As previously reported here, Twitter seems to be inspiring new forms of expression in the science fiction community. Joining Thaumatrope is Outshine, a new weekly Twitter fiction zine from Jetse de Vries, former editor at Interzone and editor of the Shine anthology, which concerns itself with near-future, optimistic SF.
Outshine will continue that theme, looking for “prose poems of optimistic, near future SF.” Prose poems will be posted once a week. There is also a limit on submissions—one a week per person.
It’s interesting to see someone else jump into the Twitter fiction market so soon, especially with both of them being paying markets. Outshine is paying $5 per prose poem, which ups the ante from the $1.20 that Thaumatrope pays.
It seems a smart way to call attention to the anthology and the concept of optimistic SF, as well as a means to embrace new forms of digital expression in a world where print periodicals are facing challenges.
If you are interested in more information on Outshine, check out the submission guidelines.
The Twitter web page for Outshine can be found here (though it’s currently empty).
What do you think—is this just a fad or does this kind of fiction have legs? Will we see a boom in online Twitter-length fiction markets, perhaps with specific themes similar to the situation with podcasts? Or will this be a flash in the pan?
