Six Questions for Victor Morrison, Editor, Wrong Turn Lit

Wrong Turn Lit publishes fiction and creative non-fiction to 1,000 words. “Mission: To publish based on the quality of story and language above all else.” Read the complete guidelines here.

SQF: Why did you start this magazine?

Victor Morrison: We wanted to provide a space for unapologetically good prose without regard to an author’s identity. We have no quotas, tokens, agendas, or what have you. We just want the best you can do within 1,000 words. Truly, that’s it.

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

VM: For both fiction and nonfiction, we’re looking for style, surprise, and superb sentences. Work with unique style stands apart and makes us feel confident the writer knows what they’re doing and has cultivated a strong voice to tell the story. We also want surprise—not necessarily by way of plot twists, but rather unexpectedness as to where the story goes. We love writers who take risks. If those first two are nailed, and the piece has some stand-out sentences, it’s likely to be a serious contender.

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

VM: We most revile preachiness. A good story should speak for itself without the author saying, in one form or another, “this is what I want you to think” or “this is what the story is about.”

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

VM: We look for a reason to keep reading. Moreover, is the language clean and the momentum there? There really isn’t a lot of time to grab the reader’s attention in flash fiction, so it needs to start moving right away.

SQF: Submission Guidelines are so boring. Is it really necessary to read them?

VM:  It is if you want to be sure we’ll consider your story. You don’t need to memorize every single guideline, but make sure you’re not submitting a 2,000-word story when our cap is 1,000 or submitting poetry as we only publish prose.

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

VM: What’s your editorial process like?

Too many magazines, especially online journals, accept pieces “as is,” make no editorial comments whatsoever, and move on to the next piece. We are not like that at all. We want to work with a writer to make the piece reach its full potential. That may mean two, three, or even more passes back and forth with one of our editors. An editor’s job is to unlock the writer’s potential. If you’re uncomfortable or unwilling to work through that process, we’re not the journal for you.

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