Tangled Web Magazine publishes fiction to 5,000 words, nonfiction, and artwork. “Tangled Web Magazine is a speculative fiction and Tartan Noir magazine featuring dark, twisty stories that explore the tangled web of our lives.” Read the complete guidelines here.
SQF: Why did you start this magazine?
Craig & Julie: I suspect this will be a common response, but it came from my own writing and submissions. I noticed that while literary mags abound, few were a great fit for my work. In Scotland, we have Shoreline of Infinity, which is a tremendous science fiction magazine, but there are – or, I should say, were – no platforms for darker speculative fiction and absolutely nothing specifically for Scottish crime fiction.
I could have just shrugged and got on with it. That would have been the simple and easy response. Instead, I started chatting with some friends about launching our own literary mag. One that brought together our great loves – speculative and crime fiction, particularly Scottish crime fiction (otherwise known as Tartan Noir).
A few discussions over wine mixed with a, 'stuff it, let's do this' attitude, and here we are with our very own lit mag.
SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?
C&J: This is a great question and not an easy one to answer. There are so many factors that make a story stand out, and sometimes it's hard to say why you immediately like a piece. With that said, here are the three things we consciously look for:
We're after stories that launch us straight into the action, where we understand quickly what the protagonist wants, what scares them, and the challenge they face.
Something with a lot of foreshadowing that hits us with a twist or something shocking will grab our attention.
Stories with a strong voice always get a sympathetic read. In other words, if you've got likeable characters, conflict, an interesting concept, and excellent dialogue, then great – but you can get away with slipping on some of those if you've got a unique, raw voice.
It's that third point that's most important. Nearly every submission we receive is well written, most are a good read, and all have developed characters. We'll often agonise over which stories to accept or not. But the ones that go straight into the acceptance pile are those with a strong voice – a story that simply couldn't have been written by anyone else.
I'm a big fan of Tade Thompson and the voice that is laced throughout his writing is exactly what I'm talking about.
SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?
C&J: A stream of exposition at the beginning of the story, where I'm still wondering what is going on three or four paragraphs in. This is the number one reason we reject a story. A second issue is clunky dialogue. This isn't common, but we do come across stories where the dialogue is either exposition dumps, or just doesn't feel natural and pulls us out of the story.
Those two issues will result in a rejection.
The most common issue we come across, though, is stories that don't really go anywhere. We have the interesting characters, the hook, even a strong voice, but the story flattens and is left unresolved. Don't get me wrong, we don't need or even want everything neatly tied together, but something needs to happen for a short story to work for our magazine.
SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s) of a submission?
C&J: A clear hook that introduces us to the protagonist and, preferably, gives us an idea of the central conflict in the story. If the first paragraph can give us an interesting inciting incident, clarity on the protagonist and their motivations, and draw us in with a strong voice, then you're on to a winner with us.
SQF: If Tangled Web Magazine had a theme song, what would if be and why?
C&J: It would have to be something melancholic. Let's go with Riverside by Agnes Obel. I've just put it on and yep, that's exactly the atmosphere we're trying to create with Tangled Web Magazine.
SQF: What one question on this topic do you wish I'd asked that I didn't? And how would you answer it?
C&J: This is something I wanted to know as a writer: When a magazine sends a rejection, should I believe their kind words about my story or are they just being nice?
I can only speak for Tangled Web Magazine, but we are completely genuine in our responses. When we say we found much to admire in your work, then we did. When we say we liked your story or enjoyed reading your piece, that's true. When we say we'd love to read more of your work, then we would.
If a story really doesn't work for us, we thank the writer for sending in their work but we don't add any of these other comments.
The reality is the vast majority of what gets sent our way is excellent. It's often a hard call, and we pass on lots of great stories that simply aren't a strong fit for our mag.
So please, when you get a nice rejection, know that it's heartfelt, genuine, and we really are rooting for you.
Thank you, Craig and Julie. We all appreciate your taking time from your busy schedule to participate in this project.
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