General Info and THE GUIDELINES for Submitting Articles to Writing from the Peak

What we are, and are not:

The blog is…

  • … a place to share your knowledge with other writers
  • … a place to share your experiences you have had as you made your way through the writing world.
  • … a place to bring positive support to fellow writers.
  • … a place to share positive inspirations.
  • … a place your fellow writers can come to find answers to their writing questions.

It is NOT…

  • … a place to post personal grievances or opinions that are better handled elsewhere.
  • … a place to brag about, or sell, your books – Sweet Success will brag for you. Sales are done on your own website, please.
  • … the place to publish your work.
  • … the place for personal essays.

The Guidelines:

  1. Contributors must be members of Pikes Peak Writers
  2. Writing from the Peak (WftP) posts weekly on Tuesday mornings. Most of the time the posts are scheduled out about a month in advance.
  3. Each post is sent out to the membership at large via an email blast, along with being posted to PPW’s Facebook Page and Twitter.
  4. We ask each published writer to help promote their articles by also sharing it with their network whether it be by way of social media or word of mouth or other means at their disposal.
  5. This is a 100% volunteer position (no, the Editor does not receive any financial compensation either).
  6. An email is sent every other month to all writers who contribute as to what we need. If there is a subject you are interested to write on, please send your interest to the Editor BEFORE you write it. The subjects are on a first-come-first-serve basis. There haven’t been too many overlaps, but, on occasion, it does happen. We are always open to suggestions. Some of the best articles are on subjects we never thought of!
  7. Posts are scheduled early, and the editor will let the writer know the date it is scheduled to go live. This date is subject to change. Occasionally a post has to be moved due to something that is timely. We work very hard not to have this happen but, at times, it does.
  8. Editing is done lightly. If anything requires major editing, the writer will be notified to make changes prior to publication. The editor will do minor edits (typos, minor grammar, readability, etc) without consulting the writer.
  9. A post is subject to be rejected. If we feel the content is outside of the purpose of the blog, then it will be rejected. This rarely happens, but it does.
  10. Word count must be less than 1200 words. A tiny bit of wiggle room is OK, but it is only a tiny bit.
  11. Once posts are received, it may take up to two months for it to post. You will be kept informed.
  12. All submissions must be sent as a .doc attachment, times new roman, 12pt.
  13. Submit all work in a separate email with the subject, “Blog Post – date, your name”  to: Editor@PikesPeakWriters.com
  14. If submitting for the first time, please include a bio and headshot.
  15. If you have any photos, art, or images you want included with your article please attach them as a .jpg. If you send an image it will be to the editor’s discretion if it is included.
  16. Please have all submissions formatted for publication. If you want a bulleted list, then submit it with a bulleted list. Review WftP’s previous posts for formatting. Let the editor know if you have any questions about this. Some things do not translate to WordPress well, and you may be asked to reformat it or remove it.
  17. We ask that writers allow their post to be exclusive on WftP for at least 3 months. After that time the writer may re-post it wherever they choose. We also ask for a quick byline to the re-printed post showing it was originally posted to WftP with a link back.

Levels of commitment and the Perks:

You can write as much or as little as you would like, but keep in mind that there are other writers also participating so if you try to write a weekly article it will not publish weekly. A friendly reminder that this is a volunteer position so there is no financial compensation, but I give you as much as I can through email blasts, links, and social media.

  • Every post is on PPW’s website forever (we archive and have all posts available since 2010).
  • They are emailed to all members of PPW
  • Each post is also listed on PPW’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
  • The writer’s name along with their bio, headshot, and link backs to their professional website and social media are all listed at the end of each article.

Levels of Commitment:

  • Contributing Editor – At this level you commit to writing 6 publishable articles per year for the blog. No more than one article per author will be published in a single month unless there is an unavoidable reason for this (such as a two-part article). You must send one advance article prior to being listed here.
  • Perks: CEs have their bio and headshot listed on the Blog Staff page on the website. You will receive the list of subjects prior to the contributors (usually only a day or two in advance so claim your favorite quickly).
  • You will be qualified to run a series (a monthly post for a limited time). See the posts on Producing a Novel by Donna Schachter for example. Like all writers, you will have a bio, headshot, and links at the end of your article.
  • Contributor: At this level you may write whenever you choose. The only article quantity commitment is at least one article per year.
  • You must submit and have published at least one article before your name is listed on the Staff Page.
  • Perks: Your name will appear on the staff page with a single link to your website.