ADVICE
Must-Read MuddyUm How-To-Torial
Improve your submissions and win the hearts of your editors
Yo ho ho! Grab a bottle of rum and settle in fer some learnin’ — pirates may have thick skulls but we put together really simple how-to-torials and top-notch tips that are sure to sink in. Follow our guidelines to keep the ship from sinkin’ and the editors’ eye patches in place.
What your volunteer editors do our best to do for you
- Commit to publishing acceptable pieces, or leaving notes, within 48 hours of submission.
- Provide feedback in a timely manner on pieces in need of work to be considered for acceptance or pieces we won’t be accepting.
- Leave private notes with editorial suggestions.
Ultimately, submissions are accepted at the editorial team’s discretion.
What writers can do for us
- Format your top three lines with a kicker, title and subtitle. Tutorials are included in this newsletter.
- Include a featured image and ensure all images in your work have captions giving image credit appropriately.
- Do your own basic editing and be responsive to editors’ notes within 48 hours.
Ultimately, it is an author’s choice to publish within the guidelines, self-publish, or submit elsewhere.
MAKE YOUR WORK MUDDYUM-WORTHY
Click on the underlined titles to learn more about editors’ expectations and how to polish your work so it’s as shiny as our poop deck after a fresh waxing.
The Captain’s Go-To Guide
The MuddyUm Elements of Style by Susan Brearley
Includes the overall writing guidelines our fearless Captain expects to keep this fine pirate ship publication afloat. Bookmark her article and kindly reference it for your submissions lest you be forced to walk the plank and swim with the sharks.
Kickass Kickers
Create Kickin’ Kickers by Rachael Ann Sand
Includes examples with screenshot images and bonus tips to amp up your kicks.
What the Kick is a Kicker by Susan Brearley
Includes a fun history of the term ‘kicker’ and a brief tutorial video.
Titles and Subtitles
Formatting Title and Subtitle Made Simple by Rachael Ann Sand
Includes ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’ title and subtitle examples. If your top three lines don’t look like mine, spend a few minutes educatin’ yerself.
What’s in a Name? Weighing the Importance of a Clear, Powerful Title by Sarah Paris
If we write amazing content but tack on bland titles, unfamiliar eyes will ignore and keep scrolling — titles matter.
What Not To Do by Rachael Ann Sand
Includes an ominous warning about allowing robots to choose your subtitles.
Make Sure Your Title and Subtitle Match by Anu Anniah
SEO and why it matters
In Search of the Meaning of “SEO” and Why Optimizing Matters: A ‘How-To’ Guide by Sarah Paris
So what in the fresh hell is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is up to us to make sure the SEO description for each of our stories is succinct and helpful. This beginner’s tutorial includes screenshots and links to more in-depth SEO articles.
The Secret Way to Boost Medium Stories by Maryan Pelland OnText.com
More How-To-Torials
Breaking Down the Paywall — with friend links by Rachael Ann Sand
Learn all about friend links and how they relate to the paywall and MPP earnings. This one includes a tutorial video.
How Do I Submit to a Medium Publication? by Susan Brearley
Our fearless leader shares how to submit your work to a publication for the very first time with her awesome video tutorial.
How to Choose and Insert Images by Rachael Ann Sand
Includes a tutorial video showing how to use the image tools, tips about captioning, and the importance of crediting sources.
How to Utilize and Master Topic Tags: Tag, You’re It! by Sarah Paris
It’s important to utilize all five tags. If you only use one or two, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of tags.
The Mystery of The Missing Private Note by Anu Anniah
Having faced many strange mysteries shrouding the elusive Private Note, I’m sharing what I’ve learned.
Bookmark for future reference
We’ll add more tutorials as they’re written by the editorial team. We appreciate the readers and writers who keep this pirate ship afloat with laughter, satire, and some good-natured cursing. Keep the rum and words flowing!
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