Tutor / Editor / Flash Fiction / Short Stories / Pittsburgh / University of Pittsburgh / Writers

You've sweated over your story for a month. Every word is in the right place. There are no proof reading errors. There are no cliches or unnecessary words. The first sentence grabs the reader. Everything that follows flows naturally. The ending is satisfying. So, where do you send this story?

I'm always surprised at how little time unpublished writers spend on researching publications that might be interested in their work. Writing a story is only the first part of a two part action: the story must be written and then a publication must be found that might publish the story.

Novel & Short Story Writer's Market is a great resource. Every short story writer should have it in his or her personal library. I have to update my copy but in 2006 the price of the book was $24.99. This book is worth every penney. You usually can find it in any book store or have them order it for you. If the price is too steep most library's will have a copy you can use in the library. And once you find two or three journals, print or electronic, that might be interested in your story go home and click onto the website of the journals, most of them have websites, and you'll probably find links to other publications that might be interested in your story.

Writing the story is only half the battle. Finding a home for your story is the other half.