Fiction | Writing | Submission Guidelines | Fascinate Me Fiction
Submission Guidelines — Write for Fascinate Me Fiction
Show me what you got!
LAST UPDATED: January 29, 2024
Don’t you just love coming to the end of a good short story, with an ending so satisfying and evocative, you gaze off into the great unknown for hours after wondering how indeed the universe can be so endless and full of amazing things?
These are the stories I aspire to write, and these are the stories I love to read.
This is my official invitation to all Medium’s fiction writers looking for a new challenge, and all new writers who have a story to tell. This is the publication for you.
So without further ado, here are the submission rules, guidelines, and how to be added as an author:
Please read carefully and completely.
Story Length
Fascinate me with flash fiction and short stories! I’m not picky here. Anywhere from 200–2,000 words is a good range for short stories on Medium. Any longer than that, and consider breaking your story into a serial format. Read below under The Basics for more information on what we do with a series here.
Genre and Subject Matter
A wide range of genre will be accepted. Sci-fi, speculative fiction, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, horror, technological wasteland, dystopian, utopian happy fairyland, or any combination of genre are welcome. It’s really about the way the story is presented: cleverly, with a fascinating edge. That could mean a lot of different things: Weird twist? Ambiguous ending? Unconventional plot device? Get creative.
Bottom line: if I enjoy reading your story even just a little bit, I will accept it.
The subject matter is whatever you want it to be. I will be posting prompts once a month, but by no means do you have to follow them. Get inspired somehow and write.
If you do follow the prompts, be sure to tag or include a link to the prompt page at the end of your story, to increase visibility for the pub.
The Basics
- Submissions must be a work of short fiction. For best results, aim for a 3–7 minute read time per story.
- New and trending stories will be featured on the home page after acceptance.
- Serial works are accepted here. In addition to being featured on the home page, serial stories will have a second home on the pub. Stories identified as a series will be gathered into a list under the tab Find a Series. Series will be labeled ongoing or completed.
- Please submit all stories as a draft, preferably. However, works that have already been published to your own page are fine, as long as they haven’t been published in another Medium publication.
- Must be proofread by author. As editor of the pub, I reserve the right to make adjustments to errors in grammar and spelling. However, as I am the only editor, I would appreciate the author doing as much proofreading as possible before submitting.
- Include at least one picture in your story, and a title. Please follow Medium’s citation rules for pictures. Please add a subheading, even if it’s just “A Short Story” or some variant of that.
Adding a kicker is a recent detail I’ve started including in stories published across all my publications. Right now, it is not a requirement for you to add a kicker. I will add a relevant kicker above your title before publishing, though you are welcome to add the kicker yourself before submitting if you’d prefer.
- Please tag appropriately. Make sure to include the tags Fiction and Fascinate Me Fiction, as well as any other tags relevant to the genre and subject matter of your story. Additionally, if your story is 10-minute flash fiction, be sure to include 10-minute flash fiction as your tag. It will not show up in the correct spot of the pub otherwise.
- Follow the pub and pay attention to news and updates! This is a young pub still, and I often make useful changes when I see a need. I put out monthly updates which are posted to the top section of the homepage.
- Comment here on this article with any questions or suggestions you may have.
- To be added as an author, just comment here with “I promise to fascinate you” to identify yourself, and follow Fascinate Me Fiction.
I can’t wait to be fascinated by your stories!
Fascinate Me Fiction is a Medium publication created and edited by Meghan E. Gattignolo. For more from me, grace me with a follow. I also write for The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram as Meggiebeth_Writes.
