Call For Writers -- 2009

Section: 

Gamerswithjobs.com is looking for writers!

Luxurious trips, fabulous wealth and the adoration of millions, these are just a few of the things we don’t offer. However, if you are passionate about gaming and more importantly about creating witty, interesting, compelling written content, then we can provide you with both a platform and one of the best communities on the web.

As a writer for GWJ you have the opportunity to build a portfolio of work that can and has launched more than a few writing careers. If you’ve longed for an opportunity to get your shot at writing about video games for a living, then we provide an avenue for reaching that goal. If you have a unique perspective you simply want to share with thousands of your closest friends — well, we can help you with that as well.

Read on to find out details on submitting. Ability to read and follow basic instructions will be part of the deciding factor, so please read carefully.

What to Submit: Submissions should be attached to an e-mail. E-mail entries should be sent to [email protected] with the subject “Call for Writers '09 Entry.” Any entries submitted to an incorrect address, with an incorrect subject or without proper attachments will not be considered.

Submissions should be between 750 and 1,000 words. The topic is unrestricted, but should relate in some way to the video game industry or gamer culture. Submissions should be double spaced with traditional 1” margins and submitted as a Word (.doc) document.

Do not submit links to your blog, old articles on other sites, or your resume. We are looking for original, unpublished material which would be suitable for publication on our front page.

Writers retain all rights to submissions, and we will not print or distribute your submission without prior approval.

When to Submit: Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm CST June 20, 2009.

Things You Need to Know: GWJ is not a paying outlet at this time, and there is no guarantee, or even really a plan for compensating our writers.

Instead, GWJ expects all writers (yes, even including me) to participate in a peer feedback and editorial review process. This is really the compensation for being a GWJ writer -- you will get regular, intense feedback from some of the best editors and writers in the business. Of course, you will have to be able to play nice with others and be gracious in accepting criticism.

We do not guarantee that a new writer position will be made available if submitted drafts fail to meet our needs or standards. This isn't a contest where we announce a winner. It's a job application. By the same token, we retain the right to terminate writer relationships at any time and for any reason.

Tips of Crafting a Good Submission:

Be creative — seriously, points for creativity
Hook us from the start — We tend to get a lot of submissions, and are easily distracted.
Proofread — Typos, that’s a paddlin’.
Edit, tighten and improve — Your first draft can be better. Get someone to look at what you write, take your time and put something together that stands out. Rabbit wanted in so bad he sent his "Nigerian Prince" submission out to millions for comments before it came our way.

Good luck and we can’t wait to read your articles!

Comments

My brain is seriously not wanting to stick to one subject. I have a few ideas floating in my mental swamp. And it's getting to the point where I think I need to attach the USB 2.0 to my head and just let my mind metaphorically puke itself into MSWord.

Deadron (and anyone else looking for feedback), you can PM me your draft and I'll look it over. I promise not to rough it up, be real gentlemanly with it.

I've sent something already.. And to tell you the truth, I really can't tell if its any good, but when I write, I love to simply let it flow,read over it once more, change some stuff and be done with it

But that's just me..

Spaz wrote:

Deadron (and anyone else looking for feedback), you can PM me your draft and I'll look it over. I promise not to rough it up, be real gentlemanly with it.

I'll make a similar offer, but more couched in terms of Possum Kingdom.

Is there a submission limit? I've been assuming that it's one per person, but the original post doesn't specify.

I haven't seen it addressed, so are .docx files okay for submission? (Office 2007)

What about to those of you offering your services (Spaz, wordsmythe)? I know embedded commenting works really well in .docx files, but it's always dicey as to who has upgraded.

Minarchist wrote:

I haven't seen it addressed, so are .docx files okay for submission? (Office 2007)

I had the same question, but a little birdie tells me Mr. Elysium is strict about the rules, and the post makes a point of saying you have to follow the rules, so I downgraded the file to .doc...

wordsmythe just introduced me to a meme I was unaware of...

devilbless wrote:

I've sent something already.. And to tell you the truth, I really can't tell if its any good, but when I write, I love to simply let it flow,read over it once more, change some stuff and be done with it :)

I understand, as I often write that way, and have created some pretty good articles/blog posts in that manner.

On the other hand, a long time back I was writing a column for a local niche-interest newspaper and I found that reworking things until my fingers bled and until I'd gotten rid of every unnecessary word resulted in much stronger material than I'd started with.

It may be a difference related to word count and needing to fit into the needs of something that isn't a personal blog. A word count of 1k words or less really forces me to focus and throw out a lot of material I would otherwise include, and once that's the case I find it fruitful to keep working at it until there's nothing more I can do.

As Pascal allegedly said, "The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter."

