Welcome to the Citizen Journalism section of thespec.com. We need your help to tell stories in the community. There are just a few guidelines.
1. Spell check. Your story should be thoughtfully written and proof-read prior to submission. If you have a spell check program, it's the next best thing to having someone else read over your story before you send it in.
2. Focus. Make a point, illustrate it with an anecdote or argument and move on to the next point. You want your story to be read, so consider what you like in good writing. Clarity and brevity are what readers like you demand.
3. Story length. 700 words is just fine. Did we mention brevity?
4. Contact info. Include your email address and phone number and the town or city that you reside in. We won't publish your email or phone number. These are simply to get in touch with you if we have questions before we publish your story. We will publish your name and your municipality.
5. Be fair and truthful. Your story may be chosen to run on the website and could be excerpted to run in the paper. You are a citizen journalist, so you will be guided by the same principles that govern writers at the paper.
6. Be flexible. Your story may be edited for style and length, or it may not run at all.
7. Be interesting. Imagine yourself telling your story to a good friend. Keep the reader engaged. Employ short story techniques. Bring it to life.
Here are Citizen Journalism categories that are now inviting stories from you.
It's cool to be cheap
Ok. Maybe cheap is a bad way to describe it. But it is certainly more than a little socially acceptable these days to be austere. What imaginative ways have you found to be frugal with your funds? Tell us and we will publish your story in the Citizen Journalism section. Email us at gofeedback@thespec.com
Click here to email your story now.
The Energy Crunch
Gas prices
don't appear to be dropping any time soon. How are you coping? How will
your lifestyle or business change as a result of this new reality? Tell
us your story in the Citizen Journalism section of thespec.com Check
out the submission guidelines and send your story to energy@thespec.com
Click here to email your story now to our Citizen Journalism section
Fruitland in crisis
An
era is ending in Niagara. One of the region's -- and the country's -- last
fruit cannery operations is closing. What does this mean to you? What
are the ripple effects of this event.? Read the submission guidelines and send your story to cannery@thespec.com
Click here to email your story now to our Citizen Journalism section
Traveller
Our new print and online Traveller section is accepting stories for publication. Your story can be on a day trip or a longer excursion. If you have story about a recent vacation adventure, good or bad, send it to traveller@thespec.com.
Click here to email your story now to our Citizen Journalism section
New Life: Tales of Transition
Leaving one country and arriving in another creates a variety of issues for immigrants. Adjustments must be made in language, culture, and career. In the New Life section of thespec.com, we read first-hand testimonials from people who are going through this transition. We are interested in your comments and your stories, and we invite you to share your experiences with us and with our readers. Do you have a story about about finding your way in the Canadian workplace? Email your story, along with your picture (jpg format preferred), to newlife@thespec.com
Click here to email your story now to our Citizen Journalism section
