Would that it Were is a delightful journey into "what if". What if there had been aliens at the Comstock mine? What if the disappearance of the Mary Celeste's crew could be explained by time travelers?

Take a journey into the realm of historical science fiction and enjoy stories like these and more.

Navigation buttons along the top of the pages are easy to follow. The site loads quickly and cleanly with a very limited amount of artwork.

The print is small and the color combination of white print on an olive background make reading a bit more difficult than I would like to see. However, content is professional, well written and entertaining so I spent a lot more time on the site than I might have otherwise. (Tip: Increase your browser's text size for an easier read.)

Would that it Were is a paying site. Quote:

Range by length (including non-fiction):
Flash Fiction: <500 words: $0.05 to $0.10 / word up to $50
Short-short: 501-3,000 words: $0.03 to $0.05 / word up to $150.00
Short Stories: 3,001-5,000 words: $0.03 to $0.05 / word up to $250.00
Longer Short Stories: 5,000 - 10,000 words: $0.02 to $0.03 / word up to $300.00 (rare)
Novelettes: over 10,000 words: $0.01 - $0.02 / word or by special arrangement

End Quote.
They do prefer that writers who have not been published with them before submit stories of less than 1500 words.

Submissions must contain an element of science and a tie to the 19th or early 20th century. They must be set in the Industrial Age but not Baroque or Modern. Sub-genres include: Gothic, neo-Lovecraftian, Alternate History (preferably an interesting or lesser known history), and SteamPunk (read William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's Difference Engine for an example of SteamPunk). Stories inspired by Jules Verne or H.G. Wells are also welcome, just remember all subs must include some element of Science Fiction.

 Vernean / Wellsian-inspired  material. You are welcome to submit stories that match the general feel of any of these subgenres of Historical SF.

Guidelines are readily available on the site:
http://www.wouldthatitwere.com/aprjun2002/newdesign/guidelines.html

Take time to visit Would that it Were. I think you'll enjoy the read.

Would that it Were earns 4 1/2 star rating. for quality content, ease of navigation and pay rate.
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