The Word Cloud

I've recently compiled a list of magazines for me to send sone short stories to, and I've just taken the plunge and started the submission process for one (online) - but it requires a cover letter (there's a box for it), and I have gone completely and irrevocably blank. I've scoured the submission guidelines page and can't find anything pertaining to the cover letter... so HELP!!! What do I say?! Is it the same kind of thing for a short story than for a full novel? Do I give a synopsis? A full one? A simple blurb? At the moment, I kind of feel like Rimmer doing his 'I am a fish' routine...

Thanks in advance!

Ely

xx

Ely, possibly you need to be different. One that would make your agent/publisher read it. I've given up pandering to these guys and write the brutal truth. The following cover letter got an immediate response for a full synopsis:

Hello,

I am a British writer seeking professional representation/publication for my new police crime novel of 100k words in total, which features a female lead - and for my future works.

I write books I want to read – they are different from the current crop of police thrillers. My stories have a leisurely pace and focus on uncomfortable themes, showing the dark side of human nature, irreverent relationships, and obnoxious behaviour. My killers are evil, with no redeeming features and, apart from my MC, most characters are not upstanding members of the community.

My latest novel, Darkness, is set in a fictitious town near Bristol in 1986. The story follows DS Jackie Steel, a sassy, hard-nosed, idealist with a keen sense of natural justice – her kind.

For a short story covering letter, I try to be as succinct as possible. Eg:

Dear Editor,
please find enclosed my short story 'Your mum' (5000 words, Horror).
It tells how I f*cked your mum, and how much she liked it.
Thank you for taking the time to read my work.
Yours etc.

I base this approach on the assumption that Editors are busy, and would prefer writers to be as businesslike as possible. I'd reckon a short, straight-to-the-point cover letter would be more likely to get you read than a long rambling affair! But then again, what do I know?

Perhaps a MILF letter wouldn't quite work in the way that you intended. But the approach is one I'd support.

Why is it that my laptop likes to piss about and turns the backspace button into 'let's leap around pages and delete everything you've just written' button? It doesn't help that everytime I get more than two words down, I either get clambered on by children, or one of them starts screaming. And you know what makes this even more irritating? My darling husband is next door, playing computer games. No disturbances for him - he can play for hours on end, whereas I want to write one measly letter and I'm not allowed to. Argh!

And breathe...

Thanks, ST, Wrath - I've never plucked up the courage to submit anything before, and whilst I do kind of know the drill in theory, when it came to putting that theory into practice, I panicked...

So far, I have this:

Dear Mr Hawkins,

Please find attached my short story 'When the Moon Hangs Fat' (1570 words). It is a tale of a young man trying to remember the events of a night out after he wakes up in an insane asylum, having potentially killed all of his friends, something he denies. Whilst in his cell, he pieces together what he thinks has occurred, and it becomes plain that there may be something seriously wrong with him; no one can verify his actions, and the woman he spent night with may or may not exist in the conventional sense. In fact, she may not even be a woman at all.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story,

Yours sincerely,

Me!

Do you think I need to elaborate on the content of the story (it is only 1500 words, after all...), or does that just about cover it?

Thanks again!

Give it a whirl, Ely, see what happens. That's plenty enough. Short stories do have their own criteria for success. Traditional thinking consists of a beginning, middle, and end - like all novels. My only worry about reading your letter describing the tale, is that the ending is ambiguous.

Somehow you need to get across that your story is different, hence it's worth reading. If Mr. Hawkins is typical, he'll be inundated with submissions - so what is it about your letter that would capture his attention? Think 'off the wall' - what would make you 'must read this' and apply it to your own.

BTW -it sounds a great story.