for the Brigid's Circle^®

a monthly contemplative prayer sequence

Updated January 6 ,2010

Brigid's Circle^®offers a monthly contemplative prayer sequence emailed to subscribers by subscription on the first full work week of each month on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Below are a few rudimentary "guidelines for writers," to help us develop a consistent pattern  in ways recognized in publishing as of a professional nature and respecting the intellectual property of the writers and photographers.

• Blessings and Closing prayers work best for our format at around 30-50 words in length; slightly longer is possible. Reflections range from 50-100 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.

• Contributions are reimbursed in the form of a 1/2 year subscription per contribution.

• Our first source for contributions is our own subscribers, but we will look outside the subscriber list if a particularly appropriate piece comes to our attention. Original writing is preferred. Reprinted writing from other sources must have the author’s and publisher's formal permission to be considered for Brigid’s Circle^® You must provide these permissions when you send in the reprinted material for it to be considered. 

• Brigid Circle^®  generally solicits written submissions and photos, but you are also most welcome to send an unsolicited submission. Please indicate the month of the year for which you believe the submission is most suited and whether you see it to be a blessing, reflection, or closing prayer.

• The perspective of the Circle is that of the Celtic-Christian worldview. Please familiarize yourself with that perspective through various sources 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 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  for the agreed upon 1/2 year subscription 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 month following 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 sources need to be fully 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.

• 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 when implied rather 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

or 425-985-3340

Spiritual Directions, LLC