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| Writing about bad things... |
| Bad Things Weekly |
| crime stories - true crime - noir - hard boiled - bad-ass verse |
| Archives |
| ...Emilio was here... |
| Emis was here. |
| Stayin' In Vegas |
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For Sale: American
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| Why not be another brick in our wall? We'll never SPAM YOU for supporting us! |
1. About Adjectives and Adverbs:
We hate them. So before you submit, hard-look your piece. Did you contaminate it with adjectives and adverbs? If so, fix it. We
want imagery that breathes like a black cat panting on a newborn, (not a scary feline); narration that bristles our nose hairs and
pinches our vitals; writing that is smart enough that we don't need to read, “He said smartly...”; or “She winked seductively...” And
remember, people stand, they don't stand up.
2. About Voice:
Be bold. Involve the reader. Voice and action, Jack. Verbs should hit like a shiv to the spine-bone; dialog and imagery should
remind us of that ass at the office who's cubicle smells like arm-pit or the oaf that used to bully us in the hall in high school --
characters we can relate to (or at least want to kill). Not author voice; and certainly not trite dialog.
3. The Rules:
Flash Fiction: 800 words MAX. Voice and action are king. Crime and Noir are our favorites, but we are open minded. Good story,
strong characters always have a place. (Keep in mind, the best flash fiction has a present, a sense of a past and hints of a future.)
Short Stories: 2,000 words MAX. Again, move the story forward. Strong VOICE.
Amusing Essays: 1,000 words MAX. “Amusing” does not always mean funny. Give it a good voice and anger someone... Rants are
fine as long as they don't come off like nails on a chalkboard. (Remember, piss someone off or please'em. The middle ground is
boring).
Free Verse: We dig free verse. We don't dig lovesick angst or gratuitous violence. Read some of the Train Wreck's bad-ass swill
and you might get an idea.
4. General Stuff:
(a.) Violence and poopy words are fine. Gratuitous use is NOT. Be smart. Well-placed ouchy bombs and violence add flavor to a
piece, but over-use only blunts their effectiveness.
(b.) If submitting, please become a fan of BAD THINGS MAGAZINE on Facebook. It is not an obligation or prerequisite to getting
published, but it helps YOU to get readers to come to this site.
(c.) We do not EVER sell any private information.
(d.) We do not want your swill for our own personal gain. Your work is your work and that's where it ends.
