If you are looking to have your story published in a journal or catch the eye of a judge in a literary competition, there are a few tips I can share based on my experience trying to get stories out to the world. Full disclosure: my stories have not been met with a lot of success in this sphere (1-2 formal recognitions to be specific) which is primarily why I turned to self-publishing due to the constraints and wait times that you will typically find with story competitions. However, looking back, there are a few techniques I would have loved to know in advance which I'll share today.
1. Read the mission statements
Each literary magazine/site is looking for pieces with a particular theme, style, or approach which might not be right for you. Don't scroll through a submission pool and click on every entry which reads "Fiction" if you are hoping to share a piece of this genre, since the journal might lean in a direction which does not correlate with your work. Some editors seek radical, eccentric voices when your piece might be classic fiction, for example.
2. Don't depend on one competition
Response times for competitions can sometimes last a few months, so you should definitely not drop a piece and pray for a positive response from one publication. Look for other places that accept simultaneous submissions and make sure to direct your strongest works to the sites that restrict your piece to only one consideration.
3. Send and write regularly
Your voice grows when you write. Regular reading and absorption of new material engenders a parallel increase in vocabulary and flow, so don't stop writing nor submitting. You always want to be on the lookout for new publications without depending on pieces which you wrote multiple years ago.
4. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
If a piece looks like it isn't pleasing multiple editors, don't give up on it. However, don't waste all of your attention and submissions on it. Try to have multiple pieces circulating so that you increase your chances, especially if you follow Tip #1 and correspond your entries with the mission of the journal. Maybe you might have a lot of faith in a particular piece which is lacking potential, which leads me to my final tip...
5. Keep editing!
If you receive feedback from a mentor, an editor, or a friend on a piece, tweak your piece accordingly and then submit it again! Don't assume that a work of literature needs to remain untouched after it is done and that it needs to be submitted in the same form to multiple journals. Even changing one problematic sentence can get you out of trouble. Chances are that you will be forced to do this as you adjust a piece to different word counts, but keep it in mind anyways.
Hopefully you found some of these tips helpful and I wish you the best of luck as you launch yourself into your next submission. Reach out with any questions and I'll be happy to help!
5/16/21