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What are short story magazines looking for in a short story?

I have read these magazines, sent away for writing guidelines but my stories are still being rejected. They never give feedback and I am beginning to wonder if my stories worth writing. I read a number of writing magazines and have a degree in English Lit. Where am I going wrong? Some of the stories I have read in the magazines a re rubbish! Thanks to all three of you for your advice and thanks for the web link, Karina.

Public Comments

1. I don't think there's an easy answer. Sometimes the story just might not fit with the editor's view of the magazine's "vision". Or - and please don't take this personally - your story might not be up to par. In my opinion, the best "guideline" to writing good short stories is to read, analyze and learn from great short stories. A Norton Anthology of Short Stories would be a great place to begin. Also, keeping a journal really helps hone your skills. Whatever you do, don't give up writing!
2. Hi, Get a copy of the Writers and Artists yearbook - invaluable tool for us writers. Sometimes they won't publish someone who has not been published before - I know, I know it's a bit of a catch 22. Apply to E-zines and competitions extensively - once you have started to get some interest put your previous competition winners or e-zine publications in the letter of submission. Also get your work on Bebo Authors page for reviews, I was approached by an e-zine about a piece of my work on there and it will be in the next issue. Best Wishes Kez x
3. It's a competative field. Your writing and story has to be of high standard before getting accepted for publication. Not everyone can write a story, whether or not they think they can. If you're certain that your piece is edited well and the best it can be, then here's a link for a database of magazines that accept short stories. Best of luck and remember rejections are all part of the process.
4. You can practice your fiction writing craft by publishing yourself for free on sites like stormash.com. You can also get valuable feedback from some very talented writers, and also earn a few bucks, and maybe win a writing contest.
5. Try putting your stories on Helium.com. They take short stories of all types. Just go to www.helium.com for all the information. I know what you're going through.Each magazine has its own submission guidelines and topics that they want and you have to follow them to the T. I write mainly about Hollywood, pop culture, celebrities, movies, television, music, travel, and working in the call centers. I have sent them to the various literary magazines, and they all got rejected. I now realize that they are not the right markets for my stories. Let's face it; these literary magazines don't want anything about the Hollywood night scene. My genre is Hollywood and pop culture. What type of stories do you write? You need to search for magazines that takes your type of story. For example, if you write literary stories, you can certainly submit them to the literary magazines. But what if you write romance, horror, or childrens' stories? You have to find the right magazine for them. Try checking the Short Story Writers' Market, or like I said earlier, try putting in Helium.com. You can also enter your stories in the Writers' Journal's Write-to-Win, Fiction, Short Story, Horror, and Romance contests, as well as the Writer's Digest's contests, such as the Short Short Story and the Writer's competition. In fact, you can get them into several other contests as well. Good luck to you and don't give up. I know that it's hard, but you just have to find the right markets for your stories. You'll get published one day; just hang in there and then one day, you will be published.
6. "Short Stories" are actually "Shot Stories". If you hit the "Shot" well, your story will be published.