Want to Guest Post for The Write Practice? Here Are Our Guidelines:

If you're a writer and want to help other writers improve their craft, why not guest post for the Write Practice?

Guest posting helps you by getting your name out there (see my friend Jeff's post about how guest posting can help you). It helps us by teaching us all something we didn't know. It's a win-win.

Here's what we're looking for:

What Makes The Write Practice Unique

The Write Practice isn't your average writing blog. Instead, we're all about deliberate practice. That's why at the end of each post, we have a “Practice Section,” a short prompt that gives readers a chance to put into practice what they've just learned.

The number one reason we reject guest posts is because they don't have a Practice Section. This makes us sad. We have an example below of what an average Practice Section looks like. Please make sure to read it carefully.

The Content of Your Post

The subject of your post should be about writing. Fairly obvious. You might share your tips on how to write:

  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • young adult lit
  • poetry
  • literary fiction
  • memoir
  • creative essays
  • mystery
  • grammar
  • journalism
  • you get the picture

Here Are Our Writing Guidelines

Every Write Practice post has two sections.

1. Craft.  First, teach us something about the writing craft. Take a look at the “problem solved” templates here to use as a model. Here are some questions to get you started:

  • What is something you do in your own writing that sets you apart?
  • What have you learned about the craft that you can pass on to others?
  • What do you notice writers you admire doing that you would like to imitate?
  • How can writers better connect to their readers?
  • What can they do to make their writing more beautiful, simple, intriguing, mysterious, clear, powerful, shocking, funny, important?

2. PRACTICE. What makes The Write Practice unique is that after every post, we give our readers a chance to practice what they just learned for fifteen minutes. Then, they post their practice right in the practice box where they can get feedback from other writers. So at the end of your post, make sure to give us PRACTICE prompt so we can apply your excellent teaching.

Here's an example PRACTICE prompt for a post about close third-person point of view:

Write about your protagonist's love life using close third-person POV in the way we just talked about. Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your practice in the practice box and leave feedback for three other writers.

Check out this practice section in this post about being a more adventurous writer for another example of how we format these prompts. You can even copy and paste the example into your post and rewrite the prompt yourself.

More Tips to Make Sure Your Post is Accepted

  • People often forget to include a conclusion and discussion question. Here's a good guide on what a good blog post looks like (i.e. it includes a hook/lede, aggravator, core points, conclusion, question, and of course, specific to The Write Practice, the practice section).
  • Check out our formatting tips here (see no. 7 and 8, especially)
  • Tell a story. People remember stories. They forget tips. (See You Don't Forget Stories)
  • We prefer posts of 750 words or more, but we're not super picky about this.
  • Please don't recycle something published elsewhere (including your own blog). Also, please don't publish your guest post elsewhere.
  • However, please do post a teaser on your blog, tell your twitter/facebook friends, and email your mom about it.
  • Please note: We don't accept guest posts from marketing companies—especially if it's about finance, making money, or home loans (yes, we really do get asked)—or essay writing services. Sorry!

Ready to Send Us Your Post?

  • Send us an email telling us a bit about your idea. We may brainstorm with you about how to make it better for our audience.
  • Once you write the post, you understand, of course, that we will have to edit your post for grammar, spelling, readability, etc.
  • We'd love to post every submission, but if yours doesn't work for our audience, we may have to turn you down. Sorry!
  • We do not pay for guest posts at this time. 
  • If we do publish your post, we'd love to see your own practice in the comments section as well as your feedback to other writers.

Thanks and happy practicing!

The Write Practice Team