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Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 28 - April 3 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.

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TIF NEWS FOR WRITERS

Hi all,

The latest news is that we have our very first Top in Fiction Meet-Up happening on Monday, April 13th at 3pm EST / 12pm PST / 8pm GMT. The topic for our very first meet-up will be announced next Friday, April 10th. Till then, think about topics you’d love to see discussed, as a fiction writer (on or off Substack), and let’s see if we can’t make that happen within the community! You can’t leave a comment here but look for a Substack Note asking this same question and let me know your thoughts there!

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 28 - April 3 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 7pm EST on Sunday, April 5.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

Submit Today!

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

The time has come to, perhaps, have a monthly meet-up for fellow fiction writers? How often this happens and if it happens on a monthly basis is ENTIRELY up to you! As it stands we are looking at using Zoom which allows for 100 people and 40min and that is what we’ll do for the foreseeable future.

I’m looking for people to host future months. What that entails is that you are part of the fiction community, subscribed to Top in Fiction, have a working webcam and microphone so you can facilitate the meet-ups and have the time available to devote about an hour to being a host.

Topics for discussion will be set before the meet-ups and will always revolve around the fiction writing community. And we encourage everyone to come with questions. You don’t have to be on camera or use your mic when in the meeting, though it would be preferred. And we will record all meetings to then share afterwards for those who were unable to attend.

The official invite, including the Zoom link to join will be sent on Friday, April 10th.

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion

This past Monday I had a really in-depth discussion with and on the topic of…you guessed it…SERIALS! Specifically how they are done using the tools that Substack provides and our own skill set to best manage our own serials. There’s lots to unpack in 90min and I can say we barely scratched the surface but we got somewhere! If you are writing a serial now or you’re on the fence about whether or not starting one is a good idea right now, give this a listen and ask questions in the comments. I’m sure my fellow hosts will be glad to take a stab at an answer.

Leave a comment

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Seed of Light by of Fantasy and Fellowship [Fantasy]

It’s Always the Spouse by of Son of Ugly [Mystery]

SHORT STORY

Amelia on Mars by of Briefly [Science Fiction]

The Birth of the Four-Headed Monster by of The Joke’s On You [Comedy]

Hook, Line, and Sinker by of After Dark [Horror]

How to Talk to the Dead by of The Anatomy of Reality

Snow Falls by of A Terrific Friend of Yours

A Most Improper Algorithm by of Charlotte Henley Babb Writes [Speculative Fiction]

SHORT SERIAL

On a Mission [Shattered: Isaiah’s Side, Ch. 2] by of By CB Mason [Science Fiction]

SERIAL

Urd's Well [Ash & Oak, Ch.1] by of Notes from the Edge [Fantasy]

Nested somewhere in the discussion was this idea around PROJECT X! I wanted to see how both S.E. and Simon would approach starting a serial today, having the knowledge and the tools they now have at their disposal, especially as OG’s who’ve been using Substack for many years now. There is much that can be learned by listening to the VOD above, but I wanted to condense PROJECT X for those of us who appreciate the written word just as much as the audio and visual.

Let’s Serialize Project X

This is not a real serial but the process is one that can be used if you’re just starting out or looking to make the serial you already have shine that much brighter!

THE WRITING & SOFTWARE

Every great serial has to start somewhere. Find the software you like best, get to learn all you need to know about it, and then get started writing!

I do not recommend using Substack as the one and only place where you do your writing!

What does the serial fiction writing community use? Google Docs, Scrivener, and Word.

Whichever you choose will be the right one.

START WITH A BUFFER

This may not work for you but having a buffer of chapters/episodes before you start sharing your serial to your subscribers can really be helpful. Whether it’s four or ten chapters is up to you. But whatever buffer you choose, make sure you keep it. This is not a time for rest and relaxation. The idea is that you keep on writing chapters as you’re releasing them! I realize it’s easier said than done, but give it a try!

THE SUBSTACK SET-UP

There are some tools and features unique to Substack that you could (and should) be taking advantage of when preparing to put out your serial!

Sections - creating a Section (can be found in your Dashboard Settings) is a peace of mind layer while you write, especially for your readers. Sometime you can’t be bothered to edit a dedicated Page with the latest chapter. Having a Section means you don’t have to. Just assign your chapter to that Section and that’s it. Of course, you should make sure to link to your dedicated Section so future and current readers can easily see the list of all your chapters.

