General
Length
Style and Tone
Photos etc
Summary

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Writing for the DogHouse ^

We welcome you contributions of a wide range of topics that relate to the BDSM, Leather/fetish and of course SM Dog Training scene, it may be a horny story, a personal account, some training guidelines, more FAQ information and so on. Reviews of books, products or services can be Submitted from the Write a Review page.
Below are some guidelines to help with writing your submission to the Doghouse.

General ^

Articles should be clearly written and should demonstrate a strong understanding of the subject matter. When writing your article consider that many visitors to the doghouse do not have English as their first language. If there are words used that are not of common internet/IRC usage, please note them separately so they can be accessed from the online dictionary.  If you are explaining a technique demonstrating an understanding of common pitfalls is very handy for your reader. If applicable, please let the reader know up front what version of a product you used. Also be sure to mention where you got it from and some sample costs. If you are demonstrating a concept (such as "Temporary Neutering via Testicular Heating" becomes a technique when you have done it) lost of examples are welcome.

Length ^

Pieces can be almost any length from 2,500 to 10,000 words; Most important is that the piece isn’t padded or incomplete. Article length will vary based on the assignment, on what you hope to achieve. Write all you need to write and no more and no less, you don't want the reader asking himself "Get to the Point". However in a story you are setting the scene for the story, it is often better to step back from the 'scene' and change your perspective "Now what would the Master get from this story" that way if the reader is a Master or a slave there is something in it for them. This not that hard for someone who is both slave and Top (vers).

Style and Tone ^

Articles should be written in a direct, peer-to-peer voice; you are talking to people like yourself, with the same passions that you have. Move the reader logically through the article from an introduction in which you give an overview of the article’s content and intentions, through the core material, and on to a conclusion. The introduction sets the scene of a story, why it came about, effectively what you are going to tell them about.
A conclusion is not a summary (see below for summary) but an assessment of the importance and meaning of the topic of the article. Read the other contributions throughout this site for samples of published material.

Grab the reader in the first paragraph. Why should he or she read your article, your story? Use the active voice, and don’t use footnotes, please spell check it, and if possible have someone read through it - it is SO EASY to read what your THINK is there that what ACTUALLY is there, a spell checker will also not show a problem with (their and there, or cheque and check or site and sight).

If you make assumptions as to what your reader knows, be sure to specify them at the beginning of your article, what might the reader know already ? Is there some other section of the doghouse (or other) that you could reference to help with the understanding?

Your article will be included in a table much like this one.  Please avoid using complex tables, as still there are many browsers (such as webTV) that can have problems with it, also do not include FrontPage 'effects' that use JavaScript, as everything that is required is in the text. Effectively we require either plain text or plain HTML.

Photos, Drawings and Figures ^

Your article should be accompanied by whatever drawn figures, tables, and  shots are necessary to support the text and illustrate key points. Many people still access the web using Laptops or cheap PC using 800x600 screens and 256 colours, there are still plenty of people using slow connections, so assume 28.8 modems. When you send in the JPG/GIF please adjust the resolution for the page.

It is extremely important that you clearly reference all figures and indicate their appropriate reference location in the text, this is why and HTML file of your work with all IMAGES should be assumed to be in the same directory, then Zip it all up that way you know it is complete.

Our style calls for up to 30% graphics and figures in any article. We can process all images, so they need to be as good as possible, they should be readable and understandable - if you need any face blanked out do that first (Can use paintshop pro from JASC) or give instructions or what you want achieved. Photos scan be scanned in (sent to the UK address) and clearly identified as how they related to the article. If you do not have a PC, then shorter hand written articles may be selected on an individual basis. You may be able to use a computer at your local library.

Summary Box ^

All of our feature articles require an feature  box on the first page. (So if you’re writing a column, this doesn’t apply.)
The box is there to sell the article, to wet the readers appetite,  the box includes a Title Head line (about 5 words, or just one line), a short description, a lead into the story, a fragment, something that will make you want to read more and a 100 word summary of your article.

Also mention if this article uses material from elsewhere as a minimum mention by name or a URL is better (if a reader likes what he sees, he would want more of it)
You might want to write an article relating to a topic area on the website, going into more detail, or as a reflection or personal experiences, these can often trigger further discussions that would take place in the SM DogTraining Community

Submission Format ^

We can accept text in a variety of formats, but our preference is Word docs, as this keeps pictures related in place and when saved to HTML is complete.
We will strip your formatting and pour pieces into a style template that’s been set up for layout. Use as little formatting as you possibly can, but you should distinguish among subheads, text, code, and so on.

If you send in HTML and Images please ensure that they are all zipped up together (can use WinZip to do this)

Screen shots for publication should be saved separately from the article and referenced by file name within the article text. We require JPGs, GIF or PSPs format; BMPs, TIFs are not acceptable.

Be sure to include a three-sentence bio, which may include your email address (get a free email if you want hide you company email address)

If you have any questions or article ideas, please contact The Doghouse Magazine Submissions at submissions@TheDoghouse.org (with SUBMISSION in subject line of text).