
I’ve been on a serious micro fiction kick lately. I love reading it, I love writing it, and I’ve fallen in love with some amazing magazines that pack a big punch into tiny stories.
Recently, I was pleased to score two micro fiction publications, including winning first place in the Storytwigs micro fiction contest, which you can read here! In honor of this awesome honor, I thought I’d share about my top micro fiction picks.
Below you’ll find some of my favorite magazines that feature very tiny stories, along with some exclusive submission tips about getting your own work into some awesome markets.
Good fiction comes in very micro packages. Let’s start off by defining what exactly micro fiction is and why it’s so tasty. š
What is Micro Fiction?

It’s smaller than a short story…
Tinier than flash fiction…
Micro fiction can be as short as one sentence and generally about as long as 300-400 words. I’ve seen micro the size of Tweets, postcard-sized, and oh-so-pocket-sized. They explode like fireworks in your brain and sizzle like Pop Rocks in your mouth.
My Top 5 Places to Read (and Submit!) Micro Fiction
In no particular order, here are my favorite places to get my micro kicks:
1. Storytwigs Free Micro Fiction Contest (Where I Won First Place and a Cash Prize!)

Every month, writers from all over the world enter this free contest to vie for awesome cash prizes. There is a fresh theme every round to write sweet micro stories in 100 words or less. While contests are paused at the moment while the editors catch up on past months, it’s definitely a great publication to keep an eye on.
According to Duotrope, this market has about an 8% acceptance rate, with a 42 day response rate.
I was lucky enough to tie for first place in the September issue, which you can read for free here!
2. The Citron Review

This “zesty” magazine comes out four times a year and celebrates short lit. It’s a tasty selection of all things tiny that goes all the way back to 2009!
You can read their brand-new winter issue on their website for free!
Submission tips:
- According to Duotrope, it’s best to submit to this market early in the month. The Citron Review will close to submissions when they reach their monthly submission quota.
- This market ranks in Duotrope’s top 25 most challenging markets for poetry and nonfiction.
- Citron has an acceptance rate of about 2%, with a response rate of about 40 days.
- Check out their submission page for more info on sharing your micro, flash, nonfiction, and poetry!
3. 50-Word Stories

50-Word Stories publishes two new pieces of micro fiction every day! Stories are exactly fifty words, which can make writing them a delightful challenge. It’s free to submit, and the best story of the month commands a handsome cash prize of $10. I highly recommend subscribing to their daily digest and checking out their creative work at fiftywordstories.com.
This market has a fond place in my heart, as they were the first magazine I ever published with 10 years ago! To honor my decade-long anniversary with the magazine, I recently submitted another story, which was accepted, to my delight. You can read “To My Cat” on their website.
Submission tips:
- Submit only once a month, max.
- This magazine ranks in Duotrope’s top 25 most approachable fiction publishers.
- About 47% of submissions are accepted, with a 25-day response rate.
- On a personal note, it’s a pleasure to work with the editor, Tim.
4. 100 Word Story

I first learned about 100 Word Story through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), since NaNoWriMo Executive Director Grant Faulkner is one of the founders of the publication. Stories are exactly 100 words. There’s something about the exactness of 100 words that hits my micro fiction sweet spot.
I just love what they have to say about why 100 words make the perfect micro brew:
One hundred seems perfect. Itās the basis of percentages, the perfect test score, the boiling point of water (Celsius), purity. Pythagoreans considered 100 as divine because it is the square (10 x 10) of the divine decad (10). Even a Scrabble set has 100 tiles… The whole is a part and the part is a whole. The 100-word format forces the writer to question each word, to reckon with Flaubertās mot juste in a way that even most flash fiction doesnāt. At the same time the brevity of the form allows the writer āto keep a story free from explanation,ā as Walter Benjamin wrote.
About 100 Word Story
It’s tremendously fun to read stories on the site, and the magazine has also published a book of 100 100-word stories that is worth perusal.
Also, if you’re looking for inspiration, check out their monthly photo prompt contest!
Submission Tips:
- This market does charge a $2 fee, and there is no payment for publication.
- The next submission window is March 1-7. They have short submission windows because they fill up fast, so be sure to mark your calendar!
- Their acceptance rate is about 6%, with about a 47 day response time.
5. Wigleaf

I’m completely obsessed with Wigleaf! Ever since the wonderful Joy Baglio, Director and Founder of Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop, turned me onto this magazine, I’ve been a fan. (You can check our Joy Baglio’s awesome short that made the top 50 Wigleaf stories in 2017 here.)
They publish delightful short stories of 1000 words or fewer, which puts them on the micro and flash fiction cusp. They just have a fantastic selection of quirky, delightful stories that stick to your ribs and make you think!
You can read their magazine for free, including their top 50 stories each year: wigleaf.com.
Submission tips:
- Wigleaf is open to subs during the final week of each academic month, except December. In other words, they are open the final weeks of August, September, October, November, January, February, and March. They do not publish during the summer.
- Their acceptance rate is about 5%, with a 140 day response time.
It’s Always a Good Day to Write Micro Fiction
Sometimes, when I have writer’s block, I’ll turn to reading (and then hopefully, writing!) micro fiction. It’s a great way to get the juices flowing with a story you can turn out during your coffee break or even typed into your phone on a walk.
Do you enjoy writing micro fiction? Where are your favorite places to read and submit your own work? Let us know in the comments below!