Table of Contents - 2022
I was going to make this a literal table, but Substack doesn’t support that feature. Oh, well. Here’s an indulgent list of fiction stories I’ve published this calendar year and a brief reflection on what’s coming next.
Paperclips - 3,000 Words
An elaboration on the “Paperclip Maximizer” thought experiment. I tried to write something compelling enough for the AI Safety crowd and silly enough for the technology accelerationists.
Future Caliber - 550 Words
If you could become a hero, would you? Why aren’t you doing it now?
What is the Matrix? - 650 Words
The first entry in my “gray morality sci-fi retellings” series.
The Galactic Empire and its Discontents - 550 Words
The Star Wars version of my “gray morality sci-fi retellings” series.
The Time Machine - 200 Words
A meeting with a Victorian time traveler.
Cruise Control - 2,350 Words
I want my readers to fondly remember this piece whenever they hear about self-driving cars, games of Chicken, or Elon Musk.
Another Frontier - 2,100 Words
The Star Trek entry of my “gray morality sci-fi retellings” series.
Omega's Omega - 1,000 Words
An elaboration on Newcomb’s Paradox.
Spiritual Arbitrage - 2,050 Words
A timely tale on selling your soul in the name of Optimal Philanthropy.
The Christmas Spirit - 1,150 Words
Two young brothers discuss the meaning of Christmas.
Self-Indulgent Reflection
The Cruise Control story above is my Twitter origin story. After sitting on a draft for over a year, I realized I would never finish it without an audience. So, I spun up an anonymous Twitter account and started interacting with potential readers.
I spend 6 AM until 8 PM doing some combination of working and childcare. There aren’t many hours left for writing, and I’ll likely never become a professional author, but I am still compelled to create. I believe pubs and pews should be filled with amateur singers, and a world with only professional creatives is lacking in soul and joy.
Not included in the above list is a 20,000-word story I wrote this year entitled “The Magic Word.” I am proud of the setting, conclusion, and many of the individual scenes, but I am going to hold off on publishing it for now. It is available to read by request, but I would like to rework the middle, further flesh out some characters, and grow a larger audience before declaring it finished. This is currently at the bottom of my queue.
I have considered recording or commissioning narrations of my work. I’m curious to hear feedback on this idea and if it would help make the work more viral.
Many of the above stories have been materially changed thanks to feedback from my pre-readers. I’m grateful for their time and would like to specifically thank D4E, Brian Graham, Jordan Chase-Young, and xlr8harder by name.
But, more broadly, I would like to thank all of my readers. I am proud to create, and your feedback and retweets have provided the motivation to drive me further. I hope I have an even longer list next year!