publish your essay

80 Best Magazines & Websites That Publish Personal Essays

Well, you’re in luck because you’ve just found a list of magazines that accept essay submissions around pop culture, personal finance, personal stories, and many other topics. If you’re passionate about crafting personal essays and your work typically falls within a range of 600 to 10,000 words, consider submitting your essays to the organizations listed below. They generally offer compensation of $50-$250 for each accepted essay. After this guide, you may also want to check my list of the best essays of all time .

Here are the top magazines and publications that publish thought-provoking essays:

1. the new york times – modern love, 2. the new york times – opinion essays.

To submit an essay to this publication, fill out the provided submission form with the essay and a brief explanation of your professional or personal connection to its argument or idea. The essay should include sources for key assertions (either as hyperlinks or parenthetical citations). Although all submissions are reviewed, the publication may not be able to respond individually due to the high volume of entries. If there’s no response within three business days, authors are free to submit their work elsewhere. Submission info .

3. Dame Magazine

DAME is a women’s magazine that prioritizes accessible and intersectional journalism that dives into context rather than breaking news. Their stories are unexpected, emotional, straightforward, illuminating, and focused on people rather than policy. They aim to reveal new or surprising information, provoke action or empathy, simplify complex issues, introduce fresh ideas, and foreground the people most affected by discussed topics. Submission info .

4. The New Yorker

The New Yorker welcomes letters to the editor sent to [email protected] and includes your postal address and phone number. For fiction submissions, send your work as a PDF to [email protected] or mail it to their New York address. They review all submissions within ninety days and will only contact you if they decide to publish your work. Submission info .

5. The Atlantic

6. the globe and mail.

The Globe and Mail welcomes your original experiences, viewpoints, and unique perspectives for your daily first-person essay. A good essay should have an original voice, an unexpected view, humor, vivid details, and anecdotes that illuminate a wider theme. While a successful essay could be funny, surprising, touching, or enlightening, it should always be personal and truthful, rather than political or fictional. Submission info .

7. The Guardian

To contribute to this publication, you should identify the most relevant section and contact the commissioning editor with a brief outline of your idea. You may be invited to submit your work speculatively, meaning payment will only be provided if your contribution is published. It’s important to note that your contribution should be sent electronically and will be published under standard copyright terms with payment at normal rates unless agreed otherwise before publication. Submission info .

8. Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is open to opinion articles on any subject, with most published pieces being about 750 words long. Submissions must be exclusive to them and not published elsewhere, including personal blogs or social media. Full drafts of articles are required for consideration and should include the author’s name, the topic, the full text, a short author biography, and contact information. Submission info .

9. The Sun Magazine

Slate invites pitches that are fresh, and original, and propose strong arguments. They appreciate ideas that challenge conventional wisdom and encourage you to clearly articulate the insights your reporting can uncover. A concise pitch is preferred, even if a full draft is already written. You should include a short bio and any relevant published work. They advise waiting a week before pitching to other publications, and if an editor passes, refrain from sending it to another editor at Slate. Submission info .

VICE is primarily interested in mid-length original reports, reported essays, narrative features, and service journalism related to contemporary living and interpersonal relationships. They welcome stories informed by personal experiences and insight but advise writers to consider what makes their story unique, why they’re the right person to tell it, and why it should be on VICE. While all stories don’t need to be tied to current events, a timely element can distinguish a pitch. They also accept quick-turnaround blogs and longer features. Submission info .

12. Vox Culture

14. buzzfeed reader.

This platform welcomes freelance pitches on cultural criticism, focusing on current or timeless topics in various categories like books, technology, sports, etc. Essays should offer a unique perspective on how these subjects reflect our society. The content must be relevant, advance ongoing dialogues, and add value to the existing discourse. Submission info .

15. The Boston Globe

16. the bold italic.

Before pitching to a Medium Publication, thoroughly understand its unique style by reviewing published content and submission guidelines. This ensures your work aligns with their preferences. With numerous Medium Publications available, persist in your submissions until you find a fitting outlet. Submission info .

18. Refinery29

Refinery29 Australia is committed to empowering women and underrepresented groups, with a particular focus on Australian women and trans and gender-diverse individuals, primarily Gen-Z and millennials. We publish a diverse array of content, from timely personal essays to reports on race, reproductive rights, and pop culture, all with a distinctly local perspective. They aim to shed light on the world around us, and highly value pieces that capture the unique Australian experience, be it in subject matter or authorial voice. Submission info .

ELLE’s annual talent competition is back for, seeking out the next superstar in writing. The winner will have their 500-word piece, inspired by the hashtag #RelationshipGoals and focusing on a significant relationship in their life. Submission info .

20. Cosmopolitan

22. the walrus.

The Walrus seeks short essays (up to 1,200 words) that are timely, focused, and sourced from Canada and globally. These can be reported narratives, memoirs, or mini-features on specific topics. Each essay should exhibit a distinct argument, a strong writing voice, and present an original and significant viewpoint. Writers new to The Walrus or those without long-form journalism experience are particularly encouraged to contribute to this section. Submission info .

23. Autostraddle

Autostraddle welcomes pitches, works in progress, and completed submissions. Any issues with the submission form should be emailed to Laneia Jones with the subject line “SUBMISSION ERROR”. Questions about the submission process can be directed to Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya with “SUBMISSION PROCESS” in the subject line. Please note that pitches or submissions sent via email will not be accepted. Submission info .

24. Narratively

25. catapult, 26. jezebel.

At Jezebel, the high volume of daily emails (over 500), including tips and questions from readers, makes it impossible to respond to all of them, even though they are all read and appreciated. Their primary job involves posting 60+ items a day, and due to workload constraints, they may not always be able to reply to your email. Submission info .

27. Bitch Media

Bitch Media seeks pitches offering feminist analysis of culture, covering a wide array of topics including social trends, politics, science, health, life aspects, and popular culture phenomena. They publish critical essays, reported features, interviews, reviews, and analyses. First-person essays should balance personal perspectives with larger themes. Both finished work and query letters are welcome. However, due to the volume of submissions, they cannot guarantee a response or that every pitch will be read. Submission info .

28. Broadview

29. briarpatch magazine, 30. maisonneuve.

Maisonneuve Magazine welcomes non-fiction writing submissions in various forms (reporting, essays, memoirs, humor, reviews) and visual art (illustration, photography, comics). They do not accept fiction, poetry, or previously published work. They prefer well-developed, well-researched pitches, but also accept polished drafts if the writer is open to edits. To understand what the magazine is looking for, it’s recommended to read some recent issues or check their website. Submission info .

31. Room Magazine

32. hazlitt.

Hazlitt is currently not accepting submissions but it might reopen soon. They seek original journalism, investigative features, international reporting, profiles, essays, and humor pieces, but they are not considering unsolicited fiction. Pitches with proposed word counts are preferred, and they have a section called “Hazlitt Firsts” for reviews of experiencing mundane things for the first time as adults. Submission info .

33. This Magazine

34. geist magazine.

Geist magazine seeks submissions with a literary focus, including short non-fiction for the Notes & Dispatches section (around 800-1200 words) with a sense of place, historical narrative, humor, and personal essays on art, music, and culture. They encourage submissions from diverse writers and will pay writers $300-500 for accepted pieces. Submission info .

35. Discover Magazine

36. eater voices.

Eater Voices accepts personal essays from chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and industry insiders about the food world. To pitch, email a brief explanation of the topic and why you are the right person to write about it to [email protected]. Submission info .

37. The Temper

The Temper is an online publication focused on sobriety, addiction, and recovery, challenging drinking culture. They seek diverse and intersectional stories written through the lens of addiction, covering various topics like sex, food, relationships, and more. Submissions are currently closed, but they are especially interested in amplifying voices from marginalized and underrepresented groups. Submission info .

38. Chatelaine

39. conde nast traveler, 40. boston globe ideas.

Globe Ideas is dedicating an entire issue to young people’s voices and stories. Teens are invited to share their aspirations, concerns, and experiences about mental health, school, social media, and more, up to 700 words or through short notes, videos, or illustrations. This is a chance for teens to set the record straight and tell the world what matters most to them. Submission info .

41. Babbel Magazine

42. huffpost personal.

HuffPost seeks to amplify voices from underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities. They accept freelance pitches on a wide range of topics, providing clear guidelines for submissions. They also encourage visual creatives to submit their work, and all published contributors are paid for their work. Please note that due to the volume of submissions, individual responses may not be possible. Submission info .

43. Adelaide Literary Magazine

44. biostories.

BioStories welcomes nonfiction prose submissions of 500 to 7500 words, with the typical piece being around 2500 words. Submit via email to [email protected], pasting the submission in the email body with the subject line “biostories submission” and your last name. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but immediate notification is required if accepted elsewhere. Multiple submissions are allowed at a one-month interval, and the work must be previously unpublished in print and online. Noncompliant submissions will not receive a response. Submission info .

45. Quarter After Eight

Quarter After Eight welcomes innovative writing submissions in any genre from both new and established writers. To withdraw work, use the “withdraw” option on Submittable for the entire submission or the “note” function to specify which pieces to withdraw; do not email about withdrawals. Submission info .

