Guidelines for Writers: What Readers Really Want to See
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Chapter 1: The Reader's Perspective
In recent times, I’ve encountered numerous stories that left me feeling frustrated, detached, disappointed, or even sorrowful—often a combination of these emotions. This prompted me to reflect on the current state of writing.
Section 1.1: The Tyranny of Submission Guidelines
After meticulously examining an extensive range of submission guidelines for various Medium publications, I found many to be excessively rigid and exacting. The message is clear: Follow these rules precisely, or forget about getting published here.
They make no effort to hide their expectations:
- They won’t correct your poorly crafted headlines.
- They refuse to substitute mediocre images.
- They disregard glaring grammatical errors.
If your submission isn’t flawless in every aspect, including obscure instructions hidden within a 25-minute guideline document, you’ll likely be ignored. In fact, your imaginary friend has a better chance of being taken seriously.
Section 1.2: Time for Readers to Take a Stand
It’s time for readers to express our desires to those prolific yet frustrating writers. Perhaps this will inspire them to produce higher-quality narratives. Imagine if readers created their own submission guidelines!
Chapter 2: Personal Submission Guidelines
Here are my (mercifully concise) submission guidelines for writers:
- Reveal a Piece of Yourself: Share a glimpse of your true self through your work. I don’t expect full disclosure, but I need to sense the genuine you to keep coming back for more.
- Be Bold and Honest: Don’t shy away from expressing your real thoughts. Make me laugh, make me angry, and avoid pandering to what you think I want to hear.
- Create Something Unique: Strive to write original content. Avoid recycling information from Wikipedia, parroting AI responses, or merely regurgitating quick Google answers.
- Be Genuine and Relevant: Write with sincerity about your experiences, but ensure they connect to something larger than just your daily life. (And yes, I’m aware this might sound selfish.)
- Care About Your Craft: Familiarize yourself with Medium’s helpful guidelines, and consider using tools like Grammarly. If I can slap a Medium DISCLAIMER on your piece, I’m likely to harbor some resentment.
As readers, we all have distinct expectations regarding the stories we consume, which is precisely the point. So, I invite you to share your personal submission requirements.
Once I gather enough responses, I’ll compile a list of common desires from Medium readers—a service to benefit future writers.
- There are exceptions to the stringent publication guidelines. For a refreshing approach of "Write whatever you want, and we’ll publish it," check out Bouncin’ and Behaving’ Blogs, curated by Jason Provencio. His editorial style is incredibly relaxed, proving that strict rules don’t always yield the best content.