Summary

Speaking Bipolar on Medium is actively seeking new writers to contribute positive, first-person stories and poetry related to mental health and lived experiences.

Abstract

Speaking Bipolar, a Medium publication, has updated its submission guidelines for new writers as of March 21, 2024. The publication emphasizes the importance of promoting positivity and good mental health through personal narratives and poetry. It encourages stories of resilience, mental health maintenance, and life lessons that are suitable for all ages. The founder, who lives with Bipolar 1, invites a diverse range of mental health stories, including those about other mental illnesses, eating disorders, chronic illness, and addiction. Interested writers must follow the publication, complete an application form, and adhere to style preferences such as submitting unpublished drafts, following AP style for titles, and including family-friendly content with appropriate images and content warnings. The publication prioritizes content from Medium members and does not accept AI-generated submissions. Writers are expected to edit their work thoroughly and can expect a turnaround time of 24-72 hours for story reviews.

Opinions

The publication values personal stories that offer hope and practical advice for maintaining mental health.
There is a preference for content that is optimistic and can be shared with individuals of all ages.
The founder has a personal connection to the subject matter, which influences the publication's focus and content.
Medium's planned changes to emphasize publications have prompted the decision to expand the writing team.
The publication is inclusive, welcoming a variety of mental health experiences beyond bipolar disorder.
There is an emphasis on the quality and originality of submissions, with a strict policy against duplicate content and AI-generated material.
The editorial process includes providing feedback to writers whose stories are rejected, with the opportunity to resubmit after revisions.
The publication prioritizes the well-being of its readers by requiring content warnings for potentially triggering material.
The founder is open to suggestions and improvements, indicating a commitment to evolving the publication based on community

Speaking Bipolar Wants to Add You as a New Writer

Style and submission guide for Speaking Bipolar on Medium.

Guidelines updated on March 21, 2024
New writers application link. (Google Forms link) ← * START HERE *

Speaking Bipolar started as a blog and passion project. While the blog is still going strong, the Medium counterpart has taken on a life of its own.

Since Medium is planning to add more import to publications in the coming months, I decided it was the best time to open Speaking Bipolar up to new writers.

What We’re Looking For

The goal of Speaking Bipolar on Medium is to promote positivity and good mental health.

We’re looking for positive, first-person stories about how you maintain your mental health, live with mental illness, or life lessons that help you live a better life now.

We also accept poetry with a mental health or life lesson theme.

The focus is on lived experience. What helped you? What was the key to success for a family member or friend? How do you stay focused on the positive in your life?

Family Friendly

The Speaking Bipolar blog, Positivity Club, and Medium Publication were all designed to be an effective resource for all ages. We’re looking for stories you wouldn’t mind someone telling in front of your children or grandchildren.

You can read the origin story of Speaking Bipolar in this post:

The Pain of Loss Is Why I Write About Mental Illness

The story of how the Speaking Bipolar blog came to life

medium.com

Bipolar Disorder and Other Mental Illnesses

As the founder of Speaking Bipolar on Medium, I live with Bipolar 1, so it’s a topic near and dear to my heart.

I would love to see other mental illnesses, eating disorders, chronic illness, and addiction success stories as well. The key is to focus on the positive or what worked for you. It’s okay to share how dark things got, but then explain how you rose from the darkness.

Interested Writers

Please be sure to follow this publication first. This improves the chances of more people seeing your content as well.

If you’re interested in writing for Speaking Bipolar on Medium, please complete this form. I will no longer add writers by only leaving a comment here.

Be patient. I add writers as quickly as possible, but it may take a few days from when you submit the form.

Style Preferences

All stories should be Boost worthy.
Please submit unpublished drafts. For instructions, see the help section. We will no longer accept previously published stories. Medium does not allow posting duplicate content on the platform and this includes taking a published story to unlisted (or deleting it), then re-publishing the same content into a new post
Submit one story at a time. Wait for the first story to be published before submitting another story.
Follow the AP style for titles. Headers can use title or sentence-case capitalization. Capitalize My Title is a great tool for getting your title right.
Include a subtitle in sentence case. Subtitles should not be part of your title. Each title should be complete in itself. Use the little T in the formatting menu to create the subtitle.
Break up long text (300 words or more) with subheadings. Sentence case or title case are both acceptable for subheadings.
Both American and British spellings are acceptable.
Speaking Bipolar on Medium is a family-friendly publication. Please refrain from using potentially offensive language and curse words in your posts.
Every submission should have a header image with a photo credit or source. We may reject content without an image or image source. Unsplash is the easiest to use since its right in the Medium app, but you can also use sites like, Pexels, Pixabay, etc. Photos should be all-ages friendly and not have triggering images, such as hardcore drugs, needles, blood, or any other imagery that may have a triggering effect for those with addiction or mental health disorders. For more help, Medium’s page about using images.
Images you create should show a caption, “Image by author” or something similar. Every image must have a source listed.
Break up long sections of text with subheadings and/or additional images.

Trigger and Content Warnings

Many of us live with varying levels of trauma. We will consider essays addressing trauma, but they must not be explicit. They should also come with an appropriate Content Warning italicized at the top of the essay addressing what the trauma concerns.

Example: *TW: Discusses suicidal ideation, self-harm

Article Length

Stories in the publication with a 4–7 minute read time seem to perform the best. Use that as your guide. When a topic calls for it, longer or shorter content is allowed. Use as many words as you need to convey your message.

Medium Members

Paid Medium subscribers move to the front of the line when reviewing submissions. If you want to succeed with Medium, subscribing will help you get there. Learn how to join here.

AI-Generated Content

Per Medium’s updated guidelines, the Speaking Bipolar on Medium publication does not accept AI-generated content. All stories must be 100% human written and based on personal experience or education.

Tony Stubblebine, Medium CEO, published this about AI content on Medium. I will reject submissions that appear to be written by AI. Speaking Bipolar stories should be personal accounts about you.

“[Medium is] a home for human writing, full stop.”— Source

Before Hitting Submit

Please carefully edit and proofread your piece prior to submitting it to us. A good practice is to read your piece out loud to catch typos and word errors. Apps such as ProWritingAid and Grammarly offer free versions which will help you catch most of your mistakes. Stories with many typos or grammar errors will be rejected.
Include at least one image. Please make sure all photos have an accurate photo credit. If you own the rights to the photo, caption it with “Photo by author” or a similar statement.
Include appropriate tags. The publication header tabs are tied to specific tags. Please use at least one of these tags in your submission: Bipolar, Mental Health, Poetry. We reserve the right to replace your last tag with a more appropriate one.
And please adhere to Medium’s community standards.
Instructions for how to submit a draft to a publication.

Rejected Stories

If your story is rejected, one of our editors will include a private message to tell you why. Many stories can be resubmitted after you make the revisions the editor suggests.

Turnaround Time

Our goal is to reply to or accept your submission within 24–72 hours. Please be patient if it takes a little longer when crossing a holiday or weekend. Once accepted, your story will generally be published immediately. If you would like to schedule the story for a later date, please include a private note in your submission.

I’m always open to suggestions. If you have a recommendation for a change or improvement, shoot me a note: [email protected]

Together, we can help decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote more positivity in the world.

Until next time, keep fighting. (And writing!)

Scott Ninneman

New writers application link. (Google Forms link) ← * START HERE *