A BLOG BY MISS AMAZING™

SUBMISSION GUIDE

Musings is a collaborative dialogue about young womanhood brought to you by Miss Amazing.

We're actively uniting the voices of young women, with and without disabilities, to create an ongoing discussion about womanhood that simultaneously

addresses the lack of voices of girls and women with disabilities in female-targeted publications.

Hello! So you’re thinking about submitting a piece to Musings, Miss Amazing’s official blog. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say! This guide provides everything you need to know about the posts that are often shared on our blog and what to expect after submitting a post.

CATEGORIES AND PROMPTS Miss Amazing has provided the categories and prompts below to inspire you! We’ve also included the suggested format for each prompt in pink. However, you are absolutely free to send a submission on a topic not included in this list.

Poetry Submit a poem about anything! {Free-form}

Music and Art - What is your favorite form of artistic expression (dance, painting,

drawing, instruments, etc.) and why does it have such an important role in your life? Include videos or photos of your

- performances or works. {Short paragraph + photos and videos or Essay}

- Submit a playlist (be sure to include lesser-known songs not currently playing on the radio!). Your playlist may be inspired by a specific genre, mood, holiday, etc. {Short intro paragraph + playlist}

A Day In the Life - What are the pros and cons of being a teen/ twenty-something

today? {Essay} - Describe a specific obstacle you face as a young woman (with

disabilities, if pertinent). Have you overcome this obstacle? If so, how? If not, how might you? {Essay}

- What is one thing you wish more people knew about living with a disability? {Essay}

- Tell a story about your greatest accomplishment and explain the significance that it had in your life. {Essay}

- Tell a story about a major turning point in your life and explain how it has shaped the person you are today. {Essay}

Friendship - Sister Act: Get together with your best girlfriend(s) and tell us more

about your awesome friendship! Simply provide us with answers to the questions below and photos of you together:

- How did you meet? - What do you like to do together? - What are your favorite qualities within each other? - How do you inspire each other? - What have you learned from each other? - How has your friendship withstood the test of time?

{Q&A + photos} - Making friends isn’t always easy. Write a piece centered around a

common anxiety or obstacle when making friends. How do you combat it? {Essay}

Fashion - Tell us about a current fashion trend that you love and include

different examples of how to “work” the trend. {Listicle} - Compile looks that apply to a specific theme in fashion (ex: what to

wear this spring, the best boots this season, stunning statement earrings, etc.) {Listicle}

- Share a DIY fashion project. Clear photos of each step are required. {Photos + Captions with each step}

Beauty - Create a beauty tutorial of your choice (ex: eyeshadow, lip, brow,

eyeliner, and nail tricks) Clear, well-lit photos of each step are required. {Photos + Captions with each step}

- Share your secrets in skincare. {Listicle or journalistic writing} - Beauty isn’t just skin-deep! Share your secrets for feeling beautiful

on the inside. {Listicle}

FORMATS Please take the time to review the suggested formats for your submission to Musings.

Essay In an essay, you’ll use three major points to support your central argument, or your thesis. Feel free to stick to the following 5 paragraph structure, or develop an essay format that better suits your prompt:

I. Introduction: Begin your discussion on the topic with an attention-grabbing sentence. Narrow your discussion, bringing you to your thesis in the last sentence of the first paragraph.

II. Point One III. Point Two IV. Point Three V. Conclusion: Paraphrase your thesis, emphasize the importance of your

argument, and conclude in a meaningful way.

Include detail-driven stories, examples, and anecdotes to back up your thesis. Make sure to answer the question and fully offer your unique perspective and

Body Paragraphs: Dive into three different points that support your thesis.

experiences! These pieces tend to be on the longer side and share a story or create an argument. Be creative!

Journalistic Writing This format is more fact-driven and maintains an unbiased perspective. Focus more on reporting information and events and include quotes to add color and personality. Remember the 5W’s of an event: Who, What, When, Where & Why. This style is generally shorter than an essay, more focused, and to-the-point.

Listicles Listicles are all the rage nowadays, as they are easier to produce and read. A listicle is a combination of a ‘list’ and an ‘article’, and breaks your topic down into easy categories. This format doesn’t require paragraphs or lengthy sentences and instead allows you to highlight major points that speak to one theme. Using this style, you can… - Rank things.

“Our Top 10 Summertime Activities” “5 Coolest Girl Bosses in History”

- Create a list around a central theme. “3 Hot Accessories to Rock This Spring” “15 Ways to Feel Beautiful Every Day”

Research shows that lists of an odd number of items are more attractive to readers, so we encourage you to follow that tip when creating your listicle.

PHOTO QUALITY REQUIREMENTS If you are sending photos to accompany your post, please ensure that they follow our photo quality requirements: - Photos are at least 300 pixels/inch. In short, make sure they aren’t pixel-y,

too small, or grainy. - The photo subject is well-lit and in-focus. Lighting makes all the difference.

If you are taking photos for your post, find a space that has abundant natural light. Also remember that your subject should be lit from the front, not from behind.

- The background is aesthetically pleasing. If you are taking photos for a make up or DIY tutorial, keep your background in mind. Is your room nice and tidy? Is your workspace organized so that we can focus on the subject that is being photographed?

SUBMITTING A POST Once you’ve written and revised your submission, please send it to musings@missamazingpageant.com with all photos attached.

SUBMISSION FOLLOW-UP After you submit a post to Musings, you will be notified whether or not your piece was accepted within one week after it was received. If your submission was not accepted, please do not be discouraged! You can submit as many pieces as you would like. There is still a chance that your next submission will make the cut.

If your submission is accepted, understand that you may be asked to work with our editor to fine-tune the piece grammatically and structurally.

Thank you! Taking the initiative to share your voice is brave. We appreciate your unique perspective and thank you for considering Musings as a creative outlet.

Feel free to contact musings@missamazingpageant.com with any questions or concerns.