Badform’s New and Updated Submission Guidelines, Autumn 2023

Badform is making a comeback but with a difference

Dearest Badform writers and wannabe Badform writers,

First, let me express my immense gratitude for your patience with my procrastination around this publication. It took a major back seat for a while but I have been thinking hard about its return for a while. And now, I am ready for its comeback.

To those who are already writers with us, please know that there won’t be any major changes when it comes to being a place to publish your funny stuff. Yes, any (good) funny stuff is welcome. But my reservation around the pub was that I knew Medium didn’t really need another humour-centred pub when there are some fantastic ones already here.

In any case, I am only funny sometimes. I don’t pull it out of the bag like some around here. Therefore, positioning myself as the owner of a humour publication never felt natural.

What I am good at is being outspoken, in a thoughtful and considered way. That may come in the form of humour or otherwise. And that was what I felt Badform really excelled at — telling stories with an underlying dig that was intelligently and sensitively executed.

Badform = outspokenness done well.

Badform = commentary, controversial perspectives, humour, and wholesome rants.

And so, that is our new direction here. While we welcome the same fun, inner child naughtiness and humour, we will be tight on quality — we want your pieces to be well-received and, hopefully, boosted. And we want them to say something worth saying, even if it’s merely a dig at someone who deserves it (in fun, of course).

With that said, here are the revised submission guidelines (partially copied and pasted from the original piece).

1. The purpose of Badform is to publish those things that you need to get off your chest. That can include any randomness that occurs to you. We love humorously written pieces but we also want to see those more serious outspoken essays, or about more difficult topics that may not have a place in other publications you write for.
2. Same old standards according to Medium’s Distribution Standards. Click the link because I can’t be bothered to write them out again — yeah, I’m bad like that.
3. Both fiction and nonfiction are welcome, but we want to keep a message integral to each and every piece. It can be nonsense if you like, but relevant, useful nonsense please.
4. Humour-smothered and/or heartfelt personal social and political commentary is fully welcome but keep it fair and considerate. Humouring a public figure’s blunders can be done well and can also be extremely cathartic. But writing something that undermines a group of people and their heartfelt beliefs or rights is not okay.
5. Intelligently-written rants are welcome. This excellent article explains how to rant well.
6. Digs at concepts and ideas, or public figures who have already made their own shit-filled bed are welcome, but no digs at anyone in an unkind manner, especially anyone’s writing or personality. Keep it kind on a personal level.
7. Please proofread and do a spelling and grammar check before submitting. It’s easy to overlook the odd mistake but anything obviously not checked will be rejected.
8. Humour is also allowed to be spelled ‘humor.’ Yes, even Brits can be nice sometimes.

If you wish to be added as a writer…

As of now, we are back to publishing daily and adding writers at least once per week.

If you are not yet a writer with us but would like to be added, please comment on this piece with your Medium handle. As I said, while I may not get to the comments every day, I will make time on specific days to make sure no one is left for long.

Here’s to Badform’s big bad return to the Medium-verse. Now, let’s do this!