fractured lit ghost, fable, and fairy tales prize
February 15, 2025, to April 13, 2025
We’re looking for stories that use flash fiction’s unique use of brevity and lyricism to create new twists on these familiar traditions. We want stories that take a slant approach, that create and illuminate the shadows, that awaken us to new ways of looking at our past and future; stories that scare us with their resonance, their attention to detail, and characters who get in and out of trouble. Don’t be afraid to use parts and pieces of all of these storytelling tropes and traditions in order to Frankenstein something never before seen. This contest produces some of the most imaginative submissions each year, and we look forward to reading your creations!
Guest Judge Dan Chaon will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $3,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. All entries will be considered for publication.
Dan Chaon’s newest book, One of Us, is forthcoming in October 2025. He is the author of seven previous books, including Ill Will, a national bestseller, named one of the ten best books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly. Other works include the short story collection Stay Awake (2012), a finalist for the Story Prize; the New York Times Best Seller Await Your Reply; and Among the Missing, a finalist for the National Book Award. Chaon’s fiction has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize anthologies, and the O. Henry Prize Stories. He lives in Cleveland.
Here’s what Dan looks for in a flash fiction story:
To me, flash fiction is not just a very short story or a poem in prose. It’s a unique form in its own right. Perhaps the closest corollaries are the koan and the riddle and the joke. Or the stiletto. The best flash fiction pierces you—it’s a stab, a slap, visceral and shocking, though "flash" doesn’t necessarily mean "flashy." It may be as quiet as a barely exhaled final breath.
We hope this prompt inspires you to create something out of your normal routine, that allows you to dip into the wellspring of your creativity, and helps you tell the story only you could tell.
Good luck and happy writing!
flash & micro
always open
Fractured Lit publishes Micro and Flash Fiction from writers of any background or experience. Both Micro and Flash categories are open year round and we do not charge any submission fees. We accept simultaneous submissions but ask that you inform us immediately and withdraw your work if your story is accepted elsewhere.
Editorial Letter – If you’re interested in knowing a little bit more about what we thought of your flash or micro, utilize this option. When we’ve reviewed your piece we will include 1-2 pages of feedback on your story including suggestions for revision, where it might be a good fit for publication, and other comments about ways it can be improved. Our editors are paid a significant portion of the fee, to meet the rates the Editorial Freelance Association recommends for developmental editing.
guidelines
- We pay our authors $50 for original Micro Fiction and $75 for original Flash Fiction.
- Micro Fiction for Fractured Lit is 400 words or less.
- Flash Fiction is 401-1,000 words.
- We will also consider previously published fiction, as long as the writer retains the rights or second-publication rights can be obtained. We do not pay for reprints.
- Writers may submit up to two stories in the same document. You may submit again as soon as you have heard back about your current submission.
- Cover letters are optional, but it's nice to know who is submitting to us. Please refrain from describing your stories. The work needs to speak for itself.
- Including the title and word count of each story is helpful for more efficient consideration of your work. Please include a brief third-person biography statement. An optional content warning in the cover letter will better protect our readers and provide them a safe reading experience of your submission. This will provide us a chance to make sure the right reader receives your submission.
- Please allow us up to three months to inform you if we have accepted your work for publication. You will usually hear from us much sooner.
- We consider submissions sent via Submittable. We are not open to email submissions. For mail submissions, please see our faq.
- Fractured Lit holds first serial publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following Fractured Lit’s first publication. For reprints, we ask for acknowledgment of its publication in Fractured Lit first.