My March newsletter includes a preview of a new Charlie Fish story, a competition for a free critique, and then it gets political. You can sign up for the monthly Fiction on the Web newsletters on Patreon: patreon.com/charliefish
Watched Murder Mystery on Netflix. A paint-by-numbers murder mystery that was nonetheless very entertaining, thanks to the contrast between the slick billionaire-inheritance-feud setting and the bumbling everyday couple played by Aniston and Sandler. A few laugh-out-loud moments.
Rewatched Beauty and the Beast, in which Disney plays out the toxic ideology of the manosphere. The Beast and Gaston model two of the most harmful stereotypes of masculinity, while Belle plays along meekly - and women are otherwise largely absent. Great music tho.
Out of the 4,000+ active literary mags listed on Chill Subs and Duotrope, how many 1. Are free to submit to; 2. Pay authors; 3. Get reader comments; and 4. Give feedback on all submissions? Two. Just 2 out of 4,000+ do all that. Including, of course, Fiction on the Web. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk
I thought that was Jean-Pierre Jeunet but just looked it up and that was a different Alien movie.
I remember Panic Room being a perfectly serviceable movie, but it has been 25+ years since I saw it.
Fincher did an Alien movie?!
IMHO the only disappointment I can think of from him was The Killer.
It holds up well.
Rewatched this thriller about a businessman whose ordered existence is invaded when he gets involved in an extreme immersive "game". The 90s had all the best edgy popcorn thrillers - prove me wrong. Second-tier Fincher, which is high praise considering he's directed some of my favourite movies.
Rewatched Big Hero 6. A robot nerd gets caught up in a homicidal industrial espionage plot. The kids have been on an animated Disney binge, and I’ve enjoyed rewatching some with them. This movie, with its thrilling near-future tech feel and lovable Baymax robot, seems underrated in the Disney canon.
A literary magazine that's free to submit, pays its authors, and offers free feedback on every single submission? Fiction on the Web. Submit your short story now in one of six different genres: literary, humour, crime, horror, science fiction and fantasy. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/submission...
Welcome to the latest additions to the team of Fiction on the Web volunteer readers, Joanna Constandache, Sage Brown and Kimberley B Hayes. FotW's readers are from all across the globe, from California to Romania to Pakistan. I couldn't do it without them! ❤️
Testimonials for the Fiction on the Web critique service:
- Very well worth the money. I've paid more for a less detailed critique.
- I now use this service regularly. The editor I work with pushes me to deepen my characters and clarify my plot. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/critique-s...
Fiction on the Web received 249 submissions in January, and 250 in February. Of those, we accepted 31 (6.2%). Interestingly, Chill subs overestimates our acceptance rate at 16.2%, and Duotrope underestimates it at 5.0%.
I took a shelfie. What do you think of these bookshelves, cool or chaotic?
I only discovered this year that there's a huge annual conference for literary magazines (www.clmp.org/event/2026-a...). I love that Americans take this stuff so seriously. I can't imagine going to such a highfalutin literary event for li'l ol' Fiction on the Web!
Have you ever tried getting a professional critique for your short story? It's a surprisingly affordable way to make a big positive difference to your writing. www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/critique-s...
Rewatched Aladdin with the kids. Still one of my fave movies. I was being such a dad about it - pointing out that the computer-assisted animation in the magic carpet escape scene was mind-blowing in 1992. My youngest couldn't believe that Mum and I hung out with one of the writers!
Rewatched Silence of the Lambs, with my 14yo daughter. Such a tense movie - she was hiding her eyes at one point! FBI agent-in-training Clarice Starling is sent to consult with a psychopathic psychiatrist to help hunt down a serial killer. Hopkins and Foster both turn in perfect performances.
Emphatic reader comments on Monday's very short story at Fiction on the Web: "WOW! Powerful!! I’ll never forget this story." "Mr. Leahy has created from whole cloth an absorbing narrative of post-mortem sentience." "Beautiful work. Thank you for sharing." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2026/02/eleg...
Bill Tope's brand new literary magazine is open for submissions of stories up to 6,000 words. Reprints considered. topiary.code.blog/submissions/
96% of books published by the big five publishing houses sell fewer than 1,000 copies. (2:02 to 3:35 in this video about how to get your short stories published) www.patreon.com/posts/june-u...
Reader comments on Friday's sentimental sci-fi short story: "It's a sci-fi baseball love story! Love the contrast between their dull research, and the excitement and unpredictability of the game." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2026/02/time...
Reader comments on Wednesday's short story: "Wow. The avoidance of looking at oneself is powerfully depicted in this story." "I loved this story. I’m sure it will speak to many people. The ending is perfect." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2026/02/bloo...
Bill Tope has started his own brand new literary magazine called Topiary Stories, which has an open call for submissions of short stories up to 6,000 words: topiary.code.blog
A reader comment from Monday's epic short story about a proud American trucker who goes on the lam: "This is one of those short stories that, after you finish it, leaves you feeling like you just read a novel... A very good story." www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/2026/02/ruin...
Watched Come and See (free on YouTube). 1985 Soviet movie about a 16-year old fighting in Byelorussia during WWII. Extremely unglamorous, with a cast of non-actors that lend a chilling authenticity. Kravchenko's performance is incredible, starting fresh-faced, transforming into a dessicated shell.
I #AmReading Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov. Skewers the Russian landed gentry of the time (1850s) who had the privilege to be pathologically lazy. It's amusing, but not where I'd recommend starting if you want to get deeper into Russian lit. (I'd recommend The Master and Margarita, much more fun!)
I watched Small Prophets (BBC iPlayer series). A lonely man incubates homunculi in his garden shed. Gentle deadpan British humour, with a compelling central mystery, wonderful quirky characterisations, and a satisfying story arc in six short episodes. Perfect telly. I loved it.
I wrote a story about the terrible USA healthcare system. Of the top 33 developed countries, only one has no universal healthcare: USA. Guess which of those 33 has the shortest average life expectancy? USA. Guess which government spends the most on healthcare? USA. themetaworker.com/2024/09/16/v...
