Writing tips

The Kraken Lore’s Style Guide

A deepdive into TKL’s guidelines

Ahoy there, ye scallywags and ink-slingers! Listen well, fer many a writer ‘ave walked the plank, thrust into Kenny The Kraken’s grasp fer lack o’ knowledge. Knowin’ no better, they’ve penned their tales in a manner most foul. Peel yer ears and pay close attention, me hearties! What follows be the sacred laws of writin’ fer The Kraken Lore. Disobey at yer own peril, arrr!

Okay, that was a bit overdramatic. This article lists good practices to follow when submitting articles to The Kraken Lore. Only a few of the suggestions below are actual rules, but the more of them you follow, the more points you get toward getting your story published.

Our submission guidelines already list a few requirements and suggestions, but reading this article will let you know exactly what we’re looking for so that your draft can go above and beyond.

Why These Suggestions Are Important

We receive a large number of submissions and, because of that, we try to refrain from editing drafts ourselves. Instead, we will leave notes and expect you to make the necessary corrections. A pristine draft avoids this back-and-forth and expedites the process of getting your story in front of readers.

In extreme cases — like a one-thousand-word long paragraph without any capitalization — we will reject your draft!

If you’re unfamiliar with any of the terms in this guide or don’t know how to apply the correct formatting, this article contains detailed explanations about the terms used here.

Title, Subtitle, Kicker, and Images

Update: Read all you need to know about Titles, Subtitles, and Kickers in this article shared by Meghan E. Gattignolo in the comments. (Thanks, Meghan!)

A title and an image are required for your submission to be accepted. A subtitle and a kicker are not required but strongly encouraged because they help set the reader’s expectations.

A note from Bradan Writes Stories: Subtitles and kickers are required if you want to be boosted!

We publish stories from a wide range of genres so try and give as much context for the reader as they go in. With that in mind, try to pick an image that sets the mood for the story, but please steer away from images that are too graphic or spicy.

Don’t forget to include attribution for your images, and try to add an ALT text describing them. Adding ALT text to images enhances accessibility for visually impaired users, provides context when images don’t load, and even improves SEO!

Clarity in Dialogue Attribution

Clearly indicate which character is speaking in dialogue scenes. While not every line needs an accompanying tag, there should be enough context so the reader can easily follow along. If readers are uncertain about who is speaking, they can become disengaged or confused, interrupting the flow of the story.

Confusing:

“I’m not sure about this.” “You always say that.” “Do I?” “Yes, every time.”

Clear:

“I’m not sure about this,” Jane said. “You always say that,” Mark replied. “Do I?” “Yes, every time.”

Short Paragraphs

Keep paragraphs concise, aiming for 4 to 6 lines on the Medium desktop editor. Breaking up long passages makes the content more digestible. Readers on digital platforms often skim content and shorter paragraphs can increase readability, retain the reader’s attention, and improve the visual layout.

Proper Capitalization

This is a no-brainer but it needs to be said: always start sentences with a capital letter! This is a basic rule of English grammar and ignoring it can make the story appear careless and it can be distracting for readers.

• Incorrect: “she was late for the meeting. it wasn’t like her.”
• Correct: “She was late for the meeting. It wasn’t like her.”

Dialogue Formatting and Punctuation

Ensure that dialogue is formatted consistently and punctuated correctly. Proper formatting keeps the reading experience smooth and professional.

• Incorrect: “I’m going to the store” She said.
• Correct: “I’m going to the store,” she said.

Maintain Tense Consistency

Be consistent with verb tenses within your story. Shifting tenses can be jarring and confusing for readers.

• Incorrect: “She walks to the store and bought some bread.”
• Correct: “She walked to the store and bought some bread.”

Use a Grammar Checker for Polished Writing

Before submitting, run your work through a grammar checker like Grammarly. Even experienced writers can overlook mistakes and a grammar checker can catch errors and improve overall text quality.

A note from Bradan Writes Stories: Most of the edits I make are simple goofs that Grammarly catches!

A note from Jonathon Sawyer: The editor team at the Kraken Lore wants you and your stories to shine like a lighthouse’s beacon in the storm! We use private notes to communicate with you, the Author, so take time and read through our suggestions!

If you have any questions about these suggestions above, feel free to leave us a comment or add a note to your draft. We’re a friendly bunch and will be happy to help.

Happy writing!