Tags - this likely isn’t what you think it is. This is not meant to be hashtags and they are definitely not searchable either. The real gem of Tags is simply giving you another way to collect and group Posts if you maybe don’t want to use Sections or simply want another layer of grouping within Sections. I have two examples for you:

1. Say you have an over-arching series that will have several books contained within. A great way to combine Sections and Tags is to create a Section that is the Series name and then a Tag that is the name of each book. So that you can easily link to the Series with the Section Link and the books contained within that Section can also be linked separately. And for easy navigation you can link to your Tag in your Menu bar so that whatever book you are working on currently can be front and center and easy to find.

2. One way I’ve chosen to utilize Tags is to have a “Free-to-Read” area within my Substack where newcomers can easily find the fiction I’ve chosen to keep free as a sampling of my work. Instead of having to try and find the Free amongst the Paid, I’ve tried to make that as easy as possible by labeling all my free fiction and then linking to it in the Menu of my Substack for even easier navigation.

VOD CORRECTION - I mentioned a wish list I’d love is if Substack would let us keep seeing the Menu bar throughout instead of just on our Home page. Turns out we can see our Menu bar everywhere already, except when we click into a Post. In that instance our only option is to return Home or to the Section for that Post.

Read Aloud - one great feature that some are choosing to utilize is reading our work aloud and recording it. Why not? Of course, this feature is not for everyone, but if you can and are able to provide an accompanying audio version of each chapter alongside your written word, that has the potential of introducing your work to a whole new audience who love listening to stories be read to them.

Go Live! - we didn’t touch on this at all during the VOD, but another feature you can take advantage of is the ability, no matter where you are, to just pull out your phone and read your work Live to an audience who can get notified to join at the drop of a hat. Of course, making an announcement beforehand is preferable and you can use your phone or even your computer if you want!

ORGANIZATION IS IMPORTANT

And we’re not just talking about organization in your writing program of choice. This is about organization once you’ve started sharing chapters.

For Project X, Sections and Tags will be utilized to keep together the book in order of release. But a dedicated Page might also need to be created within Substack where information about Project X can be shared and updated regularly. Things like the synopsis. Maybe character information. World information. A central place where I can send newcomers to find out all they need to know about Project X, including a link to the Section that will include all of the chapters released already or that will be released. A manual listing of the chapters with a short synopsis of each can also be included on this Page.

The key is to make finding, learning about, and then ultimately reading the serial as easy as possible for current readers and new readers alike.

A WISH LIST

There are some things that serial writers would love to see come to Substack that would make continuing (and starting) to write a serial here that much easier and better. Will these features come “just for us” likely not. But if Substack feels these features would benefit everyone then…you never know…

Navigation - How many of us are having to remember to include a link to the previous and next chapter somewhere within our chapter emails? Yeah, it’s a hassle. Especially, if you’re like so many of us, who share so much more than just our serial chapters. You can’t rely on their Previous link because it will take the reader to the last email you sent and that may not necessarily be the previous chapter. A way to maybe even keep Previous and Next to within the Section would be an improvement because then we could rely on the buttons that Substack provide at the bottom of a Post.

Subscriptions - I’m calling this request subscriptions because I’m not really sure how else to describe it. But it would be nice if I could subscribe to a person’s serial or even just to their Section so when I click on that Section in my Subscription area either on the mobile app or on the website it will take me to wherever I left off within the chapters of that Section. Sort of like reading an ebook. When you close out and go back it takes you to where you left off. How nice would that be if Sections were grouped and utilized even more?

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

It can seem overwhelming when faced with so many options and features and tools. But at the end of the day, remember that it’s about the work and less about the flashy things you use to share that work.

Consistency above all else is key to not only growing an audience but keeping the one you’ve got! If you can only put out a chapter every two weeks, then keep that consistency throughout. If you can only manage 1,000 words per chapter, then keep that consistency throughout. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you what word count is too much or too little. Don’t worry about email providers who will or won’t cut off your email if it’s too long.

One rule of thumb I use whenever I send out any email is to put a note at the very top that explains the email may be cut off and I will provide a clickable link of the post they are reading. Also remember, if they click the title within the email it will take them to the web version of that post as well! It’s difficult to gauge properly when an email will be cut off because, as an example, I always get a warning that the Top in Fiction Weekly emails will be cut off and they are usually under 500 words. Why? Because of the number of links I put in those emails. It’s not just the word count that can cut off an email, it’s the size as well when it comes to links and images. Ignore that warning. JUST WRITE DAMN IT!

Lastly, PROJECT X (or your project) is meant to be fun. This shouldn’t be a chore or a job that you grow to resent over time. Keep it fun. Write it however you want. Share it however you want. That is what you have control over and that is what you should focus on. The readers will come in time. You have no control over them so don’t stress so much over them.

