Submission Guidelines
- Submission Format: Universal Manuscript Format, MS Word format, double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 in margins, heading with name, address, email, website (if applicable), and phone number on page one. Page two and forward should have in the top right corner your last name and page number. See “Universal Manuscript Format” under RESOURCES to the right.
- Revise: Please make sure that the draft you are submitting is the best you can make it. Follow the 1st, 2nd and 3rd draft techniques below. I’d rather you take two or three weeks to perfect your draft than to send a rushed draft within a single week.
- First Draft: As you write the first draft, let your creativity go where it needs to go. First drafts are meant to be messy and creatively uninhibited. After writing the first draft, lay it to the side for at least a day before revising.
- Second Draft: Read through again, and revise for language and lyricism. Remember, we don’t answer questions for our readers, we simply prompt our readers to ask good questions. Giving our readers room to make meaning for themselves within our narratives is a sign of artistic and literary excellence. Now, lay the work aside for at least a day before your next revision.
- Third Draft: Now read this revision aloud to a trusted “listener” or as you record yourself. Consider any language issues in your revision. You might also ask a trusted reader to read the manuscript aloud to you as you sit with your own copy and make revisions. Hearing our language aloud is one of the quickest and surest ways to improve pacing, tone, cadence and linguistic lyricism.