How to Submit Your Stories to the Circle X Ranch "Genre Junction" Ezine

Welcome the "Genre Junction," the ezine of the Circle X Ranch (CXR). Please read the guidelines below to make the most out of your chances of being accepted for publication. A few basics:

1. We are a non-paying publication. We hope to change that in the future, but for now, we are a 'for the love' publication.

2. Circle X Ranch is a family-oriented website with readers of all ages. Keep this in mind when you are writing for us. Stories rated PG-13 to Soft-R have the greatest chance of being accepted. The editors may put an 'explicit' warning on a story if it contains adult content. If an otherwise good story has more sexual or violent content than we are comfortable with, the editors may ask the author to revise and resubmit. Read the content specific sections for more guidance on different types of stories.

3. Send your stories to cxrsubmit@yahoo.com. Cut and paste the entire story into the body of the email. No attachments allowed on slushpile submissions. Attachments will be deleted unopened. Include your real name, pen name (if desired), email address and a phone number in case of email problems. CXR is a "no-spam" zone, your information will go no further than our records. Also include a short blurb about your story, including genre, length and a two-line synopsis. We hope to keep the turnaround to under four weeks.

4. If accepted, you are granting Circle X Ranch exclusive electronic rights for three months and non-exclusive electronic rights for one year. If you attract interest from a paying publication, let us know and we'll remove you from the archives.

5. CXR has no problems with simultaneous submissions, however, please indicate it in your email. CXR also welcomes reprints. Include information about the other publication(s) of the story. Multiple submissions are accepted.

6. The length requirements are fairly strict. Flash fiction is not to exceed 500 words, excluding title, as counted by Microsoft Word. Stories should not exceed 4000 words. For a very good story, we will consider publishing it in two parts of no more than 4000 words each. We will consider proposals for serialized novellas. Email us at cxrsubmit@yahoo.com with your proposal.

7. Absolutely no fan fiction. No characters from movies, TV, books, video games or anywhere else. Your content and characters must be original. This rule is bent a bit in the Round Robin collaborative story, but strictly enforced everywhere else.

8. No plagarism or copyright violations. Material found to be copied or overly derivative will be immediately deleted and the writer barred from our site. By submitting, you are stating that the work is original and you are the owner/creator.

Following are some content suggestions. If these subjects aren't for you, then your stories probably aren't for us.

I subtitled this ezine the "Genre Junction" for a reason. I am a fan of stories full of action and adventure. If you don't know what I mean by genre, consider reading this tongue-in-cheek essay I wrote a couple of years ago. I am the lead editor, so please take the tastes of the publication into consideration when submitting.

1. Horror: Monsters, vampires and things that go ba-whump in the night are welcome. All types of spooky tales except for stories that are overly vague and 'literary' are welcome. Stephen King is our hero. Originality counts and we welcome new takes on the old legends. Keep blood, spatter and gore to a minimum. Again, think PG-13 to Soft-R ratings.

2. Sci-Fi: I tend to prefer sci-fi of the Star Trek, Babylon 5, Space Above and Beyond ilk. Stories of expansion into the universe, often in dark and grungy ways. Don't submit gauzy tales of ephemeral blue winged humanoids cavorting with horse-headed reptiles. Blech! A better classification might be 'science fantasy,' such as Star Wars. Here is a great essay on classifying types of sci-fi stories.

3. Flash Fiction: Five hundred words, not a syllable more. The shorter the tale, the more it will intrigue me.

4. Western: The Circle X Ranch is based on the collectible action figures from the 1965 Johnny West series. We will be looking specifically for Johnny West stories after I get the character biographies finished. However, we are also looking for solid stories set in the wild west. Write historical and contemporary western adventures for children, adults, or the entire family. Westerns have something for everyone.

5. Action-Adventure: This is the wild-card category. Dark and spooky post-apoc stories or hard boiled detective, submit here. Military sagas, political thrillers, cop stories or courtrooms dramas are welcome. Just remember the rules of good genre - conflict and resolution are the crux of the story. Resolution is paramount. You must finish the story.

A few DOs and DON'Ts for submitting:

1. DO proofread. A few typos can be fixed. A monumental editing job is going to be sent back to you - rejected.

2. DON'T rely on adverbs and dialogue tags. A quick route to rejection is to clutter your dialogue with characters that 'weep wearily' and 'drink thirstily.'

3. DO write in active voice rather than passive. Genre is about cut-to-the-chase action.

4. DO cruise around the website a bit. It will give you an idea of our audience and what we are looking for in fiction.