MOVIES | TV | COMIC BOOKS | GAMING | ETC
How to Write for The Ugly Monster
We’re the Frankenstein of Media
The Ugly Monster is accepting impactful and memorable submissions related to just about any media on Earth. Film, television, games, books, comics, news media, music, poetry, whatever.
Analyses, critiques, and deep-reads are all good. Genres range from sci-fi and horror to historical fiction and non-fiction. Everything from big franchises, like Marvel, to niche interests, like robot combat, are in our wheelhouse.
Before responding, please have at least three media-related stories published on Medium.
There are a few things we are NOT looking for (unless they’re exceptional in some other way):
- Conventional or Purely Informative Reviews and Overviews (aka Show and Tells) — While we won’t turn down media reviews out of hand, they should convey what’s special about the media in question, or contain some sort of creative angle or focus. Deeper meanings and themes should be part of any review or overview. If the piece could be a Wikipedia entry, or doesn’t contribute to the reader’s media literacy, it’s not for us.
- Positive reviews of games with “Surprise Mechanics” — We do not promote games with gacha-style pulls or randomized loot boxes. Articles about such games should explore a unique aspect of the game.
- Multi-part series — All articles should be self-contained. That said, multi-part stories can often be combined into one article with a shared idea.
- Syndicated or re-posted work — Your submission should be the only version.
- A remix of an existing article — All work should be stand-alone and not refer to another version, either on Medium or on another platform.
- Anything even partially written or edited by AI, or accompanied by AI-generated images.
- Anything that promotes or encourages AI media generation.
- REALLY short-form writing — It’s true that brevity is the soul of wit, but wit isn’t always impactful or memorable. Submissions should be least 6-minute reads. Shorter pieces will be considered, but they should hit the reader like a meteor strike.
All submissions must be your original work, and not syndicated from or to another platform. Submissions must be un-posted drafts (exceptions below). Submissions should adhere to Medium’s Distribution Guidelines and AI content policy. Note that text translations from another language are often considered AI-generated or AI-edited.
Please proofread your article before submitting. Keep links leading outside of the publication to a minimum. Attribute all images, GIFs, and embedded videos appropriately (movies: distributor, television: network, books: publisher, games: publisher, and music: label). Text, titles, topics, and images may be edited for readability and effect.
Like the Necromongers in ‘The Chronicles of Riddick’, “you keep what you kill”. You may meter your articles through Medium’s Partner Program. You may also embed one Audience Development link at the bottom of your article. This link can lead to your profile, Email Subscriptions (via Medium), or your Tipping platform.
You retain all rights to your work on The Ugly Monster. That said, as a courtesy to the editor, please do not remove articles once they’ve been accepted, edited, and published.
Writers who have gone silent on Medium for more than a year may be removed as a writer on The Ugly Monster. You may contact us again to rejoin us at any time.
If you’re interested in joining this pirate ship, leave a Response on this article.
Once you’ve been added to the publication, you can submit drafts or pitch ideas. We also accept existing articles posted before you joined The Ugly Monster, so long as they’re evergreen or relatively recent.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
