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• Read all of the submission guidelines and follow them - please don't just assume that you meet them
• Be under 25 years of age (this means you are too old if you have turned 25 when you submit)
• Send your submission to editor(at)expressmedia(dot)org(dot)au and include in the body of your e-mail:
  • full name (we need your real name to write out your cheque if your contribution is accepted)
  • pseudonym (optional)
  • e-mail address
  • postal address (we need this to send you a copy of the magazine if your contribution is accepted)
  • phone number
  • age (very important)
  • 25-word biography
  • how you found out about Voiceworks
• Send your submission as a .doc or .rtf file - please no .docx files
• DO NOT include your name or contact details in the manuscript
• DO NOT paste your submission into the body of the email – it usually turns into an incomprehensible mass of obscure punctuation by the time all of Word's junky formatting reaches us
• "previously unpublished" means not published in other print media, but also includes your blog, livejournal, facebook, public messageboard etc.
• If there is a specific way you would like your words to be designed, or if you have visual elements to go with your words, give us design instructions – we can't guarantee to reproduce them that way, but we'll try
• Be patient: we have a small staff and are always doing our best to keep you in the loop about your submission – if you want to send your work elsewhere, please let us know
• Keep submitting, even if we send you a 'no' letter: many factors influence our selection of each piece for the magazine, including space, theme and the overall balance of each issue – you're work is probably good, but might not be suitable at the time of submission
• We do hold over submissions if we think they'll be more suitable for a future issue – this may be why you haven't heard from us
• If you haven't heard from us within 3 months, please contact us – something grievous might have happened, we might have died! We don't want to wind up one of those people who stink up their apartment because they died and no one thought it was strange to not hear from them for 3 whole months!
• Note: Since Voiceworks is funded by the Australian government, we have a policy of publishing only one international submission per issue

• Send a maximum of two pieces
• No more than 3000 words per piece
• Previously unpublished

• Send a maximum of three pieces
• No more than 100 lines overall
• Previously unpublished

IMPROVING YOUR SUBMISSION

• Avoid tautology or repetition in descriptions: eg: ‘Enormous vast emptiness.’
• Avoid unnecessary descriptors: adjectives and adverbs
• Discriminate when using definite articles and conjunctions (the, a, an, to, from, if, whether, am, are, is, etc.). Decide whether these words are really needed. Conversely, don’t just cut them all out for the sake of it.
• Why is this poem being written? What does it have to say? Is this word or line essential to the poem? What about this one? What does it contribute? What is its value? Interrogate every line and word to determine its worth.
• Go for concision and contraction. Poetry is about distillation. Check the efficiency of your words and lines.
• Favour active tense over passive: ‘She punched him’ rather than ‘He was punched by her.’
• Regarding line breaks, especially in free form: are you making best use of them to have an effect, or are they just arbitrary? Line breaks are crucial.
• Wherever possible, avoid the word ‘like’ when using similes. Find ways around it. Instead of saying ‘Eyes like headlights’ try variants, like ‘eyes bright as headlights’ or ‘headlight eyes’ or ‘eyes shining headlight-bright’. ‘Like’ is the most overused, therefore boring, word in poetry.
• Try to avoid ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’. They make poems seem self-indulgent. Consider writing in second or third person, see if it fits your poem. Even if writing in the first person, use the aforementioned words as little as possible.
• Work on your endings. These are the most important part – the part that ties up the poem and the part that stays longest with the reader. Make your endings as strong as possible.

Got an idea for a non-fiction article? Feature article, obituary, personal essay, memoir, travel writing, gonzo journalism - we want it all. Send your pitch to Bel Monypenny: editor (at) expressmedia (dot) org (dot) au. Pitches must be received 3 weeks before the Contribution Deadline to be considered. See below for upcoming issues and exact pitch deadlines. Remember, normal guidelines apply to non-fiction too:

• Send a maximum of two pieces
• No more than 3000 words per piece
• Previously unpublished

Please see this page for a list of nonfiction ideas for the next issue.

COLUMNS

What are we looking for?

In columns we are looking for informed opinion on issues directly related to young Australians but also of similar interest to a broader readership. The best columns make an insightful argument or examination that explores an original concept or takes an original angle on a topical issue.

We want columns to represent the author's personality but not to be overly personal. The best columns arise from a heartfelt feeling or belief - this is generally what gives the passion and drive to write the article in the first place. However, observation alone is not enough to sustain a 1200-1400 word argument. What transforms a good observation into a great column is research and evidence. Don't be overwhelmed, for personal experience does count to a degree as evidence, as do interviews, studies, surveys and a whole range of other sources. Voiceworks columns are not usually packed with rigorously footnoted academic evidence, but your argument will be much stronger if you can provide some substance to convince your readers of your observations. This will also give the reader some avenues for further enquiry should they choose to do so.

Columns should not be the totally self-reflective pieces that you might find from well-known authors in the newspaper or in the pages of popular magazines. If you are keen on writing such a piece, Voiceworks has space outside of the columns section for creative nonfiction and the like. For a column, it's best to look at your idea and ask what is the issue? Why do I want to write it? And why will other people be interested in it? You might find that what you thought was the issue was only the beginning and the real issue is something much more interesting and exciting.

Columns need to fit under one of our five broad topic areas:

Intergoogletube: Concerned with issues around new technologies and the role they play in our personal, social and working lives.

The Bookshelf: Concerned with publishing, literature, writing and anything related. Should specifically relate to issues that effect young Australian writers and their literary communities.

The Leisure Lounge: Incorporates columns that in a typical magazine may be seen as fun or frivolous (e.g. Travel and Fashion) but don't be fooled. In Voiceworks these columns are expected to incorporate more serious themes and relate to ethics, ethos, social impact and politics around the subject areas.

The Newsroom: Concerned with topical issues in the media and how they are portrayed/not portrayed. We are definitely not looking for standard news reportage here - we are more interested in how the media has framed/chosen not to frame an issue and the causes/effects of this type of representation.

The Arts Lab: Concerned with the arts including: theatre, dance, music and more.

If you don't feel your piece fits under any of these headings pitch it to us anyway. We will always find a home for great writing.

• in black and white or greyscale
• at 300dpi
• at actual size
• note: page dimensions are not quite A4 - 210mm x 270mm

Got something to say? Advice, praise, or a bone to pick? Got a question for the editor or the editorial committee about writing, reading, getting published? Letters to the Editor submissions are now open! Send us your thoughts in approximately 100 words and you might get them published in the next issue.

General submission guidelines apply.

#81: Birthmark (Winter 2010)
NONFICTION PITCHES DUE & SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: Sunday 4th April

... but theme isn’t everything – the theme blurbs are just a starting point. Think laterally about them, experiment, have fun. Tell us your thoughts, philosophies and stories. Remember the Voiceworks motto:

• themed work: good
• good work: better
• good themed work: BEST

If any of the deadlines fall on a weekend or a public holiday, submissions will be accepted on the following working day.

Please see this page for a list of nonfiction ideas for the next issue.

Short stories, non-fiction & columns: $100
Poems: $60
Graphics, photos, drawings & illustrations: $50
Comics (one page or less): $50
Comics (two or more pages): $100

 

e-mail your submission to:
editor(at)expressmedia(dot)org(dot)au