Also I've had too much of a habit of spitting stuff out and sending it off just to be sure I actually got it done before I could talk myself out of it. So I'm taking the opportunity to do a bit of a George Costanza by trying to gain success doing the reverse of my natural inclination...

Is there a submission limit? I've been assuming that it's one per person, but the original post doesn't specify.

Considering that there is a fairly significant volume, and because I'd really like to see what you think is your best work, I am pretty interested in keeping it to one per person.

More specifically, you can send more but I'm going to read at least one for sure and only read the second if I have a compelling reason.

I sent out form letters this afternoon to everyone from whom I have received a submission. It's just an e-mail to confirm that I have received and read your article. If you received this e-mail (and everyone got exactly the same e-mail) then you can rest assured that your entry was accepted and considered.

If you did not receive an e-mail from me this afternoon, you may want to confirm that your entry was properly sent or formatted.

We're getting some outstanding work, and it's going to be very hard to make decisions later this month. I am constantly impressed by how talented our community is.

Minarchist wrote:

I haven't seen it addressed, so are .docx files okay for submission? (Office 2007)

I have office, but I'm unawares as to embedded commentary and editing. If you drop me a PM explaining it, I'll be glad to use Office to give you my opinion.

And if that's too much work, copy-paste what you have into a PM.

Is there any specific content direction GWJ tries to maintain, or we can submit about anything industry related?

gamesource wrote:

Is there any specific content direction GWJ tries to maintain, or we can submit about anything industry related?

I'm not even sure how much of what we've put up would qualify as "industry-related."

gamesource wrote:

Is there any specific content direction GWJ tries to maintain, or we can submit about anything industry related?

Click through the last couple months of features, and that should give you an idea of the content, tone, style and wordcount of what we tend to post.

(P.S.: I know you didn't mean anything by that, but it is bad form to ask an outlet you're submitting to about what kind of content they publish. It suggests you don't read the site/mag/whatever regularly, and no editor wants to hire a writer who is unfamiliar with the publication. It's one of the easiest ways to get your submission tossed in the trash. Ask about word count, a style sheet, writer's guidelines... anything but content direction.

Again, I know you, and I know didn't mean it like that at all. But since we have several aspiring professional writers on this forum, I thought it might be helpful advice for all those looking to submit here or anywhere else.)

gamesource wrote:

Is there any specific content direction GWJ tries to maintain, or we can submit about anything industry related?

From what I can tell, you must include at least one reference to your child. If you don't have a child, substitute 'golden retriever whose head bobs when Mario jumps'. If you don't have a game-lovin' dog either, you're in trouble.

KaterinLHC wrote:
gamesource wrote:

Is there any specific content direction GWJ tries to maintain, or we can submit about anything industry related?

Click through the last couple months of features, and that should give you an idea of the content, tone, style and wordcount of what we tend to post.

(P.S.: I know you didn't mean anything by that, but it is bad form to ask an outlet you're submitting to about what kind of content they publish. It suggests you don't read the site/mag/whatever regularly, and no editor wants to hire a writer who is unfamiliar with the publication. It's one of the easiest ways to get your submission tossed in the trash. Ask about word count, a style sheet, writer's guidelines... anything but content direction.

Again, I know you, and I know didn't mean it like that at all. But since we have several aspiring professional writers on this forum, I thought it might be helpful advice for all those looking to submit here or anywhere else.)

Thanks for the great advice Katerin! Definitely a great point. I was initially curious because I was concerned about:

wordsmythe wrote:

I'm not even sure how much of what we've put up would qualify as "industry-related."

Finally through my busiest week of the year, so now time to sit down, review the feedback I've received, and wrap this puppy up.

(I wrap up puppies because the activity relaxes me. Don't judge.)

Deadron wrote:

Finally through my busiest week of the year, so now time to sit down, review the feedback I've received, and wrap this puppy up.

(I wrap up puppies because the activity relaxes me. Don't judge.)

Some people juggle geese!

Stengah wrote:
Deadron wrote:

Finally through my busiest week of the year, so now time to sit down, review the feedback I've received, and wrap this puppy up.

(I wrap up puppies because the activity relaxes me. Don't judge.)

Some people juggle geese!

I make popcorn instead of sense.

I few of you have sent me drafts. I'm not ignoring you. I should have time for them tonight or tomorrow.

wordsmythe wrote:

I few of you have sent me drafts.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Clemenstation wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:

I few of you have sent me drafts.

Tsk, tsk, tsk... :)

Interesting, that. Nowhere near the A key.

Freud says it's because you're a narcissist!

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Freud says it's because you're a narcissist! ;)

Sometimes a cigar is just my penis.

Okay, finally submitted after much thought and rereading.

Good luck everybody!

Well, I've been listening to the podcast and perusing the site for a while now but never registered on the forums. I guess since I'm going to throw my name in the hat I should register and atleast say hello to everyone so...

Hello!

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