Pre-Submission preparation -- Are you ready for CORVIDAE and SCARECROW?

By Rhonda Parrish.

Submissions are opening up very soon for Scarecrow and Corvidae, and I’m so excited. One of my favourite parts of editing an anthology is getting to read all the fantastic stories that are sent my way. 

I see on social media that some people are just waiting for the calendar to flip over so they can hit the send button on their submissions, but I assume just as many people are in much earlier stages of their process. So here’s a sneak peek into what I’m thinking and looking for heading into this reading period:

• For both books I want to cover as wide a spectrum in themes, moods and voices as I possibly can. I want frightening corvids and goofy ones, wise scarecrows and menacing ones and everything in between.

• I want stories set in unique and interesting times and places because they couldn’t take place anywhere else. Lush settings that feel immersive and real.

• Give me characters with dimension.
  

• An hour after I finish your story and walk away will I be able to recall the characters with any detail? Are you sure? I’m going to be reading dozens and dozens of stories, make yours stand out.
  

• Please remember the anthology is called Corvidae, not Crows. I do want crow stories, but I also want to cover as many different birds within that family as possible. I want magpies, blue jays, treepies, choughs, rooks, nuthatches… see what I’m saying? The whole Corvidae family, not just the Corvus genus within it.
  

My wishlists include...

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For both titles:

• A steampunk story and/or dieselpunk story.
• War story. Bonus points if it’s the Great War.
• A magic realism story.
• Something set in Asia*.
• Something creepy.
• Something that makes me laugh.
• Something that makes me cry.
  

For Corvidae:

• A story featuring a nest made from some sort of unusual material the/a bird has scavenged.
• A story where the bird fashions and/or uses an unusual tool.
• In our reality corvids inhabit every continent except Antarctica, so I’d love to see an Arctic/Antarctic story for Corvidae. Because.
  

For Scarecrow:

• At least one story where the scarecrow isn’t man-shaped.
• A story where the scarecrow is not stuffed with straw (or blood, or a corpse). Surprise me.
• Scarecrows in space! C’mon, you know you wanna…
  

These lists are meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive. I want to try and help out a bit if you find yourself saying, “I’d really like to submit to those anthologies but I haven’t any idea where to start!” Please don’t read this and say, “Well, none of those describe my story, so I won’t even bother.” because really, the best submission of all is going to be the one that gives me something I didn’t even think to ask for, because it’s new and unique. 

Make me care about your characters, vanish into your setting or fall in love with your prose and you’ll be a shoe-in for my short list.

*I chose Asia specifically because I’m intrigued by Kuebiko from Japanese mythology. I would give bonus points to anyone who creates their own mythology as well. :)

Full anthology submission guidelines here.

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Rhonda Parrish is a master procrastinator and nap connoisseur but despite that she somehow manages a full professional life. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief ofNiteblade Magazine for over five years now (which is like 25 years in internet time) and is the editor of the forthcoming benefit anthology, Metastasis. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing. Her website, updated weekly, is at rhondaparrish.com

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