Submission Guidelines for “What are you giving away?”
(See form at the bottom of this page to submit.)
This space is yours as much as it is mine. I want you to feel at home here. I want you to feel that your gifts are valued. I want you to believe that your gift or your personal story has the potential to inspire or make a difference for someone else.
There are a couple of really important ways you can contribute to this site.
1. Give. Consider offering some gift to the community. Remember that the giving of this gift will bless both the giver and the recipient and has the potential to make the world a more just and beautiful place. This gift could take a variety of forms:
a. Art: It could be a painting or piece of jewelry or sculpture or photograph or scarf that emerged from your very first art class. If you know in your heart that it is good and worth sharing, give it away (even if you’re brand new at this)! If you’re already an accomplished artist and want to make someone happy by giving something away with no strings attached, your gifts are also welcome! If you’re exploring a new form of art, or are tossing around the idea of opening a new business and you want to test what it feels like for others to see your offerings, give it away! Send me a photo or scan of it with a short write-up about it and we’ll offer it to someone who comments (you can choose whether it goes to the first commenter, the most interesting commenter, or to a randomly drawn commenter).
b. Skills: Maybe you are very skilled with accounting and you’re looking for someone to bless with your ability – consider offering to help a money-challenged artist whose business could blossom with a little help. Maybe you’re incredibly organized and you want to share that skill with a cash-strapped non-profit organization trying to make a difference in the world. Maybe you do amazing things with a broom and dust cloth and you’re looking for advice for how to use your skill to make the world a better place. Maybe you have a passion for justice and great letter-writing skills and want to start advocating for a cause that’s important to you but just need a little help getting started. Send me a write-up about your skill and what you’d like to get in return from commenters (ie. advice on how to share or a recipient eager to use your skills).
2. Reflect. What is your story? What journey have you been on to discover and share your giftedness? My life has been changed by the many stories I’ve had the privilege of hearing and reading and I honestly believe that stories change the world. Consider sharing a story of how you discovered your giftedness, how you took steps to give it away (even if they were only baby steps), how your gift changed your life or the life of the person (or people) you shared it with, how you dealt with your first rejection letter, how you took the bold step to start your own business, or any other part of your journey that you feel might be meaningful to our community. A few things to note as you prepare your submission:
a. Please try to keep your story under 1000 words. (If you really don’t feel you can share your story in that length, but believe it’s worth sharing, you can take a chance and send it anyway. But I’d really prefer it if you’d do your best to edit.)
b. If you have accompanying artwork, illustrations, or photos, include a jpeg file with your submission.
c. If you think you have an incredible story to share, but don’t consider yourself to be a writer, consider being interviewed. Send me a note explaining a bit about yourself and your story, and I’ll send you some interview questions.
A few extra notes:
1. I will try to honour everyone who shares, but if I feel that what you’re sending is inappropriate in some way, or that it needs some further revisions or alternations, I will either let you know that I can’t use it or I will let you know how it can be improved to suit the audience.
2. I don’t plan on doing a lot of editing of submissions, but will do so if I feel it makes a stronger post.
3. If you’re giving something away, I would appreciate if you would be prepared to cover any costs (ie. shipping, phone calls, etc.) involved in the gift.
4. I will try to get back to you within a week of your submission, but since I’m undertaking this venture while still employed in a full-time job (which involves a fair bit of travel), and trying to be a good mom and wife, I may not always manage to respond as quickly as you’d like.
5. This site is about giving things away freely with no strings attached, and it is meant particularly for those people whose gifts and confidence are still emerging. It is not meant to be a place where you can advertise or get endorsements. If you’re already established in your business, you might want to consider looking for some other place to offer free products.
6. This is a non-paying site, as I am intentionally not accepting any advertising. I welcome your freely-offered submissions, but recognize that you need to make a living and may not be able to give things away. I believe that your skills have value, so you have my blessing to send it somewhere else instead.
7. By getting something published on this site, you are offering me first publishing rights. That means that you can still sell it elsewhere, but you have to notify them that it’s already appeared here (unless you modify it considerably).
8. I hope I don’t have to do it very often, but I reserve the right to refuse any submission if I feel that it is inappropriate or not offered in the right spirit.
9. I just want to mention that I am not in any way suggesting that your talents do not have value. We all have to make money somehow and we might as well do it while doing what we love. But if your talents are just emerging and you want to test the water, or if you want to share something as a gift to the world, then this is the place for you.
Thank you in advance for anything you have to offer! It may feel risky to send something out into the big and potentially scary world, but please consider this a safe space where people want to see you succeed!
To submit, use the form below, or email me at heather at whatareyougivingaway dot com.
Hi, I'm Heather Plett. I'm excited that you've stopped by to learn more about how we can make the world a better place through the sharing of our gifts and creativity. I've been thinking about these topics for a lot of years now. Through my work in creative communication, workshop facilitation, fundraising, leadership training, and freelance writing, I've gathered a lot of wisdom and stories from my own experiences and the experiences of the people I've been blessed with knowing.
