Essays wanted (life, change, healing) | ~$800 per piece
Added 2025-01-14 21:35:47 +0000 UTCCOMPANY/PUBLICATION: THE DIRTBAG DIARIES
Deadline: 19 January 2025
The Shorts are conversational style essays that explore the stories and themes of life (think friendship, change, healing, ridiculous encounters) through the lens of the outdoors. They are written by you. Together, we turn your essay into a 10-15 minute long episode on The Dirtbag Diaries.
We typically receive over 100 submissions and select 10 essays. We work with each writer to develop their story into an audio experience, which includes several rounds of edits and revisions, as well as recording the Short. Submit your essay today.
Please read through the guidelines to help us say, “Yes!” to your essay.
Story should include an experience (preferably outdoors), and a takeaway about how that experience shifted your perspective or gave you new insight. The tone might be serious, funny, contemplative, heartfelt, or likely, it’s a mix.
Your story needs a beginning, middle and end.
Think about the take away from your piece.
We like details. Stories should show, not tell. More “wind raked over the lake, creating frothy ripples,” less “the lake was pretty.” Plus it helps activate the writing voice.
We prefer pieces written in the past-tense and in chronological order to create a better listening experience.
Bonus material (video): Anecdote + Reflection = Story
Ideal length: 2,000 words. We will not accept submissions over 2,500 words.
We are encourage essay submissions from diverse perspectives, especially those from historically underrepresented groups in the outdoors. We offer compensation for each selected essay.
Examples:
Sleeping Bag Metamorphosis does a great job of illustrating the anecdote + action + reflection structure we look for.
I Poo: A Love Story is a humorous take on the ingredients for an awesome relationship.
The Great White Book takes a single experience and how it reverberated through his life for many years.
Deadline: January 19, 2025
CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that The Dirtbag Diaries pays $800 per piece. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor upon the acceptance of your piece.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Submissions: Via the webform
Website: https://dirtbagdiaries.com
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