DreamCasters Agenda,
March 2024

03-03-2024 | 1:00 pm ET via ZOOM

Opening Statement

Welcome to DreamCasters, a DreamForge discussion group devoted to helping our members improve their writing and storytelling through discussion and sharing expertise.

DreamForge News

DreamCaster Dates for 2024

Here are the dates and guests for the next three months.

• Sunday, March 3^rd – Scott H Andrews, Editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies
• Saturday, April 27^th – Jonathan Maberry, NYT Best Selling Horror Author
• Sunday, May 5^th – Scott Edelman, 8 Time Bram Stoker Award Nominated Writer

Member Accomplishments

Let us know about any new publications, awards, or accomplishments you might have. If you get news to me at Scot.Noel@DreamForgeMagazine.com, I’ll make sure to mention it.

Our Program – Guest Scott H Andrews, Editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies

In March, our guest is Scott H Andrews, the editor-in-chief of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Literary Adventure Fantasy.

Scott has been a guest instructor at the Odyssey Writing Workshop and is a five-time finalist for the World Fantasy Award for his editing and publishing of Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

He is a chemistry lecturer, editor, musician, and writer. Scott was co-Fiction Editor of The William and Mary Review for two years. His literary short fiction won a $1000 prize from the Briar Cliff Review; his genre short fiction has appeared in venues such as Ann VanderMeer’s Weird Tales, Space and Time, and On Spec.

Scott lives in Virginia with his wife, two cats, nine guitars, a dozen overflowing bookcases, and hundreds of beer bottles from all over the world.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies is a non-profit, SFWA-qualifying pro-rate online magazine dedicated to publishing literary adventure fantasy: fantasy set in secondary-world or historical paranormal settings, written with a literary focus on the characters.

“We love traditional adventure fantasy, but we also love how the influence of literary writing on fantasy short fiction has expanded the genre, encouraging writers to use literary devices such as tight points-of-view and discontinuous narratives; to feature conflicts that are internal as well as external. We want stories that combine the best of both these styles—set in vivid fantasy or historical paranormal worlds but written with all the flair and impact of modern literary-influenced fantasy.”

Giveaway This Month!

This month one of our attending DreamCaster will win a 12-month subscription to Beneath Ceaseless Skies for automatic Kindle/eReader delivery, or a one-year Honored Guest of BCS Patreon Membership.

Depending on who wins and what works best in your situation, we’ll figure out how to get that Membership to you.

In April

In April, our guest will be Jonathan Maberry.

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, and writing teacher/lecturer. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. He is the recipient of the Inkpot Award, three Scribe Awards, and was named one of the Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers. His books have been sold to more than thirty countries. He writes in several genres including thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and mystery; and he writes for adults, middle grade, and young adult.

This is your chance to learn, talk about, and ask about Horror writing!

Story Prompts

Science Fiction—

Imagine a future where AI takes on the role of “overparenting” the human race. Everyone is kept from harm; everyone is made to feel that whatever they do is a fantastic accomplishment and that the whole human race is proud of them. Our protagonist, an artist, just can’t believe that they are the best. Others must have accomplished more. They go on a quest to find the works of old masters, and when they find them, they are astonished, only to learn shortly after that AI can do exponentially better… The theme of the piece – is there real value in being made to feel universally successful and protected, if it means sacrificing the genuine struggle, growth, and satisfaction that come from overcoming adversity and earning achievements through one’s own efforts and creativity?

Fantasy— The Unwanted Gift. Imagine a world where magic falls from space in the form of comets. Each time the world passes through the tail of a comet, a new form of magic enters the world. How that magic works needs to be discovered and researched, mastered over decades or centuries. The magic delivered by a new comet is highly dangerous (on the level of nuclear weapons, plagues, or uncontrolled AI might be in our world).  Most governments in this world start to pass laws against exploring the new magic, but on a far-off island nation, they pass the opposite laws – everyone come here and explore the new magic. They will reap the power and the benefits themselves if no one else will.  Explore the interpersonal and international dynamics.

Disclaimer: These ideas may or may not be original, convergent ideas are common. DreamForge makes no copyright or monetary claim on these story prompts. Have fun.