Because We All Have A Story

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate identity, community, and the right to exist fully in a world that doesn't always hold space for that.

The month also holds Juneteenth: the day enslaved black folks were made aware of their release in Texas.

While these two groups are wonderfully unique, they have both shared the pain of being marginalized.And they have not always been able to share their stories.

Diversity of voices is extremely important to us, and we are excited to receive work across from every corner of the galaxy. Rich tales of all things that could be, should be, and will be.

The beauty of storytelling is that, like people, it comes in an amazing tapestry. We are here for all the colors.

And we continue to be mesmerized by the stories all of you send us, including the ones we aren’t able to publish.

We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, and we’ve had to turn the lights on.

(And off. Wink! Wink!)

We thank you for that.Because we spend so much time reading submissions, we occasionally get asked a simple question: How do I get published?

To which I say: I have no earthly idea.

But I do have a few suggestions.

Read more. Authors are crafting stunning stories all around us. Notice what they do with character development, pacing, and imagery. 

Never be afraid to ask for feedback. You don’t have to agree. But you should be open to hearing it.

Find someone who will dig into a story with you. Who cares enough to tell whether you’ve chosen the right word for a scene, whether the dialogue is natural, whether the symbolism is clear.

Find an editor that you admire and try to build a connection. Not all editors will have the bandwidth. But some are willing to engage, mentor, and encourage your growth.

And while some will disagree with this last bit, if you’re just getting started, don’t start your submission strategy with the top tier zines. Many of those zines are accepting less than 1% of their subs. Even award-winning stories don't always get accepted there.  It can be a very discouraging approach.

There are lots of amazing zines that accept 20% or 30% of their submissions. Your acceptance chances are much better here.

And finally, find your voice. Write. And then rewrite it. Then write more.

Because we all have a story to tell.

And for every story we have, there’s someone who wants to hear it.

That’s what we believe at Neon & Smoke.

Half genre/always lit