46. The Rappahannock Review

The Rappahannock Review accepts original and innovative writing in various genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and audio pieces. They encourage experimentation and creativity, seeking enthralling voices and compelling narratives. Additionally, the magazine showcases a variety of visual artists and welcomes submissions for consideration in each new issue. Submission info .

Allure is seeking writers to contribute pieces that explore beauty, style, self-expression, and liberation. They are looking for writers with relevant credentials and experience in the field, and they offer compensation of $350 for reported stories and $300 for personal essays. Submission info .

48. MLA Style Center

49. marie claire.

SELF magazine is actively seeking new writers, particularly from marginalized communities, to contribute to their health and wellness content. They are interested in pitches that offer helpful insights on topics related to health, fitness, food, beauty, love, and lifestyle. The focus should be on improving personal or public health clearly and straightforwardly. Submission info .

51. Her Story

HerStry is a platform that focuses on the experiences of women-identifying persons, including cisgender women, transgender women, non-binary persons, and more. They accept personal essays that are true stories about the author, with a length between 500 to 3,000 words. They pay $10 for each published personal essay here, but there is a $3 submission fee (with limited free submission periods). Stories are read blind, and explicit or offensive content is not accepted. Submission info .

52. Griffith Review

Griffith Review accepts submissions based on specific themes for each edition. They welcome new and creative ideas, allowing writers to express their voices in essays, creative and narrative nonfiction-fiction, and analytical pieces. Submissions should generally range from 2,000 to 5,000 words, with up to four poems allowed on theme. Submission info .

53. Literary Review of Canada

54. harper’s magazine.

For Harper’s Magazine, nonfiction writers should send queries accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Ideas for the Readings section can be sent to [email protected], but individual acknowledgment is not guaranteed due to volume. All submissions and queries must be sent by mail to their New York address. Submission info .

55. Virginia Quarterly Review

56. the new england review.

New England Review is open for submissions in all genres during specific periods. They accept fiction, poetry, nonfiction, dramatic writing, and translations. The magazine only considers previously unpublished work, and simultaneous submissions are allowed. They welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds and encourage diverse perspectives. Submission info .

57. One Story

One Story seeks literary fiction between 3,000 and 8,000 words, any style, and subject. They pay $500 and provide 25 contributor copies for First Serial North American rights. Only unpublished material is accepted, except for stories published in print outside North America. Simultaneous submissions allowed; prompt withdrawals upon acceptance elsewhere. Accepts DOC, DOCX, PDF, and RTF files via Submittable. No comments on individual stories. No revisions of previously rejected work. Translations are accepted with proper attribution. No emailed or paper submissions, except for incarcerated individuals. Submission info .

58. The Threepenny Review

59. zoetrope: all-story, 60. american short fiction.

American Short Fiction accepts regular submissions of short fiction from September to December. The magazine publishes both established and new authors , and submissions must be original and previously unpublished. Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, and accompanied by the author’s contact information. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but authors must withdraw their work if accepted elsewhere. Payment is competitive and upon publication, with all rights reverting to the author. American Short Fiction does not accept poetry, plays, nonfiction, or reviews. Submission info .

61. The Southern Review

62. boulevard magazine.

Boulevard seeks to publish exceptional fiction, poetry, and non-fiction from both experienced and emerging writers. They accept works of up to 8,000 words for prose and up to five poems of up to 200 lines. They do not consider genres like science fiction, erotica, horror, romance, or children’s stories. Payment for prose ranges from $100 to $300, while payment for poetry ranges from $50 to $250. Natural Bridge Online publication offers a flat rate of $50. Submission info .

63. The Cincinnati Review

64. the antioch review.

The Antioch Review seeks nonfiction essays that appeal to educated citizens, covering various social science and humanities topics of current importance. They aim for interpretive essays that draw on scholarly materials and revive literary journalism. The best way to understand their preferences is to read previous issues and get a sense of their treatment, lengths, and subjects used in the publication. Submission info .

AGNI’s online Submission Manager is open from September 1st to midnight December 15th, and again from February 15th to midnight May 31st. Manuscripts can also be submitted by mail between September 1st and May 31st. AGNI considers prose in various genres, including personal essays, short stories, prose poems, and more. They do not publish academic essays or genre romance, horror, mystery, or science fiction. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, and sending through the online portal incurs a $3 fee, but regular mail submissions can be made to avoid the fee. Submission info .

66. Barrelhouse

Barrelhouse accepts unsolicited submissions for book reviews through their Submittable online submissions manager. They pay $50 to each contributor and accept simultaneous submissions. There is no maximum length, but most published pieces are shorter than 8,000 words. They only accept Word or rich-text (.rtf) files and prefer poetry to be submitted as a single document. Submissions for their print and online issues are currently closed, but book reviews are open. Response time is approximately six months. Submission info .

67. Tin House Online

Tin House is a good company that offers a two-day submission period three times a year for writers without a current agent and no previous book publication (chapbooks accepted). They accept fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry, both in English and in translation (with formal permission). Completed drafts are required. They are particularly interested in engaging with writers from historically underrepresented communities. Submission info .

68. One Teen Story

69. bennington review, 70. epoch literary.

Epoch Literary accepts poetry submissions of up to five poems, short fiction or essay submissions as a single piece or a suite of smaller pieces, and visual art and comics for the cover. They do not publish literary criticism or writing for children and young adults. Electronic submissions are open in August and January, with a $3 fee, part of which supports the Cornell Prison Education Program. Submission info .

71. The Gettysburg Review

The Gettysburg Review accepts poetry, fiction, essays, and essay reviews from September 1 to May 31, with a focus on quality writing. Full-color graphics submissions are accepted year-round. It’s recommended to read previous issues before submitting, and sample copies are available for purchase. The journal stays open during the summer for mailed submissions or those using Submittable and purchasing a subscription or the current issue. Submission info .

72. Alaska Quarterly Review

The publication accepts submissions of fiction, poetry, drama, literary nonfiction, and photo essays in traditional and experimental styles. Fiction can be short stories, novellas, or novel excerpts up to 70 pages, and poetry submissions can include up to 6 poems. They aim to respond within 4 to 12 weeks, but authors can inquire about their manuscript status after 4 weeks if needed. Submission info .

73. Colorado Review

74. the georgia review.

The Georgia Review accepts submissions both online and by post, but not via email. Submissions are free for current subscribers. They do not consider unsolicited manuscripts between May 15 and August 15 and aim to respond within eight months. Previously published work will not be considered, and simultaneous submissions are allowed if noted in the cover letter. They offer different prizes for poetry and prose and accept submissions in fiction, poetry, essays, and book reviews. Submission info .

75. New Letters

New Letters accepts submissions year-round through Submittable, with a small fee waived for current subscribers. They welcome up to six poems, one chapbook, one piece of nonfiction, one short story (graphic or traditional), or one novella per submission. Simultaneous submissions are allowed if notified, and response time is approximately six months. They publish short stories up to 5,000 words, novellas up to 30,000 words, graphic short stories up to ten pages in color or black and white, and chapbooks up to 30 pages. Submission info .

76. Shenandoah

77. triquarterly.

TriQuarterly, the literary journal of Northwestern University, welcomes submissions in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, video essays, short drama, and hybrid work from both established and emerging writers. They are especially interested in work that engages with global cultural and societal conversations. Submissions are accepted through Submittable, and they charge a small reading fee. Submission windows vary by genre. Submission info .

78. E-International Relations

79. longreads.

Longreads publishes the best long-form nonfiction storytelling and accepts pitches for original work. They pay competitive rates and prefer pitches via email to [email protected]. Fiction is not accepted, and submissions using generative AI tools will be rejected. You can also nominate published stories by tweeting with the #longreads hashtag. Submission info .

80. Education Week

If you want to get your essays published in a print magazine or an online publication, it’s time to approach the appropriate section editor or send your work via a submissions page. Even in a world where so much content is produced by AI, publications are still interested in receiving great writing written in a conversational tone. Just make sure to follow the guidelines (especially those around word count) and show off your flamboyant writing style in a prestigious online magazine. Next up, you might want to check a list of the top sites that will pay you to write,  or my extensive list of publishing companies .

Rafal Reyzer

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50 Awesome Websites For Writing Submissions

From poetry submissions to short story submissions, here are the awesome websites looking to publish your writing.

So, you’ve successfully managed to avoid your social commitments to sit down and write something. After combing through it to check the grammar and that there isn’t a trail of letters from when you fell asleep on your keyboard, what’s the next step? You need to find somewhere to submit your writing online.

The online writing community is bigger and better than ever before; one Google search later and you could find your new literary home. However, it might be a case of trial and error with some submission guidelines being stricter than others or your style of writing not quite matching the publication’s. Luckily, we’ve trawled the web for you, bringing you fifty awesome websites that will be happy to receive your writing submissions and potentially even publish them.

A couple of things to note before we jump right in:

1. This isn’t a comprehensive list, so you’re welcome to add a comment with your suggestions. 2. Some of these websites operate seasonally, which means that they might not accept your submission at this point in time.

