Send unpublished fiction or flash fiction, not reprints, up to 3,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are fine. Do not send multiple submissions. We request that submitters wait 1 month after receiving a response before submitting a new piece to help us avoid back-ups in the queue. Please double space your submission. Use an unobtrusive font so we can focus on your story and not how difficult it is to read.

What Nicholas looks for in short fiction:

Some of my favorite short stories are the most subtle. Think “Where You’ll Find Me” by Ann Beattie, or Hemingway’s iceberg theory, but instead of 10 or 15% of the story visible on the surface, make it 5%. I want your human connection and disconnection. Show me how people struggle to understand each other—and themselves. I love messy relationships. Give me witty, pitch-perfect dialogue. I adore clean, tight sentences that don’t rely on sophisticated language or an overly complex structure. To this, I often reference the quote by Amy Hempel: “Sometimes a flat-footed sentence is what serves, so you don’t get all writerly: ‘He opened the door.’ There, it’s open.” Most of all, I want stories that are entertaining and close around my heart like a fist. 

Details:

• 3,000 words max.
• Please include a brief cover letter.
• Simultaneous submissions are fine. Do not send multiple submissions.
• Double space your submission. Use an unobtrusive font so we can focus on your story and not how difficult it is to read.