At Master Erik's request, I am posting the draft writers' guidelines for the Kink-e-Zine. Please note that this is a work in progress, and if you see anything that you feel could be improved, don't hesitate to drop me a PM. (We already have Rio reading it over for fussy editorial issues and Jay for legal, just FYI).
Since Tribe can't handle attachments or archived docs, here it is in one fell swoop. If you're a Kink-e-Zine writer or potential writer and would prefer this as a Word doc, drop me a PM with the e-mail at which you'd like to receive the attachment. Thanks, and looking forward to seeing those awesome articles start rolling in . . .
Kink-e-Zine Writers’ Guidelines
Welcome to the Kink-e-Zine Writers’ Guidelines. The purpose of this document is to help guide you through the process of writing for Kink-e-Zine, and make life easier for everyone—writers, editors, designers, and, of course, your eager readers.
We realize that some of our contributors are seasoned writers who’ve been widely published—and thus may be tempted to skim or skip this document. Please don’t! Every publication has its own individual quirks, and this is especially true of one dealing with a topic as potentially thorny as the fun, fabulous, and occasionally fraught world of BDSM. We’ve endeavored to keep these guidelines short, sweet, and to the point, so stay with us!
On the other end of the spectrum, we know that some folks may be writing their first pieces for publication with Kink-e-Zine. Our policy of inclusion, and of seeking out scene experts and interesting new voices means that we’re not just soliciting writing from established writers, but from anyone who has something to contribute to the scene. We’ve tried to strike the right balance in these guidelines, offering the support that less established writers will find helpful as well as the more technical information of use or interest to the pros. If you’re a new writer and feel confused by terminology, or wish for more clarification on any point, please speak up via e-mail or Tribe PM! This is a growing, changing document, and it won’t get better without your input. (insert contact info here)
Nuts & Bolts
As you’d guess from the heading, here are the basics of turning in a Kink-e-Zine article that will cause your editor to weep tears of joy.
Deadline
Be clear with your editor what your deadline is, and exactly what they’re expecting to receive on that day. Just your article? Article and photos? Sidebar? Resources? Cookies? (Hint: Cookies are always welcome.) We know that things come up and life gets in the way, so if you do suspect that you’re going to miss a deadline, it’s always best to let your editor know sooner rather than later so that he or she can do the necessary planning. The same goes for drastic changes in word count or focus. If, for instance, you were assigned a 1,500-word article but it turns out the subject just wasn’t that interesting and you’re going to turn in a 250-word piece, that’s probably fine. But drop your editor an e-mail so that he or she can be ready for this and can alert the layout folks to shift some things around. Similarly, if your artist profile has turned into more of an art review, with images, that’s probably cool, but (sing along here, you now this tune by now), let your editor know!
After you turn your article in, the assignment editor will give it a quick read, and shoot you back an e-mail either accepting it as is, or sending it back for rewrite. After acceptance, it goes to copyedit, where pour team of copyeditors will smooth out any spelling, grammar, and punctuation glitches. They may e-mail or call you if something’s not clear. (Is that really how Mr. Kryzwksykiy spells his name? Are you sure the art show is on October 28? That’s a Sunday, and the gallery’s site says they’re closed Sundays. Our lawyer says you can’t call this club owner a “no-good, sheep-fucking bastard.” I have changed it to “a very unpleasant man.” Is this okay? And so forth.) Finally, our tech wizards need to code it, lay it out, find art to match, and press the button to make sure everything goes live on time. So, you see, those deadlines are there for a reason!
Software
Ideally, you should write and submit your articles in MS Word. This will allow you to spell and grammar check, and do an accurate word count. If you don’t have Word, but have a compatible program, save as Word readable and it should be fine, although there’s a possibility that formatting such as bold and italic will drop out and need to be reinstated. In a worst-case scenario, if you have no compatible word-processing program, you can copy and paste your article into the body of an e-mail (or even compose it in e-mail), although this will almost certainly lose bold and ital formatting. Your editors will restore formatting as they envisage it, and will send you a link to the HTML-coded article for your final approval. Please do not do your own HTML coding, that’s what we have designers for!
