Some advice from a contributing editor to ensure strong submissions every week. Whether you are looking to build some experience in working with a team and developing your writing skills or writing to get your ideas out into the open, here are some steps to learn to always submit publishable content.

Three specific moves involve attention to detail; rewriting; and research.

Attention to detail involves meeting all the logistical aspects of submission, from including the publishing date in the headline to attributing a segment, tags, and social media shares. Writers who demonstrate attention to detail and learn how to properly upload and attribute cover photos, but are also familiar with the conventions of Associated Press (AP) style and Odyssey’s expectations concerning specific syntax.

Odyssey adheres to the following spelling of some commonly mistaken terms and phrases:

• TIME
  • a.m. p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 21
  • ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s, etc.
• AGE
  • 7-years-old, 99-years-old, 6-months-old, etc.
• NUMBERS
  • Written out one through nine, written numerically 10, 11, 12 etc.
  • Exception: headlines *always* use the numerical form of the number (i.e. 3 Things You Need To Know About My Anxiety)

• SYNTAX
  • Greek life, high school, best friends, OK
• MOVIES/TV SHOWS/BOOKS/SONGS
  • Everything goes in quotations. NOT ITALICS. “Harry Potter” not Harry Potter.

Attention to detail also means knowing the rules, like how AP avoids the direct use of parentheses, how to schedule your submission, and working to learn the intricacies of Odyssey guidelines concerning spelling and organization of an article.

Rewriting entails reading your article not just for Grammarly revisions but for clarity, are you making use of specific terms and ideas while avoiding vague language? Does the article flow well and are your ideas easy to follow?

Revisiting your work before submission can cut down on repeating small errors, improve your writing skills and attention to detail, and save your editing team time and effort regarding surface-level issues of improper spelling and punctuation.

Lastly, research is a skill and practice that writers need exercise to develop how they compose and articulate their thoughts. Research is searching and researching for inspiration, ideas, arguments, stances, facts, data, photos, etc. and synthesizing the meaning you are able to find and re-present in your own understanding.

Odyssey encourages the use of hyperlinks, anytime you make a fact/generalization. For example, "It’s ridiculous that LGBT Trump supporters were not allowed to march in Charlotte’s Gay Pride Parade." Strong writers support their statements and claims with facts. Aim to hyperlink 4-5 words only, the shorter the better.

A final dynamic of research involves finding answers for yourself. This means digging up evidence and hyperlinking but it also means collaborating. As a content creator for Odyssey, this is easy as you are encouraged to reach out to your team, your editors, and all existing Odyssey resources that aim to inform our writers how to submit their best work.

To develop your skills and identity as a writer, both supporting your ideas and making use of support services within Odyssey, we can work to generate our best content regularly.

*all samples used within this article can be found in the 2018 Odyssey Content Creator Handbook*