Friday, June 25, 2021


Markets for Short Stories: Thoughts, Ideas, and Market Listings


By all means, submit your work to the major publications first. If your work is accepted, celebrate! However, we have all experienced rejection at one time or other in our careers. So how do we handle it? First, did the rejection include editorial comments about the work? If so, pay attention. It means the editor took the time to offer constructive criticism because he or she thought your work was special. If there are suggestions for improvement, strongly consider them. Perhaps you should do some rewriting. But don’t give up, not if writing is important to you. You can always set aside a piece that isn’t working for you now and come back to it at a later date to examine it with fresh eyes.

 You may eventually decide to try some of the smaller publications, whether online or print. I suggest that you avoid writing only for “exposure” if possible. There are paying markets that encourage beginners who lack publishing credits. However, two of my close friends who are still university professors have observed that for them non-paying literary publications are perfectly acceptable since they must “publish or perish”. The universities expect their professors to publish regularly. Jobs are sometimes lost otherwise.

 Suppose your work has been rejected by all the traditional publications, should you simply give up? Not if you believe you’ve written a first-rate story. Be aware that there are numerous fiction markets out there. A few changes in your story might make the difference. 

There is a large market for science fiction, fantasy and horror. These speculative markets can and will publish varied stories that meet their guidelines. So if you’ve written a mystery story with speculative overtones a horror publication might suit. The trick is to pay close attention to what they acquire. Read a few issues to get a sense of it. 

You should realize that each genre has its own type of content. Mashups are acceptable, but first you should know the rules of each genre before you attempt to mix them. Do the research before you start to write or change your story to suit a particular set of guidelines. Successful writers are first analytical readers. 

You might consider checking out the markets for fiction I’ve listed here:  (excellent current market listings for genre short story fiction of all kinds)

(submission database)

(Check this out regularly since new market calls are listed every month)


Cathy's Comps and Calls – Free-to-enter writing competitions and calls for submissions with electronic entry

(new listing each month as well) (this one has a fee to join) (blog keeping up with current calls)


Newsletters of value worth signing up for:

(Erika does a monthly and weekly marketing newsletter which is free)


Newsletters | FundsforWriters (You can sign up for Hope Clark’s free edition which comes out every Friday and always lists a variety of markets for writers)


FLASH FICTION FLASH NEWSLETTER: The Newsletter for Flash Literature Writers

(lists paying and non-paying markets monthly)

Angela Hoy's weekly newsletter:

(full of useful info as well as markets for writers and freelance opportunities)


If you have anything to add or can share, please do so in the comments. Let's share info!













Monday, June 7, 2021



Setting is an essential element component in fiction writing, whether a novel or a short story. It’s generally indicated early in a novel or short story and usually developed through narrative description, but there are other means as well.  The details of setting help to make the reader accept the reality of the work.

Here are some suggestions for creating a viable setting:

One: Choose a place you know something about. Maybe you’ve lived there. Maybe you only visited.  But it helps if the writer has some sort of association because the place must have an aura of reality to be believable. My Kim Reynolds mysteries are set in Central New Jersey because that’s where I lived for most of my life. The township in BLOOD FAMILY, for example, is based closely on the one I actually lived in.

Two: If you are using an historical setting, make certain to do considerable research so that your background descriptions are historically accurate. Consider: how did people dress? How did they travel? What did they eat? What were the social, religious and political conventions and ideas of the period? How did people talk? Conversation and vocabulary differ in different time periods.  Also, check timelines to make certain you don’t have important events occurring in a wrong year.

My published historical romance novels were carefully researched.  For example, HIGHLAND HEART is set in Georgian England and Scotland at the time of the uprising in the Highlands in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

SINFUL SEDUCTION is set during the American Revolution in New Jersey. Since I am a life-long NJ resident, I find this time period fascinating and enjoyed doing the research—NJ was described as the cockpit of the Revolution because so many battles were fought here.

 I read fiction and nonfiction written in the time periods as well as numerous historical accounts before I began to write the novels. This was something I enjoyed doing since I have degrees in English and history and taught English at both the high school and university levels.

 Three: Choose place names that fit the times. Place names are constantly changing. Decide whether or not you should use real place names or imaginary ones. In DEATH PROMISE, real places were used and described.  Manhattan and Las Vegas are prominently featured, as are actual streets and landmarks, appropriate in this case to lend authenticity to a mystery suspense thriller.

Four: Consider the weather or climate as a component in setting. For example, winter weather works well for a murder mystery novel. Snow and winter can be used to symbolize death. In my novella THE BURNING, environmental concerns nearly destroy the lives of the family members who are the main characters. The setting is a key, essential element of the plot.

Weather helps to create tone, mood and atmosphere. For instance, a paranormal novel might be dark and foreboding. Thunder and lightening can create tension. Poe is a great one to study in this regard.

Five: Sense impressions are important in the narrative description of the setting. You need them to create a sense of reality. As they say, the devil is in the details. But balance is needed as well. Writers can overload their writing with too much detail or info dumping. Even some famous authors are guilty of that. Setting details may also be part of characterization, existing in dialogue, action and a character’s thoughts.

 What suggestions would you make in regard to the creation of setting?

Your thoughts and opinions welcome here.