June: Monthly Theme Updates
・did you miss me??∙
Between having friends in town for the Memorial Day extended weekend and a visit to a winery/brewery/distillery (did you know this combo existed? I did not), something had to give, and unfortunately it was my Monday substack.
Did you think I’d quit? Taken my micro prompts and gone home?
NOPE! I’m still here, and here are some prompts for June to get your juices flowing:
(Several of the regular monthlies have not updated their prompts yet, so you’ll have to follow the link when they do…)
Strange Pilgrims Micro Contest (short window!)
Word Count: 300 words max
Genre: literary
Theme: Love & Sex
Open: 6/1-3 only
Rate: $30
What do they want?
We want to explore what makes a piece of writing stand out when the room is small. What happens when you strip a story or a fragment or a moment down to 300 words or fewer? What survives? What can’t help but be there?
The rules are simple: the piece must be 300 words or under, it must respond to the month’s theme (however loosely, however strangely), and it must be submitted within the 3-day window. We’ll reply to everyone within 2-3 weeks (before we announce and publish the winner, of course).
We’ll announce each month’s theme when the window opens — or just before — so you’re not planning weeks in advance. We don’t want you to overthink this! Just let the writing flow.
My take: I love a prompt and a deadline! Fair warning, though: they received 473 submissions for their last call, in the three days they were open! Those are some steep odds — but you can’t win if you don’t play!
I subbed to the May contest and got a rejection. But now I have a literary micro about rabbits I can shop around (as do 471 other people… 😄)
Unfortunately, with such a short window and my self-imposed restriction of sending newsletters once a week, I will miss forwarding the theme announcement more often than not. So set yourself a reminder to check back on the first of every month!
Black Hare Press - Dark Moments
Word Count: 100 exactly
Genre: Horror
Theme: not posted yet
Open: 6/1-30
Rate: $.04/wd
No Sim Subs / No Reprints
*ANONYMOUS SUBS*
What they want:
errmmm. Something spooky, I’m sure. But check back for specifics...
My take: BHP are absolutely fantastic to work with. I will almost always try to come up with something dark and weird for their monthly calls.
Quotidian Bagatelle Crumbs
Word Count: 100 exactly
Genre: any
Theme: Ash: what's left after burning
Open: 6/1 (has a cap at 100 entries)
Rate: $15 for 1st, $10 for 2nd, $5 for three runners-up
Sim Subs Allowed / No Reprints
My take: None yet, but I love the prompt!
In a Flash
Word Count: 500 words max
Genre: CNF (creative nonfiction)
Theme: Recipes
Open: 6/1-15
Rate: $25
Sim Subs Allowed / No Reprints
What they want:
We’re a writing group devoted to flash CNF (creative nonfiction), and we’ve spent the last two years editing each other’s pieces while racking up publishing creds. We love working in flash— the electric way a single sentence, a single short paragraph, a single phrase can change the way you view yourself and the world in the span of a moment. We want to create more opportunities for short flash nonfiction in the literary world, and are excited to do so here.
My take: None yet. And I’m a turrrrible cook, so this is not the prompt for me…
Manawaker Studios 100 Word Project:
Word Count: 100 exactly
Genre: any, but the editor leans towards “the speculative, the fantastic, the futuristic, and the weird”
Theme: not posted yet
Open: 6/1-30
Rate: $.01/wd
No Sim Subs / No Reprints
What they want:
The 100 Word Project is an ongoing project focused on 100 word stories which will be published as a monthly, themed online journal and in a yearly print anthology. Each month (except for June and December) will bring a new prompt, and in the first half of the next month nine of the submitted drabbles for that prompt will be posted in the public-facing section of the Manawaker Patreon alongside one drabble from Manawaker EiC, CB Droege (An audio edition will be available to Patreon patrons as a subscriber perk). At the end of the year, the ten stories from each of the ten prompts will be assembled into the next volume of the 100 x 100 series to be published as a print, digital, and audio book. The project is curated and edited by CB Droege. 100 x 100 is published by Manawaker Studio as part of their regular line of anthologies.
My take: None yet. I can’t even seem to manage my time well enough to submit, honestly…
Anomaly Drabble Contest
Word Count: 100 exactly
Genre: sci fi
Theme: Skin
Open: 6/1-30
Rate: $.08/wd
Remember that you do need to subscribe to their substack to submit, but the contest is available to both free and paid subscribers.
They also have voting every month for the following month’s theme, so if you have a drabble lying around that fits one, why not cast a vote for it?
My take: none yet
✴︎And because I didn’t get last week’s substack out, here’s a pub that’s open in June✴︎
Night Shades
Word Count: 500 words max
Genre: Speculative
Open: randomly, but says they’re opening June 1st
Rate: $75
Sim Subs Allowed / No Reprints
I love how they won’t tell you when they’re open or how long it will last. No, I seriously do — makes for more spontaneous submissions, which for me is better than the ones I overthink for days…
What do they want?
Please read Night Shades to get an idea of what the magazine publishes. Generally, any kind of speculative fiction is fine, but it must have a recognizable speculative element. Sci-fi, horror, and fantasy that’s light on magic are all good bets. I also like slice of life or less plot-driven stories that create a world or a feeling or an image. Urban fantasy is a hard sell for me. I’m not looking for comedic, and I don’t care for stories with a gimmick or ones that play a trope ironically. Your best bet is something genuine and strange, that takes big swings with language, and that takes advantage of the short form rather than strains against it.
My take: Three rejections and counting, with a few things lined up to send...
What you can look forward to from Micro Markets: themed and unthemed calls, monthly micro contests, micro-lit mags that are always open, micro-focused anthologies... maybe even some craft essays about writing microfiction and a place to feature YOUR published micros.
So dust off some of your tiny treasures, and let’s send them out into the world!