Here at Top in Fiction we look forward to your serials, seeing what you come up with, and how you use the tools (or don’t use the tools) at your disposal!

Thank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with and ! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Get more from Erica Drayton in the Substack app

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If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

POETRY

A Light Still Dreaming by of Beyond the Therapy Room [Free Verse]
Hope— (First Line)

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Hunger by of Leaves [Horror]
"A woman’s got to eat, right?" (Any Line)

He Shows Up by of Notes from the Hill [Speculative Fiction]
When I started writing my book, really writing it and not just skirting around it, I realized something. (First Line)

SHORT STORY

The Cracker Hats by of The Maple Moon [Literary Fiction]
Mother clears the table; sweeping the crumbs of our year into her cupped palm. (Any Line)

Coverage by of The Faraday Room [Speculative Fiction]
The intake nurse had told him that ideation scores of six to seven played best, and he'd gone straight to a ten. (Any Line)

tonal contrast by of Oscar Ruto [Literary Fiction]
“…she was meant for this sorta place..." (First Line)

A City, a House, a Ship by of One More Draft [Speculative Fiction]
On the corner of your street stands a thin man in a tuxedo, leaning against the postbox, his dress shirt unbuttoned to his navel, wearing a top hat, turning a thin black cane by its silver gargoyle. (First Line)

Hook, Line, and Sinker by of After Dusk [Horror]
Fishing. (First Line)

SHORT SERIAL

The Fate of a Prince by of Lee’s Library [Fantasy]
Alongside his skill, he had something that no one else had—he had a way to finally kill Arzlag hidden safely away in the pouch on his hip. (Any Line)

SERIAL

Gangs of Vegas: The Butcher [Episode 1] by of The Notorious Narrator [Mystery]
"Never outshine your master." (Last Line)

WALL OF SERIALS

Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:

Visit the Wall

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion!

The date and time is officially set! Mark your calendars for TODAY Monday, March 30th @ 3:30pm EST / 12:30am PST / 8:30pm GMT where I’ll be joined by none other than and ! Some of the leading leaders and voices when it comes to serialized fiction here on Substack.

A few weeks ago I reached out to the fiction community of serial fiction writers and asked them to answer 5 questions. Well, I’ve got the results and now the three of us will discuss them as well as other things all related to serialized fiction and hopefully help those who are in the weeds or on the fence to make the experience for readers even better!

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

Help us reach the goal of paying fiction writers for their work to appear exclusively on Top in Fiction by becoming a MONTHLY subscriber! Upgrade today!

Update to Paid

Paid Monthly Subscribers will get early access to the TiF Story Story of the Month, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers. Writers will be paid from the monthly subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 21 - March 27 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

TIF NEWS FOR WRITERS

Hi all,

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion date has moved to Monday, March 30th at 2:30pm EST / 11:30am PST! Mark your calendars and if you’ve got questions, be sure to bring them to the Substack Live discussion with , , and I!

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 21 - March 27 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 7pm EST on Sunday, March 29.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

Submit Today!

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

What Happened with the Firework Was a Total Accident (Closing Statements to the Jury) by of Hannah S. [Literary Fiction]
A gas-station regular started telling me about her latest kills, and at first I thought she was some sort of gamer, but no, she meant *literal* kills—stabbings, explosions, attacks by carnivorous animals. (Any Line)

Pups for Sale by of Along the Hudson [Literary Fiction]
I’d heard about the “Pups for Sale” in an ad in the paper and figured my life could use a bit of light. (Any Line.)

SHORT STORY

Sojourn by of Keep On Keeping On [Horror]
What think thee, Coyote, is thy thirst for coffee great? (Last Line)

Murder and Over Again by of Tony's Special Word Sauce [Mystery]
Trent looks up to the Punjabi man, softly bowed, twice removed from his native land by now, mustachioed with a smile bright enough for any of the famous ollywoods. (Any Line)

INDIA'S TOES by of DUSTSCEAWUNG [Literary Fiction]
You can feel how the restaurant under a sea is being shadow-grilled this morning with the 3D signpost maps of grey shallot blooms and the bad-word slurp of fauna cooks with goat hearts and sauna rash. (First Line)

Is That Checkmate? by of One More Draft [Speculative Fiction]
The first night, Juliet throws a whiskey tumbler, and Karl calls it their Kristallnacht. (First Line)

SHORT SERIAL

Two Feet Short of a Grave by of DeWitt's End [Literary Fiction]
I thought Momma and the mule were going to die before we made it to the Savannah River, but what do I know? I’m just the bastard child of a dead man. (Any Line)

SERIAL

Urd's Well [Ash & Oak, Ch.1] by of Notes from the Edge [Fantasy]
This is Urd’s Well, and it is where all mortal destinies are decided. (Any Line)

WALL OF SERIALS

Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:

Visit the Wall

We are now officially at 2,000+ subscribers! YAY!

