# Please help me identify a science fiction story **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-identify-a-science-fiction-story/382110 "2006-11-28T19:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-identify-a-science-fiction-story/382110/1 "2006-11-28T19:23:11Z")
A client is asking a question that pesters my mind because I think I ought to know the answer. This just sounds so devilishly familiar. Does anyone have a hint? Here’s the question: About 20 years ago I read in a reprinted book about a story by Erle Stanley Gardner(Perry Mason fame) He wrote a 5 to 6 sentence story(?) about how easy it is to write science fiction. He, I believe, wrote it as a sarcastic example about how there is no need to to have any facts or continuity…or whatever behind a scifi story. About mid 80’s or 90’s a scifi writer wrote a book using just those few sentences. The gist of the story as I remember it is about a man looking to the the sky(stars) pointing a weapon(?) and knowing that it must end(?)