We welcome contributions to Small Answers that are in keeping with style and substance of our site, and the guidelines here. We generally plan our posts a few weeks in advance, but can move things around once your post is ready. Email us at contact@smallanswers.us if you’d like to discuss contributing.
Format
Many types of formats work for Small Answers, including first person narrative, interview, illustrated, opinion/review, and audio.
Most of our posts are a combination of personal stories tied into a larger theme. We find that starting with a personal anecdote is helpful, although certainly not required. As with all good writing, the key is to get people to want to keep reading and to have something meaningful to say.
Themes
Our tagline, “shared stories about big life questions,” sums up our focus. We like to tackle topics about life choices, both big ones and little ones. Some general themes that we’re interested in are career and work, behavior, family, love, and personal growth.
Word count
Between 700 and 1,500 words is a good length.
Process
We’re flexible, but we find that guest posts work best when we discuss the idea a bit in the beginning and then set deadlines for next steps. Expect to submit a draft – messy is OK! – and do one or two rounds of edits. We’re also happy to brainstorm and help you pull out the theme and think about where to expand/edit down prior to beginning to write. If you have a finished piece that you would like to pitch, please send the full post, and expect to receive edits and notes for revision.
Deadlines
We can absolutely be flexible about deadlines, but do find that it helps to have a target date in mind – even if it’s just for a draft.
Compensation
At this time, Small Answers is a labor of love only. We don’t make any money off the site ourselves, so regrettably we cannot compensate our contributors. However, we will shower you with praise, gratitude, and Tweets.