It was a long time coming but I knew we’d get here in time. I don’t like to set goals that I have no control over, so, while I want us to all take a moment to be proud of this accomplishment, I much rather look forward to things that Top in Fiction can control; such as promoting as much fiction as humanly possible!

So, please do make sure you’re letting Top in Fiction know about any great fiction you’re reading (or writing) week-over-week as we are constantly looking for new and fresh stories to share! Every Friday the form opens up for new work and closes Sunday evenings. Plenty of time to let me know! I’d love for us to get back to the early days when we received upwards of 60+ (sometimes 75+!!) submissions every week! Make my job of finding the best of the best that much harder!

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion!

The date and time is officially set! Mark your calendars for Monday, March 30th @ 2:30pm EST / 11:30am PST / 7:30pm GMT where I’ll be joined by none other than and ! Some of the leading leaders and voices when it comes to serialized fiction here on Substack.

A few weeks ago I reached out to the fiction community of serial fiction writers and asked them to answer 5 questions. Well, I’ve got the results and now the three of us will discuss them as well as other things all related to serialized fiction and hopefully help those who are in the weeds or on the fence to make the experience for readers even better!

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

Help us reach the goal of paying fiction writers for their work to appear exclusively on Top in Fiction by becoming a MONTHLY subscriber! Upgrade today!

Update to Paid

Paid Monthly Subscribers will get early access to the TiF Story Story of the Month, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers. Writers will be paid from the monthly subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

POETRY

Wife in Watercolors by Johannah Simon of [Free Verse]
Her shame blossoms in the cool evening air. (Any Line)

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Leafless Pines by of Strange Face [Literary Fiction]
Theo wandered beneath the leafless pines, dot to dot trunks forming electric overhead connections, once burdened with carrying forth the messages, to friends he no longer had. (Last Line)

SHORT STORY

Dinner with the Morrisseys: A Judith Temple Short Story by of Naptime Novelist [Comedy]
Tim’s smile slipped into a faint smirk, and Judith prepared herself to pretend to be aggravated. (Any Line)

I trained ravens to terrorize my town. by of The Ambassadors: Planet Earth [Speculative Fiction]
Ravens have become my anger language. (Any Line)

MGS04 by of Writing & Selling Stories with Angelique Fawns [Horror]
Try Floatation Therapy! (First Line)

Monochrome Frame by of Robert Garron’s Substack [Horror]
It was the picture of economic perfection: the busy streets, chugging highways, and regular flights passing in and out of a skyline full of cranes. (Any Line)

Amelia on Mars by of Ashley@Briefly [Science Fiction]
Her sons were still on Earth and she didn’t know if they were alive or dead. (Any Line)

The Metro Station Situation by of Ricky Denham’s Words [Literary Fiction]
I was walking underground. (First Line)

Nobody Buries a Traitor by of Corey’s Story Stack [Speculative Fiction]
Nobody saw him leave. Nobody knows where he is. (Last Line)

WALL OF SERIALS

Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:

Visit the Wall

We are now officially at 2,000+ subscribers! YAY!

It was a long time coming but I knew we’d get here in time. I don’t like to set goals that I have no control over, so, while I want us to all take a moment to be proud of this accomplishment, I much rather look forward to things that Top in Fiction can control; such as promoting as much fiction as humanly possible!

So, please do make sure you’re letting Top in Fiction know about any great fiction you’re reading (or writing) week-over-week as we are constantly looking for new and fresh stories to share! Every Friday the form opens up for new work and closes Sunday evenings. Plenty of time to let me know! I’d love for us to get back to the early days when we received upwards of 60+ (sometimes 75+!!) submissions every week! Make my job of finding the best of the best that much harder!

The Ultimate Serialized Fiction Discussion!

The date and time is officially set! Mark your calendars for TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 25th @ 3:30pm EST / 12:30pm PST / 7:30pm GMT where I’ll be joined by none other than and ! Some of the leading leaders and voices when it comes to serialized fiction here on Substack.

A few weeks ago I reached out to the fiction community of serial fiction writers and asked them to answer 5 questions. Well, I’ve got the results and now the three of us will discuss them as well as other things all related to serialized fiction and hopefully help those who are in the weeds or on the fence to make the experience for readers even better!

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

Help us reach the goal of paying fiction writers for their work to appear exclusively on Top in Fiction by becoming a MONTHLY subscriber! Upgrade today!

