Call for Writers -- 2013

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It's been almost four years since our last Call for Writers, but the time has come again for us to turn to the boundless talent of our community and shamelessly beg for your pretty words and clever wit. Previous Calls for Writers have brought to us such talent as Julian "Rabbit" Murdoch (who, to date, has not been responsible for us going out of business) and Russ "Fletcher" Pitts (who eventually flew the coop to help run The Escapist and now Polygon). Now we are looking for the next great GWJ writer.

Writing for GWJ is currently a volunteer effort, but it is an opportunity to build your portfolio, get feedback from a supportive community and develop your skill. And, in truth, what we are looking for above all else is excellent writers who want to help produce content for us because they have a passion for this community and for the games industry.

The thing about writing in the gaming space is that there are no promises. That said, many of our writers have gone on to have successful freelance careers and write for countless publications from magazines to some of gaming's most recognized websites. We also have an active community of writers who support and help guide one another, and, as I suspect you already know, our readership is exceptional.

If you are interested in becoming a recurring writer for GWJ please read on for submission information.

NOTE: Submissions deviating from the guidelines below will not be considered.

What to Submit: Please submit a 750 word - 1000 word original commentary on any topic relating to the video game industry. We are not looking for reviews, previews or non-gaming related content.

Submissions should be in a Word Document format and attached to an e-mail. E-mail entries should be sent to [email protected] with the subject “Call for Writers '13 Entry.” Any entries submitted to an incorrect address, with an incorrect subject or without proper attachments will not be considered.

Submissions should be double spaced with traditional 1” margins.

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 We are looking for original, unpublished material which would be suitable for publication on our front page.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 February 8, 2013.

Things You Need to Know: GWJ expects all writers to participate in a peer feedback and editorial review process.

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.

We are unlikely to be able to provide feedback on drafts or explain "why wasn't I selected?" While we are looking for excellent writing, we are also looking for that voice that just fits. The reality is that we will probably have to say no to some genuinely talented writers in this process. If it makes you feel any better, we don't like doing it either.

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.

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

Comments

For Wordsmythe's enjoyment, my submission will be a dialogue between two anime characters repressing their anger/anxiety/frustration/etc. at one another.

[spoiler]lots of glaring, occasional glimpses of a beautiful city in the background
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: !!
Hiro: ?!
30 minutes and seven frames of animation later, the city is an apocalyptic wasteland, Suzuki is dead, and Hiro is through a field, head bowed. Curtain

Pro-tip: Don't taunt the Wordsmythe. Well okay, there's a time and a place for taunting him, but this isn't it.

Also, ellipses aren't just decorative--they serve a grammatical purpose. I suppose you can use them to visually represent a spoken pause, but it carries with it the implication that there's something intentionally left unsaid. Otherwise, use an emdash!

For Wordsmythe's enjoyment, Mao broke the page formatting.

wordsmythe wrote:

Are those Dragonball characters?

I sorta had Nintendo Ninja Gaiden cut scenes in my head, but like most of my stories, it spun into something else entirely.

Chairman_Mao wrote:

For Wordsmythe's enjoyment, my submission will be a dialogue between two anime characters repressing their anger/anxiety/frustration/etc. at one another.

Spoiler:

lots of glaring, occasional glimpses of a beautiful city in the background
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: ...
Hiro: ...
Suzuki: !!
Hiro: ?!
30 minutes and seven frames of animation later, the city is an apocalyptic wasteland, Suzuki is dead, and Hiro is through a field, head bowed. Curtain

Are those Dragonball characters?

I'll give this a shot.

I feel like I have a gigantic mush mouth when I'm contributing to the forums but maybe a little structure is what I need to get my writer's face back on.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

For Wordsmythe's enjoyment, Mao broke the page formatting.

As the King Midas of Communism, everything I touch turns to broken.

I decided to further crowdsource my article idea but didn't want to derail this thread. IF you have a minute, I invite you to go check out my thread in Everything Else:

http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/1...

Also, I'm happy to provide any input/critiques if you want somebody else to look at your article.

