What kind of writing are you looking for?

Be funny. Be original. Be dramatic. Semi-erotic is ok, but blatantly pornographic is not. Horror and some violence (if tastefully done) are fine, so long as it does not assault the senses. Overly sentimental or cliched works are frowned upon.

Please, no works-in-progress, plagiarized works, or author notes about the writing process (unless it is a part of the work). A good piece of flash should be able to stand on its own legs.

Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and tense shifts in your work. Errors are unprofessional and reflect poorly on both the site and your own skill as a writer.

Keep your focus on Minnesota - the experiences, the perspectives, and even the incidentals. This doesn't actually mean you have to name the state in every submitted work; speak to the neighborhoods, the landmarks, the familiar and the unfamiliar aspects of Minnesotan life.

Do you pay your contributors?

At this point, we do not pay contributors. We do, however, seek to achieve the status of a high-quality online publication so that our contributors will find satisfaction in knowing they are in the company of a talented pool of writers.

Do you allow simultaneous submissions?

If you post your work here, please be aware that you will need to inform submission editors elsewhere that your work has already been published online.

Do you accept reprints?

At this time, we do not accept reprints. Sorry.

Do you have reading periods?

Until we reach an ideal balance in terms of the quality and quantity of contributors, applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Achieving this balance depends largely upon the characteristics of writers contributing to MN Flasher (including things like productivity, diversity of representation, uniqueness of voice, etc.).

Do you publish poetry?

Strictly speaking, no.

However, if you prefer the term "prose poetry" to "flash fiction" or "micro-fiction," then I guess we do.

Do you have a word limit?

Yes!

Flash Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction pieces should be 1000 words or less (minimum 250).

Flash plays should be no more than 10 minutes in length (approximately 10 pages)

Do you accept email submissions?

We do accept blogger applications via email.

Once accepted, bloggers will be invited to join the site and expected to submit their pieces directly into a blogger template. Tutorials and assistance with using blogger can be provided upon request.

Do you provide editorial comments for submitted works?

Well, no. Not as a common practice, anyways. We will read your submitted pieces and will probably zing you a message if there is a glaring typo or if the content seems unrelated to the theme of the site or is otherwise inappropriate.

Each posting comes with a comment section, where readers can post their feedback and impressions if so desired. You should remember, however, that this is not a writing workshop. If you're interested in workshopping your flash stories online, try http://www.critiquecircle.com

What rights do you request?

Individual blogger retain copyright over their own materials. We request first time and archival rights. Although we ask that all submissions be previously unpublished, by all means feel free to submit your works elsewhere after posting.

If we (at some point in the future) decide to publish a print anthology, we will seek permission from individual authors.

Both parties (writer and MN Flasher) reserve the right to terminate their agreement at any time, provided that the other party is given proper notification via email.

How quickly do you respond to blogger applications?

At this point, complete applications will get a response within three weeks or less. Probably less.