UPDATE: THE SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR THIS ROUND IS CLOSED! BE SURE TO UPVOTE YOUR FAVORITE PITCHES IN THE COMMENTS AND WE’LL SEE YOU ON NOVEMBER 5TH WITH THE FEATURED PITCH AND NEXT ROUND GUIDELINES!
Welcome, Fictionista, to our new community Pitch & Shout challenge! We hope this project will provide a supportive space to share your fiction, find new readers and critique partners, and practice the fine art of pitching your work and the work of others in our community.
We are 4600 strong and growing!
Hook some brand new readers and help them find your best fiction.
Please read all instructions and guidelines before sharing your work. And kindly bear with us as we roll out this project. There may be kinks to work out at the beginning, but our goal is to make this as easy and rewarding as possible for all who choose to participate.
Submitting writers MUST follow all three steps outlined below.
Readers who are not sharing stories this round can jump in at Step Two!
Kindly drop your pitch and Substack story link in the comment section of this post. Comments will remain open from 9:00 AM ET, 10/15/25 until 12:00 PM ET, 10/25/25.
Visit (and revisit) this post and scan the comments for a pitch that really HOOKS you. Follow that link and read the story! And PLEASE let that writer know their pitch was successful by leaving a comment on their post and/or sharing their story with others.
WE DO ASK THAT ALL WRITERS WHO SUBMIT A STORY ALSO READ (LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE) AT LEAST ONE STORY SUBMITTED BY A FELLOW WRITER. HONOR SYSTEM, FOLKS!!! GOOD VIBES THAT GO AROUND, COME BACK AROUND!!!
LET’S PUT INTO THIS COMMUNITY WHAT WE HOPE TO GET OUT OF IT!!
THANK YOU!!
Show support for your favorite pitches by “liking” them in the comments below.
You may continue to vote after the submission window has closed and until the NEXT Pitch & Shout post, scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th, where the MVP (most voted for pitch) will be honorably mentioned.
PLEASE NOTE: In addition to vote totals, adherence to submission guidelines and good vibe reciprocity will also play a role in the selection process.
Stories MUST be published on Substack, but you do not have to be a subscriber to Fictionistas to participate … though we’d like you to be. 🧡
Stories may range from 5 to 5K words. Keep in mind that longer stories may be harder to “sell” to decision-weary eyeballs. Consider an excerpt!
You can write and publish a new story to pitch or pull a favorite from your archive. Your choice!
All genres welcome!
You may pitch more than one story.
Your pitch can be formatted anyway you choose, but MUST contain the following elements:
Title
Word count
Genre
please include trigger warnings if they apply or do not already appear at the top of the post you are sharing - TY💜
Hook
Story link
For tips on crafting an effective pitch, visit our pilot post!
UPDATE: THE SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR THIS ROUND IS CLOSED! BE SURE TO UPVOTE YOUR FAVORITE PITCHES IN THE COMMENTS AND WE’LL SEE YOU ON NOVEMBER 5TH WITH THE FEATURED PITCH AND NEXT ROUND GUIDELINES!
We look forward to reading your stories, and thank you again for your flexibility as we navigate the first round of this challenge!
Please share this post with your fiction writer (and reader) friends!
Best,
The Team at Fictionistas
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