A Drabble Dilemma
What the heck can you do with these tiny stories once you've written them?
Are you taking part in The Diurnal Drabble Dare? If so, you might be wondering:
What am I supposed to do with all these tiny stories?
If you’re not posting them to your own Substack, there are actually a few places that will take them. Some will even pay you for your 100-word stories! (I mean, most won’t pay you much… but even a few dollars is great!)
Be sure to read the guidelines carefully. Not every market will take reprints (stories that have already been published/posted somewhere), so be sure to read the fine print.
Here are some of the places that are specifically looking for drabble submissions:
100-Foot Crow: This market is only open twice a year, so submit while you can! They accept speculative fiction (science fiction or fantasy) drabbles.
Pay: $8
100 Word Project by Manawaker Studio: This is a year-long project that will be compiled into an anthology. There’s a prompt each month.
Pay: $1
Apex Magazine Drabble Contest: I’m not sure if this is an ongoing thing or how often it’s open. January’s theme is “End of Days” and they’re accepting submissions until January 15, 2025. (It’s worth watching this magazine to see if there are more drabble contests throughout the year.)
Pay: $8
A Coup of Owls: They publish mostly speculative work, and only by creators from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds. They open for submissions on March 1, 2025.
Pay: £5
Dark Moments Monthly Challenge from Black Hare Press: Each month, writers are given a theme and tasked with writing a horror story of exactly 100 words.
Pay: $4
The Dribble Drabble Review: This market puts together a nice-looking magazine that can be read for free online.
Pay: none
Five Minute Lit: Drabble as memoir? That’s what this market is all about. Tell a story about yourself in exactly 100 words.
Pay: none
Flash Phantoms: Send your horror drabbles here!
Pay: none* (there’s something on the site about paying in the new year, but there’s no other info yet)
Flash Point Science Fiction: They run a drabble contest in November. If you write speculative fiction, this might be a market to try!
Pay: $2
The Hoolet’s Nook: This market accept all genres.
Pay: none
ScribesMICRO by Fairfield Scribes: They appear to be a little more lenient for word count, allowing between 90 and 110 words. Still, drabbles qualify!
Pay: $1
Drabbles can be a hard sell in other markets, but you never know. If they accept micro fiction, give it a try! I had a drabble accepted by a magazine that wasn’t specifically looking for them… so it can happen.
Whether you want to sell your drabbles or simply get them published, keep these markets in mind. Or just publish your stories yourself on your Substack!
This is a great list! I’m going to bookmark these. For me personally, I’ve self-published mine. I’m released The Fifth 100 on a couple months and as of today I’ve written over 600 consecutive days worth of 100 word stories! When I hit 1,000 days I’ll pump the breaks, but till then, I’m glad to see another join us micro fiction writers!