Aarggh!

by Wynter Stone

I used to be annoyed by editors whose submission guidelines included long lists of stern warnings.

After being an editor for only a few months, I now empathize with them.

First, too many authors fail to read and comprehend the submission guidelines. As a writer, I sometimes feel frustrated because it seems that every publication has a different set of basic requirements. Even so, most are not particularly difficult. They are generally designed to make things a little easier for the editors, who are likely overwhelmed by the flood of submissions that arrive every day. They just want every piece to be in a predictable and manageable format, one that will help simplify the process of getting an item published.

Next, it seems that many authors just submit the first draft of whatever they happened to write that morning. No matter how talented you are -- even if you are Margaret Atwood or Stephen King -- first drafts are rarely finished works. Editing and rewriting are nearly always necessary. Some writers don't even bother to proofread their work for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. If you don't care about your story, why should I? Yes, I know how hard it can be to proof one's own work. The brain tends to see what we meant to write rather than what we actually wrote. One simple rule that really helps, both for proofreading and for the overall quality of a story, is to read it aloud. Better yet, get someone else to read it to you.

Some other common problems: changing a character's name halfway through the story; too many different characters crowded into a very short piece; flipping between past and present tense; confusing dialog that does not make clear who is speaking to whom; stories that stop suddenly without an ending; author bio is longer than the story.

Having said all that, I want to tell you that I am always grateful for all the authors, whether well-established or just starting out, who send us their work. We receive a lot of really good material, and we are proud of the stories and essays we publish every week. Any gripes we have are balanced by our appreciation for what these writers have accomplished.

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Wynter Stone is a co-editor of Sudden Flash.