Tone & Language
The tone of Kink-e-Zine is envisaged to be that of a hip, conversational, highly engaging, extremely readable magazine. What Nerve is for New York, or Time Out for London, we will make our publication for kinky San Francisco and its environs. Key elements of that level of success are:
• Excellent, engaging writing of a high professional quality
• Articles that are unexpected, educational without being pedantic or overly academic, provocative without being confrontational, and intimate without being inappropriately personal
• Detailed, timely, accurate listings
• Intriguing visuals
• Deep resources that provide something of true value to the community
• A mission of inclusiveness—drawing in and encouraging newbies while honoring the experience and tradition of the scene’s rich history.
Fact-Checking
Unlike those big New York publications, we don’t have hordes of nubile fact-checkers at our beck and call. We’re counting on you to get it right the first time! Please double-check all names (of people, businesses, and places), addresses, phone numbers, websites, etc. Our copyeditors will double-check where possible, but often you are the best or only expert, so be sure you get it right.
In general, be as specific and detailed as possible. Details paint the picture. Are there flowers in that sex worker’s yard, or are there multicolored petunias, wilting slightly in the hot noonday sun? Similarly, if you mention that something happens on Mission Street in between 6th and 7th streets, note which corner it’s closest to, and on which side of the street. Really help the reader picture what is going on.
Privacy
The next two sections address somewhat weighty legal matters. They are, in fact, too weighty to go into in enough depth to do them justice, but we did want to give them a tip of the hat, just so that writers are keeping them in mind as they work. We will have our attorney reading over every issue of Kink-e-Zine with an eye to any potential liability issues, but we’d like you to be aware as well. Sadly, these are litigious times, and it never hurts to know what kinks (in the non-good way) may rear their ugly heads.
The issue of privacy is, essentially, one of respect. If you quote someone in an article, be sure that they don’t mind your using their name in a BDSM-related publication and, if they do, be sure that you mask their identity sufficiently. Your source may ask you not to use her name, but if you quote her as “A striking red-haired woman with tattoos of snakes on both arms, who works at the Fell Street DMV,” her co-workers may well happen upon a copy of the publication, recognize her, and mock her mercilessly. Or worse. Be respectful of your scene, your sources, and your subjects, and make sure that you are protecting people who want to be protected.
When writing about events in the past, as in an article on leather history, issues of privacy are a bit more complex. If something is a matter of public record, you have little or no reason to be concerned. Major figures and events in leather history have been written about before and if, say, Jack Rinella were going to get annoyed about being outed, that ship done sailed. Let’s say, however, you’re writing about your introduction to the leather scene, and you write about an event you attended in the ‘60s where you met a guy named Chad. He’s not a famous person, just the chap who introduced you to the leather lifestyle. Is Chad “out”? Is he still alive? Does his family know about his lifestyle? Maybe it’s safer to change his name and identifying details for the story if you’re not sure on these points, especially since, after all, it’s your story and that’s the key point.
Libel & Defamation
Again, these topics are too complex to sum up easily in a few paragraphs, and our trusty legal eagle will be going over all text but there are a few small items to keep in mind to make his life easier (and we all want to do that, right?)
In law, “defamation” is a statement that makes a false claim that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, or group. “Libel” is the term generally used for defamation in its published form. (This for the nerds in the cheap seats.)
There’s an obvious and a slightly less obvious component here. The obvious component is . . . don’t dis people or places unnecessarily. If, for instance, you are doing a round-up review of local play venues, there’s no problem comparing and contrasting plusses and minuses. You start to cross the line with statements like, “Everyone knows Proprietor X is a sleaze who hits on women inappropriately,” or “If you play at Venue Y, be careful you don’t catch crabs from their skanky dungeon furniture.”
The less obvious component is related to the notion of privacy. Let’s say you snap a picture of someone at the Dyke March. This may well be taken to imply that she’s a lesbian. No big deal in San Francisco? Perhaps. But you never know what someone may take to be defamatory. Be sure that person knows she’s being associated with that article and is okay with it, and you’ve covered that off.
Fair Use
When quoting from an already published work, keep these few things in mind:
1. Is it really necessary? A lot of new writers rely on others to make points that they could really make equally well or even better in their own words.
2. If you really do need or want to quote from someone else, keep it short and sweet. Kink-e-Zine articles are 1,500 words at the longest, so you shouldn’t be quoting more than a few sentences from another work in your article.
3. Quote exactly. You can use ellipses (…) to cut words out or brackets to insert necessary clarifying words like [and] or [the] but, in general, if it’s in quote marks, it should be exactly what was in the original published work. An example of how ellipses and brackets work is:
As Miller and Devon wrote in Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns, “Canes are heavy toys. . . .[which] deliver such a unique brand of hurt that some masochists fall in love with them.”
