TSN Writing Submission Guidelines

Your Writing Featured On TSN?

“All of us who enjoy Think Simple Now, are part of an invisible society,
seeking to uplift their lives, and enhance the quality of living.
Writing about our own experiences, and the lessons we drew from them,
will bring this community even closer.”
~ Nirupama Naresh

Think Simple Now (TSN) is a happiness community of people striving to live consciously. The stories we feature are extracted from real life—lessons and epiphanies to inspire and to remind us the important elements that make life beautiful.

If you’ve been following our blog’s featured articles, or felt drawn towards our uplifting conversations on facebook, you may be interested in contributing an in-depth, self-reflective story of something you recently learned or discovered.

Every featured article is sent to over 6000 email inboxes, to over 18,000 RSS readers, to over 13,000 facebook-ers, and is exposed to 350,000 monthly readers from the web. As such, we take writing quality seriously. (But don’t let that scare you away. Give it a shot.)

With readers from over 200 countries and territories; your writing will change lives. Your story will touch the hearts of many new friends from around the world.

The following is a general guideline for what we’re looking for.

Writing Guideline:

Length – 800-2000 words.
Motivational Quote – Begin the article with an inspirational quote related to the topic you are covering. This sets the tone for the article.
Story – Start the article with a story that draws us to the point of the article using personal experiences.
Heart – The most important quality we look for is “Heart”. We want writing that comes directly from the heart: raw, honest, transparent and authentic. Share with us your inner thoughts. Show us the personal side. Show us who you really are inside.
Lesson & Takeaways – Include lessons you’ve learned through the experience. Share with us lessons and useful resources that we can takeaway to improve our own lives.
Self-Reflective – No preaching. We are all here to share from our own experiences.
Clarity – Have one main point that you want to drive home. Get to the point quickly and directly. Remove rambling and inessentials that doesn’t add to the story.
Concise – If you can convey the same meaning using less words or more direct phrasing, do it. Keep it sentences short and crisp.
Short Paragraphs – Between 1-3 sentences per paragraph. Even if it doesn’t make sense to break a paragraph into two, do it. 2-5 lines maximum for each paragraph.
Bullets, Lists, Numbers – Where possible, use bullets lists, and numbered sections to organize. Bullet list like the one you’re reading. It makes it very easy to communicate ideas clearly.

Once you’re done writing. Please proof read twice for spelling, grammar and clarity corrections. Then follow the steps below to submit.

Submission Details

Document – word doc ending in .doc or .docx. We will not accept links to blogs, embedded in email, or in html format. Please do not include html tags in the submission body.
Formatting Details
- Font size: 12px
- Font Type: Cambria (or Arial if Cambria is not available)
- Font Color: Black
- Line Spacing: single
- Paragraph Spacing: After: 1 line (or 12pt)

Additional Attachments – include the following with your submission. The following will only be used in the event your article submission is accepted to be featured.
- Name & Link – The name you want displayed at the start of the article. If you have a website, include the url you want your name to link to. For example, “By Tina Su”.
- Bio – One paragraph about you–the author. The paragraph can contain up to 3 links. The bio will be placed at article end.
- Photos – Include several photos of yourself smiling into the camera (if possible). We need 2-3 or more photos to select the one that will work best for design reasons. This is optional, we don’t have to display a photo (but we highly recommend it). Please don’t use photos of you wearing sunglasses. Do not edit the photo.

File Name – Name your file with the following naming format: [First Name] – [Start of Title].doc
- Example: “Tina – How to Live Beautifully.doc”
- Example, “Cat – How to Wake Up Early.doc”

Email – submission [at] thinksimplenow.com (replacing [at] with @. Remove spaces)
Email Subject – “Submission for TSN Feature”

Other Details

All submitted writing must not have been previously published elsewhere online (in print or via email newsletter is okay).
Your writing may be edited for clarity.
One of our editors will review your submission. It can take up to 8 weeks to receive a response from us. We read everything, and will respond with a yes or no as soon as we can.
Not all submissions will be featured. Please don’t take it personally or feel offended if your writing is not featured.
By submitting, you are giving us the permission to edit and publish your writing on TSN.

Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom with us. From all the readers on TSN, I thank you in advanced for your courage and generosity in sharing a self-reflective piece of yourself with us, so that we can all grow and learn.

Love,
Tina

March 13, 2011
Seattle, USA

P.S. For those interested. Below is the background story that was part of the original guest post submission guideline page.

