Thank you for showing interest!
TO INTERESTED WRITERS
Purpose of the Blog:
The blog is the crux of the whole website. A space for people to come tell us their unique stories- through written word. We want it to be as varied as possible in terms of the topics. From the most minuscule of things to the gravest. This is where we want people to connect with one another, and it’s very crucial that whatever we post has a purpose behind it. Please be mindful that all work submitted is subject to a panel review. Work will only be featured if decided by the panel. Thank you for understanding. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind!
Guidelines:
- EMAIL to write@mighzal.com
If you are submitting a guest post for the month’s theme, you MUST provide the following in your email subject line ‘GUEST SUBMISSION – (Month) – (Theme)’
e.g. ‘GUEST SUBMISSION – JULY – SUMMER’
Attached is also an image of the email template that should be followed.
Where this template is not followed, the email will be unlikely to make it to us.
Your submission can be written within the email or attached to the email in word.docx format.
- DOCUMENT as word.docx
Attached is also an image of the document template that needs to be followed.
The document needs to be named ‘(Month) – (Theme) – (Name)’
e.g. ‘JULY – SUMMER – Mariam Burhani’.
If you prefer to post anonymously, please write anonymous instead of your name.
Within the document itself, you MUST clearly state the title of your piece and once again, write your name. If these criteria are not met, we regret we won’t be able to consider your piece for publication.
Please send in submissions of no more than 1000 words. This can be in any style – poetry, short stories, or just honest blog write-ups. Be mindful when using personal details as Mighzal is a public website.
If you feel your message needs a longer piece, feel free to submit it, but expect feedback if we choose to publish. If it’s a good, strong piece, we’ll want to know the whole story. We keep a word cap not just because the post is more likely to be read but because rare is the well-written message based on our themes that needs a higher word count.
- PITCHING AND SUBMISSION TIPS
The purpose of the blog is to share YOUR stories – experiences unique to you. Avoid preaching at all costs and don’t make it cute. We at Mighzal are allergic to preaching and fluffiness. We want raw, genuine, honest write-ups that will leave readers in awe – not rolling their eyes.
Keep it concise – 1000 words is not a guide, it is a cap. Good writing and precision go hand in hand.
Long words are often used to mask doubt or a variating narrative. If you have a clear idea about what you want to write and you know what you’re talking about (you should – it’s your experience that you’re writing about) then you shouldn’t need complex language to convey your message. We are here to inspire; that doesn’t take much more than the truth and a smile.
Take a look at what we have already published – it seems obvious, but it bears repeating. Understand our style and what we’ve already explored so you know what to avoid. We want new stories because not a single lived day on this planet is the same as any other. That’s a lot of potential.
We accept pieces in English or English-Lisan.
We are immensely proud of our back catalogue – we have been truly blessed by courageous and generous women who have come forward to share themselves with us. To be a part of that, we advise you not to be afraid of the audience but not to forget about them either. Mighzal is proud of and defends at all costs our community who are here to support each other. We know that your story is going to an audience who are here to nourish themselves with what you have to offer. This is a safe space. But it is also the internet. Your story is also going into the wider world. It takes courage to post the truth here, but we are trying to make that as easy as possible. Please don’t betray our audience, this team and, above all, yourselves by being anything less than authentic.
A writer is never done learning. There is always something new to try, new to do. Don’t be disheartened if your work wasn’t chosen to be featured, it could be for a number of reasons. We are grateful to you and proud of you for choosing to submit. There will be many more opportunities in the future and we urge you to just keep at it. Your journey is for yourself and yourself alone. If we have not been able to celebrate it this time, we look forward to when we can.
- REVIEW
We reserve the right to review your pieces for language, clarity, thematic interpretation and, above all, quality.
We would appreciate a thoroughly revised draft. It only means it goes up sooner. We will go through it as a team before making that decision. This may take a while, or it may not, it is not necessarily a reflection on your submission. We are a team of volunteers and so, though we do not compromise on commitment, sometimes something takes longer.
We will do our utmost to get back to you with our decision. However, as mentioned, we are not able to give all our time to Mighzal (no matter how much we’d like to). If you haven’t heard from us by the end of the month, please assume we will not be featuring your piece this time around. However, you are encouraged to submit something at the next opportunity.
Once we let you know that your work will be featured, bear in mind that we will edit your piece. We reserve the right to do this without your input, though we are unlikely to alter content or tone without your involvement. But language edits themselves can be and are substantial. If you would like feedback on your piece after publication, let us know, we will be as helpful as possible.
- REGULAR POSTING
We aren’t really requesting open pieces any more as we are about to make our monthly blog themes known to all our readers for regular contributions – if you are unable to contribute to one theme, you only have to wait a month until the next opportunity. However, if you wish to contribute to Mighzal in a separate, more committed but unspecific capacity please use the following guidelines:
Title your email ‘Request to contribute – your name’.
The more specific you are about how you would like to contribute and what you expect, the more responsive we can be about where you might belong on our team and with what success. We are always looking for brilliant new talent to grow our team, our base and our output. However, we have editorial priorities and so please be patient with us if we like you and what you have to offer, but the timing is not right or we can’t commit any resources to you at present. As always, we are incredibly grateful for your input.
Love,
The Mighzal Team
DISCLAIMER: The team reserves the right to edit or reject any submitted articles or pieces of literature. Any submissions published on Mighzal may be taken down at any time without prior notice. We retain the right not to entertain any query towards any decision taken by the Mighzal team on any submissions.
2 Comments
Would like to contribute a write up for the blog. What is the email id to be sent on?
Hello!
You can send in your piece to fatema@mighzal.com 🙂
Love,
The Mighzal Team