Frequently Asked Questions
Tips on writing for the web
Legal stuff
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What sort of material do you want?
Any text or multimedia content of relevance to lesbians that is fresh, innovative, inspiring, exciting, helpful, educational, entertaining, thought provoking, funny, sad or otherwise interesting.
We will consider for publication any work of fiction, non-fiction or art that broadens understanding of our lives and each other.
We will not publish any material promoting hatred or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, race, gender, age, religion, class or physical or mental ability.
We also don't want sloppy, wordy, error-ridden and boring prose or graphic pornography and language intended only to shock.
Interaction is the key to community so we particularly welcome original material that stimulates intelligent spirited debate, dialogue and discussion in our forums.
Content formats could include -
reviews, reactions, views, personal experience pieces, profiles, humour, comics, cartoons, drawings, short stories, songs, yarns, interviews, poetry, feature articles, biographies, news, gossip, coming events, critical analysis, travel stories, off-beat stuff, quirky snippets, motivational bits, how-to articles, quizzes, quotes, useful links, tips, ask an expert, Q&A, fact sheets, step-by-step guides, a day in the life of, bouquets and brickbats, testimonials, e-booklets, e-cards, photos, puzzles, screensavers, soapie, history, top 10 list, trivia, erotica, virtual tours, group reports, advice columns, video clips, sound bytes, animations, game demos or other interactive bits and pieces.
lemonkind does not pay for contributions. Your words will be published
under your by-line, or a pseudonym, which will link to your email address.
Do I have to be a lesbian?
No, but the content must be relevant to lesbians.
Do I have to be a professional writer, photographer or artist?
No, but it's helpful if you're semi-literate.
Diversity in background, subject matter and writing styles only enriches the site.
Many of our writers are amateurs and have not previously contributed to a magazine.
We do not bias acceptance of material on how many times you have been published. If it's good, you have a good chance of being accepted.
Less than half as much as you'd write for print, whether fiction or non-fiction.
Reading from a computer screen is slow and tiring. Online readers are impatient and scan or skim rather than read every word (see Writing tips below).
Count the words on a typical lemonkind page layout to gain a feel for web length but we generally wouldn't run a single item with more than 500 words.
If non-fiction, your article's first paragraph should be a summary or introduction to the piece, with the work continuing on the subsequent four pages (maximum). Anything over that and you'll probably lose your readers anyway.
If you think your readers will return for another instalment of an extra-long piece, you can divide the article into two. If it's really good, we'll serialise it as a regular fixture.
Where will my work appear on lemonkind?
Contributions will be published under appropriate categories with your by-line, email address and short author bio if desired.
Some content will be archived when new material is published but may still be accessible through database searches and/or related link listings.
Where do I send contributions?
Email submissions to mailto:editor@lemonkind.com in the body of a plain text message (just copy and paste the text from Word or your word-processing program).
Please do not send attachments (unless graphical).
Send each submission as a separate email and include your one-paragraph biography with your qualifications and/or motivations.
We read all contributions and, if we like your style and subject matter, we'll give you the go-ahead but cannot specify the publication date (and no follow-up emails or phone calls please).
Of course, but please state clearly which name you wish us to use as your by-line. If you don't supply an alias, we'll assume you want us to publish under your real name.
Please ensure images are optimised for the web to ensure fast downloads and include captions and ALT text (for sight-impaired readers).
Free online optimisation tools -
What else should I include with my submission?
Don't forget to include your name (or pseudonym), email address, personal or business web site address (if appropriate), contact details, one-paragraph biography, the word count and any multimedia (photos, cartoons, audio, video, drawings etc).
If you'd like to include a photograph of yourself, so much the better (a passport-size JPEG).
Submissions will be edited professionally for punctuation, grammar, coherency and potential legal problems.
Before sending in your work, please proofread and Spellcheck (we abide by Australian spelling conventions in accordance with the Macquarie Concise Dictionary).
Contributions may be cut to fit layouts but we'll return them to you for any major "slash and burn" or other radical changes.
Do I retain the rights to my work?
lemonkind reserves first electronic publishing rights with the right to archive the material indefinitely in any electronic medium. Fourteen days after publication, copyright returns to you (see Legal stuff for further details).
