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Duotrope has some great interviews with editors. Especially check out responses to "Describe the ideal submission." Here's Charlie's interview: https://duotrope.com/interview/editor/28/magazine-fantasy-science-fiction-fsf I'm disappearing soon until November (I only knew last night), so do...

Thanks for sharing. I'm about to go away travelling at short notice, so I'll check back in November. Some of these could help with works in progress, even if they don't make it into the story.

Thanks for the super helpful responses disgruntledpeony & RSchibler. It seems I need to find way more people to critique swap with! I've previously been happy with one or two critiquers. Critters is a no, unfortunately, as I live in the EU (at least for another couple of weeks). I did try anothe...

It's interesting how Dave reads the ending before the middle.

I've got to get that character growth in.

Thanks!

When I see Coney Island, I can't help but think of Fountains of Wayne. They have some good storytelling in their songs. Here's one that leaves me feeling by the end: https://genius.com/Fountains-of-wayne-someone-to-love-lyrics As for jokes with a story, or japes... Batman hit me over the head with a...

Clarkesworld and Beneath Ceaseless Skies are others worth checking out too. Beneath Ceaseless Skies generally give a line of feedback and Clarkesworld are one of the quickest responders.

And after my post, I just saw this when I went to the BBC homepage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-50041509

My brain didn't know whether I should laugh or cry.

I'm not sure how to relate jokes to story ending lines. A lot of my favourite jokes are funny because the ending gives the build up a different meaning to what I expected. That lines up with what you say about a final line having a different meaning to what was the same line early in the story. Many...

My Q3 story idea was on Dave's instant reject list so probably doomed to fail. Hope it works out for reigheena. I have two R's under consideration at pro markets. The only changes to one were line edits. The other, I fixed something I thought was a flaw and changed a few other things after a critiq...

Next Assignment 1. What exactly is denoument, and why must a story have it? 2. Describe a denoument for us from one of your favorite books. 3. Go back to the last short story you wrote (not the Flash). Ask yourself: Did my story have a true denoument? And then confess. Here. You heard me. Don't wor...

Thanks, Wulf. Maybe a few PMs go missing then, and people (hopefully!) aren't ignoring me. ;) The deception in my story was the brother faking his disappearance to push his sister into facing her fear. Ultimately, his deception was to help her. I'll aim to make that clearer. Are the grammar issues d...

I'm in. I tried to send you a PM last week Wulf - I don't want to post my stories directly in the thread. I'll be paranoid of a pro-market in the future Googling one line and finding it here so deciding not to accept my story. The rejections are piling up, and I try to make every story into the one ...

I posted something similar in Wulf's challenge thread - I'm struggling to write a story of 1,000 words (if you're not following it, that then has to be cut to 500, then 250 for the challenge). I've written a lot of flash, but in most cases, I didn't know it was flash before it started or thought it'...

I wonder if word count is a better goal for me. I'm aiming for two 3,000+ word new stories a quarter with Wulf's challenge, so maybe I could allow myself a flash for the third story a quarter. Plus 5,000 words of revised stories a quarter, from a minimum of three stories. That would fit a fornightly...

Also, when we send out stories to "professional markets," what are we supposed to say in the cover letter if we lack professional affiliations or paid publishing credits?? There's a thread on cover letters here: http://forum.writersofthefuture.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=7641 I also have...

I'm planning something like this, so it'll be good to be accountable. I think fortnightly, one previously written piece a month plus one new one, is doable. I'll aim for over 2,000 words for each, as flash would be easier.

How do you write a story of 1,000 words? That was my biggest struggle. I feel I'm cheating if I add 400 words to a 600-word story that reached its end. I'll know I've added 400 words of crap I can delete later! Instead, I've edited an existing flash with deception. It was 1,080 words. I now have a 4...

Hello oishisushi911 - I imagine living in Japan for so long gives you some unique insights that are useful for this contest. That's nice to hear Joni sent you an e-mail, and it's good to hear you're back on track.

Hello all the new people.

I see try/fail cycles like this: We like to read about characters who try, who overcome struggles, rather than people who give up. And wouldn't most stories be boring if everything went to plan? The try/fail cycles make a conclusion more satisfying when the character has worked towards their goal. F...

I've been building a checklist for revisions over the past year or so from various sources. Although I can't resist line edits at times, bigger-scale edits should come first, with line edits left until a piece is close to submission. E.g.: ⋅ Does each scene serve a purpose? Is there change...

I could be wrong, but I would personally assume anything sold at previous pro rates would still count as a pro sale? Correct. I do wonder what exactly counts as pro though. Is it solely the rates? I got the impression it wasn't always from threads I read a while ago. If I sold 3 flash pieces at pro...

It occurred to me that now that the rules for pro-ing out are eight cents per word... perhaps some people who would have previously been disqualified entered this quarter. Not Sure how I feel about that, except that I hope they pro-out again soon, lol. I could be wrong, but I would personally assum...

It'll probably be a week and a half before I can read it, but feel free to send it to me whenever you feel is most helpful; after you've edited based on other critiques or your current manuscript. I'm planning to work on my Q2 HM, so maybe that'll be a good one to swap!

I made it with 4 fresh stories this volume. The quarter I entered a flash felt like a cop-out at the time, but with hindsight, I'm glad I kept the run going. To respond to your request, Wulf, I'll add to my post from a few pages ago on my learnings. It was only a month ago, and I'm amazed how much I...

I spent 4 hours cutting 5% of the words and smoothing some prome and got in at 6:30pm UK time, just before I went out for the evening. I usually submit on the penultimate day, so it was late for me.

Honorable Mention here, too. On thing that puzzles me. In my email Joni wrote: "Congratulations!!! You were in the top 2% of all entries." Going by the previous quarter where there were over 200 HMs and higher, that implies over 10,000 entries. Which means Kary has to look at (she certain...

I had a day of not writing yesterday so I could spend 3 straight days on my story. But I'm completely stuck! It is pretty much finished, apart from the ending not working. Which I suppose could take a whole rewrite. I just want to get started on a story for next quarter! I have 3 new ideas, 2 works...

I had a day of not writing yesterday so I could spend 3 straight days on my story. But I'm completely stuck! It is pretty much finished, apart from the ending not working. Which I suppose could take a whole rewrite. I just want to get started on a story for next quarter! I have 3 new ideas, 2 works...

Hi all! Without further ado, I present the master list of SUPER SECRETS, locations included. I have it sitting in a Google doc right now so I can keep up on it without having to scroll back to this page! I'm still a little new to the forum, so if anyone knows how to directly link a comment rather t...