Saturday 7 January 2012

What are we looking for?

 © Rebecca Millar 2011


In the past few months, we've received a huge number of creative, quirky and thought-provoking submissions from talented writers, hoping to have their work displayed on Loud Mouth. Although many of these were successful, unfortunately, there were many which weren't. 

The Loud Mouth team has decided to help the submitting writers out there by outlining some basic guidelines when it comes to the kind of work we look for. It goes without saying that impeccable spelling and grammar would help your case massively. However, we must emphasise that we value content more highly- a comma can be added easily, but an uninteresting and superficial article is very difficult to make engaging.

Opinion
  • The subject matter of your article must be topical, covering an event that has been in the press within the week, or at most, within the month.
  • There is a 1500 word-limit for each submission.
  • There must be evidence to back up your assertions i.e. quotations from relevant organisations; statistics from respected authorities; interviews etc.
  •  There must be a relevant angle, putting forward a particular perspective. We are not looking for 'balanced' essays, but confident, bold opinions. However, we do not accept articles that put forward unjustified or unsubstantiated opinions.
It is very difficult to balance these factors, which is why the Opinion section is one of the most difficult areas of the website to contribute to.

Arts & Culture
  • The subject matter of your article must be relevant. The articles in this section relate to music, theatre, film, radio etc.  
  • There is a 1500 word-limit for each submission.
  • The subject matter of your article must be topical, covering an event that has been in the press within the week, or at most, within the month.
  • There must be evidence to back up your assertions i.e. quotations from relevant organisations; statistics from respected authorities; interviews etc.
  •  Articles in this archive are NOT opinion pieces. They must not be purely unsubstantiated assertions. Having said that, we are not looking for 'balanced' articles. Articles are NOT essays. There must be a relevant angle, putting forward a particular perspective. 
Creative
  • There are no constraints upon the content or form of your creative piece. However, there is a 1500 word-limit for each submission.
  • Serialised novels are also welcome. If you wish to submit a serialised novel, please include the number of chapters you expect to write and a basic storyboard with your first submission. If your submission is successful, you will be granted a weekly or fortnightly slot which MUST be adhered to.
  • Graphic novels/ comics can also be submitted. Please send your submission in a .pdf form.
Literature

  • The subject matter of your article must be relevant. The articles in this section relate to recent book releases, critical literary essays and authorial reviews or interviews.
  • There is a 2000 word-limit for each submission.
  •  We are not looking for 'balanced' articles. There must be a relevant angle, putting forward a particular perspective.
  • Although we encourage opinionated submissions in this section, opinions must be thought-provoking, and they must display a high degree of competency, originality and complexity. 
Fashion
  • There is a 1500 word-limit for each submission.
  •  Articles in this archive are opinion pieces, but they must not be purely unsubstantiated assertions. Having said that, we are not looking for 'balanced' articles. Articles are NOT essays. There must be a relevant angle, putting forward a particular perspective. 

These are just a few starting points, but hopefully, we've demystified the selection process somewhat. As the team examines more submissions, we will be able to expand upon this list and provide more detailed advice for aspiring writers.

Please keep in mind that if your submission has been unsuccessful, you are still welcome to request feedback within a week of receipt of our decision, improve upon your work, and re-submit. Very often, the errors or inconsistencies that we were unable to overlook in your submission can be easily addressed! We're here to help!

If you think that your work satisfies the criteria listed above then send it to us in a .doc or .docx form to loudmoutheditor@gmail.com

Good luck!

Malvika Jaganmohan
Co-editor in Chief




1 comment:

  1. Just wondering when you will get back to those successful and those unsuccessful? Or have you already done so..? Thanks

    ReplyDelete