IMPORTANT NOTICE
We will be closed to submissions during the month of July.
Any submissions received July 1-31, 2025 will be deleted unread.
If your submission was made before July 1, it will be processed normally.
We will be closed to submissions during the month of July.
Any submissions received July 1-31, 2025 will be deleted unread.
If your submission was made before July 1, it will be processed normally.
Questions? Problems? Mysteries?
Is something awry? Please stay calm, breathe slowly, and rest assured that when mistakes happen, we aren't trying to sabotage ourselves (or you), and we will do our best to repair whatever went wrong.
- Piece too long? We are looking for works of 600 words or less. Less, not more. It requires discipline and creativity to write within guidelines or restrictions, and skilled editing can help. If your story is 601 words, simple remove a word. If it is 610 words, try rewiriting some long sentences, finding one good word that can replace two or three. If your story is 650 words or longer, remember that some publications draw the line at 700, while others seek stories up to 1,000 words.
- No response? We are usually flooded with submissions. We carefully read each piece, working in small batches to avoid mental and physical collapse. In some cases, we manage to respond very quickly, but that isn't always possible. It's wise to assume that it may take up to three weeks to get a response (compare this to publishers who take from three to six months). If you haven't heard from us after four or five weeks, please query.
- Will you personally notify me when my piece goes live? The date of publication was provided in the acceptance email you received. Scheduled stories are posted by an automated system. The best way te be notified when stories (not just yours!) are published, is to subscribe via the link on our home page.
- Small changes? We're editors, and sometimes we edit. We have been known to correct punctuation, spelling, and small bits of grammar. If a piece needs major changes, however, we won't just do it without consulting the author.
- Story doesn't appear? Your story was scheduled for this date, but it isn't there! First, confirm that this is the right date. Next, make sure you are looking at all the stories for this date. We publish several stories each Wednesday, and they appear several minutes apart, usually between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM, Pacific Time. If it's only 10:30, there may still be some stories on the way. If it's already after noon our time, please let us know your work is missing. We'll investigate the problem and make sure your story gets published.
- There is a strange mistake? Your story was published, but there is something seriously wrong with the content. Something is missing or the words are incorrect. First, go back and look at the email you sent us when you submitted your story. Normally, what you sent us is what we publish. It's a copy-and-paste process. (Small errors may be corrected, as mentioned above.) If we goofed, please let us know right away. As always, we are happy to fix mistakes.
- Our Name? For the record, we are Sudden Flash. There is some confusion because of the "your" prefixed to our email address and URL. The reason is simple: suddenflash was already taken as a Google account name. We added "your" because that seemed friendlier than appending some random numbers. That's it.
- Something else? Let us know. Realizing that perfection is neither a possibility nor a legitimate goal, we strive to do the very best we can, and we are always on your side.