John Lindal’s Blog

Stories

Artifact, Part 1: Magic, lots of magic.
This was my first story. I woke up in the middle of the night after dreaming it and then couldn’t get back to sleep because my brain kept filling in more and more details. When I got up in the morning, I wrote it from start to finish in one sitting: 11AM to 2:15PM.
The Big City: Why would anybody want to build a city in the middle of a desert?
I dreamt this story, too, on the night before Christmas Eve, 2000. This was the first story that I showed my wife, in the short interval between first meeting and getting married.
The Eternal Game: God may not roll dice, but he does play chess.
I only dreamt the first half. My subconscious would make a great GM! In addition to the obvious, the title is also an oblique reference to The Immortal Game.
The Magic Lamp: Be careful what you wish for!
Mary had a Little Lamb: Just plain crazy.
Cooked up during our trip to Oslo.
The McGuffin: A science fiction story disturbingly close to possibility.
Inspired by a joke in What’s New with Phil and Dixie.
Negotiations: Disaster strikes the Federation Starship Intrepid, but that is only the beginning of their troubles…
I originally dreamt this with the crew of ST:TNG, but I decided it would be more interesting to build my own crew.
Off to School: Mensa, eat your heart out!
Thanks For All the Fish: It’s all a matter of perspective…
I dreamt this story in two parts shortly before New Year, 2009. I woke up from the first half and was sufficiently impressed that it kept me awake wondering about the cause. When I eventually fell back to sleep, I dreamt the rest.
Update (3/3/09): I just saw an episode of Stargate built around the same premise, except that it involved invaders from a different galaxy.
What Color Is the Sky?: Sometimes, it’s better to keep your eyes closed.