The Shape of Words

  • girl lounging on green sofa with book

    Send me your short stories! I’m now open to anthology submissions

    I’m delighted to announce that I’m now open to short story submissions for the anthology, Modern Decadent. You can find all the info and guidelines on the submission page. I look forward to reading your work!

    Ariell Cacciola
  • A laptop, notebook, plant, pencils and coffee sitting on a desk

    First page surgery call

    I’m on the lookout for writers who don’t mind sharing the first 300 words of their unpublished novel manuscripts for editorial feedback. This feedback will be public and posted here and promoted on social media. I will provide short editorial feedback on what’s working and what could be improved in those important opening words. This…

    Ariell Cacciola

  • Introducing a new anthology, Modern Decadent

    I’m really pleased to announce that I’m editing the forthcoming anthology, Modern Decadent, for Wild Hunt Books. It has only been announced today, but I’m already feeling that 2027 can’t come soon enough! The anthology will comprise ca. 10 stories that embrace the spirit of the art and literature of the Decadent movement. I’ll be…

    Ariell Cacciola

  • How to format your novel manuscript so an editor actually reads it!

    This post originally appeared on the Wild Hunt Books blog. You wouldn’t expect it, but more often than not, I receive manuscripts that are so strangely formatted that they are just about unreadable. And if that’s the case with yours, it’s a disservice to all the hard work and passion you’ve put into your book.…

    Ariell Cacciola
  • woman walking by brick wall holding a book open over her face

    Are you ready for feedback on your manuscript?

    Your first draft (or second or third) is done and now it’s ready for an editor, right? But are you ready? Continuing on with my general project of demystifying writing and publishing, I thought I’d touch on the subject of feedback: what it’s like working with an editor to shape up your manuscript and whether…

    Ariell Cacciola
  • neon lights on a wall that read we are all made of stories

    Behind the selection process

    This might turn into multi-posts once I’ve finished reading through January’s unagented submissions, but for the time-being, I wanted to give a general idea of what goes behind my process when selecting queries to move onto my long long long list or ultimately, pass on. But before we get to all that, let’s start at…

    Ariell Cacciola