Write for The Lightning Project
The Home of 10 Minute Flash Fiction
The Idea
“Sometimes the best ideas are those that seem to arise from the void. Our mission is to capture that magic, helping writers write more, write better, and write faster.”
The Lightning Project strives to tap into raw creativity through short fiction written in only 10 minutes. Writers are often plagued by perfectionism, which can be stifling.
10 minute flash fiction, on the other hand, encourages a flow of ideas. It encourages experimentation and concise concepts. Most of all, it encourages continual improvement, because you can iterate faster.
The Editors
The Lightning Project was created by writer Atlas Blaine, who is presently the sole editor.
Writers who contribute heavily may be considered for additional editing roles in the future, so please reach out to Atlas if you are interested!
Who Can Contribute
Anyone! It doesn’t matter if you’ve been writing for a day or a decade. As long as you follow the guidelines below, we’re happy to support your writing endeavors.
Please note, however, that we may not accept any and every piece you submit, because we are still looking for quality writing and interesting stories. Don’t be discouraged if your piece is not accepted — you may absolutely continue submitting more pieces until accepted! After all, it only takes 10 minutes, and each piece is an opportunity for improvement.
To get an idea of what we’re looking for, take a look at some of our stories.
The Guidelines
- All pieces must be fiction, written by you in roughly 10 minutes. The goal is to create a complete idea in that time limit, but it’s up to you how much time you spend thinking vs. writing. Of course, you are the one holding yourself accountable here.
- Please edit glaring grammar and spelling mistakes afterwards, but anything more starts going against our mission. If you find that your piece didn’t work out well, take what you learned, and write another.
- Stories must have a title and a photo. Photos should be credited in the caption. Subtitles are optional (“10 Minute Flash Fiction” is an acceptable subtitle, if you can’t think of anything else).
- Stories must be submitted as drafts.
- [Optional] Tag your story with Light or Dark, depending on the vibe. These stories will be listed under our “The Light” and “The Dark” topic pages, so readers can better filter the kind of stories they’re looking for (do they want to smile, or cry?). Please note that while we love stories geared towards an adult audience, straight erotica won’t be accepted.
- [Optional] Pick a prompt! Prompts are published every two weeks under our prompts page.
- Please allow a couple days for your story to be accepted. If it is not accepted, there will be a private note to explain the reasoning. Our editors are doing their best and will strive to be kind when rejecting a piece; please be kind in return! We’d still love for you to submit again in the future.
Other FAQ
How dark can my stories be?
We embrace the dark and the weird! However, as noted above, erotica won’t be accepted. Otherwise, the editors will use their discretion to determine what is too disturbing or polarizing to publish. As a general guideline, there should be a compelling purpose behind the darkness.
What tags can I use?
You may tag your story with whatever topic you’d like, including genre. Note that we purposely do not have genre pages in order to avoid confining our stories and readers.
However, it is appreciated (but not required) if you tag your story with Dark or Light according to the subject matter.
What lands a story in Editor’s Picks?
Honestly, just whatever our editors think is an awesome story given it was written in 10 minutes. Bribes not accepted at this time.
Can I put a personal blurb or link in?
Yes, but please put it at the end after a section break, and preferably limit it to a few sentences!
Okay, Okay — How Do I Submit?
- Read the guidelines above!
- In order to be added as a writer, comment on this piece saying you’d like to contribute.
- Once you are added (please allow a couple days), submit your piece to the pub as a draft.
- Support other writers by reading their flash fiction pieces!
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