HEAVY ARE THE YEARS
Submissions Open
May 1st - 31st
Time is constant and ever present. But what does that mean to an immortal, to an elderly retiree suddenly on a quest meant for someone half their age, or even to an otherworldly being with responsibilities that stretch over a millenia?
Heavy Are The Years is an illustrated story collection about the weight of time on our minds, our bodies, and our souls. Is it a slow crush of despair under an endless toil? Looking back over decades of a well-lived life? The regrets of missing out, or the joys of discovering something new and unexpected? We want to see your interpretation of this theme and what time means to you.
Guidelines
Writers
We are looking for completed and unpublished manuscripts between 15k-25k words in length, and formatted in 12pt Times New Roman font.
These stories must be speculative fiction (as in, it must have some element of the fantastical. It can be sci-fi, fantasy, horror, a genre mash-up, or something not-quite-defined, as long as it’s got some zing to it.)
The stories should be written for a general adult audience in mind. Sex in your story is fine, but should not be the main element.
Content warnings must be provided for any stories with extreme violence, violence fueled by hate (racism, sexism, transphobia, etc), rape, and body horror. None of these will exclude a story, but we do need to be prepared before reading it.
Absolutely no use of generative AI is allowed at any point in the making of your submitted manuscript. If you do so and are found out, your work will be disqualified.
Payment will be $0.05 per word, plus royalties, upon successful crowdfunding.
Artists
We are looking for artists interested in drawing about 3-5 black & white spot illustrations to pair with the stories.
Portfolio samples are required. They do not need to be in black and white, but we recommend that they show an illustrative style.
Absolutely no use of generative AI is allowed at any point in the making of your submitted artwork. If you do so and are found out, your work will be disqualified.
Payment will be $100 per illustration, plus royalties, upon successful crowdfunding.
