OUR MISSION

Fatal Flaw is a biannual online magazine publishing unexpected, topical writing and photography that considers the world through a cracked lens. We seek work that finds poignancy in unexpected places, confronts the status quo and, most importantly, prompts discussion about the human condition in these uncertain times. Give us fractured inner monologues, messy reckonings, imperfect catharses. Show us the fatal flaw and the beauty inherent within it.

We publish poetry, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, and visual art in themed issues. Reading starts anew with each issue. For announcements on current or upcoming themes, please be sure to monitor our website or social media.

We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds – from the emerging and unpublished to the established – and especially encourage submissions from those who identify as persons of color, multiracial, indigenous, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and anyone belonging to a community of underrepresented voices. We currently offer free submissions to BIPOC and other underrepresented writers and artists in all genres.

CURRENT THEME

Submissions are now open for Fatal Flaw Vol. 12: ARRIVAL!

Submission period: September 20th to November 1st

Theme: ARRIVAL

Whether it’s the physical act of reaching a destination, the emotional journey toward a revelation, or the moment of total transformation, arriving at something (or somewhere) signals that nothing will ever be the same. Is arrival a moment of triumph, a new beginning? Or does it denote an ending, whether welcome or not? How does the experience of arrival shape our understanding of reality—of home, ideology, or our very sense of self?

For our upcoming issue, we invite poetry, fiction, flash, nonfiction, and visual art that explores the theme of ARRIVAL in all its forms. We welcome pieces that examine the tension, joy, uncertainty, or reckoning that comes with crossing thresholds, both literal and metaphorical. Send us your speculative, your bold, your introspective, your uncanny. Transport us into experiences that are personal, universal, or uncharted.

Wherever you plan to take us, we can’t wait to experience it.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions must be sent through Submittable. Unfortunately, due to the amount of work we receive, we are not able to consider or respond to work queried by email.
Please only submit original work that has not been previously published online or in print (including personal blogs and publications like ArtForum, Hyperallergic, etc.). Social media posts, gallery shows, and/or interviews about your work online are fine!
We aim to highlight as many new voices as possible. If you've been published with us before, please wait at least two issues before submitting again.
For Fiction and Nonfiction submissions, we consider work between 1,000 – 7,000 words (though for exceptional work we’ll make exceptions). For Flash Fiction submissions, we consider work between 100 – 1,000 words. For Poetry submissions, we consider up to 3 poems at a time, not to exceed 6 pages total. (Please note that we rarely accept any poem longer than 2 pages.) For Visual Art and Photography submissions, we consider up to 5 pieces per submission, including for photo essays and series.
Please only submit once to one category during each submission period.
Use the theme as a guide, not a restriction.
When formatting prose, please double space, use Times New Roman font and 1" margins, number your pages and include your name and the title of your work on the first page of the document. When formatting poetry, please put all poems into one single-spaced document. Each poem should start on a new page with titles and lines left aligned (unless the poem involves special formatting, in which case, do your thing – we love seeing space on a page reenvisioned). For visual art and photography JPEGs work best for photos, and PDFs for other work. Please submit at 300 dpi for all images. Please include titles or label work(s) as "untitled."
In your cover letter, please include the word count of your piece (for prose, no need to do so for poetry), your name, the title of your work, any relevant previous publications, and any applicable social media links.

WHAT WE LIKE

Strong, sound work that has a concise and consistent voice.
Evocative imagery that surprises and upends our expectations.
Bold in all areas: color, tone, line, shape, character, design, implication
Subversiveness – in your theme, characters, structure, writing style, or all the above.
Writing and storytelling with sharp edges. Take risks in form and content. Test the boundaries of creation.
Surreal, speculative, genre-bending, and experimental writing. We have a soft spot for oddity, but be sure to imbue it with heart.
That being said, realist stories can also win us over. Show us a different, unexpected perspective. What matters most is that it's well written and makes us feel something.
When it comes to visuals or imagery, pretty is ok…but pretty + unexpected will win us over.

WHAT WE DON'T

Sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, anything that even remotely resembles white supremacy, ableism, ageism, plagiarism.
Work that contains explicit violence (and violence for the sake of violence).
Work that veers on the pornographic.
Stories that are really just scenes dressed up as stories (give us that plot and character development!).
Poetry with predictable rhymes.

FAQS

Are simultaneous submissions allowed?

Yes, we encourage them! Just let us know in your cover letter. And if your piece is accepted elsewhere, please let us know as soon as possible by withdrawing your piece (for prose, visual art, and photography) or alerting us via Submittable messaging (for poetry), so that we can congratulate you and remove you from consideration.

How long should I expect to wait for a response?

Submitting to literary journals is a loooong process (we’ve been there, we know). But it’s a pretty time-consuming process on our end too, and we want to give each piece the time and attention it deserves. We typically respond within 3-8 weeks of submission, but please allow 4 months before querying.

Does Fatal Flaw pay its contributors?

Short answer: we would love to. Long answer: as a fledgling journal, we can’t at this time. However, this is something that we are actively working towards. As artists ourselves, it is our firm belief that we should get paid for our creations!

Can I submit an excerpt from my novel?

This is a tricky one. If you think the excerpt or chapter can stand on its own and is relevant to our theme, then send it our way. But our ultimate aim is to showcase poetry, short fiction and nonfiction, so your work may be more applicable to another journal.

Does Fatal Flaw charge for submissions?

We charge a $3 fee to supplement costs of operation. However, we offer free submissions to BIPOC and other underrepresented writers and artists.

Is Fatal Flaw a print journal?

Nope, online only, baby! But who knows what the future holds…

What type of rights does Fatal Flaw retain? And honestly, what does that even mean?

Fatal Flaw retains First Serial Rights, but otherwise the work and the rights belong to you, meaning that we’ll publish it first, but once we do, feel free to include it in that short story collection you’ve been wanting to put together!

We also retain non-exclusive archival rights, which means that you will continue to be able to find and link to your work on our website after the issue’s publication date.

What type of editing do you do once a piece is accepted?

We work closely with writers to sharpen and refine work where needed (really, we just want to help make your piece the best it can be!). Usually, this just means minor copyedits, but occasionally our edits are more substantial. That being said, all final editing decisions are at the discretion of the writer.

As for visual artists and photographers, we may ask you to resize your files upon acceptance in order to abide by our web host's guidelines.