How to submit your poem:
Hello Poet, here is a guide to using our website. You can print it out to keep the instruction close. The PDF link is at the bottom.
The deadline:
The deadline is a 24-hour window. I am based in Pretoria, South Africa. We start at 8 am (GMT+02:00) on deadline day, and end at 8 am the following morning. You can submit any time during the window, but please do not submit before or after that. I use this website to calculate the time zones: World Time Buddy.
To submit:
- Log in to deadlinesforwriters.com. If you are blocked or locked out you are trying to log in to Writers Write. The poems are posted on a separate site. Please use the link above.
- If you cannot remember your password please use the “Lost your password” button and follow the steps. If you need help please mail: write@12shortstories.com
- Once you have logged in you will see a menu bar on your left. Select SUBMIT/Write Poetry. A form will appear. If you do not see “Write Poetry” please mail write@12shortstories.com.
This is what you should see:
- The first field is for the title of your poem.
TIP: Please enter the POEM TITLE AND YOUR NAME. This ensures that your name forms part of the URL. For example: Words by Mia Botha will look like this https://staging.deadlinesforwriters.com/words-by-mia-botha/
TIP: You are welcome to use the prompt as the title, but choosing a different and unique title will make it more noticeable and easier to search. It’s good to brainstorm titles.
TIP: The site overrides ALL formatting. Please keep your typography and spacing simple.
- Select the correct category. As the year progresses the list of available categories will increase and also include short stories. Please double check that you have chosen the correct one.
- Add Featured image. This is optional but makes your post look good. DO NOT USE ‘Insert Photo’ your pic won’t appear in the right places. If you use Featured Image your pic will appear (partially) in the feed and above your story.
Follow the steps to UPLOAD your image. Upload/Browse/Select/Open.
You remain responsible for copyright. Please make sure you have permission to use images. I use a site called Unsplash. The images are free and all you have to do is credit the photographer. I paste the link they supply in the first line of the story block.
You may have to reduce the size of the image. The site will not allow you to upload huge images. This slows our site down. Some Unsplash images are too big even once they have been reduced then I choose a different one.
4. Click in the CONTENT block. Copy/paste your story in the block. The text formatting options are very limited and the site overrides most formatting.
6. The teaser is optional. It is good to start using this section. It helps you to summarise and work on a little pitch for your poems.
TIP: This is also a good place to mention if your poem is part of a series. You can include links to the previous month’s poem.
TIP: If you do not enter a teaser the first few lines of your story will appear in the feed.
TIP: If you would prefer not to have people comment on your grammar you can also mention this here or if you are a little scared of receiving comments add it to the block.
7. Enter a genre for your poem. Is it a sonnet, free verse? You can also search according to the genre.
8. Warn us! Please enter a warning if needed. We mention triggers like suicide, rape, violence or profanity. You can also simply say: Not for sensitive readers.
9. Add TAGS. Tags tell Google what your writing is about. Suggested tags: your name, title, 12 Poems, Poetry Challenge, writing challenge.
10. Select Submit. Please do not save your poem as a draft. They get mixed in with the pending poems and are approved by and then you have two versions of your poem on the site.
11. Your poem is pending. I need to approve it and will do so as soon as possible.
12. Once you have posted your poem please read and comment on four other poems.
13. To EDIT your story: profile/poetry/select poem/make change/update post. Your poem will revert to pending and I will approve it again.
How to Read and Comment on Poems:
- Select READ/Read Poetry in the menu bar on the left.
2. Select the prompt/month you would like to read.
3. Click on the poem title.
4. Read the poem.
5. Click on the comment block below the story.
6. Type your comment.
7. Reply to a comment by clicking carefully on the Arrow.
8. The poet will receive an email notification of your comment or reply.
9. To read 2019 go to the Archive tab on the left-hand menu.
10. To look for poems that don’t have a lot of comments, search for the prompt, select blog posts and scroll/page to find poems that need love.
11. To read the poem of the poet who commented on your poem, click on their name in the comments. This will take you to their profile, click on poetry and you will be able to see the list of their poems.
Your profile:
- Once you have logged in select PROFILE in the menu bar on the left.
- Select EDIT.
- Enter your name and a short bio.
- Add a profile picture.
- Add a cover picture.
6. You will also see tabs for friends, notifications and messages.
Finding people:
- The search bar is at the top of the page.
2. Once you have searched for a name you will see three options: All/Blog posts/Members
3. Select Members to go to their profile or Blog posts to go to their stories.
4, Scroll until you have found the writer’s profile or the poem you want to read.
5. Click on their name and it will take you to their profile and their stories.
6. Click on Add Friend and you will send a friend request.
To add a new level:
- Select the Account tab on the left.
- Click on View All Membership Options
- To add the short story challenge select Level 1 or Level 2 or Level 3. Please read the offering carefully.
If you have any questions please mail: write@12shortstories.com. You can download and print this PDF. Poetry | How to use deadlinesforwriters.com
Happiness
Mia