Q: What topics can I write about?

Almost anything and everything! You might find yourself thinking about something that happened in your life and think, "wow! That'd be a great story to tell," but there is no one around to hear it. Write it down and send it to us! Over the years, we've had folks write to us and tell us about their first jobs, first cars, and first dates. We've had great stories about life on the farm, life in the city, life in the small town, and life on the road. Every story is unique. These precious memory stories help us remember the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the triumphs and those 'near misses' that are part of life – and they are enjoyable to read and share!

Question 1

Can anyone submit articles and other content for publishing?

Editor · Accepted Answer

Yes! We welcome and encourage everyone to send us stories for publication.

Priority is given to our subscribers, as they are paying a subscription fee in part, for the privilege of having their content receive priority, however, we accept and publish submitted content from everyone! Please refer to our submission guidelines for more information.

Question 2

Is there a charge / cost for submitting content?

Editor · Accepted Answer

There is no charge to submit stories, articles, and other content, providing the material is not advertising or promotional in nature.

If a story is deemed to be advertising or promotional, we will notify you that it would be better for you to consider advertising options, however, this does not typically apply to our regular stories by readers.

Question 3

Do you accept fiction / creative writing submissions?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We do not accept fiction, creative writing, or serials for publishing. Our editorial focus is on real-life events and memories told by the people who experienced them.

Question 4

Do you accept third-person stories?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We ask people to submit stories from their own life, written from their own first-person perspective.

We do not accept submissions written about others as biography, tribute, or anecdote. Our Submission Guidelines can provide additional information on what is, and what is not, considered for publishing.

Question 5

Is there a maximum word length for submissions?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We ask that story and article submissions be a maximum of 700 words and poems to a maximum of 400 words.

Stories over 700 words may be edited for length or returned to the author for editing. Poems over 400 words will be returned.

Question 6

What topics can I write about?

Editor · Accepted Answer

Almost anything and everything! You might find yourself thinking about something that happened in your life and think, “wow! That’d be a great story to tell,” but there is no one around to hear it. Write it down and send it to us!

Over the years, we’ve had folks write to us and tell us about their first jobs, first cars, and first dates. We’ve had great stories about life on the farm, life in the city, life in the small town, and life on the road.

Every story is unique. These precious memory stories help us remember the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the triumphs and those ‘near misses’ that are part of life – and they are enjoyable to read and share!

Question 7

Can I write about an event from a family member's life?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We do not accept stories that are biographical in nature; stories written as a 'life summary' of others; or anything written as a tribute to others.

Biographies, tribute stories, and third-person anecdotal stories are not considered for publishing and will be returned to the submitter.

Question 8

Do I have to be a good writer to submit something?

Editor · Accepted Answer

Not at all. In fact, we prefer if you aren't a professional writer.

We have a few professionals on staff to clean up grammar, spelling errors, and stuff like that. We want you to write in your own words, so that it has your voice.

Question 9

I want to write about a time in my life, but I am not sure how to start it.

Editor · Accepted Answer

Write to us as though you are writing a letter to a close friend. You can start it as, 'Dear Senior Paper, I remember the time I was about seven or eight years old and mom and dad had just bought a brand new car. It was...' and there you go, your story is started!

The hardest part is now over and you can let your precious memories flow.

Question 10

How many articles can I submit at once?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We ask that you do not send more than four stories at one time. We generally publish stories on a first-come basis and we don't typically publish stories from individuals in back-to-back issues. Because of this, four articles will usually cover a year's worth of issues.

Question 11

When will my submission be published?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We try to publish submissions as soon as possible, however, we cannot guarantee when (or if) any story will be published.

Each story is given a unique timestamp when it is received and we try to publish stories on a first-come basis to help ensure fairness. This means it can take between two and four editions for a story to be published from when it is received.

If your submission has a particular theme (such as a winter, a summer, Christmas, etc.,) we may decide to hold it for a related edition, rather than publish it in the regularly received order.

Question 12

Do you accept handwritten submissions?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We accept handwritten stories as long as the handwriting is legible, however, we prefer submissions be typed or by electronic submission. If you want to write, we ask all names (people, places, events, etc.) be printed, so that we do not misspell them by accident.

Our preference for receiving submission is as follows:

Submitted through our website
Computer printed or typed letter by mail
Hand-printed letter by mail
Handwritten (cursive) letter with names printed by mail

Submitted through our website
Computer printed or typed letter by mail
Hand-printed letter by mail
Handwritten (cursive) letter with names printed by mail

Question 13

Do you accept birthday and anniversary write-ups?

Editor · Accepted Answer

We do not have the space to accept birthday or anniversary write-ups as part of our regular submission content.

For those who want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or other significant event or achievement in our publication, we offer a special advertising feature called Milestone Announcements.

Question 14

Do you accept news / media releases or public service announcements?

Editor · Accepted Answer

Because our publishing space is limited, we do not accept media releases, news releases, news promos, or public service announcements for publishing.

If you believe our audience would benefit from your media information, please get in touch with our advertising department to discuss marketing options.

Question 15

Is The Senior Paper copyright protected?

Editor · Accepted Answer

Yes, The Senior Paper is a copyright protected publication. The contents of the publications (Print and Digital editions) and website content cannot be reprinted, reposted, hosted, recorded (audio or video), rebroadcast or streamed online, either in whole or in part, without the prior expressed written permission of The Senior Paper.

Question 16

What are my copyrights if I submit an article?

Editor · Accepted Answer

You retain copyright on all stories you've authored and submit for publishing consideration. By submitting the story to us, you are granting us non-exclusive permission to edit and reprint your story, per Section 3 of our Terms and Conditions. You are free to print and/or reprint your story at any time, for any reason, in any other publication, without requiring our permission, as you are the original copyright holder of the work.

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