Hello, Writers!
Our easy-to-follow submissions guidelines:
Please submit original true stories. (We do not publish fiction.) Please do not submit another person’s work from the internet or from any other publication, printed or electronic.
We do not publish plagiarized works. We also do not publish stories that appear to be spam or promotional content or contain profanity, sexually explicit content or pornography.
Guidelines for writing your story:
- How long should your story be? Submissions should be 750 words or less.
- Format. Single space between lines, double space between paragraphs, flush left (no indentation). Submit your story in Word format, Times New Roman or Arial, 12 pt. font. We prefer that italics are underlined. (If you have a MAC computer, we can convert your story to Word.)
- Defamation is any statement, written or spoken, that hurts someone’s reputation. Check this link to make sure we do not upset someone.
- Before you submit your story, please check your spelling and grammar. You can use an online dictionary or the old-fashioned kind. For grammar help, check out hints from Oxford Dictionary.
- Personalize with pictures. Attach photos of those in your story. Be sure to tell us who is who. You must own the copyright or have legal permission to use any media files that you submit so that we can legally publish them.
- Our editors use The Chicago Manual of Style as their reference for basic rules on grammar, punctuation, usage and style so that every story conveys its meaning clearly.
- Authors must be at least 13 to publish a story. In addition, if you are under 18, please do not divulge personal information that could identify you. (Please see our Privacy link at the bottom of the page for information about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA.)
- Everyone loves a good story. And the best stories, more often than not, are true stories. Need inspiration? Discover some of our true stories in Your True Stories and True Stories on the Web. We are looking forward to adding your story to our collection.
Choose from these categories to submit your stories: (These are suggestions; you may submit stories that fall under other categories.)
angels
animals
anxiety
blended families
city life
college
contests
dating
depression
divorce
facing adversity
family
famous (or infamous) people
financial problems
friendship
grandchildren
hobbies
holidays
hope
humorous events
ideas that have made a difference
illness
jobs
Joy
kids
life- altering events
life’s ups and downs
love
marriage
memories
military
music
mysterious happenings
people who’ve influenced your life
school life
small town living
spirituality
sports
suicide
true crime
vacations, trips
unusual occurrence
war
young adult – teens
Schizophrenia
other (not sure? use this category)
Click here to submit your unique true story, or click Share Your Story! on our menu.
Questions? Click here and we’ll be happy to help.
