SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
Welcome to The Wonder Writer’s Hub
How to Write for ‘The Wondering’
Love fairy tales? Adore folklore? See Wonder everywhere you look? Then we’d love for you to write for The Wondering!
We are interested in all things fairy tale, folklore, and wonder-related, and welcome writers from all backgrounds and experiences.
Wonder Writer guidelines:
I am interested in articles and stories that:
- fit the themes and mission of The Wondering
- encourage a sense of Wonder and/or curiosity
- are original by you (you are welcome to submit previously published work, but it must be your own*)
- are well-written, with quality images
* I will consider you publishing on behalf of a non-Medium member on a case-by-case basis.
To become a writer for The Wondering:
- follow this publication
- complete your Medium profile so we can see who you are — a headshot or representative picture, plus a short bio — no empty profiles (we aim for a supportive community that fellow writers can network with and our readers can get to know and follow)
- email Gypsy Thornton at fairytalenews@gmail.com with:
- PLEASE ADD ME AS A WONDER WRITER and your name in the subject line
- briefly introduce yourself and why you’d like to write for The Wondering
- your Medium handle (so I can easily add you as a writer if accepted)
- your unpublished, private Medium draft link of the finished story you are submitting — “ideas” and rough drafts will be rejected, as will pieces already published on Medium — unpublished draft links of finished pieces only
- My aim is to get back to you in three days or less. (If you have not had a reply by the end of three days, please feel free to send me a gentle “email-nudge” — sometimes things slip through the cracks of my overflowing inbox!)
Before you submit your story, make sure you have:
- used Medium-friendly formatting (eg use white space to aid the reader, no huge blocks of text)
- checked your grammar, spelling, and flow — stories should be as polished as possible before submission
- an appropriate title, subtitle, and tags (depending on your submission, I may request a certain tag is used so it appears in the appropriate section or page of the publication)
- considered adding a “kicker” (not required but encouraged)
- have an appropriate image inserted immediately after the subtitle, properly credited
- made sure you have “private notes” turned ON in your settings so I, or another editor, can send you edit notes as needed
- included a brief author bio at the bottom of the story
Regarding submitted stories:
- minor notes may be given in order to maintain a standard of quality, so please make sure your private notes are turned ON, so I, or another editor, can work with you
- all submitted stories must have at least one image after the subtitle, appropriate images that enhance the reading are encouraged
- if submitting previously published work, please include a link to any previous version of your story, even if it has been expanded and updated
- all images must either be your own, free for use, or you must have written permission to use them
- all images need to be of good quality
- all images must be clearly and correctly credited
- link sources for quotes in parentheses after the quote
- if used, cite sources and link to papers, articles, and/or books at the end of your article
- we are aware that fairy tales, folktales, and folklore often explore difficult themes, and are happy to consider stories using or discussing these subjects, however, any traumatic content or issues or scenes that may be triggering must include a small, but clear TW (trigger warning) after the title/subtitle and before the main body of the article — we aim to aid healing, not further trauma
- keep self-promotion to a minimum — your website and social links are welcome at the tail, as is your Medium subscription link, but no “spamming” readers (you are free to talk about your book, film, art, website, company, etc but I am not interested in pieces that are only promotional and have no regular reader value)
- Medium’s quality standards rules apply
- no guarantee is given to accept any submission at any time, even if you have been added as a writer — each story is considered on its own merit
Note: I will consider stories that use ChatGPT and other AI as tools for the writing process, but use must be declared at the end of the piece (eg “this article was written with the assistance of ChatGPT”), and the finished writing must be done by a human.
I will consider:
- articles
- creative non-fiction
- short fiction (works longer than a ten-minute read may be considered for two installments)
- reviews (books, events, live performances, film and TV, exhibitions, etc)
- art-focused pieces, as long as your art has a story, commentary, or interview for readers (remember Medium is a reader platform first)
- essays (creative, personal, academic studies)
- illustrated narratives (comics, cartoons, graphic novel pages)
- graphic design-based pieces (eg. posters, ephemera such as newspaper ads, etc)
- interviews, roundtables
- recipes, crafts, “how-to’s”, etc. that include a story
- anything you might find in a magazine that is focused on both the current use and influence of fairy tales, folktales, and folklore, as well as their history and study — surprise me! (minus adverts)
I am NOT interested in:
- erotica (romance is fine)
- explicit horror
- gratuitous violence (dark themes and thrillers are fine)
- rants
- clickbait
Policies & General Guidelines:
- The Wondering is an inclusive publication that encourages diversity and respect
- The overall tone of The Wondering is to remain life-affirming and positive
- LGBTQ+ are welcome here and will be respected and supported
- Respect for all cultures, minorities, and beliefs is required
- Respectful debate or discussion is encouraged with the goal of understanding (not “winning”)
- No disrespectful or hateful speech will be tolerated
- No racially charged pieces or comments
- Cultural appropriation is a recognized issue and appropriation of any culture or minority is actively discouraged
- Nazis are not welcome and will be blocked
- Black lives matter — always
I’m looking forward to your Wonder-filled submissions!
Gypsy Thornton
Editor, The Wondering [Est. 2023] https://medium.com/the-wondering
Editor, Once Upon A Blog: Fairy Tale News [Est. 2009] fairytalenewsblog.blogspot.com/
*********************************************************************
Gypsy Thornton (she/her) is the Guardian of a chicken-legged coffee cup with a mind of its own. A night owl forced to get up with larks, she often describes herself as liminal and is forever trying to do impossible things before breakfast. She can only be seen in her true form after midnight.
