Six Questions for Sandra Ruttan, Editor-in-Chief, Dark Dispatch

Dark Dispatch publishes two-sentence stories, flash fiction (300-999 words), and short stories (2,000 to 5,000 words) in the genres of dark fantasy, science fiction, horror, and crime. Issues are themed. Other materials that may be considered include reviews, news submissions, interviews and guest articles. Read the complete guidelines here.

SQF: Why did you start this magazine?

Sandra Ruttan: I love dark fiction, even if it's fiction that goes to the darkness and then infuses some hope and light. I wanted a venue where I could talk about fiction I'm consuming and invest in other writers. Dark Dispatch offers a way to do both things, and build an audience for dark fiction.

SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?

SR: I'm going to say the hook, engagement, and the conclusion. This is a tough one, because sometimes it's a character you fall in love with or a fantasy world you're bewitched by that sells you on the story, but none of that happens if the writer doesn't get your interest and keep it. I've also had promising stories that fizzled in the end, and that made a difference between an acceptance and a rejection. 

SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?

SR: Another tough question. Probably a writer's attitude. There are a lot of obvious and subtle ways writers betray things about themselves. For example, if a sub call lists the names of the editors, you address your sub to the editors. If you search the site and find the names of any males remotely associated with the venue and address your sub to them, you're telling on yourself. As a woman, I'll be bracing myself for some inherent sexism in a story from someone who skipped my name and sent the submission to my husband. 

I've had writers submit a story and then go on social media and talk about self-publishing it and when it will be available, without withdrawing the submission. That demonstrates a lack of respect for the editor's time and the submission process. If they aren't treating their submission seriously, why should I?

Other writers state bluntly they won't provide requested submission information unless they're accepted. If a writer doesn't agree with your submission guidelines, they don't have to submit material to us. 

Sometimes, that disqualifies you from consideration. And sometimes, there's content in a story that strongly suggests the author's attitude about something that makes me uncomfortable. There are times I've read submissions and felt it in my gut that the author's racist or homophobic, and that their writing's propaganda for those views. That's guaranteed to turn me off. 

SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s) of a submission?

SR: This is, perhaps, the toughest question. An opening paragraph can be a single word or sentence, or several sentences. At times, all have succeeded as brilliant openings, and at other times, all variations have failed. I think it comes down to tone or situation. Sometimes, a single word sets the tone in such a clear way, I'm engaged. Other times, the opening line sets the stakes, and I'm hooked. Clarity is key. The opening's job is to draw me into the world in a way that makes me want to keep reading. If I'm confused, that's less likely to happen.

Examples of great openings:

"My choices that day were twofold: kill myself before or after the Prime Minister's cocktail party? And if after, should I wear my Armani to the party, or the more sober YSL with the chalk stripe?" -  "Herbert in Motion" by Ian Rankin. This is a short story, and it created a lasting impression. You know so much about the protagonist without being told anything. He's connected because he's invited to the PM's cocktail party. And he has fancy clothes. So why is he contemplating suicide? The question is posed without being asked, and immediately, I want to know why this affluent, connected person's thinking about taking their own life.

"When the first crows fall from the sky, the villagers know I'm to blame." - Boneset & Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste. You immediately know the world's broken, something's seriously wrong, and people think our protagonist is at the center of it. It betrays her alienation from the start, setting the tone for the story. 

"Father told me I'm broken." - The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart. What a heartbreaking sentence. There's so much pain wrapped up in this single sentence. Is she really broken? Can she be fixed? I'm hooked.

"Never underestimate the seductive power of a woman who's minding her own business." - "Feast for Small Pieces" by Hailey Piper. These were the first words I read by Hailey Piper in a short story I published a few years ago. They certainly weren't the last words by Piper that I read. I was drawn right into that world with a simple truth. You just know some man not minding his business is going to learn a lesson, and I couldn't wait to see what happened. I'm also a big fan of Piper's opening to "The Law of Conservation of Death." 

"On the fifteenth birthday of your third reincarnation, you feel his breath on your skin.

"New skin, never tainted until now. At once the sky darkens, and balloons, gifts, and cake no longer matter as your lives come rushing back. You've turned fifteen before, but that's the least of it.

"He's found you again." Piper effectively establishes her world with a few sentences, and introduces us to the protagonist's problem. She's being stalked through every reincarnation. Chills me to the bone every time. 

SQF: Many editors list erotica, or sex for sex sake, as hard sells. What are hard sells for your publication?

SR: Gratuitous sex or violence. Frankly, anything that doesn't serve the story shouldn't be there. I love subplots in long fiction, but short stories have to stay focused on the core theme and can't afford to meander. 

SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?

SR: Another editor recently commented on social media, asking people not to reply to rejections. It sparked a lengthy discussion, and I ended up muting some writers. So the question would be:

Should writers reply to rejections? 

The answer is always no. Thank editors for taking the time to read your work when you submit it. Unless they specifically ask you a question or invite you to revise your work and resubmit it, don't reply when you receive a rejection. It isn't rude. Last year, I was processing multiple submissions with high submission levels. One all had 700 submissions alone, and there were three calls. First, every email reply to a rejection that hits your email is a source of stress. So many people argue over submissions, and each time you receive an email, you brace yourself for a personal attack. Then there's the time spent clearing those emails out of our inbox. It's impossible to filter them out because so many writers don't follow submission guidelines, you couldn't possibly create a filter that would catch all the replies. In the past I've asked for writers to put the name of the sub call in the subject line, but it doesn't happen consistently. Then you have people replying to acceptances or sending back edits who could be caught up by the filter. Frankly, I also feel unprofessional if I don't read correspondence I've received. I'm working on giving myself permission not to. 

Replies to rejections are triggering. Most editors aren't paid by the hour, either. And for the writers who insist it's courteous to send that response to a rejection, even if the editor has asked you not to, it isn't. It's selfish. It serves absolutely no good purpose for the editor. Inappropriate responses to rejections are probably the #1 reason a writer ends up on my "reluctant to work with" list. Professional writers follow the submission guidelines, and if they ask you not to reply to rejections, you don't reply, period.

Thank you, Sandra. We all appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.