We’ve also excluded the biggest names for literary (poetry, short stories) submissions because it’s a little arbitrary to list The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and so on.

Without further ado, here are the best websites for you to submit your writing to, whether it’s heartfelt poetry or a listicle on the best Adam Sandler movies.

Where to Submit Poetry

1. poetry foundation.

Who are they? Only one of the oldest poetry magazines in the world. They aren’t stuck in the past, though – you can find many fantastic poems from modern talent in this prose treasure trove. Maybe you could be one of them? Do they pay? Quite handsomely. $10 per every line published.

2. Carve Magazine

Who are they? A popular haven for creative types since 2000. They celebrate honest writing and work closely with writers to help promote their talent. Do they pay? Pretty well. $25 for every poem published.

3. The Legendary

Who are they? Another pillar of the online writing community, The Legendary regularly publishes some superb underground poetry and other interesting features. Do they pay? Not that I could see.

4. Boulevard

Who are they? They’ve been around for thirty years, so it’s fair to say they have their fans. Their typical output is varied, but is based on one central theme: quality. Do they pay?  Between $25-$300 for published materials under general submissions. They also hold two contests with massive cash incentives: $1500 for winning fiction and $1000 for winning poetry.

5. Drunk Monkeys

Who are they? As dedicated a team of editors and writers that you will find on the ol’ WWW, Drunk Monkeys are constantly working to promote and spotlight emerging excellence in the field of writing, including poetry. Due to demand, their submissions aren’t always open. Do they pay? No, but they work their fingers to the bone until they think you’ve been promoted properly.

6. All Poetry

Who are they? Probably the place online where poets congregate to discuss, dissect, and create. If you’re looking for feedback as a new poet, we’re pretty sure one of the 500,000 members will be happy to help. Do they pay? They hold regular poetry competitions with cash prizes as incentives.

7. The Rialto

Who are they? A seriously stylish outlet for poets based in the UK, though it seems like anyone of any background can submit. They’re on the rise and have been for the past three decades, helping to establish poetry newcomers and spotlight underrated names in the process. They’ve just released issue 85 of their magazine with them publishing at least three magazines per year. Do they pay? £20 per published poem.

Who are they? A diligent and passionate team that have been delivering poetic excellence since 1985. They receive a serious amount of poetry each year, so if you want to be one of the 150 published each year, you best make sure you’re sending your best work. Do they pay? Not that I could tell.

9. Arc Poetry Magazine

Who are they? A Canadian publication, but they know that writing talent doesn’t have borders, so submissions are open to all. They’ve been around for over three decades and have won more than their fair share of accolades and fans in that time. Do they pay? $40 for any poem published across multiple mediums.

10. United Press

Who are they? A shining light for British poetry, United Press has been around for many years, publishing and promoting new talent aplenty to success. They aren’t the flashiest, but poetry doesn’t need to be. Do they pay ? Looks like a no.

Where to Submit Short Stories

Who are they ? Well, they have a name that sort of explains everything. Story is a magazine dedicating to publishing the most innovative, exciting short stories out there. They run a print publication and, because they love spoiling us, regularly publish online, too. Do they pay? $20 per page. Don’t think making your font 48px will fly with them.

12. Flash Fiction Online

Who are they? Masters of the concise, FFO are after shorter than short stories – don’t send them anything over on 1000 words. They like immediately captivating prose, but they aren’t big fans of erotica, so be sure to be selective when dipping into your portfolio. Do they pay? $60 per story, which is pretty great.

13. Ideomancer

Who are they? Literary anarchists; they aren’t seeking traditional prose. Mess with the narrative and their minds and you will be in their good books. If you think outside-of-the-box and it’s reflected in your writing, you couldn’t ask for a better platform. Do they pay? Yes, but a maximum of $40 at a rate of 3 cents per word.

14. Shimmer

Who are they? Another group of writers who go against the grain, Shimmer mainly seek speculative fiction with a fantasy bent. Keep it tight at around 4000 words and the editors will be your new best friends. 7500 words is the maximum, but you can send them an email to justify your story if it exceeds that. Do they pay? Pretty well considering – a maximum of $50 at a rate of 5 cents per word.

15. One Story

Who are they? Evil geniuses: they only publish one short story roughly every month with a massive amount of money going to the published writer. Your odds may not be high with this publication, which is why you should probably get around to writing your Great Expectations sooner rather than later. Do they pay? $500! Five. Hundred. Dollars.

16. Crazyhorse

Who are they? Exhibitors of the wacky and strange, Crazyhorse is one of the most accepting literary magazines out there for short stories – there really aren’t many restrictions with what theme or form your submission can take. Its editors are after life’s eccentrics, so if you’re reading this while playing ping pong, you could be just their type of person. Do they pay? Very well indeed. A maximum of $200, $20 per printed page.

17. The Sun Magazine

Who are they? Thankfully not related to the British newspaper, The Sun Magazine are uncompromising with what sort of short story you can send to them. It’s essentially open house, so if you have something odd or a masterpiece to unveil, they will be happy to receive your submission. Do they pay? You could say that. $300 to $2,500 for nonfiction or $300 to $1,500 for fiction, plus a subscription with them for a year.

18. Brevity

Who are they? As their name suggests, Brevity love the succinct side of short stories. If you can convey your narrative in under 750 words or less, you have a brilliant community to become a part of. Both seasoned writers and burgeoning newcomers are welcomed. Do they pay? More than fairly. $45.

Who are they? Lovers of science-fiction, Tor has published plenty of talent in its esteemed history, including many short stories and novellas. Due to the volume of submissions received, however, they are on an indefinite hiatus, which means that they will be back, but only once they’ve reviewed previous submissions. It’ll be worth the wait when those doors open again, though. Do they pay? A rate depending on the commercial prospects and quality of your submission.

20. Word Riot

Who are they? Always looking for new talent, this celebrated literary journal will pass the 15-year mark since launch in 2017. They’re about, and always have been, finding new talent and helping them to capture the attention of new audiences. Do they pay? Not that I could see.

Where to Submit Personal Essays

Who are they? One of the biggest culture-centric websites around, Salon is bookmarked by many people looking for thought-provoking, important essays and personal experiences. They’re huge, so be aware that you might not be successful. Do they pay? Not sure, some previous contributors have said so.

22. The Awl

Who are they? Big believers in the value of personal essays. The Awl have been around for some time, helping writers to weave their own stories in big numbers. The mundane need not apply to be published by these guys. Do they pay? Anywhere between $30 and $250.

23. Huffington Post

Who are they? They’re either loved or hated, but there’s no denying that HuffPo is a big player, possibly one of the biggest websites ever made, and they want you to turn your personal experience into essays. Do they pay? Not even a penny, which I’ve always found a little weird.

24. New Statesman

Who are they ? A fairly large site, but not so large that they are completely unapproachable. They’re looking for timely pieces on what’s going on in the world right now, including your take — it’s likely the more salacious, the better. Do they pay? They do, but they don’t disclose rates publicly.

25. Tin House

Who are they? The destination for writers of all pedigrees – looking at their testimonials will make your head spin. Being published on Tin House is something every writer needs to tick off their bucket list, but don’t even think about writing over 10,000 words for them. Do they pay? Enough for a mortgage on a small house. $1000 max.

26. Full Grown People

Who are they? Full Grown People are fond of submissions and personal essays that center around being an adult, whether it’s a piece on the juxtaposition to childhood or something similar. They receive a mighty amount of submissions, so you may have to bear with them. It will be worth the wait, though – the community is great. Do they pay? Sadly not.

Who are they? Couldn’t say that I’d read much of their output before putting this list together, but once I was on that website, it had me. They publish some excellent content in an eclectic range of categories, including personal essays. Bear in mind that they’re huge , so you may have to be patient with your submission. Do they pay? Generously. Between $250 and $500.

Who are they? Massively popular, Bustle boast over a million fans on Facebook alone, so you can expect they receive their fair share of submissions, too. If you’re stuck on what to write for them, they accept a broad range of different works, including personal essays that capture the attention. Do they pay? Depends. Unsolicited, no. Otherwise, yes.

29. Good Old Days

Who are they? As you might be able to guess, Good Old Days love nostalgia. It’s essential that you have experience of life in the 50s or earlier that you want to turn into a personal essay for them. The website is full of heartwarming and heartbreaking tales in equal measure. Do they pay? Anywhere between $15 and $75.

30. Literal Latte

Who are they? Dedicated to the core. Literal Latte are accepting submissions every single day of the year and consider all submissions, no matter your experience. They thrive on giving chances to those who may never get them, so your personal essay could fit in well here. Do they pay? Not for general submissions (yet), but they do hold five contests a year with three of them having $1000 prizes.

Where to Submit Articles

31. the verge.

Who are they? A massive entertainment and technology website that certainly doesn’t accept half-measures. They are extremely particular about what they publish and aren’t after your opinions, but if you can bring them a breaking news story, they’ll be listening. Do they pay? Doesn’t say.

32. Travelicious

Who are they? A travel guide website that doesn’t suck. All of their features are packed with accurate information and opinion from people who have been there and done that. If you have 1000 words in you, you could be one of them. It’s also great exposure. Do they pay ? Yes, $40 for a published piece.

