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Simmer Review - Call for Submissions

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WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
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Attention All Simmers!

Who: All of you. Players. Writers. Photographers. Designers. Stylists. Creators. Builders. Everyone from Sims 1 to Sims 4, My Sims to Sims Medieval, and everything in between.

What: I’m thinking of starting a community-collective literary journal of sorts for simmers, by simmers. As such, the focus would be on writing (short fiction, humor, tutorials, creative non-fiction), which I know you’re all great at, but in-pictures are more than welcome as well.

This will be a heavy undertaking for just one person, so if you’re interested in helping with more than just submissions, feel free to offer yourself as sacrifice. Of course, this all depends on the amount of feedback and submissions I receive. It could be amazing and last forever, or it could fizzle out in a shorter time span than it took to make this cover. Who knows?

Why: Because simmers are awesome and a medium that gets their creative work the attention it deserves seems like an amazing idea. (And I’m not doing anything with my writing degree so it gives that, and me, a sense of purpose.)

When: Distribution of the issues will all depend on the amount of submissions we (currently we = me) get. Hopefully in the future a schedule can be created.

How: Issues will be distributed on Amazon as free digital e-books. Let me know of any other distribution means you’d like to see.

Where: Any questions, concerns, inquiries, volunteers, or any such thing can be posted here or private messaged to me. For submissions, see this post on my Simblr.

I have a lot of faith in this becoming something beautiful and I really hope you all envision the same.



Submission Guidelines


Written Work

Your submission must be related to ‘The Sims’ in some way. This is a publication about Sims by simmers for simmers, after all. As ‘The Sims’ is simply a game about people living their lives, it’s easy to justify almost any type of narrative as being “Sims related.”

Any and all genres are welcome. Here are some examples I’ve come up with. Feel free to borrow, steal, be inspired by any of them for your own submissions.
First-person comedy of someone who’s been locked in a tower. A twist ending reveals the narrator was only trapped by a plate in front of the door.

Creative non-fiction piece about your discovery of ‘The Sims’ and how it ruined your life became such a big part of your life.

Poetry about your undying love for ‘The Sims’ or that super cute, buff, Adonis-like sim you sculpted with your bare hands.

An epic quest to discover who is running the simulation of our own lives.

As you can see, there’s tons of ways you can spin it for your own writing. It doesn’t have to be anything super obviously Sims either. Just people living, really. People will understand.

Other miscellaneous requirements and guidelines:

While there isn’t a page limit, don’t go crazy and send in a sixty page short story. At that point you could essentially publish your own short story e-book. It would be best to keep it around 10 pages or less, but it’s not a hard ruling.

Any series must be sent with all parts finished. No one likes to invest themselves in a story that ends up unfinished. Each consecutive issue will contain a part of the series. Each part must be able to stand on its own, however, so it needs its own beginning, middle, and end, climax and resolution, etc. apart from the series as a whole.

Submissions can be based on any Sim game. It could be from the main series ‘The Sims 1-4,’ ‘Sims Castaway Stories,’ ‘Sims Medieval,’ or any of the others not mentioned.



Images

Related to ‘The Sims,” of course. These can be in-game pictures or your own artwork made in programs like Photoshop or a real-life painting.

If it’s an in-game screenshot it needs to be of a higher level quality. So don’t submit something anyone could hop in game and take the same screenshot of without any difficulties. You can even submit multiple pictures that tell a story. Just let me know so I keep them together in the publication. Feel free to name your pictures, caption them, include a written story, etc.

Keep in mind this isn’t a magazine. There are already community driven magazines for ‘The Sims.’ This is a literary journal that’s more focused on writing. I don’t just want pictures of outfits you like or a cute room design shot. The images included in the publication will need to have a spark that ignites something in the reader. It needs to make them think or feel something.



Deadline

The initial deadline for submissions will be June 30.
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Post edited by Wilderwolf on

Comments

  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    Oh, this sounds really cool! What type of initial contributions are you looking for, and what submission instructions do you have? (Format, where to submit, etc.) I'm happy to help with sound-boarding, brainstorming, and general idea-wrangling--possibly with editing, depending on other commitment loads at the time. Sounds like a really fun idea!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    I have the email link on the original post over at my Simblr, http://simscompletecollection.tumblr.com/ but I wasn't sure if we can post emails here, so I took it out.

