TWFITD Submission Guidelines

Want to submit your piece to Things We Find in the Dark?

I’m looking for true crime writers to submit pieces to Things We Find in the Dark. I’m accepting creepy, scary, bone-chilling, spine-tingling non-fiction that follows the guidelines below.

• Your piece must fit one of the following categories:

1. True Crime — Well-researched and engaging pieces about ongoing cases, murder, serial killers, missing persons, and cold cases. Thorough and informative, yet unsettling and creepy in tone.
2. Fangs and Wings — Creepy creatures or powerful acts of nature. Exotic animal “pets” that hunt their owners. Dangerous and wild and waiting for their prey in the dark…
3. Unsolved and Unexplained — True accounts of unexplained phenomena or unsolved mysteries. Strange science and things that shouldn’t exist — but do. Explain the unexplained!
4. Conspiracy Theories — Theories that are evidence based, but not yet proven beyond a doubt to be true (i.e. “Owl Theory” in the Michael Peterson case). Includes alternate theories on suspects and crimes, but does not necessarily have to revolve around true crime.
5. Real Lore — Is there a scary story or piece of lore you grew up with, that turned out to be based in fact? Is there a popular scary story told over a campfire, that was based on a real murder case? We’d love to read your creepy tales that are as frightening as they are true.

• You must include sources throughout or at the end of the submission. First-hand accounts, depending on the subject, may require evidence (at the Editor’s discretion) to prove the story is accurate and true before publication.
• Photographs must be either your own or properly cited and sourced in the captions.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT:

• Fiction or “creepypasta”. The reason our stories will haunt readers is the simple fact that they are true.
• Pieces that blatantly use defamatory, racist, misogynistic, sexist, ablest, or homophobic language or ideas.
• Pieces that contain personal information (doxing), especially of potential or current suspects in any case.
• Articles that have too many grammatical, formatting, and stylistic errors. Please submit your best (and extensively proofread) version of your piece.

Please email me with the following:

• Brief explanation of what category your piece belongs in, according to the above, and why.
• Why do you think your piece will keep a reader up at night?
• Link to your published Medium article you wish to submit OR the “Friend Link” if the piece is unpublished.

Thank you, and I look forward to reading your submissions!

Megan Crayne, Editor

typewriterinked@gmail.com