SmokeLong Quarterly

Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing our submissions editors so that you, dear writers and readers, might have a clearer idea of who we are, who reads your work first at SmokeLong, and what they love to see in the SmokeLong submissions queue. We are all writers at SmokeLong, so we know that sharing work can be difficult. Our submissions editors are all experienced flash writers and participate in the discussion throughout the editorial process. Your work is assigned to two submissions editors and sent to the senior editors if at least one of the submissions editors votes MAYBE on the submission. At SmokeLong we are always rooting for you.  – Christopher Allen, Publisher

Today, I am thrilled to introduce Vaibhavi Kerkar. Vaibhavi’s focus on the technical aspects of flash writing is a great lens to view your own work. I hope her words help you to hone your craft and your submissions. – Melissa Llanes Brownlee, Senior Submissions Editor

 

What excites you about a submission?

Good writing on the sentence level. I think that flash fiction is a storytelling medium that can showcase the beauty of language better than any other. Because of its essential brevity, you cannot afford to waste even a single word. And so good word choice, interesting observations and phrasings, strong imagery, and narrative lines that evoke a deep emotional reaction from the reader – cycling between these types of “well written lines”, with no respite, with no average sentence – that is what excites me in a submission.

Also, in a flash fiction piece, you can concentrate vocabulary to the point that the words, even isolated from their sentences, show you an image in themselves. Submissions that home in on atmosphere and word choice in such a way will always have a special place in my heart – purely because of how much I love the language aspect of stories.

What’s something about a submission that makes you want to give it a thumbs-up?

I think that a good submission needs to check a lot of boxes: good writing on the line level, tension, immediacy, conflict, flow, cohesive themes, emotional impact, and a conclusive and impactful ending. I review submissions a bit technically, so if you get all or even most of these, it’s most likely going to be a yes from me.

What is your advice for writers submitting to SmokeLong?

Work on pieces for as long as possible before sending them in. Polish them past the point of ‘perfection’. I too relate to the urge of wanting to submit a piece you’re excited about, but so many stories that are rejected have a great concept, a great story, and some beautiful language, but are rejected simply because they aren’t ready yet and need more work.

That is, some more polishing. One way to interpret ‘polishing’ is editing and condensing. Additionally, needing polishing also means that the piece needs more intentionality – a cohesiveness in its word choice, theme, and plot. At SLQ, you are given only 1000 words to tell your story, so each aspect of the story and every word should be chosen only after careful, well-thought-out decisions.

What are you reading now – besides SmokeLong submissions?

I like to have 2-3 books going at once so that I can cycle through them depending on what I need – leisure, project-specific writing inspiration, or just a challenging read to exercise my mind. Currently, I’m reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Secret History by Donna Tartt, and House In The Country by Jose Donoso.

Plus, there are two works being taught in my English Lit university classes: Naik’s ‘The Upheaval’ and Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.

How did you find your way to flash?

I’ve been an avid reader of literary magazines since my early teens because I was eager to learn ‘how to write well’. And because I wanted to supplement technical writing advice from articles and YouTube videos with actual practical reading, I figured there was no better place for this than literary magazines – publications that publish only the best of the best from thousands of submissions, and prioritize the literary craft. And so, I discovered flash fiction through literary magazines like SmokeLong, and remain an engaged reader of literary magazines even now.

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Vaibhavi Kerkar (she/her) is a writer from the Goa, India. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at St. Xaviers College, Goa. Her work has appeared in Invisible City Literary Journal and SmokeLong Quarterly. Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaibhavi_kerkar_/ (@vaibhavi_kerkar_).