First, before diving into tips and advice on helping your work stand out, I want to address the term “slush pile.” Because a lot of writers aren’t big fans of it. They say it makes them feel like editors don’t take their work seriously, so I’ll use the word “queue” for the majority of this piece. However, let me explain why we use the term “slush pile” because it’s one of the biggest lessons submitting writers need to learn.
First and foremost, your story is unique. You worked hard to get it to the point where you felt confident enough to submit it. But that’s the case for every other story in the queue, like individual, beautiful snowflakes in a white slush of narrative.
Unlike writing, submitting isn’t an isolated event where you’re the only one there experiencing the story. Your story gets read by a team of editors who have read hundreds or even thousands of other stories where a writer has put their all into the story. Snagging an acceptance takes more than writing an incredible story well. Your story needs to rise to the top and touch the editor so it can stand out in a slush of other well-crafted stories.
Now, let’s get into common issues possibly holding your stories back from capturing the editors’ attention and how to fix them.
1 Long-winded openings
If you have a 5,000-word story and the first 500 words or two pages are all exposition, backstory,