33. Writers Weekly

Who are they? A popular website for writers, by writers (hey, that sounds familiar). It’s filled to the brim with handy tips and guides for writers of all experiences and pedigrees – there’s bound to be something on there that can take your work to the next level. You could probably help someone out by imparting your wisdom and getting paid for it, too. Do they pay? How does $60 for about 600 words sound?

34. Write Naked

Who are they? Probably not naturists. What they absolutely are, though, is a hugely helpful resource for writers as the website is filled with anecdotes and guides from established names in the literature world. They also love interviews and discussions about freelance writing. Do they pay? Yes, but you might want to put the extra effort into writing something extraordinary. The editor will pay $200 for exemplary pieces.

35. Techopedia

Who are they? Proud geeks. Techopedia loves publishing anything to do with the world of tech, whether it’s an in-depth guide or an opinion piece. You might have to be well-versed in many fields to be able to competently write for them, but you’re a writer. Research is what you do. Do they pay? Yep, and they’re proud of it. Expect $50 to $150 for your published work.

36. HowlRound

Who are they? A website dedicated to the arts and those that inhabit the theater scene. They publish a wide range of differently themed content, but with a strong opinion and facts to back up your words, you could go quite far with HowlRound. Do they pay? Yup. $50 for 750-2000 of your fine words.

37. Hongkiat

Who are they? A very successful technology blog that has been around since 2007. They’re always on-the-ball with news and welcome submissions covering a range of different topics, but your best bet is to stick to design guides and recommendations. Do they pay? Not specified.

38. The Daily Spectacle

Who are they? Defenders of the arts. If you’re a fan of anything to do with film, TV, politics or anything within a similar category, you’re in luck. This is probably the smallest website on the list, but it looks like it’s going places – the content is great and the editorial team seem to be passionate, which is exactly what you need. Do they pay? Not yet.

39. Screen Rant

Who are they? A massively popular pop culture website with a huge following on social media. If you’re trying to become a journalist capable of turning over breaking news stories as quick as the idea lands in your inbox, Screen Rant is one of the best places to start. Do they pay? Yes, but payment rates are unclear.

40. GameSkinny

Who are they? A small-to-medium gaming website in terms of size, GameSkinny publish fairly frequently and promise to help you get to the top of your game. They operate on a “Bounty Program” and are looking for lists, guides, and all sorts of content. Do they pay? $0.50 per 1000 Views.

Where to Submit Listicles

41. cracked.

Who are they? The thinking man’s comedy website. Cracked started life as a decent magazine but have become an even better website, offering listicles with word counts that would make your typing fingers tremble. If you have a crazy theory about the newest superhero movie that you can turn into thousands of words, Cracked has to be one of the best places for you. Do they pay? “We will pay you if it’s good.”

42. College Humor

Who are they? Probably the biggest comedy website out there. They’re constantly posting lists, whether they’re funny or not, and can help you to collaborate with artists to really bring your content to life. They’re pretty selective about who they accept to write for them, though – I applied to write for them a while ago and didn’t hear anything back, which is odd because I am hilarious . Do they pay? Varies, but the maximum you can earn is $100.

Who are they? The slightly less socially acceptable sister site to College Humor. Only nerds need apply; if you don’t know your Pac-man from your Tetris, you might not be a good fit for them. If you’re an out-and-out nerd, writing for Dorkly will put you in touch with an awesome, unforgiving community of millions. Do they pay? $35 for a single-page article, $75 for multi-page.

44. WhatCulture

Who are they? The British Cracked. They haven’t been around for all that long, but they have the talent and community to become one of the world’s biggest websites and they certainly aren’t far off joining the elite, either. They cover everything from the world of pop culture with their list articles performing the best out of the hundreds of different things they publish each week. Do they pay? Yes, on a views basis.

45. ListVerse

Who are they? A titan of the list world that never seems to run out of content ideas. You name it, they will make a list out of it, but they expect nothing but quality on whatever topic you’re covering, whether it’s the best cheese in Holland or the worst impersonations of Sylvester Stallone. Go for a minimum of 1500 words and reap the rewards. Do they pay? Really well. $150 for your hard work.

46. The Richest

Who are they? Suppliers of all the lists one person could ever need. The Richest have an impressive scope of topics they cover, which means that it’s highly likely there will be something for you to write about. Their contributor program is a little complicated, but if you can stick to it, you can earn some decent money. Do they pay? Half a dollar per every 1000 views.

47. Top Tenz

Who are they? Obsessed with the bizarre, unknown, and obscure, Top Tenz is another list-based website with a big audience. One of their most popular articles has close to 50 million views, which isn’t too bad at all. There’s no guarantee that you will hit those figures with your own listicle, but who’s to say you won’t come close? Do they pay?  $50

48. The Sportster

Who are they? A sports-centric listicle website with a lot of content to give to pro wrestling fans. Thinking of submitting to them? You better go back and start watching some Royal Rumbles because wrestling lists are the bread and butter for these guys. Do they pay? Yes, on a views basis.

49. Lifehack

Who are they? A huge community of individuals all looking for ways to make life easier. The content on the website is predominantly to help and inform, so if there’s anything you know about that someone else might not, share your wisdom and reach a massive audience. Do they pay? Unclear.

50. Buzzfeed

Who are they? Come on. You know BuzzFeed. Writing for their community section is a pretty surefire way of getting your list read by a limitless audience. Do they pay? Nope.

There you have them: fifty awesome websites that are looking for your writing submissions. As mentioned, it obviously isn’t comprehensive, but it’s a good mixture of big names and upcoming publications you should be keeping an eye out for. If you’re an editor or publisher and your website didn’t make the cut, you are welcome to leave a comment below. MORE writing tips: Top 5 Networking Tips For Writers Why You Should Never Give Up Writing 6 Tools To Help You Concentrate When Writing

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Where to publish your personal essay

Reading time: Less than 1 minute

This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about the personal essay….

Are you a person who loves writing in the form of the personal essay? If so, and you’ve despaired of being paid for your writing, I’ve just discovered a post listing 19 websites and magazines that accept — and pay for — such posts.

The list includes top tier newspapers such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe , but it also mentions intriguing websites such as Extra Crispy and The Bold Italic . Each entry includes tips on how to pitch the editor, who to contact and how much the outlet pays. As a bonus, each entry also includes a link to a sample essay from that publication.

According to the post, “Writing nonfiction is not about telling your story,” says Ashley C. Ford, an essayist who emphasized the importance of creating a clear connection between your personal experience and universal topics. “It’s about telling interesting and worthy stories about the human condition using examples from your life.”

The piece also links to a secondary post offering a list of 130 editors who accept personal essays. If you’ve ever aspired to have a personal essay published, no more excuses! The two posts will give you plenty of ideas about where you can pitch.

An earlier version of this post first appeared on my blog on Aug. 5/19.

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• 19 Websites and Magazines That Want to Publish Your Personal Essays Compiled by Lisa Rowan, this site provides links to websites and their submission guidelines for personal essays.
• 20 Great Places to Publish Personal Essays Compiled by freelance writer, Meghan Ward, a list of popular magazines and websites that accept personal essays.
• Tips to Help You Publish Your Personal Essays Authored by Sheila Bender, discusses strategies for identifying popular press, small presses and regional/local publishers to publish your essay in.
• The Conversation To author an article on this site, you must be currently employed as a researcher or academic with a university or research institution. PhD candidates under supervision by an academic can submit articles to the site. Articles from Masters students are not accepted.
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11 Tips For Writing A Publishable Personal Essay

I'm not gonna lie: the hardest thing to get printed on Bustle as a freelancer is a personal essay . That said, personal essays are also what I'm most in need of as our features editor . The reason they're so difficult to get accepted is not because I don't need or want them — it's because they are among the hardest to write well.

Though personal essays sometimes have an unfair reputation for being somehow "soft" or "self-indulgent," in my opinion, they are actually one of the most effective ways to communicate a point, experience, or even a feeling to a wide audience. So if you're thinking of pitching a personal essay to Bustle — or any other online publication, for that matter — know that we very much want to hear your stories.

But before you pitch, there are several things you can do to ensure you have the best chance possible of actually getting your essay printed . When it comes to writing for the web, the rules are not the same as they might be in school, or in a literary journal — and you're going to need to know how to adjust your essay accordingly.

Here are my tips, as the editor who decides what runs — and the writer who's totally been there.

1. When In Doubt, Start With What's On The Tip Of Your Pen

Having an idea of what you're going to write about is obviously where you want to start. Sometimes I get pitches that seem like four essays in one — even though the topics might be interesting, there's too much material to fit into an (ideally for us) 1000-1400 essay with any real resonance.

So how do you narrow things down — or figure out what to write about in the first place? I recommend free writing to find out . Take out a journal and write longhand for ten to twenty minutes. Don't let yourself pause — the important thing here is to keep writing without censoring yourself. Don't worry about it being intelligible. If you're stuck, write, "I'm stuck, I'm stuck," until something else comes out. You might try starting each sentence with "I remember" or "I see/smell/hear/feel" in order to drum up more details from the recesses of your mind.