4. Be sure to attribute fully—let your editor know what you’re quoting from, and who the author is.
Style Matters
Your copy team will clean up spelling, punctuation, and any grammatical issues, but you’ll earn our undying love by turning in copy that’s as clean as possible.
Please note that this style sheet is a work in process. Right now, it’s pretty skeletal. As we publish more issues, more and more terms and guidelines will be added. If you have suggestions (or thorny spelling, grammar, or style issues that have always plagued you), please pass them along. We’re here to help!
Style Resources
We basically follow the Chicago Manual for style issues. Chicago Online is subscribers only, so unless you have a subscription or a hard-copy version, don’t worry too much about this—you editors will tidy up your commas and semicolons. If you’re fascinated by this sort of thing (some of us are!), check out:
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/ch0...html
For questions of spelling, refer to:
www.m-w.com/
Overall Style
Use standard English, including standard capitalization of pronouns (his/her, he/she, etc.). Exception is in direct quotes, Op-Ed pieces, or letters to the editor, if writer uses non-standard capitalization.
Avoid nonstandard pronouns and spellings for transgender and other nonconventional roles (hiser, hym, womyn, etc.) Exception is in direct quotes, Op-Ed pieces, or letters to the editor, if writer uses non-standard spellings.
Spelling
A-C
aftercare
anilingus (prefer rimming)
breath play (not breathplay)
cock ring
D-F
D/S (not D/s)
fluid-bonded (adj.)
G-I
Gor, Gorean
H-J
K-M
N-P
OTK (spell out on first usage)
PIV/PIA (spell out on first usage)
pony play (not ponyplay)
PVC
Q-S
safe word (n.)
safeword (v.)
singletail
subspace
T-V
W-Z
wiiwd (l/c define on first usage)
woman (not womyn, or other nonstandard spelling)
Since Tribe can't handle attachments or archived docs, here it is in one fell swoop. If you're a Kink-e-Zine writer or potential writer and would prefer this as a Word doc, drop me a PM with the e-mail at which you'd like to receive the attachment. Thanks, and looking forward to seeing those awesome articles start rolling in . . .
Kink-e-Zine Writers’ Guidelines
Welcome to the Kink-e-Zine Writers’ Guidelines. The purpose of this document is to help guide you through the process of writing for Kink-e-Zine, and make life easier for everyone—writers, editors, designers, and, of course, your eager readers.
We realize that some of our contributors are seasoned writers who’ve been widely published—and thus may be tempted to skim or skip this document. Please don’t! Every publication has its own individual quirks, and this is especially true of one dealing with a topic as potentially thorny as the fun, fabulous, and occasionally fraught world of BDSM. We’ve endeavored to keep these guidelines short, sweet, and to the point, so stay with us!
On the other end of the spectrum, we know that some folks may be writing their first pieces for publication with Kink-e-Zine. Our policy of inclusion, and of seeking out scene experts and interesting new voices means that we’re not just soliciting writing from established writers, but from anyone who has something to contribute to the scene. We’ve tried to strike the right balance in these guidelines, offering the support that less established writers will find helpful as well as the more technical information of use or interest to the pros. If you’re a new writer and feel confused by terminology, or wish for more clarification on any point, please speak up via e-mail or Tribe PM! This is a growing, changing document, and it won’t get better without your input. (insert contact info here)
Nuts & Bolts
As you’d guess from the heading, here are the basics of turning in a Kink-e-Zine article that will cause your editor to weep tears of joy.
Deadline
Be clear with your editor what your deadline is, and exactly what they’re expecting to receive on that day. Just your article? Article and photos? Sidebar? Resources? Cookies? (Hint: Cookies are always welcome.) We know that things come up and life gets in the way, so if you do suspect that you’re going to miss a deadline, it’s always best to let your editor know sooner rather than later so that he or she can do the necessary planning. The same goes for drastic changes in word count or focus. If, for instance, you were assigned a 1,500-word article but it turns out the subject just wasn’t that interesting and you’re going to turn in a 250-word piece, that’s probably fine. But drop your editor an e-mail so that he or she can be ready for this and can alert the layout folks to shift some things around. Similarly, if your artist profile has turned into more of an art review, with images, that’s probably cool, but (sing along here, you now this tune by now), let your editor know!