Background Story

The seed of this site was sowed, when I first started writing in my journal in 2005, as a method of healing to overcome relationship troubles. To my surprise, self-reflective writing, and contemplation on what we’ve learned through our daily challenges is an empowering tool to find clarity, gain personal insight, and heal old wounds.

Sometimes, I would share snippets of my journal with friends and family, and their response was always that of feeling a close connect to the emotions described, because they too experienced similar feelings. Here is a snippet from my journal during that time.

The conclusion is that all of us are more similar than we think. Sharing our inner thoughts and ah-hah moments will not only make ourselves feel better, but our stories can also help others recognize the truth within their own lives. Our sharing draws us closer, and reminds others that they are not alone on this confusing but often wonderful journey of life.

This site has been a tremendous platform of healing and personal growth for me, and I would love to open up the floors and hear some of your stories and lessons learned.

27 Responses (26 Comments, 1 Trackbacks ):

Comments

Gregory Onnen

Dec 31 10, 7:43 pm PDT

1
Sounds like a terrific idea! This winter has also been a time for me to use writing as an instrument for examining my life, while trying to maintain a positive perspective and navigating through some difficulties. My writing is rough and cobbled together, but I may submit a story or two…not so much with a focus on being published, but to have a channel for processing experiences and things that have been learned along the way.
Thanks Tina, if TSN is your baby, you’re nurturing it well!
-Gregory Onnen
Leigh Harris

Jan 02 11, 5:56 am PDT

2
This is a beautiful offer, Tina. A chance for our own hearts to be heard, and perhaps make a difference to another life.

Blessings, Leigh
Hu Rong Mei
Jan 04 11, 8:03 am PDT

3
Yes, thank you for this wonderful offer, Tina. To me it is an opportunity to be certain my comments don’t just disappear.A chance for our own voice can be heard freely and sometimes colourfully like a parrot—-maybe the freedom will make a difference in a life.

Birds by nature love the mountain light;
A pool’s reflections purge the hearts of women.
Ten thousand noises here are silenced might,
But for the removal of voices by the computer.
Paul McQueen

Jan 24 11, 7:47 am PDT

4
It’s funny how opportunities arise when you are facing in a direction in your mind, keeping your awareness open and accepting what comes as it will.
I am travelling to New Zealand to get some focus on my thoughts and the book I am writing. First book, I believe revolutionary. Would like to track it as a blog for some significant exerpts on the way.
Cheers and good luck with this enterprise! Hope to see others entries as welll……
Prime

Jan 24 11, 6:43 pm PDT

5
Dear Tina:

Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’ve always been a big fan of your site and wanted to guest post for the longest time. I’m def writing a post for TSN soon.

Prime
Anyes

Jan 28 11, 11:50 am PDT

6
I am looking to step out of my comfort zone and this project seems like something I’d never have the courage to do…So I’ll go for it. Thank you for the opportunity to face my fears :-)
nirupama
Feb 10 11, 6:18 am PDT

7
All of us who enjoy Think Simple Now, are part of an invisible society , seeking to uplift their lives , and enhance the quality of living. Writing about our own experiences, and the lessons we drew from them, will bring this community even closer.
donate japan earthquake hit

Mar 14 11, 12:30 pm PDT

8
Who would like to support donate to Japan?
It’s’ very unfortunate as to what’s happening in Japan, so support donate!
Japan requires your own help!
Jia Jun

Mar 23 11, 7:40 pm PDT

9
Wow~~ awesome. I wish I could feature my articles here in Thinksimplenow too.
Thanks Tina for this awesome opportunity, would definitely put my best and give it a try. =D
Kathy

Apr 01 11, 9:14 pm PDT

10
Tina, I’ve just come across your site as i was searching for, Quit my job , What’s next? Excellent site you have. well, I have just handed in my notice last week at work and just start my own writing & website in Thailand. you can check and see if I am suitable to contribute to your blog. Thank you
Kathy
sonika sanghi agarwal
May 09 11, 1:47 am PDT

11
This is a very good opportunity to prove our selfs. This will help us to grow and develop self confidence too. Thanks for the opportunity. Will put up my cent %.
Ghina Al Halabi
Jun 28 11, 4:22 am PDT

12
Dear ThinkSimpleNow ,
Please help me I’m always sad i don’t know why when i feel sad i like it more than being happy please help me how to fix this problem when i see all people happy around me and i like being sad i just become depressed more than before how can i be happy and not miserable ?
And by the way thanks a lot there are a little bit things that helped me
I never knew this website but now i really love it
Thank you
Please reply also on my e-mail

And can i have your page’s name on facebook please …
Yenlik B

Jul 05 11, 8:38 pm PDT

13
Tina,

This is a great opportunity to let our voices be heard. I am definitely giving this a shot. I currently post most of my thoughts on my site moomkin.com and hopefully I can get my message across on your site as well.

