Contest entry fees are steep! It supports literary mags when funding is being cut, I guess? (Fiction on the Web survives without public funding, thanks to patrons!) The deadline for the Michigan Quarterly Review's 2025 Fiction Prize is 1 Dec (up to 7,000 words). mqr.submittable.com/submit/27868...

Cutthroat journal is accepting submissions for three contests until 15 November: Poetry, Nonfiction, and Short Story (up to 5,000 words) - each with a $1,200 top prize, on the theme of coping with vast domestic and global change. Quite a steep reading fee though. www.cutthroatmag.com/contest.html

Joseph Hirsch's latest book is out now! Church of the Last Lamb is "Smart, bleak, and rare - a wide-eyed stare into the abyss sans hope or hysteria." Check out the Kirkus review here: www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Pulp Literature magazine has nominated Manitoba author Mitchell Toews for the 2025 McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize for his story "All Our Swains Commend Her", which portrays an unhoused woman navigating the harsh streets of Winnipeg in January. mitchtoewsauthor.com @crustywareniki.bsky.social

There are endless long-form editorial services out there... but what about short-form fiction? Our critique service was created by writers, for writers, to help you strengthen your work and submit with confidence: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/critique-s...

Saw Bugonia at the cinema. Conspiracy theorists abduct a CEO believing her to be an alien. A compelling story that plays with your sympathies in a thought-provoking way. I've been following director Yorgos Lanthimos's output since Dogtooth - I love his offbeat brand of unsettling magic realism.

Did you know Fiction on the Web has an Instagram account now? Go follow us over there, it feels good! www.instagram.com/fictiononthe...

In Monday's Fiction on the Web short story, a child in Mumbai bakes cakes to help earn money while her father protests against the authorities who destroyed his shop. A reader comment: "What a heart-wrenching story! The ending is profoundly moving." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/11/the-...

I'm just posting off this year's Pushcart nominations from Fiction on the Web. Did you know you can see all the short stories Fiction on the Web has nominated for awards on this page: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/genres.html

Was Friday's short story a Halloween story or a Christmas story? Some reader comments: "A rather grim holiday story." "This is the only type of Christmas story I want to read this early in the year. " "Very gritty. I liked the main character. Realistic." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/hang...

Life is short. Read short stories. You can now buy high quality t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, tote bags, notebooks, pin badges, stickers and more - wherever you are in the world - from the Fiction on the Web shop here: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/shop.html

Fiction on the Web is proud to announce nominations for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. Congrats to the authors for the nomination, and GOOD LUCK!

Joseph Hirsch, whose short story was published at Fiction on the Web on Friday, has a new book coming out next month. Church of the Last Lamb is "Smart, bleak, and rare - a wide-eyed stare into the abyss sans hope or hysteria." Check out the review here: www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

My latest newsletter for Patreon members: an audiobook, new staff, The Foofs, movie opposites game, loads of mini-reviews, and more! www.patreon.com/posts/140352...

Fiction on the Web readers come from all over the planet. Where are you reading from?

Priya Rohella posted about Fiction on the Web on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/priya-...

I created Fiction on the Web 10,700 days ago. What were you doing in July 1996? www.fictionontheweb.co.uk

I love my Fiction on the Web merch. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/shop.html

Fiction on the Web is OPEN for short story submissions in six different genres. Submit your story of between 1,000 and 10,000 words. Submission fee: Zero. Payment for accepted stories: £15/$15/€15. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/submission...

A reader comment on this week's Halloween short story at Fiction on the Web: "This is both creepy and deep with layers. Mastery over his city is what he feels….no remorse…like a psychopath. I love this one! " www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/the-...

How do you know if the short story competition you want to enter is worth it? The Contest Calculator from Chill Subs is a genuinely useful tool to assess whether the story competitions you're entering are legit and transparently run: www.thecontestcalculator.com

On 27 October, Fiction on the Web got 27 submissions. In one day. Yikes.

Why not nominate your own story for an award? Check out the Foofs: foofaraw.press/the-foofs-20... You can nominate any single story up to 20,000 words that was (or will be) published during this calendar year.

Do Fiction on the Web a favour! Please go rate us as "recommended" in the yellow box near the top of this page: www.chillsubs.com/magazine/fic...

These seven secrets are guaranteed to give you a new perspective - and an unfair advantage - on publishing your short stories: community.flashfictionmagazine.com/c/video-repl... For more like this, support Fiction on the Web on Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/charliefish

Bad graphic design can be deadly. Take a look at this icon. Gluten free, or not gluten free? That is the question. @Unilever

Reader praise for last Friday's story: "Maybe because I have close friends who are international students, I felt like I related to nearly every sentence in this story. I was completely immersed in the MC and her feelings and choices." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/two-...

