Writing and Photography Guidelines

for Brigid's Circle^®

a monthly contemplative prayer sequence

These guidelines were updated October 3, 2010

Brigid's Circle^®offers a monthly contemplative prayer sequence emailed by subscription on the first Monday of each month.

Below are a guidelines for writers and photographers to help us develop a consistent pattern recognized in publishing as of a professional nature and respecting the intellectual property of the writers and photographers as well as the right of Spiritual Directions, LLC, to publish submitted writings and photographs. By submitting a work for publication, writers and photographers are agreeing to the following terms:

• The works submitted to Brigid's Circle^® will be the original material of the writers or photographers.

   

  •  It is preferred that writers submit an entire sequence at a time. The inclusion of a full sequence (blessing, reflection, and closing prayer) in a monthly emailed sequence will be reimbursed in the form of a year's subscription to the sequence. That can take the form of a personal subscription or one you offer another as a gift.

   

  • Blessings and Closing prayers work best for our format at around 50 words in length. Reflections should range from 75-150 words in length. The Celtic people highly valued poetry, and good poetry that reflects a Celtic-Christian perspective often works well in our sequence. Keep prose writing succinct and in the word limit.

• Photographs need to reflect the season of the natural and/or liturgical year. Reimbursement is the same as for written material. Currently the emphasis is on photos that go with the season and with the themes being developed by the authors. There is an implicit valuing in the Circle's overall perspective that creation reveals both a visible and invisible Reality/Wisdom/God and that as humans we are invited to make a conscious reponse to both the visible and Invisible, which is calling us to ongoing transformation.

• Our first source for contributions is our own subscribers; we occasionally look outside the subscriber list if a particularly appropriate piece comes to our attention. Reprinted writing from other sources must have the original author’s and publisher's formal permission to be considered for Brigid’s Circle^® to stay within the basic copyright laws. You must provide these permissions when you send in the previously printed material for it to be considered. 

•  Please indicate the month of the year for which you believe the submission is most suited. Spiritual Directions, LLC reserves the right to use the sequence in another month if it is deemed more suitable.

• The perspective of the Circle is that of the Celtic-Christian worldview, which is a close relative of creation-centered spirituality. Please familiarize yourself with that perspective  before you submit.  The Spiritual Directions LLC website (www.spiritualdirections.net) does have a page with some brief information on this spiritual perspective and another link for suggested authors. You may want to read others not on this list. It is highly recommended you have participated as either a trial or full subscriber for several months to get a sense of the Celtic, creation-centered perspective and the style of writing. Poetry is often effective as the Celts were highly poetic, imaginative people. They lived close to the earth and had a gift for seeing the sacred in the everyday events of life and in many earthly locales. Christian Celts placed a high value on the Psalms and the Eucharist. Both pre- and post-Christian Celts valued an egalitarian way of life.

• The publisher may suggest your piece be used at a  different time of year and for a different purpose. You are of course most welcome to agree or refuse that suggestion. The publisher is also free to turn down unsolicited submissions.  

• When you agree to have us publish your writing, you are agreeing that Brigid's Circle^® has the right--which it may or may not exercise-- to print your submission in one of our monthly online e-mailed prayer sequences, to reprint this on the parent website for Brigid's Circle^® (Spiritual Directions, LLC) and/or to distribute a copy of the sequence in which it appears for purposes of building subcriptions to Brigid's Circle during the quarter of its use in the sequence, and then to include your piece  in a possible future collection of Brigid's Circle materials that could appear in pamphlet or book form. You will receive a byline with any publications of accepted submissions. After those uses rights return to you as writer as per copyright law.

• Any quotes from others sources need to be credited/referenced in a way that a reader could locate the source if they desired. You may be asked by the editors to expand on your references/ credits if we feel that is needed.

• We prefer an inclusive-language style of writing in reference to both God and human beings. The editor(s) reserve the right to ask you to revise writing to make it gender inclusive and/or gender-neutral depending on your subject. You may also find it helpful to review some of the theology of the emerging church and process or evolutionary theology.

• Creativity is encouraged!  Please write your own personal experience in a way that encourages a contemplative stance in the readers—that is moves from the appearance to the deeper substance of the matter. This is often more effective implied than stated outright.

• The editors do reserve the right to edit for length and for grammar. Every effort is made to keep the essence and style of your work intact.

Any questions? Please email or call before you submit:

eileenknoff@yahoo.com    425-985-3340

Spiritual Directions, LLC