Submitting Short Fiction

Literary/Realism Edition

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If you want to make a successful career as an author of literary fiction, one of the best places to start is the short story. It can be a stepping stone. As Ray Bradbury said, “You can write a short story in two hours. Two hours a day, you have a novel in a year.” Many bestselling authors got their start writing short fiction and publishing in magazines.

What follows is a step-by-step guide for writers of realistic or “literary” short fiction. I refer to this genre as “realistic short fiction” because I’m not a fan of the idea that belonging to this category somehow makes a story more “literary” i.e. more truthful, more literate, or more serious. If you’re writing science fiction, fantasy, or other speculative genres, check out the genre edition of this article.

This is part of a series of articles for new writers who’ve never sent their work out before. While everyone’s process is different, I hope these tips and tricks can be a starting point for you to figure out your submissions process and start getting your work into the world.

1. Finish the Story

“A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the…