. This story's an ode to service workers and the million small, daily interactions that impact us in unseen ways. You can read it for free on the 100-Foot Crow website. I love 100-Foot Crow because all they publish are speculative fiction drabbles. In other words, they publish science fiction and fantasy stories that are exactly 100 words - no more, no less. One of the reasons I love reading and writing microfiction like drabbles is because I can always make time for them no matter how busy I am. These short pieces come with their own set of challenges, too, like: how can you tell a complete story with so few words? How can you use the reader's assumptions to fill in what's left unsaid and fill out a very short story? How do you land a satisfying ending that doesn't feel like a cheap twist, when you have so little time to build up to it? If you're interested in the craft of drabbles and very short fiction, I recommend perusing the 100-Foot Crow blog and joining the subset of the #WritingCommunity on Bluesky that regularly writes microfiction. My favorite resource is the hashtag #vss365, which stands for "very short story, 365 days a year" and provides a daily microfiction prompt. If you try it out, please tag my Bluesky account so I can enjoy reading your work, too! Thanks for reading! Nicole Disclaimer: The views expressed in my newsletter or on my website are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the United States. |
Nicole Sune Sbitani
Nicole Sune Sbitani (she/her) is a diplomat by day and speculative fiction author by night. The views expressed in her newsletter or on her website are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the United States.
Hi, there! Today's post is special: I'm interviewing fellow fantasy and science fiction author Louise McLaughlin! She has such a unique perspective on publishing and some very cool themes relevant to international affairs in her work. I hope you enjoy her insights as much as I did! Regards, Nicole Q: Hi Louise, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! I know everyone's writing journey is different, so what made you interested in being a fantasy and science fiction author? A: I have...
Hi, there! Let me start by saying I'm not an expert on race or anthropology. I just have my own educated-layperson-level intellectual interests and lived experience as a mixed-race person to go off of, but objectively publishing is very white. Most publishing industry professionals are white, the vast majority of published authors are white, and so it's no coincidence that most fictional characters are also white. (People, after all, often say "write what you know!") (A statistic I'll never...
Hello! At a friend's recommendation, I started reading a sci-fi book called Where it Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon. This author really excels at something that I personally struggle with, which is extremely immersive and vivid world-building. For me, it often takes many drafts to get the atmosphere and setting of a story right - the plot comes to me much more easily, and then the characters, and then the setting. As soon as I started reading Where it Rains in Color, though, I was blown...