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Readers Write is a feature in The Sun where readers share their personal writing on a given topic—a unique fixture of the magazine since the section’s inception in 1978. Send us your true story on an upcoming topic, and if we publish it you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription.
Not sure what to write? See below for some prompts to spark an idea. Writing style isn’t as important as thoughtfulness and sincerity, and topics are intentionally broad to give room for expression and interpretation.
Read a sample Readers Write section here
| Upcoming Topics |
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All Night There are times staying up all night is an adventure: sleepovers; endless coffees with friends at the 24-hour diner; awaiting the sunrise with a lover. And then there are times you’d give anything to get some sleep: battling insomnia; pulling an all-nighter before an exam; waking up every hour to soothe a crying baby. Do you work the night shift? Find you’re most creative in the wee hours? Have any strange nocturnal habits? Don’t sleep on it: the deadline for sending us your true stories is November 1. |
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Complexion A barrage of pimples when you were younger. A steadily increasing number of freckles as you age. A whole lot of melanin, or maybe not much at all. Are you someone who can never find the right shade in the makeup aisle? Does the “flesh” crayon really miss the mark? Take a long look in the mirror, then send us your true story about “Complexion” by December 1. |
We consider English-language submissions from anywhere in the world.
We do not have a set word limit for Readers Write submissions. Most pieces that we publish come to us at around 300 to 1,000 words. But we have published some Readers Write pieces that are just a few sentences long, and we have edited some down from many pages.
We prefer manuscripts in any legible 12-point font with double-spaced paragraphs, page numbers in the footer, and 1-inch margins.
On page 1 please include the author’s name and the Readers Write topic.
While we appreciate careful proofreading, we don’t disqualify submissions for formatting inconsistencies or typos. Please don’t withdraw and resubmit just because you spot a mistake.
We consider submissions online via Submittable.
There is no fee to submit to Readers Write.
We do not consider submissions via email.
To submit by mail, send your typed or neatly handwritten manuscript to:
We cannot return mailed Readers Write manuscripts.
We notify writers of our decisions within six months of each topic deadline.
You can check the status of your online submission by logging in to Submittable.
Unfortunately we cannot track submissions that were mailed to us, and we are unable to answer questions regarding the status or receipt of mailed submissions.
You can withdraw your online submission from consideration via Submittable.
Complimentary one-year subscription.
We request one-time rights. All other rights revert to the author upon publication.
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