    I'll need any type of editable document as they'll need to be readjusted as it's being pieced together with other submissions. So pdf's won't work. The actual formatting of the piece won't matter as it'll be changed as needed, but if something has special requirements for creative purposes I'll keep them as is for the final product.

    As of now the most help I'll need is getting the word out. None of this is possible without plenty of submissions. After that I'll need a group that helps sift through the submissions and pick which ones should be included in the first issue. I'll also need plenty of copy editors/proofreaders.

    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    I'll post some announcements about it on my blog and on a few threads I've got here that this relates to! I'll stick something in my sig file, too. Sounds cool. I'd enjoy being on the submission-sifting team, depending on my current workload at the time.
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    Thank you so much! I'll add your name to the list to contact once things get going then to see if you'll be available to help.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • SummerFallsSummerFalls Posts: 6,413 Member
    Ooh, this sounds like a fun idea! I'm not sure if I'll be able to help with the magazine due to some other commitments I have at the moment, but I would love to try and submit something and also advertise this here and there :)
    ooh_zpseebomb8i.png
    Origin ID: SummerFalls
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  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    I would love the help with advertising! And any and all submissions are more than welcome!
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    @Wilderwolf - One "r" in SimmeReview?
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    @Wilderwolf - One "r" in SimmeReview?

    Nope it's two words, Simmer Review. Thanks for asking though!

    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • VanityHighVanityHigh Posts: 1,300 Member
    What a fab idea! Hopefully you'll get a ton of submissions, I know I'd love to read this :smile:
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    Thank you! My hopes is that once it gets better established I can have different themed issues. So, say issue 4 would be family themed, so all the included stories and pictures would be about family. I don't think that would be possible for the first issue as it's probably going to be hard enough just to get a sufficient amount of submissions in general.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • Wasting_NightWasting_Night Posts: 800 Member
    I actually have a magazine-themed story thread with my Sims. Would those count?
  • DavidMCSessyDavidMCSessy Posts: 1,148 Member
    I think I can help with lauout and design of this future magazine. I am already working on another Sims magazine and I have some experience with layouts. You can further contact me if you want to see more.

    I can invest myself in this, but only if there are enough submissions and this really becomes a thing.
    5k381e.png

    My TumblrMy Twitter
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    I think I can help with lauout and design of this future magazine. I am already working on another Sims magazine and I have some experience with layouts. You can further contact me if you want to see more.

    I can invest myself in this, but only if there are enough submissions and this really becomes a thing.

    Thank you for the offer, but it's actually not like a magazine, so there isn't a layout to be done. It's more book-ish than anything, so the minor formatting it will require is aleady done.
    I actually have a magazine-themed story thread with my Sims. Would those count?

    What do you mean by magazine-themed story?
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • DavidMCSessyDavidMCSessy Posts: 1,148 Member
    @Wilderwolf Oh, that's way better then! Now you just need submissions to start rolling.
    5k381e.png

    My TumblrMy Twitter
  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    Hmmmm....I like this. I'm not sure what I can do besides submit, though I'm trying to understand exactly what it is you're looking for as far as submissions go...
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    edited May 2015
    Hmmmm....I like this. I'm not sure what I can do besides submit, though I'm trying to understand exactly what it is you're looking for as far as submissions go...

    Written Work

    Your submission must be related to ‘The Sims’ in some way. This is a publication about Sims by simmers for simmers, after all. As ‘The Sims’ is simply a game about people living their lives, it’s easy to justify almost any type of narrative as being “Sims related.”

    Any and all genres are welcome. Here are some examples I’ve come up with. Feel free to borrow, steal, be inspired by any of them for your own submissions.
    First-person comedy of someone who’s been locked in a tower. A twist ending reveals the narrator was only trapped by a plate in front of the door.

    Creative non-fiction piece about your discovery of ‘The Sims’ and how it ruined your life became such a big part of your life.

    Poetry about your undying love for ‘The Sims’ or that super cute, buff, Adonis-like sim you sculpted with your bare hands.

    An epic quest to discover who is running the simulation of our own lives.