2. Scan Your Freewrite For Details

When you're done with your freewrite, your creative muscles will already be warmed up — and you'll be able to see the patterns in your verbal diarrhea. Chances are, there's more good stuff there than you think. You might pick out a particular moment — a line even — that sparks a memory.

I suggest starting small: perhaps you notice that you're writing a lot about your ex. Is there one line about them that stands out to you, like maybe the memory of the time they snatched the remote away from you? Then I recommend starting your essay at that scene, and going from there. Remember, you can always change your beginning — the important thing is to pick a jumping-off point that feels doable rather than daunting. Is there a memory you can start with? Some dialogue? Remember, details are your friend, and, as a rule, the most powerful personal essays are quite specific.

3. Map Your Arc

Structure is the main place I see personal essays stumble. I like the advice I heard on a Moth podcast a few years ago, which I'll paraphrase here: Every good story gives the audience a sense of where the protagonist began, a moment of change when something in the protagonist shifts, and ends with a sense of where the protagonist is now — and why it matters.

Now, that might sound a lot like a beginning, middle, and end — but it's not quite the same. This kind of arc can be nonlinear as well, as long as it communicates those three things. (Nor should your essay ever be tied up in a pretty, simple bow.)

For example, I wrote a personal essay about my experience of realizing that being gluten-free wasn't right for me. The essay began with a very visual moment of me squatting in the woods, anxious about whether I'd be able to poop. (Hey, whatever draws the reader in.) From there, the essay then details my experience — why I became gluten-free in the first place, and how I started questioning whether I needed to be. The essay then ends back in those woods — chronologically, we're in the same moment we started, but are left with my aha moment, and a clear sense of how my perspective changed.

I picked such a graphic scene to begin and end my essay because looking back on an experience that spanned two years, I didn't know where to start. But in journaling, I found that my mind kept returning to that moment in the woods as a turning point and a clear image connected to my experience. Starting it with a scene made an overwhelming essay feel much more doable. Knowing that would be both my starting an ending point, it became much less daunting to write everything in between.

I suggest mapping out what your arc is, and making sure it's clear in your mind before you start writing. It will make your essay much clearer, and easier for the reader to draw meaning from.

4. Write Like Your Family Won't Read It

This advice comes straight from the most talented personal essayist I know — Bustle's own Gabrielle Moss. She jokes that this is easier for her since she's actually estranged from her family, but even if you're not, it's good advice to write like they aren't watching. Often, we censor ourselves way more than we need to, and it keeps us from writing with the kind of honesty that makes an essay connect.

See if you can write as though no one's reading. Tell yourself you can always edit out certain details later, and try to write with as much honesty as possible. You'll end up with more details this way, and likely, a much better personal essay.

If you feel scared about telling the whole truth, think about the personal essays and books that have most affected you. Chances are they resonated because they were honest, and expressed something you'd felt that you hadn't been able to put into words yet. If you can tell your story honestly and with vulnerability, it is a real gift to give your reader. They aren't going to judge you for it — in fact, it's exactly what will make them respect you as a writer.

Which brings me to...

5. Value & Cultivate Honesty

Whenever you write, keep the question Am I being honest? in the front of your mind. If something reads somewhat disingenuous, or you're only telling half the truth — know that readers and editors can smell it a mile away. It's natural to want to protect your ego or privacy, but try to stay genuine and raw; it's a personal essay, after all. Often, a couple days of distance between you and a first draft can help provide perspective on this one, tempting as it is to keep tinkering.

As a writer, it's also important that you continue working on your own self-awareness . Therapy, meditation, walking, yoga, journaling, spending time alone — all of these practices help us get to know ourselves better so that we can call ourselves on being disingenuous in our writing (and life). The time you spend processing your thoughts is what gives your words meaning, so you should spend as much time getting to know yourself as you do trying to write honestly.

6. Make The Personal Political

This doesn't mean you literally have to make every personal essay political (though I love that too and here are some great examples !). What I mean is, as you're writing, try to keep this question at the front of your mind: Is this relevant to someone who doesn't know me?

Now, this certainly doesn't mean you need to explain yourself, or your point, explicitly. Some of the best personal essays let the reader infer meaning, simply by evoking universal feelings. That said, I often see writers stumble under the assumption that because an experience was important to them or happened to them, it will be important to everyone.

That can be true — but you need to have a sense of how it matters before you start writing, otherwise it can be easy to get too caught up in your own *feels*.

Ask yourself: How is this relevant to people who don't care about me personally? Does my story represent a larger struggle or common experience?

The answers should be yes, even if you're writing, say, about the experience of coming out, and know all women are not gay. This essay is a great example of a writer communicating a very specific experience in universal terms that the reader can empathize with.

7. Review Your Essay For "Texture"

It's a writing class cliche, but it's true: show, don't tell. That doesn't mean you can't ever tell; it just means that after you've written your essay, you should review it for texture, as I like to think about it.

A good essay usually has some moments of telling, some scenes, some beautiful descriptive language, some dialogue, and often, some outside perspective (i.e. stats, quotes from other essays or articles, social/political context). Those are not hard-and-fast rules of course — you might write an essay that is pretty uniform and simple in style, like this one . But where I see most people tripping up is in describing everything and showing next to nothing.

Once you've finished a first draft, look at the essay and see where you can replace a telling graph with a scene or dialogue that illustrates the same point.

8. Be A Ruthless Self-Editor

Often, I get personal essays that have clearly not been closely edited. They have typos, lack structure, or have too much repetition and rambling. When you're pitching for online publication, you need to assume that the editor reviewing your essay is completely inundated with emails and pressed for time. She has potentially already read dozens of pitches that day. One way to make your essay stand out among them is to make sure your copy is as clean and tight as possible.

After you feel pretty good about your draft, read it out-loud to yourself.

Ask yourself: Where can I condense this? Do I repeat myself anywhere? Are there any places I could turn a "telling" graph into a scene or dialogue, or otherwise give it more texture? Does anything sound like something I wouldn't really say or believe? Is my arc clear?

Of course, you'll also want to read for typos, style, and punctuation. I also suggest trying to break your paragraphs up as much as possible so that you're not sending huge walls of text to an editor's screen — once again, the experience of reading something online is not the same as in print. You're targeting an audience with a shorter attention span.

You can read more about all my tips for being a good self-editor here .

9. Have Someone Else Read It Before You Pitch

I can't emphasize enough how valuable it is to have a trusted friend, partner — whoever — as an editor. I'm lucky in that my partner is actually a professional editor, but even if he weren't, I'd show him my work before sending it off to pitch because he knows me. Even if your trusted person isn't a writer or editor, someone who knows you well will be able to tell you where something doesn't make sense, and perhaps, where you're not being as genuine as you could be.

Ask them to consider the same questions I asked in section six, and also add: What did you think the point of this was? How did it make you feel? If they aren't getting what you want the essay to communicate, or seem unaffected by it, you might want to keep tinkering before you send it off.

10. Know How To Pitch To The Site You're Emailing

Knowing how to pitch is extremely important. Each site is different, and you should tailor your pitch to their preferences. But no matter the site, I do think it's safe to assume that any editor is relatively pressed for time. You want to package your piece as clearly as possible. Don't write a huge introduction, and I suggest copying and pasting the essay in the body of the email to save them even more time, unless they specify otherwise.

These days, many sites like ours also require images of the author themselves for personal essays, so you could make your piece even more approval-ready by attaching a few relevant photos of yourself as well. My article on how to pitch to Bustle will break down the details of what you need to know even further, so check it out, no matter what you're pitching.

11. Stay In Shape

It isn't easy to get a personal essay accepted to Bustle. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying, or pitch a rejected essay elsewhere. If you have several pitches rejected in a row, don't get discouraged — but don't keep trying the same things either. This might be when you want to follow up with me or another editor and ask what you could do to improve.

Of course, it is also very important that you continue to read writers you admire and study the craft of the personal essay . You can't expect yourself to spew genius if you don't allow other writers to inform and inspire you. You should also read personal essays on the sites that you are pitching to; if you're not familiar with the publication's tone and general form, it will be apparent to the editor and will put you at a disadvantage.

Finally, as every writer knows, writing is a muscle, and the more you keep exercising, the better shape you'll be in. Make your routine targeted, regular, and tailored to you, and you'll be kicking ass in no time.

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Where to Submit Your Writing Works: 5 Main Platforms

• Last modified 2023-11-10
• Published on 2021-04-06

In this guide, you will find five platforms that publish various genres and styles of writing, ranging from prestigious and competitive options to new and developing options.  

Ready to get started? Here are where to submit your writing works:  

1. Your own website/blog

Once you start writing more and have more published work, you should consider opening up your website or blog to publish your personal essays, flash fiction, literary journals, creative nonfictions, and more. Your blog is the reflection of your writing style, writing genre, and overall writer personality. In addition to work published on other platforms, your website and blog is a great place to build your brand identity, interact with fans, and announce updates/news about potential up and coming pieces  

There are several websites and blog platforms that you can design from: WordPress, Wix, Webflow, and Squarespace. These platforms have either free or paid options, depending on your personal needs.  

