Submission Assistance For Writers
I’ve put together some notes to help writers produce great stories for readers. Here’s what you need to keep in mind before submitting…
Photo by Thom Holmes on Unsplash
I’ve put together some notes to help writers produce great stories for readers. Here’s what you need to keep in mind before submitting your piece to The Creative Mind.
I could have added another 500 words to the submission guidelines but then there would be a fair chance these tips would be lost in the detail. So I figured I’d pen a short article instead. These tips are designed to help you write better stories and get curated. I also clarify what happens when you make a submission.
Not read the guidelines yet? Read the Submission Guidelines
My Overwhelming Objective
My main objective for The Creative Mind is that it can become a primary readers’ resource for the best articles on the Art & Science of Creativity on Medium and beyond. The way that happens is by inviting the best writers I can find, people like you, experts in their chosen domain to write great articles. Now, to avoid the risk of courting incincerity I’ll spare you any further flattery.
You’re a solid writer and you know your stuff, I just want to help you create the best article possible. I also want to make sure our readers get a quality read. I want them to access material that they can digest and apply after they leave here.
You may already have a good writing practice going, so see the following as just a reminder.
Things To Remember and Include In Your Article
The following elements are essential for your article to be accepted. Use this as a checklist before submitting.
Curation by Medium — As a writer on Medium, one of your main goals should be to achieve curation. That means you have taken care of all elements necessary to meet Medium’s curation guidelines. Once you do and you pen a great story, you can achieve broader exposure. The following will help you meet some of these criteria.
Your Profile — Make sure your Medium profile is complete.
Use a Large Main Image — Using the image search function in the editor window, add a featured image to your piece. Add a credit link if not already there, and add alt text. If you click on your image you’ll see an option “add alt text”. In the alt text field, explain in short what’s in the image.
Main Heading — Use the main heading to tell the reader what they will find in the article. Try to be concise and descriptive. Ask yourself; what will the reader gain from reading your piece?
Sub Heading — The sub-heading further elaborates on your heading and acts as a teaser. Use the sub-head to introduce your piece and build anticipation.
Tell A Story — Medium curators love stories. If you use a personal example in the lead-in to your piece, to set the stage so to speak, you’ll capture the reader’s interest and the curators.
Format for Reading — Unless you’re writing an essay, use formatting for reading. In other words, use paragraphs, bullets, numbering, quotes, bold text etc. to break up your content into readable chunks. Essays don’t necessarily need much formatting.
Solid References – Go deep. Look for the direct reference such as the book title & author, research paper (with PDF link if possible), source web page etc. If using in text citation and ref section, use APA style. Avoid Wikipedia references.
Conclude Your Main Point — Form a conclusion, action step of takeaway for the reader. Tell them how they can apply your advice or analysis in their everyday life and work.
Say Thanks — At the bottom of your article, thank the reader and invite them to connect with you further. Add a link to your upscribe form if you have one.
The Don’ts — No plagiarism, no adverts, no affiliate links, no expletives, no donation requests, no selling, no prejudice, no pseudo-vulnerability.
What Happens After You Submit Your Article
A couple of things happens after you submit your article to The Creative Mind, the extent of which will depend on the article.
I’ll check for the above items. If there’s too much work for me to do on your article I’ll send you a private note explaining why it can’t be published.
I’ll run a copy edit on your article to tighten up any spelling and grammar errors. This is a light edit that may result in minor changes
I set the publishing within the next 24 hours. Articles from any single author will be spaced 48 hours apart.
I’ll share your article and offer some applause (of course).
You should share your article with your followers and email list too.
Every Saturday, a summary of articles from the previous week will go to all subscribers of The Creative Mind.
Final note: The Partner Program
If you’re not already in the Medium Partner Program, you need to join. Medium only curates articles from writers in the partner program. So if you’re not in, your chance of exposure is minimal.
Published articles from writers in the Medium Partner Program will have publishing preference on The Creative Mind.
That’s all I’ve got.
Any questions, drop me a comment below or a private message anywhere in this article.
Gluc! Larry