Update to Paid

Paid Monthly Subscribers will get early access to the TiF Story Story of the Month, for a period of two weeks, after which time the story will then be made available to all subscribers. Writers will be paid from the monthly subscribers.

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 14 - March 20 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

TIF NEWS FOR WRITERS

Hi all,

Being sick means forgetting the things you usually do without thinking. One of those things I forgot till this very moment was opening the weekly TiF Submissions Form on Friday! Mea culpa!

I have opened it NOW and will leave it open till Tuesday at 9am EST to give people time to submit any stories written (or read) from the past week! To make sure this doesn’t happen again, I’ve gone ahead and scheduled these posts for the next 3 months! Which is what I meant to do in January but illness from Christmas through New Years prevented me from making that happen! But, I am on the mend, I hope! So, let’s try to get this train back on track and play catch-up this week with all emails and announcements and notifications coming at the usual and expected times!

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 14 - March 20 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 9am EST on Tuesday, March 24.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

Submit Today!

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

Do you feel that in the air, a change in the wind, the weather warming ever so slightly. The ground is thawing. The birds are sing—oh—oh dear—I think that one might actually be choking…oh well, needs must…

Where was I?

Ah, yes, a new batch of stories have just SPRUNG forth on this Spring Fever sort of day! Don’t worry, what we’re dishing isn’t too catching. And while we can’t promise some residual side effects won’t linger, the selection below will be quite memorable and always leave you wanting more!

One Special Spring written by

Hate Springs Eternal written by

Friend, Do What You Came To Do written by

Blossom written by

The Bloom written by

Springtime Wolf written by

SWARM written by

Parasitize written by

Harumi of Arashiyama written by

The Ice Garden written by

Snowdrops written by

Mandragora written by

Old Beltane written by

Daughter of the poison and the frost written by

Rebirth written by

The Wine-Dark Tennessee written by

Sugarhouse written by

Chosen written by

In Bloom, Once Again written by and

Artificial Winter written by

Lord of the Forest written by

Does the Camera See Color When it Captures A Flower? written by

The Black Water Bride written by

The Sound of Madness written by

Frost’s End written by

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MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Venket's special masala chai is all you need by of The Indian Story [Literary Fiction]
Mr. Venket Nadar was the only one on the road to Madurai who sold tea at his Madras Coffee Shop. (First Line)

Well Deserved by of Majeris Reads & Writes [Science Fiction]
Nope, being Human, it’s just too much work. (Any Line)

The Green Man by of BoomerSpeak [Speculative Fiction]
He reached down with his strong, tangled hands and lifted me to my feet. (Any Line)

PICK ‘EM UP, DROP ‘EM OFF by of Whitfield Fahrenheit [Speculative Fiction]
He cranked the wheel to the right, cut across three lanes of traffic, and ran over a couple of construction cones as he connected with the offramp. (Any Line)

Car by of The Cat Mother Writes [Speculative Fiction]
They’d let the growling go on for way too long. (Any Line)

Seed of Light by of Fantasy and Fellowship [Fantasy]
Aurelia stood at the edge of the Blight-stricken forest, its stench gagging her and stinging her eyes. (First Line)

SHORT STORY

Jerryfish by of Chad’s Substack [Speculative Fiction]
But when the first smell of the sea breeze wafted in the windows of the car, something happened to Jerry. (Any Line)

The House That Sighs by of C.C. Harlow [Historical Fiction]
Last night, I dreamt I went to Holloway again. (First Line)

The Man Without a Badge by of Snark Floats [Historical Fiction]
But as I opened the door of my parents’ bedroom, the mingled smells of copper and death hit me so hard I doubled over. (Any Line)

Bread and Rainbow Skin by of Aseel Ayelia [Literary Fiction]
God forbid the town people remember that the wicked daughter of their decent mayor got knocked up in high school. (Any Line)

WALL OF SERIALS

Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:

Visit the Wall

SPRING FEVER IS HERE!

The event to kick off the Spring season is coming this Friday, March 20th! Don’t miss it! Follow for up to the minute updates.

THE MURDER ROOM UPDATE!

We’ve done our very first Cross-Post today. As I’m not 100% sure how it all works, I’ll be relying on you to tell me if this idea is worth it. I believe an email should’ve been sent to everyone sharing the story that included a blurb at the top:

If you’d like to submit an artifact for our Murder Room you can learn all about it by reading THIS POST.