After you turn your article in, the assignment editor will give it a quick read, and shoot you back an e-mail either accepting it as is, or sending it back for rewrite. After acceptance, it goes to copyedit, where pour team of copyeditors will smooth out any spelling, grammar, and punctuation glitches. They may e-mail or call you if something’s not clear. (Is that really how Mr. Kryzwksykiy spells his name? Are you sure the art show is on October 28? That’s a Sunday, and the gallery’s site says they’re closed Sundays. Our lawyer says you can’t call this club owner a “no-good, sheep-fucking bastard.” I have changed it to “a very unpleasant man.” Is this okay? And so forth.) Finally, our tech wizards need to code it, lay it out, find art to match, and press the button to make sure everything goes live on time. So, you see, those deadlines are there for a reason!
Software
Ideally, you should write and submit your articles in MS Word. This will allow you to spell and grammar check, and do an accurate word count. If you don’t have Word, but have a compatible program, save as Word readable and it should be fine, although there’s a possibility that formatting such as bold and italic will drop out and need to be reinstated. In a worst-case scenario, if you have no compatible word-processing program, you can copy and paste your article into the body of an e-mail (or even compose it in e-mail), although this will almost certainly lose bold and ital formatting. Your editors will restore formatting as they envisage it, and will send you a link to the HTML-coded article for your final approval. Please do not do your own HTML coding, that’s what we have designers for!
Tone & Language
The tone of Kink-e-Zine is envisaged to be that of a hip, conversational, highly engaging, extremely readable magazine. What Nerve is for New York, or Time Out for London, we will make our publication for kinky San Francisco and its environs. Key elements of that level of success are:
• Excellent, engaging writing of a high professional quality
• Articles that are unexpected, educational without being pedantic or overly academic, provocative without being confrontational, and intimate without being inappropriately personal
• Detailed, timely, accurate listings
• Intriguing visuals
• Deep resources that provide something of true value to the community
• A mission of inclusiveness—drawing in and encouraging newbies while honoring the experience and tradition of the scene’s rich history.
Fact-Checking
Unlike those big New York publications, we don’t have hordes of nubile fact-checkers at our beck and call. We’re counting on you to get it right the first time! Please double-check all names (of people, businesses, and places), addresses, phone numbers, websites, etc. Our copyeditors will double-check where possible, but often you are the best or only expert, so be sure you get it right.
In general, be as specific and detailed as possible. Details paint the picture. Are there flowers in that sex worker’s yard, or are there multicolored petunias, wilting slightly in the hot noonday sun? Similarly, if you mention that something happens on Mission Street in between 6th and 7th streets, note which corner it’s closest to, and on which side of the street. Really help the reader picture what is going on.
Privacy
The next two sections address somewhat weighty legal matters. They are, in fact, too weighty to go into in enough depth to do them justice, but we did want to give them a tip of the hat, just so that writers are keeping them in mind as they work. We will have our attorney reading over every issue of Kink-e-Zine with an eye to any potential liability issues, but we’d like you to be aware as well. Sadly, these are litigious times, and it never hurts to know what kinks (in the non-good way) may rear their ugly heads.
The issue of privacy is, essentially, one of respect. If you quote someone in an article, be sure that they don’t mind your using their name in a BDSM-related publication and, if they do, be sure that you mask their identity sufficiently. Your source may ask you not to use her name, but if you quote her as “A striking red-haired woman with tattoos of snakes on both arms, who works at the Fell Street DMV,” her co-workers may well happen upon a copy of the publication, recognize her, and mock her mercilessly. Or worse. Be respectful of your scene, your sources, and your subjects, and make sure that you are protecting people who want to be protected.
When writing about events in the past, as in an article on leather history, issues of privacy are a bit more complex. If something is a matter of public record, you have little or no reason to be concerned. Major figures and events in leather history have been written about before and if, say, Jack Rinella were going to get annoyed about being outed, that ship done sailed. Let’s say, however, you’re writing about your introduction to the leather scene, and you write about an event you attended in the ‘60s where you met a guy named Chad. He’s not a famous person, just the chap who introduced you to the leather lifestyle. Is Chad “out”? Is he still alive? Does his family know about his lifestyle? Maybe it’s safer to change his name and identifying details for the story if you’re not sure on these points, especially since, after all, it’s your story and that’s the key point.
