Who can submit a piece?
Anyone. Many articles have been written by regular posters, but lurkers are also welcome, though it would help if you spent some time reading the articles and also the comment threads to get a feel for how things tend to go.
How do I do it?
E-mail TBAT at slackmods at gmail dot com with your piece. We encourage people to commit to submitting articles regularly so we can keep the content coming in - every two months is the suggested rate - but one-offs are also acceptable.
Who holds the copyright on the post?
The author holds the copyright on the actual post.
If I write something for The Slacktiverse can I also use on my own blog?
Yes, however we ask that contributors wait 2 weeks before doing so.
What's your editorial policy?
Subject:
The Slacktiverse began as the private blog of liberal evangelical Fred Clark, who blogged on politics, religion and ethics in the modern world, including regular page-by-page deconstructions of the Left Behind novels, a series written by hardline Evangelicals Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins that did much to further belief in the Rapture among American Evangelicals. Since Fred moved his blog to Patheos and generously handed over this space to community members, we look for pieces that reflect the themes that inspired the community when Fred was blogging here. Politics, religion (or lack thereof), ethics, social justice, emotional and psychological health, and art are all subjects that the community takes an interest in, and posts along those lines will be best received.
Editing:
We try to find a way to publish all articles submitted to us.
If we think an article could be improved, we discuss changes with the author prior to publication. Our authors have varied from seasoned writers to first-timers, but we've found that with some supportive editing pretty much everyone can produce fine work, so inexperience is no problem. If an article is bad to the point of incomprehensibility we reserve the right to turn it down, but we don't see that as very likely.
If an article expresses a controversial or potentially inflammatory opinion we will generally warn the author about the community's likely reaction, as the community has a history of calling out opinions it finds offensive (though also being forgiving to those who show courtesy and apologize for any wrongdoing). The author may choose to make changes or not as they think best. If the author decides to go ahead and publish it in its potentially inflammatory form, we will append a warning to the beginning of the piece advising readers as to the issues.
It is necessary for us to stay within the law. Articles that contain copyright infringement, potentially libelous material, hate speech, incitement to crime or anything else that might be actionable or illegal cannot be published. Please be aware that the law may vary from country to country; as we have an international readership and the administrators all live in different nations, when laws do vary we have to go with the most cautious interpretation.
Out of respect to people's lives and feelings, we may append a trigger warning (see FAQ) to the beginning of articles that contain references to distressing issues. If the entire argument of a piece would be too deeply distressing for readers and would lead to people feeling unsafe in the community, we may have to turn it down. While we aim to moderate as lightly as possible and encourage diverse opinions, The Slacktiverse is created to be a safer space and takes its responsibility to community members seriously; articles that would make people with trauma in their pasts unable to feel comfortable here can't be accepted.
Articles about works of art
All of us here at The Slacktiverse enjoy a good discussion of a work of art. It's hardly surprising, then, that we've already had several fine pieces sent in, and we look forward to reading more of them in future. Both as readers and as editors, TBAT feel they're learning a great deal, not just about the works but about how to write a good discussion piece, and working with the delightfully cooperative authors has been a great process. With that in mind, we thought it might be helpful to everyone to put together a brief guide on how to write an effective piece. These are our guidelines, based on what fits in with the ideals we strive to preserve here and on what seems to generate the most fertile discussions.
1. The Martian demographic. Write as if you were going to submit the piece to a reader from Mars who had never heard of the book, film, TV show, song or whatever else it is you're writing about, and wouldn't know what kind of person would read, watch or listen to it. Bear in mind that one country's popular phenomenon is another country's 'Huh? What's that?', and that this is equally so across subcultures. Give a basic explanation of what the work you're discussing is about, its premise or plot, its usual audience, its cultural position. Try to write an introduction that wouldn't bore people already familiar - or else is distinct enough for the to be able to skip it easily - but would also give newcomers enough of a grounding that they won't be confused when you get into the main discussion.
Write so nobody asks, 'What are you talking about?'
2. What's the broader theme?
Discussions of works of art can be interesting in themselves, but they're more interesting when we can tie the work of art to a broader question - the kinds of questions that appeal to universal humanity. What does this work of art say about the position of men and women in society? Or about the relationship between religion and pop culture? Or about the way we exorcise our resentments through the imaginative works we consume? Or ... well, what the broader question will be will depend on the work you're discussing. The main thing is this: talking about the work itself is good, but talking about the work as something that casts light on questions that affect us all is better.
Write so nobody asks, 'So what?'
3. What's the positive?
There's no need to speak highly of a work of art you think is bad or exposes bad aspects of society, but unbroken negativity is confining. If a work is sexist, for instance, it's important to point that out, but try to do it with some sensitivity to the complexities of gender politics or passion for equality rather than just getting mad at it. Likewise, snark can be entertaining, but if it isn't tied to a larger point there's a limit to what can be said about or learned from it; try to temper snark with broader insights and compassion. Find some positive aspect or ideal, be it a willingness to appreciate the good in a mixed work, a vision of social justice, a sympathetic respect for people who consume a not-very-respected kind of art, or something we can take away and learn from.
Write so nobody asks, 'So why don't you go read/watch something you actually like?'
4. Respect copyright.
Keep extracts short and relevant, and use as few as you can to make the points. We want to stay on the safe side of the law here.
Write so nobody asks, 'What does "Cease and Desist" mean?'
A useful structural template would be:
- Introduction, in which you explain to newcomers what the work is and why it's interesting, and what themes you're going to talk about in its context.
- Main discussion, in which you explore how these themes work.
- Conclusion, in which you discuss the general ideas and what they say about us all as people.
If you have a clever idea for a different structure, of course, there's no reason not to do that instead, but that template is a good solid one and usually effective.
Some people publish page-by-page decontructions of books on their own blogs. In the interests of staying accessible to newcomers we don't accept straight pastes of such deconstructions - we don't, for instance, accept a discussion of pages 125-127 of a book the author has been going through on their own blog. Instead, we ask for Slacktiverse Specials: stand-alone overviews that take in a particular theme of the book or discuss it as a cultural phenomenon. These can act to promote the author's blog, which will be linked to from the article. For an example, see Ana Mardoll's Slacktiverse Special on Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight'.
Articles about religion, politics or other issues
We are always interested to hear from new perspectives and welcome fresh ideas. Similar guidelines apply.
When writing a personal story, we advise authors to place their experiences in a context that allows for as much discussion as possible. The best way to do this is to add some reflection on how their personal experiences reflect more general issues of humanity, to ask questions, to raise issues that will allow readers to compare their own experiences and opinions.
When writing of social issues, once again bear in mind that you're writing for an international audience. Simple explanations to help people from other countries understand the significance of the political party, religious movement, subculture or other group are very useful; likewise, tying the issues raised by this group to broad concerns that will be meaningful to people no matter where they live is a good idea.
Articles about personal or family experiences are welcome. However, both ethically and legally we do not feel it would be right to publish identifying details about people who have not agreed to have their lives made public. Hence, if you are writing about personal issues, please use pseudonyms when talking about people, and if you're talking about someone who could be identified by their relationship to you (such as a partner, sibling, parent or employer), please either obtain their permission or publish the article under a pen name.
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The Board Administration Team
(hapax, Kit Whitfield and mmy)
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