OTHER NEWS OF NOTE

I can’t believe it’s March already! I’m looking at my calendar of events for Top in Fiction in the 2nd half of this year and there are many. I just want to share the State of the Union post here with you as a reminder of what’s coming! We will have a bit of down time this April and May but after that, WATCH OUT! Cause the 2nd half of this year is going to fly by and I want to make sure you don’t miss anything! Some things to look forward to:

• TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up

• Super Secret Writing Event

• These Wicked Things Event (2027 Anthology Opportunity)

• Pentober 2026

And much more! READ THIS POST AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

If you want to help us reach that goal, become a MONTHLY update today!

Update to Paid

Leave a comment

Do you have a question you’d like to ask the readers/writers in our little fiction community? Let me know in the comments and I just might select it for a future weekly issue!

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

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Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 7 - March 13 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.

February being a short month still managed to bring some great stories worth reading. Here are some callbacks as well as a some new stories we’ve yet to feature for your reading pleasure.

Subscribe now

But before you go, a few updates for both readers and writers of fiction:

SPRING FEVER IS HERE

On March 20th a group of brave souls will share their works. If you’d like to enter there is still plenty of time! The deadline to let know that you’ve written a story for this specific event is March 16th. Be sure to schedule your story for March 20th and be sure to follow us both as we will go Live on Substack on that very day. Find out more about this amazing event and ask any questions you may have, HERE.

UPDATES TO TIF PRESS AND TOP IN FICTION WEBSITES

I’ve taken some time to do a bit of “Spring Cleaning” and I’m still smack dab in the middle of it! But, I thought I’d share a few changes that I’ve done thus far:

• I’ve taken down the link to the TiF Library temporarily. I’m working on officially making that our “archive” of previous years, thereby providing a brand new Library link that will only include 2026 submissions. I hope to have this all properly sorted by the Summer.

• The TiF Events Calendar has officially been updated with nearly all major events that readers and writers alike may want to make note of and perhaps even set reminders to. You’ll find a convenient link to the Events Calendar on either the Top in Fiction or TiF Press menu bar.

• The first ever Top in Fiction Monthly Meet-Up will take place in April. But, I’m asking all the writers in the community if this is something they’d be interested in having happen every month or even every other month? In the past, a monthly meet-up like this was hosted by Fictionistas. It has not happened in quite some time but I recall how helpful it was for me in my early days of using and navigating Substack and just being a fiction writer in general to have and to attend. Let me know in the comments, send me a private Note or email letting me know your thoughts and hopefully I’ll see you on April 13th!

Leave a comment

POETRY

Her Silent Song by of Mythscape [Free Verse]

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Three Steps, Pause, and Turn by of Stories Sown With Hope [Fantasy]

Reconstruction by of The Second Sentence [Historical]

The Single Rose by of Tales of the Zeitgeist [Comedy]

First Time Home Owners by of The Butchered Writers [Horror]

SHORT SERIAL

What Passes Down by of Talebones

State Trooper by of Nathan Hatch [Horror]

The Long Dark by of J.M. Gooding [Horror]

The Revolution by of Bent Eye [Speculative Fiction]

The Black Swan by of Ink & Shadows [Horror]

SHORT SERIAL

Stillard [Part One] by of Writing on a Whim

The Lantern Bearer Part 1 [The Lantern Bearer, Ch.1] by of Stories Have Power [Fantasy]

SERIAL

Treachery and Tales [The Huntsman's Widow, Ch. 7] by of Smatterings [Fantasy]

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TIF NEWS FOR WRITERS

Hi all,

If you don’t follow me on Substack Notes, , then you likely haven’t seen my last Note. Or maybe you do follow me and it just never hit your timeline, which is also possible. But this past Saturday I came down with Flu B! I didn’t even know there was a Flu A vs Flu B but yeah, there are two different strains. Anyhow, because of this there were at least 3 emails that should’ve gone out between last week this this week that are still sitting in my Drafts!

No news right now besides, STAY HEALTHY, cause being sick SUCKS!

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between March 7 - March 13 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 7pm EST on Sunday, March 15.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

Submit Today!

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

I’m bringing back this notification email that will inform you when the Submission Form will be closing. As I work on a more rigid schedule for this, there will be extended hours for this staying open:

SUBMISSION FORM OPENS: Fridays at 7am EST
SUBMISSION FORM CLOSES: Sundays at 7pm EST

WEEKLY MONDAY EMAILS: Mondays by 7pm EST

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between February 28 - March 6 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

TIF NEWS FOR WRITERS

What’s going on in our fiction community? Well, you tell me! From now on if you let me know what you’ve got going on (no more than 1 month out) I will share it in this post. It just has to be relevant to the fiction writing community. Send a DM with information (event name, any deadlines, who to reach out to for more information, link to a Note or Post that has more information about the event).

