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micro prize

October 01 to December 01

Fractured Lit has always been a place that celebrates the use of writing craft to tell small stories with big impacts. In the return of our Micro Prize, we want to honor stories of 400 words or fewer that tell a complete story and have us marveling at the depth of character and language. We’re looking for microfictions that demand more than one reading, invite us into their small containers, and awe us with the mysteries of being human.

 

We invite writers to submit to the Fractured Lit Micro Prize from October 01 to December 01. As an added opportunity, writers can also register for a generative workshop with Editor-in-Chief Tommy Dean called “Writing Micros with Urgency and Immediacy” from October 01 to October 31. The class will be held on November 7.

 

We’re thrilled to partner with Guest Judge Deb Olin Unferth, who will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer the first-place winner of this prize $2,500 and publication, while the second- and third-place place winners will receive publication and $600 and $400, respectively. All entries will be considered for publication.

 

Want to know what our judge is hoping to read? Deb says,

 

“I like being surprised—by language, sound, a twist in expectation. Microfiction is about voice expression, about capturing one’s own sound and letting the reader hear it, see it, be moved by it, feel joined to it, feel separation when it’s over.”

 

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.