2. Community-based websites

With the rise of new platforms every month trying to get writers to post their work, community-based websites are also a great option for writers of short stories/fiction who want to submit your writing and get feedback from other community members or just get more fans. Below are some examples of sites you can publish your story online:  

• Medium.com : Medium is an online publishing platform, where writers can share their writing on any topic. The community on Medium is relatively small and high-quality, which means people are willing to spend time to read and give quality feedback. Topics range from arts & entertainment, culture, equality, health, industry, personal development, politics, to programming, science, self, and technology. Medium also provides you with Audience Insights with information that help you increase your audience or write similar pieces that will draw your audience’s attention.  
• Tumblr : Tumblr is the place where fiction will thrive and go viral across the Internet. People consider Tumblr as a hidden gem or a hub of culture. If you have some sort of fiction like fanfiction, you can take advantage of this platform and post something viral-worthy. Then, remember to link your own website so people can learn more about you!  
• WritersCafe : WritersCafe is an online writing community, where writers can post their work, get reviews, connect with other writers, and enter writing competitions. WritersCafe has been around for a longer time than other platforms; therefore, it may feel old-school for younger writers.  
• Young Writers Society : The Young Writers Society is designed for young writers ages 13+ and features short stories, novels, and poetry. The community is semi-active; therefore, you will not see a lot of comments on your post.  

3. Newspapers / Magazines

If you are interested in publishing your work to a broader and broader variety of audiences and are hoping to get more exposure to your work, a newspaper or magazine is an excellent platform for you to submit your writing.  

• The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times . All major news outlets in America allow you to submit your writing as an op-ed. An op-ed is an opinion essay written by a staff columnist or an outside contributor. It’s different from short stories, fiction, and nonfiction because it is opinionated to educate readers about current events or incidents. If you’re interested in contributing your opinions for a chance to be featured in a digital or physical newspaper or news magazine, each outlet provides email for writers to story submissions.  
• New York Magazine, POLITICO, WIRED are examples of magazines publishing an op-ed. There are different requirements depending on the outlet you submit your writing work. Therefore, please remember to check each website for its submission guidelines.  

4. Magazine with novel/story submissions

Some magazines provide opportunities for more novel-related submissions. Examples include:  

• The New Yorker: The New Yorker features journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. The magazine’s submission pool is highly competitive, as editors have to evaluate 2,000 to 4,000 new stories per month. Author David. B. Comfort calculates that an outsider has a chance of .0000416% of breaking into America’s last premier short fiction venue. It’s worth a shot because there will only be two outcomes: you either get published, or you don’t. To learn more about story submission, please visit the contact page of the New Yorker.  
• The Antioch Review : The Antioch Review is one of the oldest continuously publishing literary magazines globally. The magazine accepts submissions of nonfiction essays, fiction, poetry, and reviews. Young writers can have an opportunity to get published because it’s definitely less competitive than The New Yorkers.   
• Boulevard Magazine : Boulevard Magazine is a biannual literary magazine based in St. Louis. Boulevard strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. While the magazine frequently publishes writers with previous credits, it is very interested in less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise.  

Above are examples of outlets that you can submit your writing work. Depending on your location, you will be able to find other local or regional newspapers that accept story submissions. For more information about the platforms, you can refer to this great article written by The Write Life.  

5. Competitions

For high school students, you can also submit your writing work to different regional and national competitions to get recognized and published. There are more than 27 competitions happening year-round for you to choose from. Participating in these competitions, you will earn a chance to be published, be rewarded with prizes and scholarships for your college application, and so much more. Highlighted competitions include Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards , John Locke Writing Contest , etc. We’ve identified 27 competitions through this infographic for you !  

Students will learn the nuances of language, including figurative language, effective structuring, and specific forms to apply to their own piece(s). Students will work directly with both literary and media texts to plan and write their piece(s). This class will also help the students write with an aim for an audience as their submission for nation-wide and international writing competitions that are timely with the course schedule.

What's next

How can I improve my writing? 20 Tips to Improve Your Writing

Interested in participating in High School Writing Competitions? There are 27 Writing Competitions for High School Students in 2021! 

How can I stand out in writing competitions? The only 5 tips you need to know is here: 5 Tips to Stand Out in a Writing Competition

Heard about John Locke Essay Competition but not sure where to start? Read this Complete Guide to John Locke Essay Competition

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Four Steps to Publishing Articles and Essays

by Melissa Petro

Having worked as a full-time freelance writer for just shy of a decade, I often find friends reach out to ask me how I do it, hoping that they, too, can get published.

A part of me wants to take umbrage—after all, you wouldn’t presume that just anyone could become a plumber or reach out to a dentist friend and expect them to direct message you everything they know about root canals. At the same time, I know my editors are just as interested in your personal journeys, passions, and opinions as they are in mine. And maybe they’re more interested in your story, because you’ve never told it before (whereas, like most writers with a beat, I’m a whiz at spinning the same narrative or making similar arguments every opportunity that I can).

To publish short nonfiction essays and articles online or in print, you need only follow a few basic steps—and they’re the same steps whether you’re a seasoned professional or a total newbie. Those of us who publish often take these same steps again and again.

1. Do your research

The first step is to acquaint yourself with the market. There are literally hundreds of places that want your writing. Familiarize yourself with what’s out there. Publications open and close quite frequently, so stay up to date. Read, read, read. Follow other writers and editors on social media. On Twitter, search the phrase “pitch me” to find editors seeking stories. There’s also a site called pitchwhiz.com that curates editors’ calls for pitches.

Learn the difference between a service piece and a feature, a personal essay and a reported piece framed by your personal experience. You don’t have to know all the lingo, but you do need to know what kind of writing various publications generally publish…although knowing the lingo will help when it comes to pitching your idea (more on that in a sec).

2. Make a love connection

Sometimes you have a completed essay or an idea for a piece that you’re eager to write. Find the right publication for that idea. Other times, we start with the publication in mind. Peruse the site. As you read, ask yourself: What do I have to contribute to the conversation? What hasn’t already been said?

You wouldn’t try to sell a steamy personal essay about the time you inadvertently attended a sex party to Real Simple . But that idea may be just right for Cosmopolitan or Vice . Similarly, you’d skip Playboy if you were looking to place a breezy service piece on caring for antique dinnerware or a fiery op-ed on the importance of physical education classes in school. Few ideas are inherently good or bad—it’s all about finding a good fit.

3. Make Contact

Once you’ve matched the perfect idea with the perfect publication, it’s time to pitch. A pitch or query letter is composed of three basic sections: a lede or introduction, “the what,” and your credentials as a writer and/or on the subject you’re pitching.

Let’s break that down further:

A lede is the start of your pitch. Maybe you start the pitch the same way you start the essay. If it’s a personal essay, that may be an anecdote. Lure us in with the inciting incident or an otherwise dramatic moment lifted from the story. Or maybe you’ll lede with a newspeg, something currently being talked about in the news. Explain clearly and concisely what’s going on (hyperlink it to a timely article). Answer a question: Why now?

The next section is “the what”—a paragraph or two that succinctly describes to the editor exactly what you’re offering, i.e. “I’d love to write a 1,200-word reported essay about the housing crisis in New York, and how poor and working class people like myself are being pushed out of the city we call home. Framed by my personal experience, the essay will explore how services in place to help people with rent fail to…” and so on.

If there’s a story with a beginning, middle, and end, spell that out. Explain the ending—avoid sentiments like “find out what happens when…” Instead, tell the editor what happens when. No cliffhangers. End this section with a sentence like, “Ultimately, readers need to know [what].” Tell us what your argument is. Tell us why the story matters. (If you didn’t lede with a newspeg and there is one, you might mention it here.)

The last section is a paragraph on your credentials as a writer and/or on the subject that you’re writing about. Why are you the perfect person to write this story? Answer this question here. If you’ve published similar writing before, send the editor links, often called clips. If you don’t have clips, that’s OK. Hopefully the story idea is unique enough—and you’ve proven yourself to be the right person to write it—that they’ll take a chance.

4. Hit send and follow up

Publications don’t make it hard to find editors’ contact information—so long as you’ve done your homework, they really do want your pitches. Go to the publication’s website and look for a section entitled “contact us,” “write for us,” “submission guidelines,” or something similar. If the submission guidelines ask you to do something other than what I’m telling you to do here, follow that editor’s instructions instead of mine (duh). Sometimes, for example, an editor will ask you to send a piece “on spec.” This means they only consider completed drafts rather than pitches. It’s up to you if you want to write an essay for them without the promise that they’ll publish it.

Few ideas are inherently good or bad—it’s all about finding a good fit.

After you’ve sent off your pitch, a couple things might happen. You might get an email back along the lines of, “I love this idea! It’s perfect.” Awesome, that means you’ve just scored an assignment. Other times, an editor might get back to you with a “maybe” response. Maybe they need to clear it with the editor above them. Or they might have questions. They may suggest a different angle or in some other way change your idea. The editor might take a while to respond, they might not respond at all, or you might get a rejection.

