Polytheist Problems, Submission Guidelines

Rules for submitting your story

( Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash )

Are you interested in writing for Polytheist Problems? We are always open to a variety of voices, guidance, and assistance from within the community!

This publication began as a way for me to collect a series of advice that I didn’t want to gloss over. Topics about deities, discretion, and worship all vary from person-to-person, and it’s important to make people feel included within the community despite the secularity of our faiths.

As I am only one person, I am more than willing to open the doors to other polytheists and people-of-faith, and I believe that everybody can hold advice that is useful to the community. The more voices, the better!

The rules are a bit specific, but only to ensure quality content. We strive to be kind, considerate and welcoming above all else. If you are interested in writing for us, please take time to read all of the rules and feel free to reach out if you have any questions (my email is listed at the bottom of the page).

Religion Stories

On the topic of religion, we are looking for stories centered around:

• Worship
• Faith
• Spirituality
• Deities*
• Modern Myths (fiction)*

Occult Stories *

I see the occult and paganism as two tools that combine easily. We accept occult stories that fall under the following topics:

• Divination
• Spirits/Ghosts
• Witchcraft

Regarding topics with a (*), please see separate guidelines below.

The Rules

1. Zero tolerance for hate of any kind.
2. People of all faiths are welcome (even monotheists).
3. Submitting does not guarantee that your story will be published. Your work is subject to format editing, but I will not change any phrasing in your work.
4. Advice must be presented in a way that is flexible and kind.
5. Feature image is required. All photos must be captioned with a source.
6. Edit. Consider Grammarly for simple mistakes.
7. Tag your piece as Polytheism, Paganism, Religion, Faith, or Occult. Tags are subject to editing.
8. Your personal work from another website or your blog is permitted. Feel free to include a link to the original post, and we will add it in the “footer.”
9. Utilize white space and paragraph usage. Try to format your piece in a way that is easy on the eyes. If you have never written for Medium, consider checking out this article.
10. Generalized criticism of other faiths is prohibited. You may speak about your personal religious trauma and experiences, but do not lay a blanket opinion over an entire religion. (i.e., “Christianity is bad,” is absolutely not allowed. “Christianity was bad for me,” is accepted.)
11. Closed Culture stories are not permitted without email consent. Please contact me via eraesellis@gmail.com with a draft link for your story. You can send it to me by clicking the “…” and select “Share draft link.”

* Additional Regulations (see topics above marked with “*”)

1. Deities

• Deity pieces should be generalized or autobiographical. I talk about the importance of generalization in “How to Give Inter-personal Advice to Other Polytheists”
• All advice must be disconnected from your individual experiences

In other words, you are allowed to talk about:

How Aphrodite Changed [Your] Life

but you are not allowed to tell your readers to:

Do the Things [You] Did So Aphrodite Can Change Their Life, Too.

2. Modern Myths

Modern Myths are fictional pieces of deities that are both welcomed and encouraged!

• Original plots are preferred, rather than “re-tellings”
• Does not have to be focused on deities — can focus on any occult topic, but please mind cultural appropriation.
• 500–3,000 words
• No rape scenes.

3. Witchcraft & Occult

• These may be presented as “listicles”
• Wicca=/= Witchcraft. Pieces that use these terms interchangeably will be rejected. Wiccan stories must be about Wicca, witchcraft stories must be about witchcraft. Any correlation between the two must be framed by personal experience.
• Culturally appropriated topics will be rejected. Closed culture topics must follow Rule #11, listed above.

The Sign-Up

To make yourself a writer, please leave the response, “Sign me up!”

Once you have received the notification that you’ve been added to the publication, you can submit your unpublished drafts by clicking the “…” at the top of your post and selecting the “Add to Publication” option.

All questions about story content can be directed to eraesellis@gmail.com. If there is a topic you would like us to cover, feel free to send me an email and I will research and consider it!