Thanks
Daniel P.
Jul 17 11, 10:32 am PDT

14
What a wonderful site to come across (stumble), How i quit my day job. It struck some heart strings for me since i’ve longed for a nearly identical transformation in my life as well and it’s very inspirational to see someone actually use their vision and courage to manifest a life of joyful purpose. I hope to find or create a path there as well, and will be back to TSN for inspiration. Thank you
Ester Bunny
Jul 23 11, 6:19 am PDT

15
Tina!! It’s a miracle how I came across TSN. I was looking for a way to deal with difficult people in my life and after reading your blog, I realized it’s not how to deal with them, but more on how I have to deal with myself how they make me feel. I took a long hard inner look, and I saw a beautiful person, looking for acceptance in a harsh world. I was the fifth child of my mothers, but I was also a bastard, she had an affair and I was the result. Born in the mid 60′s I was looked up as the demon seed, and neglected and abused until I ran away at the age of 12. I was passed around by strangers who took full advantage of my youth, inexperience and mostly by the fact there wasn’t any one to look out for me or defend me as I continued to be exploited. I started drinking and smoking pot, a spiral that continued for 20 years. Then, after a meltdown, I woke up and found the love and attention I was seeking was right in front of me. It is ME.
I explored my inner self, what a brave lady I was to endure such continuos strife and carry guilt that was not mine. I figured out that I was the victim and the perpetrators gained power from my weakness. I struggled for years trying to “fit in” and suddenly realized that I really didn’t want to fit in, I wanted to be comfortable in my own skin. I started looking inward, what qualities do I possess that I love and what do I hate and how can I make changes. Its a mindset. Easier said than done, but keeping a favourite song in your head is a good start for a good frame of mind. I am controlling my emotions by looking at what is the cause of them ie: anger, worry, frustration. And then I look further, is it really important? Can it be changed? And most important how to recognize these feelings in future before they make me self destruct. It is all a learning curve. I found love, my husband, the one and only person I have in this world. Yes, this is great for me, but a huge weight for him. And I have my dogs and cats who love me more than kibble. teehee.
Good luck to all. Remember to think fast and speak slow.
Skweekah
Jul 28 11, 6:59 pm PDT

16
What happened to TSN? I know you were writing a book. It’s just that it’s been pretty quiet. I hope you keep this great site going.
Tina Su

Aug 02 11, 8:16 pm PDT

17
@Skweekah

We will be back very soon. I’m going through some massive personal transition at the moment–yes with writing a book and starting a new business outside of this blog. Thank you for being patient and for understanding. :) Sorry to keep you waiting.

–Tina
Jimmy/Life Architect

Sep 21 11, 9:17 pm PDT

18
Hi Tina,

I like the fact that your guest post requirements has to do with things that are personal and authentic. This form of writing will certainly bring out the inner self within us which always speak to others with great effect. Only when the soul connect will we learn from others. I have learnt that powerful principle through my teaching days and have use that to good effect in all my work.

I will submit something for your consideration.

Cheers
Daniel
Oct 13 11, 10:15 am PDT

19
Hi Tina,

Thankyou for your advice on dealing with customers. It was… relieving and uplifting to read your work. Shifted my mood from angry-depressed to happy and chilled out in a matter of seconds.

Just wanted to say thanks for writing that article and hope to read more, it brightened up my day :)

P.s. I liked the quote: “Holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

Cheers, Daniel – Australia
Bruce Gibbons
Nov 06 11, 1:58 pm PDT

20
?1?

Inside of us all is a unique, authentic self, which can neither be duplicated nor repeated by another in this time or any.
As a jet is set on autopilot, aiming blindly yet totally visible towards its destination, my mind too was set on a pre-charted course. At times I believed it was to be that way; and even though this stealth like engagement of some inner presence filling the walls of my skull with words seeking definition, it tortured me to entertain this self-illusion of pseudo-intellectual debates about humanity, politics and unquestionably religion.
From the age of seven, every adult I came in contact with spoke about how intelligent I was for a boy my age. I thought people only said things like that to gain advantage over me, being older and more keyed in to observation; they somehow knew how much being smart meant to me.
This story is about bringing the mind under rule. It’s about how I found myself by learning to quiet my mind, silence that other person inside of me who presented better ideas to me than I did, that other person who knew what I liked and knew how to show me ways to get what I wanted, the only thing was I did all the paying for his brilliant ideas.
My life experiences before writing this story were manifold and extremely confusing, so much so, that each episode always lead me in a different direction towards the same conclusion.
I longed for a better life, something more rewarding filled with gratitude and joy, something I could be proud to present to the world, a reflection of the true me, but this surface yearning was always short lived. In my mind I could see where I wanted to be, I could realize my true

potential, even touch and taste it, but these beliefs in a better life, no matter how sweet at the moment never found its way to a true birth.

