# My sci-fi short story, "Untethered", was just published! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 1, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480 "2016-08-01T16:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/1 "2016-08-01T16:30:57Z")
I’m so excited! The publisher is the webzine [Solarpunk Press](http://www.solarpunkpress.com/). You can read my story for free on their website (or order a physical copy, if you like). They’re a great new webzine, focusing on a subgenre (Solarpunk) within the broader genre of science fiction. If you like my story or the webzine, I’d encourage you to support them at [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkpress) (none of this money goes to me – they bought my story, so I’m already paid!). ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/2 "2016-08-01T18:34:51Z")
Congratulations, that was very enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/3 "2016-08-01T18:57:14Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Congratulations, that was very enjoyable. Thanks, I’m really glad you enjoyed it! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/4 "2016-08-01T19:34:01Z")
Forgot to mention that there’s an audio version to download for free on the link, if anyone prefers that. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/5 "2016-08-01T20:57:53Z")
Yay! Keep up the good work! Many more to come! We could have a future grand-master here! (Now, the Nobel prize may be too much to hope for…) Okay, silliness aside, good stuff! Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/6 "2016-08-01T21:37:30Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Yay! Keep up the good work! Many more to come! We could have a future grand-master here! (Now, the Nobel prize may be too much to hope for…) Okay, silliness aside, good stuff! Congratulations! Thank you so much! I just listened to the [audio version](http://www.solarpunkpress.com/podcast/2016-8-1/008-untethered-by-andy-crawford) for the first time – it’s really special to hear someone else read my story. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/7 "2016-08-01T21:58:49Z")
That’s very good. I’m reminded of a story set inside a neutron star, the name of which I cannot remember. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/8 "2016-08-01T22:26:24Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > That’s very good. I’m reminded of a story set inside a neutron star, the name of which I cannot remember. Thank you! Glad you liked it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/9 "2016-08-02T01:45:05Z")
Congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/10 "2016-08-02T08:37:32Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Congratulations. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/11 "2016-08-02T10:20:42Z")
Congratulations! I enjoyed the story. You do a great job of painting a picture of a world with a history in a very short space. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/12 "2016-08-02T11:50:47Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Congratulations! > > I enjoyed the story. You do a great job of painting a picture of a world with a history in a very short space. Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it! Originally I was planning a novel, but when I got into the world-building, this little story seemed perfect. I may, at some point, set a novel or another story in the same universe. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/13 "2016-08-02T14:40:08Z")
Many congratulations! To write and get paid to do it is a wonderful thing! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/14 "2016-08-02T16:24:51Z")
> [@MickNickMaggies](#): > > Many congratulations! > > To write and get paid to do it is a wonderful thing! Thank you, and indeed it is! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/15 "2016-08-03T17:40:18Z")
Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/16 "2016-08-03T17:57:54Z")
- breadcrumbs to come back later and read story \* ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/17 "2016-08-03T20:11:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Congratulations! Thank you! > [@AHunter3](#): > > - breadcrumbs to come back later and read story \* I very much hope you enjoy it! ---
**Author:** ![TipTapTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@TipTapTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TipTapTwo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/18 "2016-08-04T00:09:54Z")
Good story and well done world-building art. What was your inspiration, or how did you come up with this setting? It feels like even from the perspective of a normal sized colony, it could still make for a tight and suspenseful story like Das Boot. What kind of research did you do for this story? How long did it take you to write it, and how different is this finished story from what you initially thought it was going to be? If you wanted to make a novel inside this universe, what would you call it, since you used up _Sailor of the Skysea_ in a story about a sailor in alternate 1800‘s Mississippi/New Orleans? What was the reason for Meli’s exile? She ran across the tops of the trees untethered once… and (maybe?) cut her tethers to do so, rather than unbraid them? I see the reason why Meli needed to not have another broken arm, but if she remarks about how strong this storm was, I feel that she should not have come out unscathed while alone in exile, when she faired much worse while in her old community. I get it, short story constraints, but G.R.R.Martin has spoiled me with his character’s lack of plot armor. Also, no sailing? I get that the world is most like a bunch of hot air balloons tethered together, but do larger colonies have active travel? Like a bunch of people on the sides all tied down and waving fans to mimic cowpelin movement? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2016, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/19 "2016-08-04T12:18:04Z")
> [@TipTapTwo](#): > > Good story and well done world-building art. Thanks very much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. > [@](#): > > What was your inspiration, or how did you come up with this setting? It feels like even from the perspective of a normal sized colony, it could still make for a tight and suspenseful story like Das Boot. I’m always interested in unusual settings and worlds. My degree is in astronomy, and I’ve always been most interested in planetary science and our solar system, and the atmosphere of a gas giant, a world with no surface, essentially, seemed like a place with the potential for interesting stories. At first it was going to be a novel, about a merchant on a blimp-like ship that traveled in between the low-tech settlements and the few remaining high-tech platforms, but when I started to think about how the low-tech settlements would function and survive, I saw potential for a cool little story. > [@](#): > > What kind of research did you do for this story? How long did it take you to write it, and how different is this finished story from what you initially thought it was going to be? I did some research on the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn – how their pressures and temperatures varied with altitude, as well as their composition. Obviously my world is very different – the temperature and composition are suitable for human life. But one thing I took directly from Jupiter and Saturn is the idea of recurring, periodic storms – they both have large storms that travel through the atmosphere on relatively regular paths, which often differ from the prevailing winds. > [@](#): > > If you wanted to make a novel inside this universe, what would you call it, since you used up _Sailor of the Skysea_ in a story about a sailor in alternate 1800‘s Mississippi/New Orleans? That’s a good question – I’d have to think about it. Meli calls her realm “the Airsea”, which might be part of the title. Hopefully readers wouldn’t be too confused about my other novel… but so few copies were sold that I doubt I’d have that problem. 🙂 > [@](#): > > What was the reason for Meli’s exile? She ran across the tops of the trees untethered once… and (maybe?) cut her tethers to do so, rather than unbraid them? There are tiny hints, but it was much more serious than that. Let’s just say it weren’t her own tethers that she cut. > [@](#): > > I see the reason why Meli needed to not have another broken arm, but if she remarks about how strong this storm was, I feel that she should not have come out unscathed while alone in exile, when she faired much worse while in her old community. I get it, short story constraints, but G.R.R.Martin has spoiled me with his character’s lack of plot armor. Perhaps… I beat her up pretty badly in the storm, but the ending wouldn’t have worked very well, I don’t think, without her able to draw her bow. > [@](#): > > Also, no sailing? I get that the world is most like a bunch of hot air balloons tethered together, but do larger colonies have active travel? Like a bunch of people on the sides all tied down and waving fans to mimic cowpelin movement? I’m not sure if waving fans would work, but perhaps other communities might harness and train the cowpelins, which could include utilizing them for transportation. If any technological communities remain, they probably utilize something like blimps. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sci-fi-short-story-untethered-was-just-published/761480/20 "2016-08-05T15:21:20Z")
Just got the paper copies of the story in the mail – they sent me 6 and asked me to sign 3 and return. It kind of feels like being a writer! 🙂