Hello writer,
If you’ve been feeling the itch to write but didn’t know where to start, this is your nudge.
This week at BuildWriting, the focus is simple: write something small, finish it, and (if it’s ready) send it out into the world.
Writing Nudge
Pick one idea. One page. One sitting.
Don’t polish forever. Just finish.
If you need a spark, try this:
Write a short piece that begins after the most important thing has already happened.
“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” — Ray Bradbury
📢 Submission Calls — January & Early February 2026
January Deadlines
1. Split Lip Magazine
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Flash, short stories, memoirs, poetry, art; pop-culture-driven work. Payment: $75 for most categories. (Submissions capped, so send early.)
2. Southword: Journal of New International Writing
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Poetry and short stories (up to 5,000 words). Pays €50 per poem, €300 per story.
3. Salt Hill Journal
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Poetry, fiction, essay, and art for their next issue (open twice a year).
4. Eerie Lullaby
Deadline: January 25, 2026
What they want: Horror, gothic, and dark fiction (up to 1,000 words). Payment: $5.
5. Stygian Lepus Magazine
Deadline: January 25, 2026
What they want: Dark speculative fiction; paying market.
6. Nightmare
Deadline: January 26, 2026
What they want: BIPOC-writer focused dark fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Payment varies by genre.
7. Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit (Duotrope Drabble Call)
Deadline: January 30, 2026
What they want: 100-word drabbles featuring the word “rabbit” three times. Payment: $1.
8. After Happy Hour Review
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, comics, and art. Pays per published page.
9. Double Dutch Magazine
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Poetry, music-inspired work, and art. Payment: $50.
10. FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Speculative fiction and poetry by writers of African descent. Pays by word or piece.
11. Event Magazine
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Poetry and fiction; payment per page.
12. The Fiddlehead
Deadline: January 31, 2026
What they want: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. Payment: $60 CAD/page.
BuildWriting Tip
Submissions are not a verdict on your talent.
They’re a practice.
Each one makes the next easier.
If you submit something this week, you’re already doing the work most writers only think about.
Keep writing. Keep sending.
You’re closer than you think.
One more thing: I’m doing a micro-fiction challenge this month, and I’ll be sharing a progress update in next Monday’s newsletter — what I’ve written, what surprised me, and what I’m learning along the way.
— BuildWriting
P.S. If you want weekly prompts, submission opportunities, and honest craft talk, you’re exactly where you need to be.