A SPRING FEVER UPDATE/REMINDER

In the meantime, here is something I know is happening! The deadline is 10 days away! Are you ready for Spring Fever? Reach out to for more information on how you can let her know that your story is written, ready, and scheduled for March 20th!

REMINDER: Deadline is March 16th!

A TiF MEET-UP IN APRIL?

Remember back in the day when Fictionistas would host a monthly meet-up for the fiction community here? It was great! I’ve heard rumblings that this is sorely missed. I know I miss it as well. And so, here’s my attempt at revitalizing it for the fiction writing community. A time for us to gather, see some faces, and chat about fiction related topics.

More information to come but for now mark your calendars for April 13th!

If you’re interested I’d love for you to let me know in the COMMENTS:

Leave a comment

DAY OF THE ________________ WRITER

has been running this marvelous idea to ask writers of all shapes and sizes and walks of life to share “a day in their life” and then he’s putting together this ever-growing mosaic of those many writers. You’ll find my contribution “Day of the Mysterious Writer” amongst the many!

Tredecko

Day of the ___ Writer

This collab celebrates our daily lives as writers. Despite everything else we got going on, by some miracle, we all show up here—Substack: A monstrously beautiful, imperfect platform…

Read more

a month ago · 76 likes · 11 comments · Trevor Cohen

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between February 28 - March 6 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE at 9pm EST on Sunday, March 8.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Comments are turned OFF for all TiF Notification emails.

Fill out the online form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

Submit Today!

You will receive another email 1 hour before the submission form closes on Sunday.

If you’re reading this on the Substack website or Substack App and you’re not yet subscribed, please consider doing so. It turns out that nearly 45% of our unique visitors aren’t subscribed! Crazy, right! That could be you! Don’t just be a unique visitor. Be a unique subscriber!

MICRO/FLASH FICTION

Bee by of Chad’s Substack [Speculative Fiction]
I won’t eat your jam and you don’t eat my biscuits and we’ll get along fine. (Any Line)

Death in the North by of Dave Boyko [Horror]
Jack managed a wry smile, “I think at one point, I hoped that I could become a vampire… but my body is too old… and I miss Danielle too much…”: (Any Line)

White Room by of In Search of Lost Time [Speculative Fiction]
I’d been home for the past three days, recovering from a severe leg injury; otherwise I’d already gone over and given them a piece of my mind. (Any Line)

SHORT STORY

The Long Dark by of J.M. Gooding [Horror]
Half the town leaves because they say the Taqriaqsuq walk when the sun goes down. (First Line)

Eye of the Storm by of Hawk & Heron [Speculative Fiction]
Bowen realized some people, maybe the majority, were going to fight against this change, which is like a person arguing with themselves—even if you win, you lose. (Any Line)

Endgam8 by of The Vermilion Border [Science Fiction]
Twenty minutes later I was on the highway in my Civic, hauling ass down I-5 toward the Bay with my heart scraping against the inside of my ribcage and a Beretta 9mm in the glove box. (Any Line)

The Last of the Gen Xers by of Free Friday Fiction [Climate Fiction]
A chain link fence separated the meticulous metal roads, wind turbines, and skyscrapers of the Canadian Colonies from the reforested buffer zone to the States of Freedom. (Any Line)

SHORT SERIAL

Layer 1 [Till Death Do Us Partition, Pt. 1] by of Graphomania [Science Fiction]
If God is alive, then He certainly must live in the machine; otherwise, how could He bear not to flood this creation? (Any Line)

Honey Trap [Pt. V] by of Writing Wrongs [Mystery]
“As much as these formal affairs are under strict security and the invitees are carefully scrutinized you would be shocked…despite all these measures, as much as a third of that ballroom might be foreign intelligence of some sort.” (Any Line)

SERIAL

Treachery and Tales [The Huntsman's Widow, Ch. 7] by of Smatterings [Fantasy]
Our repeated calls for Gilnor go unanswered. (First Line)

WALL OF SERIALS

Check out our Wall of Serials where we have a dedicated page showing you ACTIVE stories:

Visit the Wall

Last week I woke up and decided I wanted to find out first hand “what the heck is going on with serialized fiction on Substack?” But I want to do more than just answer that already complex and multi-layered question. I want to deep dive in and find out if there are answers to my questions or just more questions? So, I put a call out to everyone here who writes serialized fiction or have written (or plan to write) serialized fiction to reach out to me. I came up with 5 simple questions that I hope will undoubtedly answer more questions than they create once combined with as many volunteers willing to answer them. And as always the community did not disappoint! We got nearly 70 brave souls willing to answer the call and these 5 questions!

