Deadline: March 31st, 2018
Payment: 7c p/w up to 7K – 5c p/w for stories longer than 7K

Edited by Lynne Jamneck

Publisher: Dark Regions Press

 

What are we doing?

Where are we going?

What will we find?

Though some among us have realised the importance of sustainable living, in the broad sense of everyday life, we still demand too much. Our capitalist dispositions have driven a wedge between ourselves and nature; we have become transfixed by the shine of chrome, the luxury of packaged lives, no longer seemingly aware of the solid earth beneath our feet.

At an ever-advancing tipping point, humanity persists in its war against the natural world. Running a trail of extinction and cutting down vast swathes of oxygen-producing forests, we breed at an alarming pace, overpopulating a planet we seem hell-bent on reigning in – but at what cost? It seems we’re playing a cruel joke on the system that sparked our existence, and which has sustained us ever since.

Or could the joke be on us?

There is something inherently weird in our behaviour toward Nature. Two distinct energies, two conscious mentalities, humanity and the natural world find themselves at loggerheads. Can we be held accountable if – as part of nature ourselves – we are driven by the need for survival, the way all species are? And if the answer is no, should we not anticipate that Nature will do the same?

Force of Nature (working title) will be an anthology of original short fiction that explores the physical and metaphysical boundaries between humanity and the natural world.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Story length: 2500 to 10 000 words

Payment: 7c p/w up to 7K – 5c p/w for stories longer than 7K

Send submissions to: forceofnaturesubs AT gmail DOT com

Please send files in any of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf

Deadline: 31 March 2018

Though our scientific knowledge has increased exponentially alongside technological development, there remains much about the natural world we still do not understand. Stories for Force of Nature should involve nature and the weird at their core; how the author wishes to interpret these themes is entirely up to them. Comedic stories will be a tougher sell but by all means, if you have a story that otherwise fits the guidelines, don’t hesitate to submit it. Try to avoid anything that is overtly cautionary. While the idea for the anthology was significantly inspired by climate change and the impact wrought on the planet by human habits, I don’t want stories that lecture. That said, I’m not opposed to stories in which the human factor gets served the short end of the stick.

While I don’t want a collection full of quiet stories, I will mention here that I am a big fan of the sublime. Wordsworth with a modern sensibility. Or just Wordsworth.

In terms of genre, I have no stipulations. Use a blank canvas and fit your story to the genus that suits it best.

I look forward to reading your work!

Via: Lynne Jamneck’s Blog.