TIPS ON WRITING FOR THE WEB
How does writing for the web differ from writing for print media?
For starters, web users don't read, they scan or skim, picking out keywords, sentences and paragraphs of interest while skipping over the rest.
Usability studies have also found that people read from computer screens between 25 and 40% more slowly than from paper.
Don't expect web users to read long continuous blocks of text. They will scroll to about four screens of text before becoming frustrated and losing the plot.
Another difference between the web and traditional print media is that online writing is non-linear, allowing readers to link forward to other passages or back to archived articles.
Where possible, break long passages into chunks with sub-headings and provide a brief table of contents (which we can hyperlink) at the start so readers can jump directly to those sections they want to read.
Try to keep each "chunk" or page to less than 1.5 screens of text (a few hundred words).
How should I structure my non-fiction article for the web?
Journalists have long relied on the "upside-down" pyramid to capture the busy reader's attention in the first sentence and the format suits impatient web surfers.
If you hook your readers from the start, they will continue reading for supporting and background information.
Unlike print journalism, on the web you can link to different sections and related content allowing readers to jump around to create their own stories.
Each page is built as an inverted pyramid but the entire article seems more like a series of pyramids.
This is a new writing style. We're all pioneers. If you know a better way, go for it.
What about personal style?
Your style is your trademark so why not show it off, particularly in works of fiction or poetry.
Write as you like, but remember to keep the length to less than 50% of an equivalent piece in print.
Be honest and authentic - no one has time online for marketese, bureaucratese, academic or government speak, fluff, hype or pompous verbosity.
What other techniques can I use to make my content easy to read online?
* be succinct (don't use a long word if you can find a shorter one)
* be direct (don't waffle, get to the point)
* avoid italics and underlines, semi-colons and colons (they can be missed or misinterpreted on a computer screen)
* limit each paragraph to one sentence and one idea (users will skip the rest
if not enthralled by the first few words in the par)
* keep it simple and use informal, conversational, down-to-earth language
* carefully organise your information with easily understood words and
meaningful sub-headings between chunks - web readers want to search and find, not wait
* use active rather than passive voice ("the cat ate the rat", not, "the rat
was eaten by the cat")
* group hyperlinks at the end of the piece rather than peppered throughout the text (it's distracting)
* use large pullout quotes or bold text to highlight key content
* use bulleted lists where options number more than three
* provide captions with every picture (and the photographer's/artist's name and any copyright provisions)
* check your facts (especially names, addresses, phone numbers, dates, times, figures, links) and update them regularly
* keep it clean, avoid defamation and accept responsibility for your own words (in other words, don't say anything you wouldn't like someone to say about you)
* ask someone else to proofread your work
* encourage reader feedback, calls to action and community interaction - it's the interactive medium, after all.
LEGAL STUFF
lemonkind reserves first electronic publishing rights with the right to archive the material indefinitely in any electronic medium (no financial compensation may be sought for possible future reproduction by lemonkind of work in any manner, online or offline).
Copyright of all material reverts to the author or artist 14 days after publication.
All contributors indemnify lemonkind against any possible lawsuit and agree to provide solely original material that does not infringe on the rights of a third party. Previously published material will be printed only if clearly not subject to copyright restrictions. Please tell us if your article has already been sent to another magazine, print or online publication.
Opinions expressed in this web site are those of the individual authors or interview subjects, not necessarily those of lemonkind, its editors, staff or service that supplies web space for, or access to, lemonkind.
As the publisher, lemonkind reserves the right to decline or remove any submission from the web site without prior notification, discussion or debate.
The publisher does not accept any responsibility for material sent which may be lost or stolen and cannot cover freight, postage or handling of material sent.
Contributors acknowledge that an independent publication needs to raise capital in any way or manner that the business sees fit to survive. Editorial and advertising, however, will remain clearly separated at all times. Non-newsworthy, blatantly promotional submissions with the sole intent of "plugging" a commercial service or product will not be published within editorial space unless identified as being from a business (but you're welcome to buy advertising space).
© 2006 lemonkind
