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You want the Patriots in the Super Bowl, trust me

Every Patriots Super Bowl has been a classic. Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through the legacy of the greatest NFL franchise

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Published on January 27, 2026 19:07

The Sky Never Changes

This short story was originally published in The 45th Parallel, where it took second in a Science Fiction competition

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Published on January 15, 2026 06:12

Write for Up To Spec

Up To Spec banner image. Picture created by author. Photos included by author

Are you an avid science fiction or fantasy reader? Do you nerd out about deep topics related to those genres? Then you might be the perfect writer for Up To Spec.

Be sure to check back here to see if Up To Spec is open for unsolicited submissions.

Up To Spec is currently open!

What we’re looking for

We love a well formatted essay. Which is to say, your submission should have something to say. It doesn’t have to be an in-depth analysis of a meaty subject. Sure, we love the dissection of nationalism in modern epic fantasy, but “Why I think the robot from Hitchhiker’s Guide could beat Wall-E in a fight” could be just as interesting.

All that matters is that your story is related to speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, etc.). The media doesn’t matter. We lean more towards books, but a good discussion of movies, shows, comics, manga or more fit the bill too.

It can be about the content or the people behind it. Do you write science fiction? We’d love to get read about your experience!

No AI generated submissions

We could discuss this all day, but we’re just not interested in stories that weren’t written by a human. Submitting AI generated content will land you on the block list.

What we’re NOT looking for

Book/comic/TV show reviews.

There are a ton of places to write reviews on the internet. Frankly, reviews don’t do especially well on Medium.

That being said, a review of a book can be a part of your article (getting your thoughts on a book can grant a lot of context). But it shouldn’t be the only substance to your submission.

We don’t have anything against listicles (i.e. “Top 5 Gaelic-inspired Fantasy Series”), but there needs to be a special element to the list. “Best Comics of All Time” probably isn’t something we’d publish. But if you’ve worked in the comics industry for 20 years, then your personal take might be interesting!

When are we open?

Come back to this article to see if we’re currently open! We may temporarily close if there are too many submissions in the pipeline.

How to submit

Follow us on Medium!

In your article or on your stories page, click the 3-dot-menu and select “Submit to publication.” You should see Up to Spec under your “Following” tab.

Screenshot of submissions screen on Medium

If we don’t appear, it might be that we’re temporarily closed. Check back here to see when we’ll open again!

Use Topics

Topics are the best way to share your work on Medium. Adding meaningful, accurate topics are the best way to attract readers. Be sure to use all 5 (we can help if you’re not sure what to use)!

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments to this article.

Write for Up To Spec was originally published in Up To Spec on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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Published on December 19, 2025 10:36