Temporarily closed to Fiction submissions. Reopening 09/12.

Fiction Guidelines

The purpose of fiction in Calliope is to entertain its readers, most of whom are writers, or trying to be.
Calliope is open to any genre of short fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and all their
sub-genres. Mixed genre stories and experimental forms are also welcome.  Mainstream/literary stories will
be considered if they are in some way out of the ordinary. Humor and satire are greatly appreciated.
   
Since Calliope is basically a writers’ newsletter offering tips on writing, market and contest news, and
reviews, space for fiction is limited. Stories should be under 3,000 words in length. Occasionally, a longer
story will be published.
   
Editorial focus will be on originality, characterization, emotional content, and imagery. Sex, gore, and strong
language, while not forbidden, must be used with discretion and be an integral part of the story. Don’t beat
the reader over the head with them; same goes for political/social points of view.
   
Take chances; challenge the readership but don’t, in the process, forget to tell a good story. Avoid literary
clichés and trite endings.
   
Follow good manuscript mechanics.  Neatness does count.
   
   1.   One-inch margins all around.
   
   2.   Name, address and phone number in the upper left-hand corner; word count (to nearest 25
         words) in  the upper right. Double space, but don’t double-double space between paragraphs.
         On subsequent pages, put last name and page number in the upper-left corner.
   
   3.   If typing or using a dot-matrix printer, use a clean ribbon. Clear, photocopies/ disposable
         manuscripts are preferred; handwritten manuscripts discouraged.
   
   4.   E-mail submission is fine but please contact me before you send your work, and please make
         "Calliope: submission info" the subject line of your e-mail query. We accept Word .doc (no .docx)
         and .rtf attachments only.
   
   5.   Proof read and spell-check before mailing.
   
   6.   Cover letter required; we want to know about you. Provide a brief bio with a few of your most
         interesting credits. If you don’t have any credits yet, let us know that, too.
   
   7.   No response without a SASE. If you want your manuscript back, enclose proper size envelope
         with sufficient postage.
    
   8.   Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if stated on the front page of the manuscript below
         the word count. Two short stories (less than 1,500 words each) can be submitted in the same
         envelope.
   
Calliope will give publishing preference to members of the Writers’ SIG. We will also try to feature at 
least one new writer per issue.  Members are encouraged to comment on the stories presented.