FLASH WRITING
Make It Easy for an Editor to Publish Your Story
by Michael L. Wilson
The difference between stories that are published and those that are rejected often come down to one misspelled word, one awkward line, or not following one of the explicit instructions in the publication's writer's guidelines.
These mistakes are deal breakers. Let's face it. The competition is fierce for publication. Out of more than 1400 submissions flashquake receives every year, only 120 are published. Sometimes writing is less about writing something brilliant, than it is about writing something good, following the rules, and not making mistakes.
So here are some pointers for increasing the odds of publication by decreasing the odds of rejection:
Read your final draft out loud
Reading work out loud uses a different part of your brain than when you read your work silently. When you are reading silently, the brain has a tendency to auto correct your mistyped words that spell-check will miss: For example typing "form" when you really meant "from."
The brain also often adds missing modifiers or determiners. Nothing brings your work to a grinding halt faster than forgetting an "a" or "the" at a critical moment.
Or, if you can manage it, have someone else read your work out loud to you. When someone reads your work to you, not only does it allow you to catch the errors mentioned above, but you also hear where the reader gets confused, awkwardly pauses, or stumbles over words.
Read and follow the writer's guidelines
Almost every flash fiction publication has a website and a link to the writer's guidelines. Read them. Read them again. And when you think that you have them memorized, read them one last time.
Debi Orton, the editor of flashquake, rejects about 50 stories each quarter for breaking one or more of the writer's guidelines, and another dozen or so that just contain the submission, with no author name, address, or other contact information at all.
The writer's guidelines are your direct connection to the editorial staff of this publication. It tells you exactly what they do and do not want to see. Sometimes they even give you specific ideas on what they'd like to see more of, or note story problems or cliches to avoid.
Read back issues of the publication you are targeting
What is the best way to read an editor's mind? Look at the selections that the editor has published in the past. If your story is a close match to the stories in back issues of the publication, submit it.
Ask yourself: What kind of stories does this editorial staff like? Do they like twist endings? Do they publish a lot of stories with a similar theme? Does the published work incorporate some speculative fiction elements into it? Etc. Read the previous six issues of a publication before submitting a story to it.
Follow the formatting standards established by the publication
Again, there are many ways publications can accept manuscripts. Some accept them via snail mail only. Others, such as flashquake, only accept electronic submissions. Many publications, again flashquake included here, do not accept stories as email attachments. They must be formatted specifically within the body of an email message. Again, these preferred standards are typically noted on the publication's website. Failing to follow the proper format is the mark of an amateur and amateurs are not taken seriously.
Begin on FIRE
Grab the reader by the throat with the very first sentence. Flash fiction has to break fast out of the gate. It has to begin in the middle of exciting action and force the reader to hold on tight to the reigns, and keep on riding along with you to the end. Begin with conflict, controversy, or criminal activity. Make it dramatic and engaging.
End it with zing
The effect of a well-written story can be ruined by the last sentences of that story. Some authors just end the story when it reaches the limit of the word count. Others go with the "literary" non-ending, leaving the reader puzzled about what just happened. And still others end with a surprise that pops out of nowhere and doesn't make sense within the context of the story.
Don't let a flat ending ruin a great story. Spend time crafting a solid ending to it. Ask yourself the following questions about your ending: Is it plausible? Does it bring a sense of closure to the story? Does it reveal the information that you hinted about at the beginning?
The ultimate goal here is to give the reader that "I didn't expect that at all/that's really cool" feeling at the end of the story. You can't do this if you... [Get it? A sudden, unexpected ending is jarring.]
None of these things are hard to do. Not hard to do at all. So why do so many writers make stupid mistakes that immediately take them out of consideration for publication? Don't give the editor a reason to reject you. When you do the little things right, you make it easier for an editor to publish your story.
Michael L. Wilson is the author of Flash Writing and the owner of the Flash Writing web site, and a regular flashquake columnist. Michael also produces a free monthly creative writing e-newsletter to get you writing and keep you writing. To sign up, visit: http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse.