Write For The Diarist: Submission Guidelines

What’s this publication about?

Created on the 22nd of December 2023, The Diarist is every journal writer’s, diarist’s, and essayist’s place to be. I’d take a guess possibly it’s a dream come true for anyone who identifies with these forms of writing.

The place where essays, journal prompts, reflections, day-to-day experiences, and deep thoughts are shared and celebrated. Diary writers from all walks of life, and every corner of the world tell their stories one thought at a time, in a classic diarist style.

This publication I consider to be an open space to share:

• Thoughts
• Ideas
• Day-to-day experiences
• Reflections
• Essays
• Open letters
• Haiku

Each piece published here will fall into one of the above areas, not based on any particular prompt or theme — just your personal writing as if it were for your own diary, or a personal essay. Or a published piece can be based on The Diarist weekly diary entry prompts shared on a Monday, check out the details here.

The difference between a diary and a journal — is there one?

Personally, it was not until I started to seriously write non-fiction essays (before Medium), I realised some say the diary is the personal day-to-day feelings, thoughts, reflections of a person. It’s personal, not something we would want everyone to see.

The journal however is the place for ‘deep thinking’ on certain topics. The writing here can be used for the benefit of others, and normally not so personal. I use this to find topics to write about for other publications, on themes around women’s rights and intersectional feminism.

This is why I’ve named this publication The Diarist, as it’s all about the personal side of writing.

Why was The Diarist created?

I’ve kept a diary since the age of around twelve, at the time of starting this publication I’m forty and an Aquarius for anyone who wants to know! It’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. My diary has helped me in so many ways, and shaped my life direction from career changes, living aboard, living more authentically as me, motherhood, love, marriage, you name it it’s been a blessing. It’s also helped me through some shitty times.

Being a life long diarist, I’m also a fan of reading the work(s) of famous diarists that you probably know. I’ve enjoyed reading the diaries of Alice Walker, Anne Frank, Anais Nin, Charlotte L. Forten for example. I may also become a fan of reading your diary… if you submit your work. Here’s a really cool list from Wikipedia of famous diarists to check out!

Where did the inspiration come from for The Diarist?

1. An article I wrote for another publication where I mentioned keeping a diary. In this article I had a comment from a woman based on the other side of the Atlantic ocean I’d never met before, followed, or interacted with. Her name is KL Simmons, you might know her. She shared her experience of keeping a diary from the age of twelve (like me), being in her forties and still keeping a diary. She also mentioned she had kept every single one she has written in ( like me). I was like wow-zers! So it’s not just me then!
2. I simply could not find any publication like this on Medium, that was publishing recent work and looked active, so I could submit to it as a writer. By this I mean a publication that is focused solely on the life and writing of a diarist, with no focus on any other themes — self-care, self-improvement, mindfulness etc. See, here at The Diarist there’s no niche. It’s place diary entry prompts are shared yes, but there’s no sole focus, theme, or niche for what’s published or welcomed here from other writers. It’s all about what needs to be written about in the moment, personal, and self- directed— just like a diary.
3. On Medium for other publications I write such serious topics focused on women’s rights, intersectional feminism, society, gender, race, etc,. I’m up to my eyeballs in data and highlighting inequality all the damn time! Everyone probably thinks I hate men by now as I call out women’s struggles with the patriarchy and society a lot,( I don’t. I love them all every race, shade, ethnicity, and nationality when they don’t have ‘toxic masculinity.’) In fact, I have one of the best humans with the dangling bits between their legs in the world!) Because of my focused/ niche writing for other publications, I’d love to read and write things that are more soothing for the mind, body, and soul…. just once a week at least!

Who is the founder of The Diarist?

I’m known as Me and My Muse here on Medium. I’ve been a diarist since the age of twelve. These days I also write fiction (crime/thriller) as a novelist, I also write non-fiction/essays on the topics mentioned above for other publications on Medium.

I was born in London, UK, to immigrant parents from the Caribbean, I love observing the world and culture, walking around cities and in nature, music, fashion, beauty, water colour painting and drawing. I’m bi-lingual English and French, a mother to a beautiful little boy who wants to be an artist, a life-partner to a wonderful French born (to Italian parents) man, a thinker, reflector, advocate, a lover of all things esoteric and witchy, and I read — a-hella- lot!, I’m an ENFJA personality type.

I found Medium well over a year ago, I was lurking as a reader and finally felt called to write, then became a friend of Medium. The call came via diary writing, funny enough being a diarist turned me from a secondary school (high school) teacher a job I did and loved for just over ten years, to a full time writer.

What submissions am I seeking for The Diarist?

Well, whatever you would place in your own diary that is along the lines of:

• Life experiences: past, present, future desires
• Reflections: on any subject that a diarist would reflection on!
• Ideas: about the world, society, life, people, places, situations, and things
• How your day went: damn, let’s talk about it!
• Thoughts about the world and society: what you observe and how you feel about it
• What life has taught you: about anything
• Travel diaries: past, present, future
• Observations: from the park bench, beach, sofa, life, a hospital bed, and everywhere you observe the world and people, places, situations, and things.
• Your experience in life of being who you are: a woman, man, non-binary, disabled in anyway, LGBTQ, black, white, mixed, Latin, Asian — an ‘alien superstar!’ As Beyonce once said.
• Responses to the picture or written diary entry prompts: Each Monday I will post either a picture diary entry prompt, or a written one.
• Remember: there is no niche here! So if you have a personal reflection, essay, or diarist entry you would love to share but not sure where to submit it — send it here!
• Sharing what made you become a diarist: tell us your story
• Beautiful Haiku: this Japanese form of poetry is the only style of poetry sought after for The Diarist. This is because it’s so challenging to write! And if you can write it — I respect that!
• Writers for a weekly column: if you like the idea of being a columnist for The Diarist, and you wish to write one article a week within any of the above areas on a subject matter, I’d love to hear from you. Check out this announcement here.

Don’t let this list above for submissions be a limitation. Our diaries are never limited, the same applies here. I only ask that you follow the submission guidelines below, and write well.

If you really wanna see an example of what I mean by reflections and experiences — here’s one I wrote. But do your own thing, and be yourself when you submit work to The Diarist.

From January 2024

I have planned fifty-two weeks of authentic The Diarist topics to share, have ‘deep thoughts’ on, then write about. I will participate in this myself. I was inspired by a year long journal writing course I did around four or five years ago. Join me for one here! Make 2024 your best year. If all goes well I will do one for 2025 also. For details on this and the diary entry topics check out the page here.

What’s not published in The Diarist?

• Poetry (other than Haiku poetry the reason why is above)
• Fiction stories
• Anything that discriminates against any demographic of society

Who am I excited to have write for The Diarist?

Anyone who identifies as a diarist, journal writer, deep thinker, or essayist. You must be a Medium member to write for the publication also. This is how you will earn money from writing , and it all belongs to you.

How to submit to The Diarist

1. Log into your Medium account and here is a video demonstrating how format your work, credit your pictures, and submit to The Diarist. Please email the draft link of your work for consideration to: [email protected]

Note that:

Once you’ve submitted your first draft of your work via e-mail and have been added as a writer, then you can submit your work to The Diarist, without having to email your draft link following being added.

Also, I spend so much time reading on Medium, if I come across a piece, a writer’s style, or something I like, I may just take the liberty of adding you as a writer! If this happens — feel free to send your work directly to The Diarist, not the draft link following the steps in the video above.

Title/Main Heading:

All In Capitals Like This (no full stop needed.)

Subtitle under your main title and throughout your work:

Only the first word needs a capital, and it should be in bold and formatted with the subtitle option. Select the text, right click, and press the small T. Here’s an example below:

This is a subtitle

(No full stop needed.)

Quotations:

1. If you are quoting or citing from another person, source, or place that is not your own writing or work — use the small quotation feature on Medium. Select the text, right click and press the “ feature once.

Example: It was reported by The News of The World newspaper on Christmas Day that:

“You should use small quotations when you cite what they have said in your work.”

2. If you are quoting yourself, and/or something you have written in your own work already use the larger feature. Select the text, right click and press “ twice. Example below:

If you are quoting yourself, or something you have written in your own work already use the larger feature. Select the text, right click and press “ twice.

This larger quotation above when you cite yourself, should be used after you have already written the quotation — like above, not before! So…. the reader should read it once in the text, then in the larger format. You can spread these quotations around your work for presentation and reader’s engagement.

Using numbers

• Spell numbers under 100. Two, three, fifty-five.
• Use digits for numbers over 100. 150, 125, 110.
• You can make your percentages numbers or words. Example: Five percent of people will probably follow this request. The other 95% will probably ignore it! (Make sure you’re in the five percent, pick one style and stick to it throughout your work — please and thank you.)
• When it comes to dates, use numbers. 24th of December 2023.

General Submission Guidelines

1. Please email the draft link of your work for consideration to: [email protected] also include your Medium username to your profile.
2. Make sure your ‘private notes’ are turned on in your account settings — so an editor can feedback to you and communicate with you.
3. Follow the publication The Diarist
4. Aim for around five to fifteen minutes read time in length for your work. ( If you go over this, it’s okay if you really need to.)
5. Allow one-three working days for a response to your submission
6. Ensure you have followed the format guidelines in the above video and added a picture credit, if the picture(s) used are not your own. Use pictures to break up your work.
7. Keep paragraphs small
8. Please stick to Medium’s terms and conditions regarding your content
9. Proofread your work for errors. You’re free to use British or American spellings
10. No racist, sexist, or discriminatory work is welcomed — at all!

Tags for your work

Using tags as topics for your work will help it to rank, and show up on the newsfeed of readers who have an interest in the tag/topic of your article. Your article will also show up for any readers who follow that particular tag/topic. They are really great to use! For your submission as one of the five you can select please add:

• The Diarist

The other four you can use whatever you desire, that’s relevant to the content of your article. Using The Diarist as a tag will help your work show up for this publication.

FAQ

Will my work be edited?

For the format, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity — yes. I don’t (and any editor that joins as the publication grows) aim to change what you say, just how you say it so it is clear. The editing that will be done is developmental to enhance your work and make it shine, if needed.

I don’t believe in changing someone’s work to suit my taste or how I personally think. If I like your work and think it’s a great fit for the kind of publication I envision, and I like your style, idea, or see how it can benefit other readers, (even if I don’t agree with what you have said) I’ll snap that baby up! … pronto, mind you.

What will cause a rejection?

Work that has already been published before, elsewhere. Not following the submission guidelines, work not correctly formatted as shown above, sending work that does not fit the publication’s aims, goals, ethics, community, or vision in some way. Or very poorly written work that needs a deep, and I mean deep edit! Not just a developmental edit.

Can I submit work that’s been published elsewhere?

Mmm, I’d prefer if you didn’t that’s why a draft is requested.

How often do You publish

Every week! Monday to Friday. Monday and Wednesday will be the main days submissions will be handled while it’s just myself as an editor here.

What language or style should I use in my writing?

Well, this is The Diarist, right? So informal, simple, personal, and engaging language you’d use in your own diary entries. There’s no need to impress anyone here meaning you must sound very ‘academic’ or intelligent.

Here’s something I personally find even when I write very serious topics for non-fiction: simple language that is clear is best. Yes swearing is allowed here … just don’t over do it, for fuck sakes.

In terms of style I’ll leave that to you — it’s your diary entry after all.

Can I comment below, ‘add me as a writer?’

Did you read the submission guidelines? Did you watch the video?… Mmm nope don’t comment ‘add me’ below. That’s not the way to become part of the writing team, I’d love to see your work you wish to submit and feedback to you personally first. Submit your draft link first, then we’ll add you as a writer. But, what you can comment below is:

• Questions you have
• Your thoughts and ideas
• Say hi!

I look forward to connecting with you, be well.