Libel & Defamation
Again, these topics are too complex to sum up easily in a few paragraphs, and our trusty legal eagle will be going over all text but there are a few small items to keep in mind to make his life easier (and we all want to do that, right?)
In law, “defamation” is a statement that makes a false claim that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, or group. “Libel” is the term generally used for defamation in its published form. (This for the nerds in the cheap seats.)
There’s an obvious and a slightly less obvious component here. The obvious component is . . . don’t dis people or places unnecessarily. If, for instance, you are doing a round-up review of local play venues, there’s no problem comparing and contrasting plusses and minuses. You start to cross the line with statements like, “Everyone knows Proprietor X is a sleaze who hits on women inappropriately,” or “If you play at Venue Y, be careful you don’t catch crabs from their skanky dungeon furniture.”
The less obvious component is related to the notion of privacy. Let’s say you snap a picture of someone at the Dyke March. This may well be taken to imply that she’s a lesbian. No big deal in San Francisco? Perhaps. But you never know what someone may take to be defamatory. Be sure that person knows she’s being associated with that article and is okay with it, and you’ve covered that off.
Fair Use
When quoting from an already published work, keep these few things in mind:
1. Is it really necessary? A lot of new writers rely on others to make points that they could really make equally well or even better in their own words.
2. If you really do need or want to quote from someone else, keep it short and sweet. Kink-e-Zine articles are 1,500 words at the longest, so you shouldn’t be quoting more than a few sentences from another work in your article.
3. Quote exactly. You can use ellipses (…) to cut words out or brackets to insert necessary clarifying words like [and] or [the] but, in general, if it’s in quote marks, it should be exactly what was in the original published work. An example of how ellipses and brackets work is:
As Miller and Devon wrote in Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns, “Canes are heavy toys. . . .[which] deliver such a unique brand of hurt that some masochists fall in love with them.”
4. Be sure to attribute fully—let your editor know what you’re quoting from, and who the author is.
Style Matters
Your copy team will clean up spelling, punctuation, and any grammatical issues, but you’ll earn our undying love by turning in copy that’s as clean as possible.
Please note that this style sheet is a work in process. Right now, it’s pretty skeletal. As we publish more issues, more and more terms and guidelines will be added. If you have suggestions (or thorny spelling, grammar, or style issues that have always plagued you), please pass them along. We’re here to help!
Style Resources
We basically follow the Chicago Manual for style issues. Chicago Online is subscribers only, so unless you have a subscription or a hard-copy version, don’t worry too much about this—you editors will tidy up your commas and semicolons. If you’re fascinated by this sort of thing (some of us are!), check out:
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/ch0...html
For questions of spelling, refer to:
www.m-w.com/
Overall Style
Use standard English, including standard capitalization of pronouns (his/her, he/she, etc.). Exception is in direct quotes, Op-Ed pieces, or letters to the editor, if writer uses non-standard capitalization.
Avoid nonstandard pronouns and spellings for transgender and other nonconventional roles (hiser, hym, womyn, etc.) Exception is in direct quotes, Op-Ed pieces, or letters to the editor, if writer uses non-standard spellings.
Spelling
A-C
aftercare
anilingus (prefer rimming)
breath play (not breathplay)
cock ring
D-F
D/S (not D/s)
fluid-bonded (adj.)
G-I
Gor, Gorean
H-J
K-M
N-P
OTK (spell out on first usage)
PIV/PIA (spell out on first usage)
pony play (not ponyplay)
PVC
Q-S
safe word (n.)
safeword (v.)
singletail
subspace
T-V
W-Z
wiiwd (l/c define on first usage)
woman (not womyn, or other nonstandard spelling)
posted by:
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Re: POSTED: Draft Writers' Guidelines
Wed, September 12, 2007 - 9:12 PMThank you for posting the Writers Guidelines, Anathema! I'm hoping that EVERYONE in the community who has a desire to submit literary work, whether it be articles of subjects of interest, fiction stories, history of organizations/events, poetry, art/photos, etc. takes full advantage of this oppourtunity to SHINE!!
The Kink-e-Zine might be staffed by a handful of dedicated individuals (whom I'm graciously thankful for!), but is here for the entire Kink/Leather community! So please...feel free to submit your creations to Us.
Many Thanks, & Be Well!
Master Erik