Here are Fiction on the Web's 2025 nominees for The Foofs! An award seeking "to spotlight writers who are doing things differently". All Access by Lance Mazmanian; Alternate Timeline Fanfic by Eric Del Carlo; Heart of Stone by Brooksie C. Fontaine. GOOD LUCK! foofaraw.press/the-foofs-20...

I recommend Chill Subs! If you've written a story and want a great magazine to publish it, Chill Subs is an indispensable resource - and they do loads of innovative stuff to support and develop writers. Affiliate link: www.chillsubs.com?via=charlie (use code "CHARLIE" for 10% off)

I'm about to do this year's nominations for The Pushcart Prize. Have you read a Fiction on the Web story that stuck with you, and you think it deserves a nomination? Let me know!

I received this random textbook in the post this morning, and was so confused - because I definitely didn't order it. Then I realised it uses my story Death by Scrabble in chapter 1. Cool.

We're very much enjoying series 3 of The Diplomat on Netflix (veteran US diplomat unexpectedly appointed as the ambassador to the UK deals with international & personal crises). The characterisations have gotten deep now, and I love how every conversation carries so much weight.

Feed your brain. Cancel one of the streaming services you don't use, and pledge the money to Fiction on the Web instead. www.patreon.com/c/charliefish

Fiction on the Web is run entirely by volunteers. 14 of us, at the moment, from all around the world - USA, UK, mainland Europe, and Pakistan. Between us, we read hundreds of submissions every month. (On average, two stories each per day, every day.)

Fiction on the Web is paid for by Patron supporters. For a small monthly contribution, you can get all kinds of perks. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than Netflix. www.patreon.com/c/charliefish

Loads of praise for Monday's cyberpunk short: "a wild ride, a fantastic premise and a really fine execution"; "engaging and terrifying"; "makes you think, but better yet, it makes you feel"; "like something Ballard might write" www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/do-y...

A reader comment on last Friday's story about a Catholic solider stuck between France and Germany in 1939: "So many colors of human emotion! So many political disasters. Tastes of loyalty throughout. What a tale!" www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/the-...

Author Sharon Frame Gay, who has been published many times at Fiction on the Web, has a YouTube channel of song covers. Here's her doing "Rainbow Connection": www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak7k...

Almost time for the annual update of the FISH list. I wonder which independent literary magazines will get a top score this time? www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/fish-list....

Have you written a great weird story? You can nominate it for an award! Check out the Foofs, and nominate yourself here: foofaraw.press/the-foofs-20...

My story "Death by Scrabble" contains an actual game of Scrabble that you can reconstruct from clues in the story. Which is fun.

Help! My bookshelf banner at Fiction on the Web is showing as "content not available in your region" and I don't know why! (In general, is anyone out there a super-expert on HTML, CSS and Javascript? I'd love to have your help with the Fiction on the Web Blogger template.)

Things you can buy for $40: A night out at the cinema. Or a bottle of rum. Or a professional critique of one of your stories, with actionable feedback to improve your writing, from the Fiction on the Web editorial staff: www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/critique-s...

Reader comment about Monday's story about a troubled pre-teen deciding to live up to his reputation as a king of chaos: "Great story. I'm not a prolific reader but this captured and then held my attention for the duration." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/the-...

Watched Con Air the other day, for the first time in at least a quarter century, and it is the most 90s movie ever. Explosions, soaring electric guitar, casual racism and rape threats, bad guys that won't stay dead, Nic Cage being Nic Cage. Silly fun. 2nd best Nic Cage action thriller of 1997.

Did you know that Fiction on the Web patrons get a 100% discount in the Patreon shop? www.patreon.com/charliefish/...

In last Friday's story, a Jordanian man in Riyadh uses AI at work to make more time for dating. A reader comment says: "I enjoyed this visit to another place and culture! I was caught up in the ‘what will happen nexts’ of the story." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/down...

YoU cAn BuY mErCh NoW! www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/shop.html

Hang out in Communist Hungary with Zary Fekete's latest story. The readers loved it: "I really felt this story flowed beautifully--everything feels very present and alive." "Just a beautiful story filled with rich detailing." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2025/10/the-...

Fiction on the Web accepts submissions of short stories between 1,000-10,000 words across six genres. We usually respond within a few days, with feedback. Free to submit. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/submission...