The secret aspect of life is no secret at all; material wealth is an illusion presented as the better part of life so that those who had less wanted more. The people who had the possessions shared with the world their philosophy about increasing your personal wealth: “Work hard, save your money and cut your spending.” This philosophy is great if you want to spend fifty years of your life with just enough to die on. The true secret to a prosperous life is not in what you have, but what you have inside of you.
After yearning for material possessions and finding no happiness I began looking for something less tangible, a higher meaning to life that when found would fulfill me, fulfill anyone, but that too was short lived and once again I was on the road. I could never seem to find that stabilizing element that would freeze me in my tracks. Peace of mind, harmony and balance were the sought after factors now, trying not to resent my life nor spend my time focusing on how to make it better was my new quest, but how to set about achieving this was beyond me.

Years had gone by and all I could see were simple pieces to the puzzle, I was still living an incomplete life and getting older by the day. There were still certain behaviors following me, seeking relationships under the same pretense, rolling in and out of relationships more angry, more confused, more set on calming the savagery through alcohol, but all this did was set in motion a return to the beginning and at year 50 was still living as if I were 15. I was getting no wiser and no better as a person; I was merely watching the years go by.

Time appeared to be running out and I was going nowhere. I was tired of repeating the same things over and over, life was beginning to bore me, there was nothing left to shoot for and so I began talking to myself, questioning myself through a conversation with someone inside of me, and little by little I began to see that person.
My conversations with self were calming, less mosaic, and suddenly the chatter in my mind quieted and started taking form. Soon it began advising me on the proper ways to reach the goals I was seeking by asking me to take a look at the values of character, integrity, honesty, and love for my fellow man. Through the explanation of these I began looking at my life from birth to present and seeing how the absence of those four ingredients kept my life on the same path to nowhere.
Documenting my life was therapeutic, with each realization of self from as far back as I could remember, a forgiving ensued. I was still the person I had always been, but the person I was intended to be gradually emerged and with each little acquaintance I began liking who I was and seeing that the absence of self was what was creating this disharmony.
From everyone and everything I stopped placing blame, I started to take responsibility for every action from as far back as I could remember.
All the tangles loosened and the rope stretched out free of knots a weight was lifted and I could feel myself elevate. Making amends to everyone I harmed added to the process, I began giving back to those I took from, not always in the same amounts, or in like value, but also what I took from them emotionally. And so I begin by remembering the story of my mother, which is where I will lead you, the reader, and through my life and all its perverse ugliness and out of the shame came my liberation.
rachel
Nov 09 11, 1:59 am PDT

21
I am inquiring of Tian Su.

A recent photo would be nice of her, of her family.

I am inquiring about her new activities that she completed.

I am inquiring about her recent decisions about her marriage and about new revelations that have come to her regarding the care and raising of a boy.

I really do not expect any answers.

But a hello would be nice.
Skw
Nov 09 11, 6:06 pm PDT

22
Ummm, why?
twinkleteacher

Feb 22 12, 6:43 pm PDT

23
A friend suggested I check out this site a little while ago, at just the right time in my life. I love the idea of everyone being a teacher, because we all have so much to learn from each other.
screwnicolas
Jun 05 12, 11:46 pm PDT

24
I have submitted post near about 1000+ word on 14 may 2012 and i did not get any response from your side. Can you please look in to it on urgent basis please.
Tina Su

Jun 06 12, 5:33 pm PDT

25
Will do! Sorry about the delay. We’re overwhelmed with submissions and understaffed. Thank you.
elspain

Sep 26 12, 10:39 pm PDT

26
great site with great ideas and the stories are a good read

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Case Study: 10 Simple Steps to Promote a Novel, Part 2 | Rock Your Writing - Jul 19 11

Think Simple Now. Happiness and Happy Life

Your Writing Featured On TSN?

Writing Guideline:

Submission Details

Other Details

Background Story

27 Responses (26 Comments, 1 Trackbacks ):

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