Writing Voices wasn't founded to turn your submissions down; we really want to publish you! We're here to help make talented voices heard, and to provide a platform for aspiring writers to share their creations.
As prose editor, I see plenty of submissions come in that are bursting with potential and just need a little something more to get them over the finish line, so my first piece of advice is this: if we email you back with editorial notes, that means we really to publish your work. Don't give up because you didn't get an immediate 'yes'. Go through our feedback and send it back to us!
Stories that have the best chance of publication will:
Have a great opening that makes us want to keep reading.
Have a strong ending which either clearly closes the story or clearly leaves it open.
Be written in one tense, unless a tense change has been done deliberately and done well.
Be well-written in good quality prose.
Be carefully proof-read, edited and proof-read again.
We love to see something a bit unusual land in our inbox, but the truth is, you don't need to produce a mind-bending, profound contemporary masterpiece to get published. We like great imagery, good stories and, of course, a strong voice and style.
So what are you waiting for? Novellas are probably a bit long for us (at the moment) but we'd like to see your flash fictions, short stories and vignettes. It doesn't have to be fiction either. Take a look at our Submissions page to see what we accept and to check for any specific creative calls.
Alternatively, you can join our mailing list and we'll let you know when publication opportunities are available.
Oh, and one last thing... we're looking forward to working with you!
Prose editor Liz Hudson specialises in fiction, short fiction and memoir. She loves science fiction, crime and everything creepy. Liz's first formally published short story was released by Greenteeth Press in 2020 and the second was with the same press in May 2021. Liz writes short stories for both formal and web publication, and is currently working on two full length manuscripts. Find out more.
Imagery by S O C I A L . C U T and hannah grace via Unsplash