    As you can see, there’s tons of ways you can spin it for your own writing. It doesn’t have to be anything super obviously Sims either. Just people living, really. People will understand.

    Other miscellaneous requirements and guidelines:

    While there isn’t a page limit, don’t go crazy and send in a sixty page short story. At that point you could essentially publish your own short story e-book. It would be best to keep it around 10 pages or less, but it’s not a hard ruling.

    Any series must be sent with all parts finished. No one likes to invest themselves in a story that ends up unfinished. Each consecutive issue will contain a part of the series. Each part must be able to stand on its own, however, so it needs its own beginning, middle, and end, climax and resolution, etc. apart from the series as a whole.

    Submissions can be based on any Sim game. It could be from the main series ‘The Sims 1-4,’ ‘Sims Castaway Stories,’ ‘Sims Medieval,’ or any of the others not mentioned.



    Images

    Related to ‘The Sims,” of course. These can be in-game pictures or your own artwork made in programs like Photoshop or a real-life painting.

    If it’s an in-game screenshot it needs to be of a higher level quality. So don’t submit something anyone could hop in game and take the same screenshot of without any difficulties. You can even submit multiple pictures that tell a story. Just let me know so I keep them together in the publication. Feel free to name your pictures, caption them, include a written story, etc.

    Keep in mind this isn’t a magazine. There are already community driven magazines for ‘The Sims.’ This is a literary journal that’s more focused on writing. I don’t just want pictures of outfits you like or a cute room design shot. The images included in the publication will need to have a spark that ignites something in the reader. It needs to make them think or feel something.



    Deadline

    The initial deadline for submissions will be June 30.
    Post edited by Wilderwolf on
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    I just updated the first post with all the guidelines and requirements for submissions.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    There's a story in my head now...sort of. I'll work out the details. Or the Sims will. Not sure.

    But yay!
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    edited May 2015
    @Wilderwolf Hiya! I've posted your Call for Submissions in the right side-bar of my blog and I also featured it in my "This Week in SimLit" page. Also, some of us have begun to plan an annual "Remembrance of Sims Past" day which will probably be Dec. 1. It would be so cool to tie this in with the Winter or December issue of Simmer Review, as this is such a reflective theme for creative nonfiction as well as fiction.
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    Oh my gosh, that's awesome! Thanks for all the advertising!

    I've had plans to have themed issues, so I'll definitely keep that one in mind!
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • Wasting_NightWasting_Night Posts: 800 Member
    Wilderwolf wrote: »
    I think I can help with lauout and design of this future magazine. I am already working on another Sims magazine and I have some experience with layouts. You can further contact me if you want to see more.

    I can invest myself in this, but only if there are enough submissions and this really becomes a thing.

    Thank you for the offer, but it's actually not like a magazine, so there isn't a layout to be done. It's more book-ish than anything, so the minor formatting it will require is aleady done.
    I actually have a magazine-themed story thread with my Sims. Would those count?

    What do you mean by magazine-themed story?

    @Wilderwolf sorry to bring up my thread and not put up a link! Here it is:

    forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/818903/may-issue-out-simsacious-magazine-my-sims-backstories-and-interview/p1

    Take a look at some of the stories I have there and you'll see what I mean. :)
  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    Those are great! I don't think they'd fit as is in an e-book format though, so I'd probably only be able to use the writing itself. I'd still try to do it pictures and all, but it would most likely make the font too small to read.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • Jes2GJes2G Posts: 13,032 Member
    This is very cool! I know what you mean by this not being a magazine. Kinda like an anthology, right? We did in school for the communication department except ours was printed. Some kind of way my story "got lost." Anyway, I'm gonna think really hard of something I can write. I imagine you'll get lots of short stories, so I'll think of something thoughtful and bloggish. I would love to help, although I'm not sure how. If you think of anything, just ask and I'll see if I can do it.
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  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    An anthology is a great way to think of it. I'm hoping for a lot of short stories, but so far I haven't had any submissions, which is to be expected this early. I just hope people actually submit stuff as the deadline nears.

    As far as I can see I'm just going to need help with the editing process once all the submissions are selected.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

  • WilderwolfWilderwolf Posts: 3,406 Member
    Just a reminder that there's just under three weeks left until the submission due date.
    Sig_zpsrk5fg4ri.gif

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