The (Second) Smallest Form of Storytelling Out There
In the spirit of this new series, I thought I would continue looking at specific writing that certain literary journals are looking for and that you’ve probably seen every now and then. The best part about it anyway is that it takes about a minute and a half to read like any good piece on the internet should. I’m talking about microfiction.
Disclaimer: I’m aware the last post I did in this series wasn’t exactly a “niche,” but I’ve been wanting to branch out with this information a little bit. And with all the lit journals out there, each one has to carve out their own place in the Literary World, making their own niche in the market and discovering what people want. So on that note, I plan on including journals that are known for a certain aspect involving their platform.
Here’s a list of journals that are either interested in this small form of fiction or are entirely devoted to it.
Briefly Zine
This lit mag is based in the UK, and they accept photography, poetry, and fiction. For their fiction, they specifically asks for works between 6 words and 600 words. They have both special calls and regular submissions. You can find the rest of their guidelines here.
The Birdseed
I’ve talked about this magazine before, but it’s really been taking off so I brought it up again. This magazine is run by Kourtney Jai, and the journal is currently working its third issue. You can send in book reviews and fiction of up to 150 words. Kourtney also has a blog for the magazine as well.
50 Word Stories
I talked about them before and I’ll talk about them again. They accept stories of exactly fifty words from the first to the fifteenth day of each month. The rest of their guidelines can be found here.
Potato Soup
This journal accepts longer works of fiction and nonfiction, but they also accept ten word stories. There guidelines can be found here.
100 Word Story
The name says it all for this one, really. They ask for exactly 100 ones though, as per their guidelines. They also accept essays, interviews, and reviews. (Also, this type of story can be both nonfiction and fiction. You can check out the different ways to tackle this genre here).
The Drabble
They also ask for stories exactly 100 words, and they can also be nonfiction, fiction, or even 100 words of poetry. There guidelines can be found here, and you can also check out this post for inspiration.
Two Sentence Stories
This journal accepts (obviously) two word stories. The best part is you can submit however many of these you come up with as per their guidelines. They also just finished up their first competition!
Bonus: One Sentence Poems
So yes, this is poetry and technically doesn’t fall under microfiction, but some of these journals and magazines here look for the short form in more than just fiction. If you look at their poems for inspiration, you’ll notice something in common with all of them. Send them poetry that is only one sentence in total. You can find out all the details here.
Want to know more? Click the LEARN MORE button at home. You’ll find some helpful links to my work in journals, which I have started posting here too. You can find me in Ariel Chart, The Cedarville Review, Nailpolish Stories, Bluepepper, 50 Word Stories, The Aurora Journal, Writing in a Woman’s Voice, The Drabble, and Anti-heroin Chic. Look for me in Sledgehammer Lit later this year.
Need help proofreading a story? You can find me on Fiverr!
Potato Soup jumped out for me, since one of our granddaughters is currently in a Pugtato phase. Ten word stories, though… that sounds daunting…
I’ve haven’t seen a whole lot of journals like this, but I did have Frederic Brown’s work in mind when I was working on this!