Writing is Competitive

Dear Writers,

It occurred to me today that writing, however rewarding, is also painfully competitive. Just this week I received two angry emails from separate writers: one whose story was not selected for publication, and another whose story was not chosen as a contest winner. Both emails were disheartening to me personally, because I know how hard, at Lunch Hour Stories, we work for writers, and how much time, thought, and energy goes into our selection process.

There are a hundred different reasons why a story might not be selected for publication, ranging from objective criteria like word count, genre, and theme, to subjective criteria like whether our readers found the story compelling, entertaining, or thought-provoking. These are elements we find difficult to justify, and often say to ourselves: The story just didn't work for us.

I encourage writers to keep sending your work out! Remember that not all stories fit every publication, and that rejection should never be taken personally. Sometimes a story doesn't fit because it's too long, or too short, or because the magazine just published a story exactly like it the month before. Sometimes it doesn't win a contest because it simply doesn't meet the criteria specified in the contest announcement.

Most stories receive multiple rejections before they find just the right home at just the right magazine. So if your story doesn't fit our publication, please don't think about it too long before you send it to the next magazine on your list. We believe there's a lid for every pot!

Nina Bayer, Editor

Writers Make Terrific Readers!

Dear Writers and other Friends of Lunch Hour Stories,

Did you know that our stories are written by authors all over the world? Did you know that we publish up to 28 stories (short and very short) each year, from as many new and unpublished authors as possible?

At Lunch Hour Stories, our goal is to support and promote YOU, the writer. That's why we give each author individual recognition by printing every short story in its own individual booklet. And that's why we pay a semi-professional rate for every story we publish, and always offer our contest winners cash prizes. When you send a story to us, you can be assured that it is read in its entirety and considered carefully for publication by at least two of our editors. If we like it, we'll publish it. If not, we'll try our best to offer constructive feedback and suggestions for alternative markets.

Our editors and staff members (of whom there are few) are not paid for the work they do; they are volunteers. Our magazine does not receive funding from any source; we rely solely on the support of our readers. So please support our efforts by subscribing to Lunch Hour Stories magazine. Without subscribers like you, we cannot do the work that we do.

Support the magazine that supports you! You'll feel great, AND you'll get 16 amazing issues each year.

Subscribe now at www.lunchhourstories.com/shop . Thank you for your support!

Nina Bayer, Editor

Tips for Better Stories

Dear Writer,

Lunch Hour Stories magazine receives over 500 stories each year from writers all over the world. And while many of them are excellent, most of them are, well, not. Unfortunately, the majority of stories we receive fail to meet our criteria in one or more critical areas.

In order to better increase your chances of being selected for publication by Lunch Hour Stories, please be sure your story does not fall into one of the following categories:

• The narrative does not meet the required word count of 4000-8000 words.
• The narrative is not literary in nature (romance, children's, religious, erotica, and non-fiction are not considered).
• The narrative is too "ordinary." It fails to introduce the reader to a place, people, culture, or event he is potentially not familiar with, or it fails to present an intriguing story question/problem.
• The narrative is too "slow." It fails to start at the right place in the story and/or it fails to open with action or suspense that grabs the reader’s attention right away.
• The narrative reads like a novel excerpt instead of a short story.
• The narrative is not believable.
• The narrative is overly sentimental, flowery, or poetic. Metaphors have been used ineffectively.
• The narrative is gross or disgusting in nature, or contains excessive profanity.
• The ending is weak and does not leave the reader feeling satisfied.

I hope you will find this checklist helpful as you prepare to send us your stories. Please do not hesitate!

Our annual VERY Short Story Contest (500 word limit) is going on now, deadline December 31, 2007. Our annual Short Story Contest runs from April 1, 2008, through June 30, 2008. Contest details and submission guidelines can be found on our website at www.lunchhourstories.com.

Thank you again for entrusting us with your stories. We love reading your work.

Nina Bayer, Editor

New Storefront

If you haven't already done so, check out the NEW Lunch Hour Stories STOREFRONT, a one-stop shopping site for purchasing subscriptions and products, making donations, and paying contest entry fees:

http://www.lunchhourstories.com/shop/

I'd love to hear your reactions, good or bad, to the new shopping site.

Nina Bayer, Editor
Lunch Hour Stories

Lunch Hour Stories

Welcome readers and writers!

If you love reading great fiction, but don't have time in your busy schedule for an entire novel, then Lunch Hour Stories Magazine is right for you. Check it out at www.lunchhourstories.com.

If you love to WRITE great fiction, but have trouble finding ways to get your stories published, then you've come to the right place, too. Lunch Hour Stories Magazine publishes 15 short stories and 12 short-short stories every year, plus we have two great contests every year, and pay semi-professional rates. Check it out at www.lunchhourstories.com.

And once you have checked things out on our website, stop back here and let us know what you think.

Welcome to the exciting world of Lunch Hour Stories!

Nina Bayer, Editor