Submitting Articles

If you are reading this page, then you have an interest in costuming. Chances are that you did, learned, or taught at least one thing last year that members would enjoy reading about. Share your experience. Even if you are not into writing, VC provides many ways for you to contribute. Keep reading to learn how.

Who Can Submit Articles?

VC welcomes articles by Silicon Web members as well as by costumers who are not members. This helps members keep in touch with the wider costuming community, and raises awareness of SiW as a virtual community that others should join.

If you have an idea or a finished article of any type, please let us know. If you meet people at Cons, classes, or other events with costuming subjects that might make good articles, ask for their contact information and let me know about it. Helping locate articles also makes a contribution.

Send your ideas and articles to: vc@siwcostumers.org

Types of Articles

As an online costuming magazine, VC has a number of departments that use articles of all different types and lengths, including:

• feaure articles
• product, book, movie, or web site reviews
• event reports
• how-tos
• tips and tricks
• photo spreads
• interviews
• virtual panels
• retrospectives on notable costumers
• riffs on a favorite costuming topic
• short subjects
• upcoming events
• and many more...

Length Guidelines

As a general guideline, here are some average lengths for different types of articles:

• feature articles: 1000-3000 words
• reviews, event reports, or interviews: 300-800 words
• tips and tricks, how-tos, or short subjects: 200-500 words
• riffs on costuming: 100-1000 words
• event notices: 50-100 words
• photo spreads: a few captions

Submission Format

You can submit articles in either a commmon word processing format like RTF, MS Word, or Open Office Writer, or in plain text. If you use a word processing format that supports it, you can embed photos and captions in the document where you think they should go. If you use plain text, place line breaks only between paragraphs, indicate roughly where each photo goes and its caption, and send the photos separately. Where a photo actually appears depends on layout. A note will be added to the text, indicating its location on the page

Photos

Photos add interest to almost any type of article, so use as may as you need to illustrate what you're describing. For each photo you submit, please indicate whether it was taken by you or someone else. If someone else took the photo, also identify who took it, the original source (with URL if appropriate), and how you have the right to use it, such as:

• you have written permission (include with submission)
• it is posted on the web with permission to use (provide URL)
• it is available under a Creative Commons License (describe kind)
• it is in the public domain (explain)

Most photographers are nice people, and will often give you permission to use their photo if you ask politely, and explain that it will appear in a non-profit publication like VC. Because of copyright restrictions, VC cannot publish a photo unless you have the right to use it in your article.