Though not everyone can write a famous 6-word story (and here is a short take by OpenCulture on the story attributed to Hemingway), it is a great exercise to try. And while magazines have different length requirements for microfiction (from a few words to a few hundred), the general consensus is, it is shorter than flash fiction.
Most of the publishers on this list also publish works of longer lengths like flash and short fiction, and other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. A few pay.
Most, but not all, are open for submissions now.
Crepuscular Magazine
“Crepuscular is interested in microfiction stories exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas between this and that, here and there, night and day, alive and dead, evil and good, feminine and masculine, up and down, real and unreal. If you’re not quite sure what that means, lean into that feeling. … While we lean toward speculative pieces, we have a love for those in-betweeny pieces that blur genre. We accept horror (both spec and non), fantasy, science fiction, general/literary fiction, and everything in between.” Regarding length, they say, “While we accept any length under 250 words, drabbles are going to be a hard sell for us.” They also specify on their submission form, “The first seven days of every month are reserved for underrepresented voices as determined by the authors.” They pay $0.10/word (minimum $5). Details here and here.
101 Words
They want stories of exactly 101 words. Stories selected for Flash Fiction Magazine anthologies get $10; there is no payment for stories on the website. They do not want poetry. Details here.
Kelp Journal: The Wave
The Wave is Kelp Journal’s blog, which publishes micros. “For The Wave, Kelp Journal’s bi-weekly blog is actively seeking previously unpublished micro, flash, and short fiction in any genre; translations and short essays on any topic; book reviews; poetry, and photography and art. As always, coastal, travel, adventure, nature, and ecological themes are preferred; however, all will be considered
And, as with Kelp Journal, The Waveseeks oceanic, conservationist, and surf forward themes.” They accept fiction, essays, poetry, travel memoirs, and translation. Details here and here.
Nixes Mate Review
They publish short stories and micro stories of less than 500 words. “We like narrative and minimalism and words that dance across the page. We like dialogue that is direct and sounds like a real person talking. … We don’t like sci-fi, fantasy or horror, but occasionally fancy a good ghost story, or a new take on myths.” They also publish essays, poetry, and hybrid works. The deadline is 1 September 2025. Details here and here.
Paragraph Planet
They want submissions that are 75 words long. “Your submission can be a short story, an extract from a novel or the capturing of a moment. The main rule is that it needs to be EXACTLY 75 words long including the title. (All submissions are formatted as one paragraph – see the home page – so it helps if you submit that way.)” Details here.
Moonpark Review
Their tagline is, ‘Quarterly Journal of Short Prose’. Apart from micros, they publish flash fiction, prose poems, and hybrid forms. About editor preferences, they say, “One of us loves cerebral stuff. The other loves speculative stuff. Both of us love poetic micros, dark and twisty tales, and queer themes. If your submission compels us to read it aloud to each other, you’re golden. If you send us a story with a happy ending, make us believe it.” They accept micros up to 200 words as well as works up to 750 words. They’re currently reading submissions for Issue 33, Fall 2025. Details here.
A-Minor Magazine
They publish flash fiction, including micros, of 50-1,000 words, as well as flash nonfiction, and poetry. They want works with an experimental bent. Details here.
Blink-Ink
This is a print magazine of microfiction. They publish 50-word stories, which are usually set around a theme. They will reopen for submissions on 1 September 2025. Details here and here.
Micromance
They publish very short romance stories, of 100-1,200 words. “We publish sweet, clean genre romance, literary love stories, women’s fiction & poetry”. Do not send erotica. Details here.
The Citron Review
They publish “Short forms that shimmer”. Apart from micros (up to 100 words, across genres), they accept poetry (closed now), creative nonfiction, and flash fiction. The deadline is 6 December 2025. Details here.
ShortStory Substack
They want a story, of 6 words to 10,000 words, in any genre. They publish one story a month. Send a story by the month-end, and the winner is announced on the 15th of the following month. They also accept reprints. Pay is $100, and 50% of subscription revenue. They also post the previous month’s stats on their website, which includes payout. See the June 2025 stats here. You can read their guidelines here.
Six Sentences
“It’s simple. Just write six sentences. Write anything you like. Send your work, its title, your name (or pseudonym), your bio, and any links you’d like”. Regarding formatting, they say, “Six Sentences uses a paragraph format. Six consecutive sentences. No poems, no bullets. Be unconventional if using dialogue.” Details here and here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
