Writing Tip: A writer asks Alle, “How many words makes a good short story?”
Starring: The Best. Publishing. Tip. Ever.
The number of words don’t make a good short story.
The words make the good short story.
That said, we all gotta figure out how to get a piece published So:
Most magazines have a page on their site labeled “Submissions” or “Submit.” They will have there all the information that you need. Most mags I’ve seen use the following guidelines:
- Short story: up to 5000 words
- Short-short: 750–2500 words
- Flash: 500–1000 words
- Micro 50–500 words
Within micros, we have:
- Drabble: 100 words
- Dribble: 50 words
I was as floored as I was honored when I was asked to be one of the guest artists in The Dribbe-Drabble Review’s In October, 2024, issue. Pages 13–17, including amazing art that I would never be able to produce.
Best. Publishing. Tip. Ever.
I got the DDR ask by following the editor, reading his pieces as they published, mentioning in a Facebook note to him that I read his work, and demonstrated that fact with two sentences about his work when submitting my own.