If you get a yes, excellent! From here, make sure you clarify the deadline (that’s when the editor expects you to turn in the story), and confirm your rate (that’s how much money the publication is paying you for your services). A rate for any given assignment can be anything from 0 dollars to thousands of dollars. Check out the site whopayswriters.com for an idea of how rates vary.

If the editor doesn’t respond to your pitch, follow up in a week or so. And if the answer is no, do not despair! Seasoned writers like myself get lots and lots of rejections.

The truth is that publishing short nonfiction is a lot less about talent than it is tenacity: If there’s any secret to becoming a published writer, it is learning to weather the rejections and silences.

Repeat the steps until you get your yes.

This article originally appeared in The Writer magazine

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10 Different Ways You Can Publish Your Writing Today For Free

No matter what you write, you have plenty of options to publish your writing, so you don’t have to be limited by traditional publishing methods.

Publishing comes in many forms today, from books and magazines to websites, blogs, and social media.

Whether you’re a budding author, poet, short story writer, or online content creator, you have a lot of opportunities to share your work with the world. The best part is that most publishing options today are usually free and easy to use.

You can start a blog or website with just a few clicks, and many self-publishing platforms make it easy to publish your book in ebook and print formats.

Article Contents

How to publish your writing

You have a lot of choices and many different ways to publish writing, so let’s look at each one in detail.

All of the options in my list are free, except for publishing print books. But the costs are not that expensive if you want to take that route.

For the rest, though, all you need to do is invest your time.

Whatever you are writing, hopefully, you will find some of the choices below that will be right for you.

1. Online writing communities

For new writers, joining an online writing community is a great way to start your new writing and publishing journey.

Many of them will help you with tips, advice, and the support of fellow writers.

Okay, it’s not strictly publishing, but your work will be available online for people to read and critique.

Popular sites include the Young Writers Society, the Writers Chat Room, and the Internet Writing Workshop.

You can find a full list of communities on Writer’s Digest.

2. Publish your short stories

Another excellent option for new authors is to publish short stories online.

It’s a terrific way to get feedback on your writing and get a feel for what readers like about your writing.

Check out our listing of sites where you can publish your short stories quickly, easily, and for free.

3. Social media stories

Many social media platforms now offer you the possibility to publish stories.

It’s probably the easiest way to publish your writing online.

You probably know about Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories. But there’s also LinkedIn and Pinterest.

If you want to find more options, this article has a complete list of platforms that offer social media stories.

4. Social Publishing

If you are looking for a free way to publish your book or your writing, this option might be for you.

A lot of readers now like to use apps on a phone instead of visiting a website or using a Kindle.

Reading is changing, and social publishing is increasing in popularity, especially with younger people.

The following two platforms are ideal for new writers and authors.

So take a look and see if it’s a good option for you.

Wattpad says it is a storytelling platform with 90 million readers and writers.

That’s a lot of people, so it has to be one of the top platforms for publishing your writing.

Wattpad offers you a lot of options, so you are sure to find one or two that will fit your aspirations.

You can publish any genre of stories, such as an essay, romance, teen fiction, fantasy, or literary fiction.

With so many active users, it’s a great platform to start publishing your writing.

You can think of Tumblr as a cross between a social network and a blogging platform.

However, it has a large community of writers sharing their stories online .

One big advantage is that it is easy to set up an account, and you can start posting your stories in a flash.

You have no restrictions on your word count, genre, or even how often you post.

But like any social network, you should follow other users on Tumblr and interact a little to help you gain some traction.

If you are a new writer, Tumblr is one of the easiest ways to publish your writing online.

5. Start a new free blog

It’s so easy to start your own writing or author blog.

There are many free blog platforms that you can choose from to start blogging.

The best part is that you are in charge of what and when you publish.

You can publish chapters of your new novel or posts about your writing journey.

For a new blog, the best way is to share your latest posts on social media to attract readers.

It takes time to find regular readers. But a blog is always yours, so you are in control.

6. Publish your writing on popular blogs

If you don’t want to start your own blog, you can always try to find popular blogs that are looking for guest writers.

The advantage is that these sites usually get a lot of traffic and regular readers.

But you have to do your research and find sites that will accept the type of content you are writing.

For example, if you want to write and publish an article about family pet care, there is no point in asking a photography blog to publish your article.

7. Publish your articles online

There are probably more writers than there are authors.

Content writing is very popular, and for new writers, it can sometimes lead to a way to make a side income.

You have lots of options to publish articles on any topic.

There are many sites where you can publish your articles online  quickly and easily.

8. Publish your poetry

This list wouldn’t be complete without giving some help to new poets.

Publishing poetry is usually for a niche readership. But that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to find readers for your poetry.

There are plenty of ways to publish your poetry online .

So, there’s nothing holding you back from finding readers for your new poems.

9. Self-publish an ebook

Self-publishing is booming in popularity.

The reason is simple. It’s so easy and free to publish an ebook.

The most popular choice is Amazon KDP, but you can also use Smashwords or Draft2Digital.

All you need is your manuscript file in docx format and a book cover image in jpeg or png.

Most word processors can save or export in docx, so you don’t need to use Microsoft Word. You can use any free word processor to write a book .

For your book cover, there are lots of choices of free book cover creators .

All the tools you need are at your fingertips, which makes self-publishing an ebook so easy.

But if you need some guidance, you can read how to publish with Amazon KDP .

10. Self-publish a printed book

If you want the satisfaction of publishing a real book in either paperback or hardcover, you can.

There’s nothing more fulfilling for a new author than to hold a book in your hands with your name on the cover.

You don’t need a publisher. But you will need to spend a bit more time preparing your book than you would for an ebook.

Your book’s interior and book cover need to be in pdf format. You can find detailed instructions on the publishing service you select.

While publishing a print book is free, you will have to pay for shipping and a cost per copy. You should check these costs before you publish.

The best options to self-publish a print-on-demand book are Amazon KDP, Blurb, and Lulu.

For new writers, there’s nothing to stop you because there are so many ways you can publish your writing today.

All the options I have included in this list are free, except for publishing a print book.

It doesn’t matter if you want to write novels, nonfiction, self-help books, articles, content marketing, or poetry.

You have a lot of options to publish any kind of writing.

Good luck with your writing journey, and I hope these tips will help you on your way.

Related reading: 10 Helpful Tips On How To Write Well For New Writers

About The Author

Derek Haines

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How to Publish Writing Online

Last Updated: November 23, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 15,425 times.

Publishing your writing online is a free, fun method of sharing your work with others. There are often large databases of writers who do this, and you're quite likely to get some helpful critique. Whether you just want to show others your work or get opinions before professionally publishing, keep on reading for some tips and tricks on publishing online.

Finding a Website

• Keep in mind that there are also sites for specific interests that you can write for. If you want to write a fanfiction on a certain topic or write a lot of a certain genre, chances are that you can find a more private website with interested users.

Publishing Your Work

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• ↑ "Post Your Writing Online: 3 Mistakes and 4 Tips - Writer's Relief, Inc." Web log post. Writer's Relief, Inc. Ed. Writer's Relief Staff. N.p., 09 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Jan. 2015. http://writersrelief.com/blog/2012/01/post-your-writing-online/ .

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5 Tips To Help You Publish A Personal Essay

November 4, 2010 By nawnfinimport 4 Comments

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If writing a memoir feels like too big a project for the WNFIN challenge or you have no interest in writing a book, you might try composing a personal essay. This allows you to take a vignette, anecdote or scene from your life and write a piece based upon that experience that is closer to the length of a magazine or newspaper article. I’ve written several posts in the past on the  topic  of how to write an essay, such as this one , this one , and this one , too.

My guest blogger today comes from Writer’s Relief , an author’s submission service that assists writers with preparing their submissions and researching the best markets for those submissions. The five tips they offer cover ways to write and to submit your essay for greater likelihood of success, by which I mean acceptance by a publication. I encourage anyone who decides to write a personal essay during WNFIN (or anytime) to polish it up, find a few great markets, and submit! There’s nothing like getting an acceptance letter and a check for a personal essay. And if at first you don’ t succeed–you receive one or more rejection letters, just tell yourself you’ve sent your essay to the wrong editor and find the right one.

5 Tips To Help You Publish A Personal Essay By Writer’s Relief

Writing a personal essay is a personal experience—and as such, what matters most is your experience of your writing and your satisfaction with the work you’ve done. But if you’d like to see your personal essay published in a literary journal or magazine, here are a few specific things you can do to help ensure your work will get a strong read:

1. Keep it short. Thanks to the Internet, the days of long, rambling personal essays and memoirs are gone. Most modern readers are rushed, distracted, and looking for some level of instant payoff when they begin to read an essay. At Writer’s Relief, we advise our clients not to write essays that are longer than 3,500 words. And if you’re thinking of targeting online literary magazines (which are a great resource), you may want to aim for an even lower word count. With short prose, less is more!

2. Get engaged. No, we’re not talking about weddings. We’re talking about current events and the modern world. Essays that are reflections on the way we live today—especially those that tackle “big” issues in a personal way—are often favorably received at literary magazines. So if you can put a personal spin on a big issue—like foreclosure, obesity, racism, or any other social issue—you may be able to get a foot in the door at a literary magazine.