Done. Submitted my entry on FTL. Even if its not what you're looking for, thanks guys for providing an outlet that lets me write about something other than cancer drugs for once!

I'm gonna do it, and inevitably get rejected. (:

Have my rough draft but it's crap... and I'm running out of time... shoulda started sooner... need to use more ellipses... have run out of ideas for this sentence... I was told the ellipses are not a valid way to end it... oh well...

manta173 wrote:

Have my rough draft but it's crap... and I'm running out of time... shoulda started sooner... need to use more ellipses... have run out of ideas for this sentence... I was told the ellipses are not a valid way to end it... oh well...

Smash-cut to Wordsmythe.

IMAGE(http://gifs.gifbin.com/1238157980_scanners_-_head_explosion.gif)

During my idle moments I've been writing one hell of a piece. Then I sit myself down in front of the laptop and resurfacing the mental prose to screen is about as easy as trying to remember my dreams from this morning.

Just submitted mine. *fingers crossed*

My wife and best friend don't read the site, but a shout out to them for their early and late edits.

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: Three years with the podcast and two donations, and I still can't shake this "Coffee Grinder" status. Bah!

After talking about it (but being too busy) for years, I have finally submitted a piece Thank you Goodjers!

Budo wrote:

Done. Submitted my entry on FTL. Even if its not what you're looking for, thanks guys for providing an outlet that lets me write about something other than cancer drugs for once!

I hear ya - it's nice to have the excuse to write down some thoughts!

Hopefully my submission opens for you guys. I saved it out of OpenOffice as a .doc but my wife had a hard time opening it. However, I was able to open it at work without a problem.

theschap wrote:

Hopefully my submission opens for you guys. I saved it out of OpenOffice as a .doc but my wife had a hard time opening it. However, I was able to open it at work without a problem.

I'm so sorry, professor! The attachment must have gotten corrupted. I totally didn't send you a junk file to buy myself more time.

Well it totally did not happen. I have my excuses of course. Good luck to everyone who submitted a piece and hope the GWJ team finds their guy/girl.

I've thought about sending them a new version that I opened at work then saved out of word, but a double submission seems a bit... poor. Apparently .docx is better than .doc.

Maclintok wrote:

Well it totally did not happen. I have my excuses of course. Good luck to everyone who submitted a piece and hope the GWJ team finds their guy/girl.

Hey man, you still got time. It's not 11:59 PM CST yet after all.

I just submitted my entry. I'm definitely not a professional but I hope it holds up to the standards they are looking for and fits the voice they are seeking on the site.

Quick Question:

If we are not selected, do we get a nice form letter? I know it says there won't be feedback, but a simple "NOPE" email?

Iridium884 wrote:

Quick Question:

If we are not selected, do we get a nice form letter? I know it says there won't be feedback, but a simple "NOPE" email?

You'll get this picture:
IMAGE(http://www.roflcat.com/images/cats/Nope.jpg)

Submitted my piece last night, thanks again to GWJ for the opportunity. It was fun to sit down over the course of a couple of days and hammer a piece out of a raw idea, regardless of whether or not I'm chosen.

Threw something together at the last minute. Entry submitted

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Iridium884 wrote:

Quick Question:

If we are not selected, do we get a nice form letter? I know it says there won't be feedback, but a simple "NOPE" email?

You'll get this picture:
IMAGE(http://www.roflcat.com/images/cats/Nope.jpg)

Can I get goodjer to do my response?

IntangibleFate wrote:

Can I get goodjer to do my response?

[17:04] <+clover_> Goodjer: IntangibleFate wants feedback on his writing sample
[17:04] <+Goodjer> clover_: Intangiblefate wants feedback on a point to be writing to the sniper.
[17:04] <+clover_> Goodjer: nope?
[17:04] <+Goodjer> clover_: Nope nope next weekend here is the hipster?

If you're writing about snipers and hipsters, you should be ok.

Submitted! I don't think my entry is as snarky as I would have liked, but it's far from the worst thing I've ever committed to print.

Submitted right under the wire! Thanks guys for giving me a chance at bat and good luck to everyone else who's in the race!