WRITING FOR CIR
We’re always interested in having CIR members share their experience, strength, and hope with our wider community through a testimonial or CIR blog article. We welcome unsolicited submissions and pitches. If you’re interested in writing for CIR, please review the following guidelines.
SUBMITTING A TESTIMONIAL
While featured on the CIR Blog and sometimes in our CIR monthly newsletters, testimonials differ from general blog articles in that they are first-person narratives detailing the author’s experience of suffering from an addiction, unhealthy attachment, and/or compulsion and finding healing through the Twelve Steps and the Catholic faith. In general, testimonials follow the below narrative structure:
– What It Was Like (before your recovery)
– What Happened (that led to your recovery and deeper immersion into the Catholic faith)
– What It Is Like Now (in your recovery and spiritual life having found freedom)
The best way to get a sense of what we’re looking for is to review previous testimonials.
If sending an unsolicited testimonial submission, please follow the below guidelines:
– Testimonials should be between 800 and 1,200 words in length
– If quoting another source, the title of the source should be included within the submission; Page numbers for book quotations are not required
– A short 2-3 sentence public bio should be included with the submission (you can see examples of author bios at the bottom of CIR blog articles); You’re welcome to use a pseudonym to protect your anonymity along with a general and unspecific bio (e.g. “Jerry S. is a recovering alcoholic and sex and love addict. He has a particular devotion to St. Mark Ji Tianxiang, martyr and opioid addict.”)
– Testimonials should focus on the author’s own personal experience as it relates to recovery and the Catholic faith as opposed to some general idea or topic about recovery or faith
– Testimonials should be written in first-person (e.g. “I realized then I had reached my rock bottom…”)
Should we accept your testimonial submission for publication, it will be subject to revision to ensure its alignment with our editorial and stylistic guidelines. You will be informed of any changes and have the opportunity to review and approve the final testimonial before publication. Please note also that we’re currently unable to pay authors for their submissions.
SUBMITTING A GENERAL CIR BLOG ARTICLE
The mission of the CIR blog is to provide a source of encouragement, wisdom, and support to our community. It is an online resource for members of the Catholic in Recovery community as they continue their journey of recovery (including both individuals seeking recovery themselves and family members and friends of those seeking recovery). Articles can be about working a specific step, the importance of a sacrament in one’s recovery life, various spiritual tools related to overcoming a specific vice or character defect, a reflection on Scripture or a saint’s life and how it relates to recovery, and so on. The best way to get a sense of what we’re looking for is to review the CIR blog.
If sending an unsolicited blog article submission, please follow the below guidelines:
– Blog articles should be between 800 and 1,200 words in length
– If quoting another source, the title of the source should be included within the submission; Page numbers for book quotations are not required
– A short 2-3 sentence public bio should be included with the submission (you can see examples of author bios at the bottom of CIR blog articles); You’re welcome to use a pseudonym to protect your anonymity along with a general and unspecific bio (e.g. “Jerry S. is a recovering alcoholic and sex and love addict. He has a particular devotion to St. Mark Ji Tianxiang, martyr and opioid addict.”)
– Blog articles can be written in first-person (e.g. “I realized I had reached my rock button…”), first-person plural (e.g. “We in recovery are called to…), or a combination of the two
– While it’s perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) to include your own personal experience, articles should relate to some general idea or issue around recovery and/or the Catholic faith; If you’re writing an article that is a first-person narrative of how you found recovery then please submit such a piece as a testimonial (details above)
Should we accept your blog article submission for publication, it will be subject to revision to ensure its alignment with our editorial and stylistic guidelines. You will be informed of any changes and have the opportunity to review and approve the final article before publication. Please note also that we’re currently unable to pay authors for their submissions.
TESTIMONIAL & BLOG ARTICLE, VOICE & TONE
Testimonials and blog articles should embrace a conversational, hospitable, and welcoming tone and voice. While at times addressing complex or nuanced issues related to recovery and the Catholic Church, the author’s voice should be imbued with friendliness, humility, and gratitude. Language that is overly academic, prescriptive, or impersonal should be avoided to better emulate the spirit and ethos of Catholic in Recovery, which remains open and inviting to all people regardless of their background, education, stage of recovery, or commitment to the Catholic faith.
While some readers will be active CIR members in healthy places on their recovery journey, authors should keep in mind that some readers will be far from the Church and/or any type of recovery process, perhaps even in the midst of severe addiction and darkness. This is again why articles should aspire to remain inclusive, welcoming, and humble as opposed to didactic, dogmatic, or condescending.
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN A PITCH/SUBMISSION FOR A TESTIMONIAL OR BLOG ARTICLE
– A one-paragraph summary of your proposed testimonial/blog article
– Previous writing samples (if you have any)
– Brief biographical information (this is not the same as the bio that will be displayed publicly) with the following information:
1. Your addiction, unhealthy attachment, and/or compulsion type
2. Your relationship to the Catholic Church
3. Your involvement with Catholic in Recovery
4. Whether you have professional experience as a writer or not (You certainly don’t need to be a professional writer to be published on CIR! Please don’t be discouraged if you have no writing experience—this is only to give our editor a sense of your writing background)
WHEN CAN I EXPECT A RESPONSE TO MY PITCH/SUBMISSION
FOR A TESTIMONIAL OR BLOG ARTICLE
You should hear back from us within six weeks. Please note that we cannot offer editorial feedback on a pitch or submission that we decline.
HOW DO I EMAIL MY SUBMISSION/PITCH
FOR A TESTIMONIAL OR BLOG ARTICLE?
Please send your pitch or submission to info@catholicinrecovery.com with a subject line of “Testimonial Pitch/Submission” or “CIR Blog Pitch/Submission” depending on the type of piece you’re submitting.