Tell Your Story!
The name of this blog is “Violet Voices.” Note: “voices”–plural, meaning more than one. If I’m the only one posting on this blog, that’s just ONE voice. (I really don’t have split-personalities. The other voices I hear in my head are usually my story characters talking, which is a common ailment among novelists.)
Be a Violet Voice! Here’s the requirements:
1) You have to be human. Sorry, nothing against dogs, cats, iguanas, etc., but I have to draw the line somewhere.
2) You have to want to tell your story. I’m not going to force you into it–I’m not into that stuff.
3) You have to have a personal experience that fits into one of the categories below. Please no fiction–my artistic ego insists on being the only one allowed to post fiction on my blog. And I will always let you know if it’s fictional–usually a quote from one of my books.
4) You have to abide by my posting guidelines. Sorry, but I can’t be lenient on this one. It’s the only way to keep things manageable. But I’ll try to make it simple.
Your story needs to fit into one of the following Categories:
1) Stay-at-home Parents (either mom or dad, though I know most will probably be moms)
2) On Being a Parent–anything to do with raising children.
3) International Adoption (adoption from a country that is not the parent’s own)–can be from point of view of anyone involved with the adoption.
4) The experience of being a woman–stories that reflect the unique issues facing women today, the challenges or the joys of being female. I come from a perspective of Biblical Equality, so be aware that I will be biased toward posting stories that are compatible with that view.
Your story should be no longer than 500 words. I’m the only one who can go over the word count. It’s my blog. I have privileges.
Your story should be inspirational, funny, encouraging, honest, pointed, focused, challenging, poignant, or insightful. Preferrably all the above. Don’t sugar-coat your experience. Tell it like it is, or was, not how you think it ought to have been.
You don’t have to be super eloquent or a gifted writer. You don’t have to watch your language or be a perfect grammarian. Please DO try to spell correctly and be coherent. I’ll do some light editing if necessary, but I won’t rewrite the thing for you.
Tips for a Strong Story:
- Keep your story focused to one main idea.
- Cut out anything that doesn’t directly pertain to the point you are trying to make.
- Avoid using your story as a soap box to rant about something else or someone else that you disagree with or dislike.
- Keep the focus on your own experience.
- Don’t use a lot of adjectives or adverbs. Stick to strong, precise nouns and verbs.
- Be honest and share your emotions and feelings about your experience.
- Tell your story with passion.
To Submit Your Story:
1) Register as a Subscriber. This option is found on the right sidebar under the section “Meta.” You’ll get a password emailed to you.
2) Log into your Dashboard and click on “My Account.” In your profile, under the section about you, please let me know that you’d like to be “promoted” to a blog contributor. Tell me what category your story is for. And give me a ONE-SENTENCE description of it.
3) Once I promote you to Contributor, you can use the Write section of the Dashboard to write the draft of your post. Save it. I will approve it and set the publication date for it.
4) After your story has been posted, you will not be able to edit it, so please make any changes you want before it is published. You will be able to read comments to your post after they are approved, and you’ll be able to see how many comments are waiting for approval. But you won’t be able to approve them or edit them.
5) I may add some editorial notes to your story–things like additional resources that might be helpful or interesting, or perhaps my own (appreciative) comment about your story.
6) After you have your first story posted, don’t stop there! Keep submitting more stories as you have them. As long as they meet the guidelines and fit the categories, they are welcome.
Other Important Information:
- I don’t promise to publish all or any of your stories. I reserve the right to make the final decision on what I’m willing to post on my blog. If I choose not to post a story, I won’t offer an explanation of why. Please don’t ask. I don’t have time to continually justify myself.
- I reserve the right to promote, demote, or even delete any Contributor or registered Subscriber from this blog. But I’m not a despot. If you behave nicely, I would love to have you be part of the Violet Voices community. Just use common sense and be reasonable and polite to me and other Voices. I won’t make the rules any more detailed than that unless I have to.
- All stories posted on this blog remain the property of the original author. The copyright is automatically yours for any story you submit. You are free to post your story elsewhere or sell it somewhere, whatever you wish. And if you want to have a certain story deleted in the future, contact me and request it.
- I am not liable for anything that happens as a result of your posting your story on this blog. (Not that I expect anything bad to happen.) I am also not liable for any loss of information that would occur, for example, in a system crash or a security breach. You are completely responsible to retain backup copies of your story if you want them, and you are completely and solely responsible for the content of your story.
- Personal Information: As the blog administrator, I will be able to see the following info when you register as a Subscriber: Your Name, Your Nickname (login id), Your Email Address, Your Website (if you provide one), and whatever information you put into your About Yourself box. I can change your password, and I can change your login/nickname if necessary. If you give any IM contact info, I’ll see that, too.
- Privacy Policy: I will not share your email address or other contact info with anyone, on or off the blog. I will not use your email address for any other purpose other than to contact you if there is a blog-related reason or question. Other users will not be able to see your profile or access personal information other than what you choose to include in your story. You are responsible for the private information you choose to share in your posts.
- If you have other questions, problems, or need help with becoming a Violet Voices Contributor, you may contact me using the following form:
I hope to see your voice soon!
Meredith