3. “Tell me something I don’t know.” You’ve heard there are no new ideas. But the fact is, no one can replicate your particular view of the world. For that reason, editors at literary magazines continue to accept prose that offers new viewpoints of modern work and play. But in order for your prose to be compelling, you’ve got to push for deeper, more surprising, and more insightful explorations. You’re competing for space when you submit to a literary magazine, and if your insights are stronger than the competition’s, then you’re in!

4. Check your ego at the door. Just because you’re writing a personal essay, doesn’t mean you can indulge in your every last whim of hedonism. Essays that are about “me, me, me” and “I, I, I” are not likely to be published. Strive to paint a bigger picture—to show how your experiences are relevant to all people—and you’ll turn editors into fans.

5. Submit your essays to the best-suited editors. If you’re going to submit your personal essay, you’ve got to know the right people to send your work to. At Writer’s Relief, we’ve got a database of thousands of editors who are accepting essays—and we track which editors like what specific type of work.

But you can also do this kind of research on your own. Spend time at the library or on the Web to determine which magazines are right for you, then send out your work regularly. Expect rejections and strive for acceptances. Although the odds may seem staggering, we see writers’ work being accepted all the time!

While personal essays are personal, it’s helpful to know what readers and editors are looking for when they read your work. We hope these tips will help you get published. Happy writing!

About the Author

Writer’s Relief ( www.WritersRelief.com ) is an author’s submission service. We assist writers with preparing their submissions and researching the best markets. We have a service for every budget, as well as a free e-publication for writers, Submit Write Now! Visit our site today to learn more.

Sign in as a WNFIN participant here . Log into the WNFIN Forum here .

April 24, 2013 at 4:13 pm

With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement?

My blog has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any methods to help prevent content from being ripped off? I’d certainly appreciate it.

April 25, 2013 at 10:11 am

There are some plugins that time stamp your material to prove you published it first. You can put a copyright symbol on your home page and also a notice somewhere saying the material may not be used without permission, but there are some that will still take it and use it without attribution. It actually is quite rare. I have one site now doing it with some of my material…and no way to even contact them. Usually if you can find a way to contact them, they will take it down or add attribution. Most legit bloggers will attribute. The good news is you are being found. If your site had no traffic, your material wouldn’t get “scraped.” As they say, you have more to fear of obscurity than plagorism. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Do try to contact the site owner, though.

[…] essay to the wrong editor and find the right one. You can read Writer’s Relief’s “5 Tips To Help You Publish A Personal Essay” here. Share and […]

[…] just tell yourself you’ve sent your essay to the wrong editor and find the right one. Click here to read “5 Tips To Help You Publish A Personal Essay.” Share and […]

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How to Write an Essay

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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How to Write and Publish Your Research in a Journal

Last Updated: May 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Choosing a Journal

Writing the research paper, editing & revising your paper, submitting your paper, navigating the peer review process, research paper help.

This article was co-authored by Matthew Snipp, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main . C. Matthew Snipp is the Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. He is also the Director for the Institute for Research in the Social Science’s Secure Data Center. He has been a Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has published 3 books and over 70 articles and book chapters on demography, economic development, poverty and unemployment. He is also currently serving on the National Institute of Child Health and Development’s Population Science Subcommittee. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 706,683 times.

Publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal allows you to network with other scholars, get your name and work into circulation, and further refine your ideas and research. Before submitting your paper, make sure it reflects all the work you’ve done and have several people read over it and make comments. Keep reading to learn how you can choose a journal, prepare your work for publication, submit it, and revise it after you get a response back.

Things You Should Know

• Create a list of journals you’d like to publish your work in and choose one that best aligns with your topic and your desired audience.
• Prepare your manuscript using the journal’s requirements and ask at least 2 professors or supervisors to review your paper.
• Write a cover letter that “sells” your manuscript, says how your research adds to your field and explains why you chose the specific journal you’re submitting to.

• Ask your professors or supervisors for well-respected journals that they’ve had good experiences publishing with and that they read regularly.
• Many journals also only accept specific formats, so by choosing a journal before you start, you can write your article to their specifications and increase your chances of being accepted.
• If you’ve already written a paper you’d like to publish, consider whether your research directly relates to a hot topic or area of research in the journals you’re looking into.

• Review the journal’s peer review policies and submission process to see if you’re comfortable creating or adjusting your work according to their standards.
• Open-access journals can increase your readership because anyone can access them.

• Scientific research papers: Instead of a “thesis,” you might write a “research objective” instead. This is where you state the purpose of your research.
• “This paper explores how George Washington’s experiences as a young officer may have shaped his views during difficult circumstances as a commanding officer.”
• “This paper contends that George Washington’s experiences as a young officer on the 1750s Pennsylvania frontier directly impacted his relationship with his Continental Army troops during the harsh winter at Valley Forge.”

• Scientific research papers: Include a “materials and methods” section with the step-by-step process you followed and the materials you used. [5] X Research source
• Read other research papers in your field to see how they’re written. Their format, writing style, subject matter, and vocabulary can help guide your own paper. [6] X Research source

• If you’re writing about George Washington’s experiences as a young officer, you might emphasize how this research changes our perspective of the first president of the U.S.
• Link this section to your thesis or research objective.
• If you’re writing a paper about ADHD, you might discuss other applications for your research.

• Scientific research papers: You might include your research and/or analytical methods, your main findings or results, and the significance or implications of your research.
• Try to get as many people as you can to read over your abstract and provide feedback before you submit your paper to a journal.

• They might also provide templates to help you structure your manuscript according to their specific guidelines. [11] X Research source

• Not all journal reviewers will be experts on your specific topic, so a non-expert “outsider’s perspective” can be valuable.

• If you have a paper on the purification of wastewater with fungi, you might use both the words “fungi” and “mushrooms.”
• Use software like iThenticate, Turnitin, or PlagScan to check for similarities between the submitted article and published material available online. [15] X Research source

• Header: Address the editor who will be reviewing your manuscript by their name, include the date of submission, and the journal you are submitting to.
• First paragraph: Include the title of your manuscript, the type of paper it is (like review, research, or case study), and the research question you wanted to answer and why.
• Second paragraph: Explain what was done in your research, your main findings, and why they are significant to your field.
• Third paragraph: Explain why the journal’s readers would be interested in your work and why your results are important to your field.
• Conclusion: State the author(s) and any journal requirements that your work complies with (like ethical standards”).
• “We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.”
• “All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [insert the name of the target journal].”

• Submit your article to only one journal at a time.
• When submitting online, use your university email account. This connects you with a scholarly institution, which can add credibility to your work.

• Accept: Only minor adjustments are needed, based on the provided feedback by the reviewers. A first submission will rarely be accepted without any changes needed.
• Revise and Resubmit: Changes are needed before publication can be considered, but the journal is still very interested in your work.
• Reject and Resubmit: Extensive revisions are needed. Your work may not be acceptable for this journal, but they might also accept it if significant changes are made.
• Reject: The paper isn’t and won’t be suitable for this publication, but that doesn’t mean it might not work for another journal.

• Try organizing the reviewer comments by how easy it is to address them. That way, you can break your revisions down into more manageable parts.
• If you disagree with a comment made by a reviewer, try to provide an evidence-based explanation when you resubmit your paper.

• If you’re resubmitting your paper to the same journal, include a point-by-point response paper that talks about how you addressed all of the reviewers’ comments in your revision. [22] X Research source
• If you’re not sure which journal to submit to next, you might be able to ask the journal editor which publications they recommend.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• If reviewers suspect that your submitted manuscript plagiarizes another work, they may refer to a Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flowchart to see how to move forward. [23] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• ↑ https://www.wiley.com/en-us/network/publishing/research-publishing/choosing-a-journal/6-steps-to-choosing-the-right-journal-for-your-research-infographic
• ↑ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13187-020-01751-z
• ↑ https://libguides.unomaha.edu/c.php?g=100510&p=651627
• ↑ https://www.canberra.edu.au/library/start-your-research/research_help/publishing-research
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/conclusions
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/writing-an-abstract-for-your-research-paper/
• ↑ https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/book-authors-editors/your-publication-journey/manuscript-preparation
• ↑ https://apus.libanswers.com/writing/faq/2391
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/keyword/search-strategy
• ↑ https://ifis.libguides.com/journal-publishing-guide/submitting-your-paper
• ↑ https://www.springer.com/kr/authors-editors/authorandreviewertutorials/submitting-to-a-journal-and-peer-review/cover-letters/10285574
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/monitor/sep02/publish.aspx
• ↑ Matthew Snipp, PhD. Research Fellow, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Expert Interview. 26 March 2020.

About This Article

To publish a research paper, ask a colleague or professor to review your paper and give you feedback. Once you've revised your work, familiarize yourself with different academic journals so that you can choose the publication that best suits your paper. Make sure to look at the "Author's Guide" so you can format your paper according to the guidelines for that publication. Then, submit your paper and don't get discouraged if it is not accepted right away. You may need to revise your paper and try again. To learn about the different responses you might get from journals, see our reviewer's explanation below. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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