Help Wanted: Stories to Review. Finding Beauty in Truth with Storytelling.

You may have noticed the short story reviews popping up on my blog. Yes, you are welcome to add suggestions for stories. If you’re recommending a story for me to review, please consider these guidelines first.

What I am most interested in reviewing are short works of fiction that convey a universal truth. It also needs to be something that I can link to so that others can read it for themselves. If there’s a subscription/paywall required to view it, then I’ll need to have access. That being said, just sending me a free magazine does not guarantee that I’m going to select it for review.

The story should be published within the past three months, or you are welcome to give me a head’s up on an upcoming one so long as the piece has been vetted in some manner and not self-published. I’m trying to avoid linking to reprints—please give me the original publication.

Speaking of original, it should be written in the English language and not a translation. If it contains words or short phrases from a language other than English, then the context should be indicative of the meaning (the reader should not need to look it up in order to get what’s happening). I’m also not considering narratives that contain heavy allusion, name-dropping, or catchphrases. The piece should be acceptable for a general audience, and not overtly partisan.

And… do I even need to say this? It must be written in-full by a human being.

Here’s a quick rubric of what I take into account when deciding on a review:

GOOD

• The work itself must be of high quality. It does not necessarily need to be within a definable genre; however, there must be a cohesive story with a compelling narrative. In other words, it’s gotta be good.  

BETTER

• Part of the point of doing these reviews is to extend the visibility of work that may otherwise have had a small audience. If the work is written by an up-and-coming or new writer, that’s ideal. If the work is published in an emerging literary journal, then the review is also a chance to extend the platform of both the writer and publication—even better.

BEST

• I’d like to prioritize Canadian writers, but this is a “nice to have” more than a requirement. If the piece shows strong writing ability, contains a clear story arc, and is written by an emerging Canadian, then I’m most likely to select it.

One final word: The above are really just guidelines. It comes down to the work’s merit and personal taste. I’m not going to write a review on something where I have to search for “nice” words to say. And I’m not going to bolster credit where it isn’t due. If I’m struggling to get through the piece due to disgust or boredom, then that is not going to work for a review.

Please ask questions in the comments section below. I’ll get back to you in a reasonable timeframe. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

Cover Photo: Photo by Jonathan Borba on Pexels.com