In just a few short weeks I will be joined by and to analyze, discuss, dissect, and perhaps see how we can take the tools we have, combined with our obvious love of storytelling, and make the journey forward the best it can be!

Look for a more specific date and time for this HUGE Substack Live to be announced SOON! I suggest following me on Substack Notes as I’m most likely to mention it there first.

SPRING FEVER IS HERE!

Do you feel it? There is a certain warmth coming in and melting all the snow (at least where I am) but with it come strange happenings I can’t quite describe. Just ask all about it as she’s putting together a lovely writing event for everyone who wants to participate. You can read more about it by clicking the image below:

But the most important thing to remember is the deadline is March 16th! Get your ideas and stories written in time, then join us as we go Live (along with all the stories) on March 20th!

THE MURDER ROOM UPDATE!

As you know, the Murder Room opened on February 16th for submissions and we plan on revealing TWO this month! This is a cross-post opportunity between Top in Fiction and the writers who are chosen!

This is an open-ended event and opportunity for you to get your writing style out to 2k+ subscribers! March 10th and March 24th at 12pm EST. Mark your calendars as Top in Fiction treads into a new frontier this year.

If you’d like to submit an artifact for our Murder Room you can learn all about it by reading THIS POST.

EYE SEE YOU (A HORROR ANTHOLOGY) UPDATE

As you know, this is TiF Press’s first ever publication and we want to make sure we get it right. To that end, I am sitting on my hands as I practice patience, waiting for the 2nd proof copy to come in the mail. And praying that it’s right this time! I’ve decided not to go Live this time when it comes in. I will, instead, just share an update with those contributors in the book. However, if it is right you’ll be the 2nd to know! It will mean I can move forward to starting the engine on getting pre-order links, etc. to all of you who I know are waiting just as patiently to show your support to the writers in this anthology!

OTHER NEWS OF NOTE

I can’t believe it’s March already! I’m looking at my calendar of events for Top in Fiction in the 2nd half of this year and there are many. I just want to share the State of the Union post here with you as a reminder of what’s coming! We will have a bit of down time this April and May but after that, WATCH OUT! Cause the 2nd half of this year is going to fly by and I want to make sure you don’t miss anything! Some things to look forward to:

• TiF Summit 2027 Sign-Up

• Super Secret Writing Event

• These Wicked Things Event (2027 Anthology Opportunity)

• Pentober 2026

And much more! READ THIS POST AND MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

SUBSCRIBER UPDATES

We are 32 subscribers away from 2,000 but more importantly, we are 8 Monthly Paid Subscribers away from our goal of paying for short story fiction and opening up our TiF Short Story of the Month Club!

If you want to help us reach that goal, become a MONTHLY update today!

Update to Paid

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

I’ve been going above and beyond when it comes to my plan to write a mystery series by reading and watching all things Agatha Christie. Do you ever go deep on a passion project before you endeavor to do it yourself? Are you in the middle of doing just that right now? What are you learning/reading/watching/eating? Share your latest obsession(s) and why you’re so obsessed now!

Leave a comment

Do you have a question you’d like to ask the readers/writers in our little fiction community? Let me know in the comments and I just might select it for a future weekly issue!

- , Editor-in-Chief 😈

If you enjoyed any of these stories, please consider sharing this post everywhere:

Share

I’m bringing back this notification email that will inform you when the Submission Form will be closing. As I work on a more rigid schedule for this, there will be extended hours for this staying open:

SUBMISSION FORM OPENS: Fridays at 7am EST
SUBMISSION FORM CLOSES: Sundays at 7pm EST

WEEKLY MONDAY EMAILS: Mondays by 7pm EST

This is a weekly notification email. If you do not wish to receive this email, please change your subscription by clicking the button below and turning off TiF Notifications:

Manage subscription

Top in Fiction is the place where fiction lives, but it’s also the place where a community of fiction writers and readers can come together every week to share in their mutual love (and respect) of fiction. Read the guidelines carefully:

• Only fiction shared between February 21 - February 27 on Substack!

• Any story shared BEFORE the dates listed above will be removed.

• This form will CLOSE in 1 hour from NOW.

• Share fiction you’ve read AND/OR fiction you’ve written. (Self-promotion of your fiction is welcome!)

• If self-promoting, submit NO MORE THAN 2 stories! This is a strict rule that will be enforced.

• Story must be Free-to-Read (No portion of it can be behind a paywall).

• Story must be written in English.

• We DO NOT accept stories written by AI. If we discover, at any time, that AI was used, the story will be removed.

Fill out this form for consideration in our Monday Weekly emails:

New Submission Form

This is your final warning.