I’ve been reading story submissions (also known as “slush”) for the 100-Foot Crow and Diabolical Plots for two years now. It’s always interesting reading unpublished stories (and admittedly sometimes baffling), and it can also be an educational experience.

Common Pitfalls

Here are six common issues that I’ve observed will cause the slush readers to mark a story as unacceptable:

1. Exposition lump. The biggest recurring issue I’ve seen recently is stories that drop way too much exposition about the world or the character’s backstory before the story truly starts. With short stories, the plot should begin in the first or second paragraph. You can work in necessary backstory later (and show or imply it, rather than tell it).
2. Starting too early. This problem is similar to the above, but instead of 1,000 words of backstory, there are 1,000 words of the character going about their ordinary day without any conflict or challenge. If the story starts when your character wakes up—or at their birth—it’s probably starting too early.
3. Deus ex machina. Sometimes a story seems to be going well but then the ending comes out of nowhere. In the most egregious cases, a new character or organization is introduced in the last paragraph who saves the day. This style of ending feels unearned and is unfulfilling.
4. Passive lead. While your main character doesn’t need to be an action star, generally they need to do something, i.e., make a decision. If your character is entirely passive, maybe someone else should be the main character.
5. Circular dialogue. I’ve seen a lot of stories with back-and-forth dialogue that goes nowhere (e.g., “We should do X.” “No, let’s do Y” “No, we need to do X!” “No, Y is better.” “No…”). This may be authentic, but it slows the story’s pace to a crawl. If your dialogue isn’t moving the plot forward or revealing something important about the characters, grab your axe and get chopping!
6. All the modifiers! Some stories are so bogged down in unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, and other modifiers that they become a chore to read. A few choice descriptive words—particularly strong verbs and specific nouns—will elevate a story more than piles of adjectives and adverbs.

If you’re not doing any of the above, the slush readers thank you! However, simply not doing the above won’t get your story advanced to the next round.

So how do you get the slush reader to pass your story off to the editor with a glowing review?

Impressing the Slush Reader

Writing is subjective, so what pleases one reader/editor may turn off another. However, here are five major factors that help move stories into the “maybe” pile.

1. Strong voice. A strong voice is an instant hook. In fact, the number one comment I’ve seen as to why a slush reader recommended holding a piece is that it has a strong or distinctive voice.
2. Really weird. Weird is memorable. There are a lot of similar stories in the slush pile. Being strange will set you apart—for better or worse. If you’re going to be weird, there should be a method to your madness. Being simply random won’t help your story advance to round two, but being different in a positive way is key.
3. Likeable protagonist. Note that “likeable” doesn’t mean that you’d like to have a coffee with them. Often, they’re characters you’d never want to meet in real life (e.g., the Joker). So what makes a character likeable? They’re larger than life but still relatable in some way. There are many ways to do this. For example, they can be capable, funny, or sympathetic. Whether they are despicable or admirable, they must be entertaining. This also ties to voice, assuming your protagonist is the narrator.
4. Beautiful writing. There is a tricky line here because one person’s “evocative writing” is another person’s “purple prose.” But in general, showing (vs. telling), reducing filter words, and including memorable sensory details can make the writing feel stronger.
5. A strong theme. A story that has a strong theme feels cohesive and compelling in a way stories with weak themes do not. A clear theme unites a piece. Short stories typically do best with one, single theme. Trying to have multiple themes in a short piece usually makes it feel muddled.

None of the above will get you an acceptance on their own. Obviously, a weird story with poor writing will get a quick rejection, but if you can throw together a story with all five, you’ll have a masterpiece on your hands.

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