Editors' Take on Very Short Fiction Submissions

 

Especially when space is short:

• Make every word pull its weight. (Sometimes the right noun can deliver both meaning and tone; the perfect verb may eliminate the need for an adverb.)
• Don't skimp on clarity. Every sentence must make sense and work together with the other sentences to make logical paragraphs.

Even though space is short, characters need:

• depth (no clichés, please)
• something to do (no angst-filled musings on the couch)
• something of consequence at stake (If you care about what happens, your readers will, too.)

A very short story can be an exciting challenge to write and a thrill to read. We look forward to reading your submission! (Open to all writers.)

Glimmer Train has been discovering, publishing, and paying emerging writers since 1990.

One of the most respected short-story journals in print, Glimmer Train is represented in recent editions of the Pushcart Prize,
New Stories from the Midwest, O.Henry, New Stories from the South, Best of the West, and Best American Short Stories anthologies.

Every story published in Glimmer Train is unsolicited.
And every year, we pay out over $50,000 to fiction writers.

Glimmer Train Press, 4763 SW Maplewood, PO Box 80430, Portland, OR 97280-1430 USA
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