Two Drops of Ink: A Literary Blog

Please note: It may be 4-8 weeks before your guest post submission goes live. We will notify you by email once your post is published.

Why Send Submissions to Two Drops of Ink?

Two Drops of Ink is a literary blog devoted to literature in a broad sense. We strive to bring thoughtful and unique information to our readers about grammar, writing, prose styles, poetry, literary genres, writing advice, problem-solving for the writer and blogger, and the publishing industry.

Two Drops of Ink proudly collaborates with other writers. Most bloggers focus on the primary task of branding themselves and pushing their sites; however, here at Two Drops of Ink, we believe in and have created an alternative that works for the guest writer and Two Drops of Ink.

As Joseph Rain says, “Collaboration isn’t about giving up our individuality; it’s about realizing our greater potential.”

Types of Guest Posts?

Two Drops of Ink accepts submissions for all genres except “R” rated posts, romance as the overriding theme, or anything politically partisan. Political, philosophical, or ideological discussions are excellent – that can make for exciting reading; however, partisan rants don’t fit here.

We are looking for fresh perspectives on all genres and literary topics. Here are some examples:

Grammar
The art of writing
The craft of writing
How to publish
How to query a book
Book reviews
Writing purposefully for an online audience
Building an online following
Flash Fiction
Fiction
Creative non-fiction
Memoirs
Poetry
Essays
Historical Fiction and non-fiction
Sci-fi
Steampunk
Problem-solving for the writer and blogger

We understand that how something is said is just as important as what is said, and each writer has that unique way of turning a phrase and using their authentic voice. We hope to extend the following benefits to you as a writer if your work gets published on our site.

A Published Submission to Two Drops of Ink guarantees:

Your writing, websites, and books get exposure through links in your bio.
You and Two Drops of Ink create a strategic alliance — a shared influence on social media, including promoting your blogs, books, websites, videos, and services.
With our numerous awards, Two Drops of Ink provides you with a credible site for your guest post.

Specific Submission Guidelines

Word Count

We ask that articles be 1000-1500 original words; however, we will work with authors if they exceed 1500 words. We will also consider a series.

Articles Are Original, Unique, or Updated

We will not consider writings that have been published elsewhere, including your website. We expect non-plagiarized writing. If you are uncertain about the various forms of plagiarism, click here for a description.

We exclude poetry from the ‘published elsewhere’ requirement because of its unique artistic value.

Posts are Value-Added

Make sure your submissions are not just unique regarding perspective but also relevant to the times. Our readers and subscribers are interested in value-added articles that include:

A “how-to” that clearly defines writing, editing, and other writing topics.
Frequent writing blunders and solutions
Overcoming writing difficulties
Links when quoting others, citations where needed, and it’s often helpful to link to concepts, foreign words or phrases, or even to your blog if the topic is similar

Make Sure Your Submission is Well-written

Two Drops of Ink expects that articles demonstrate proper grammar, clarity, style, tone, and punctuation.

We ask that you edit for the obvious and then edit again for those pesky mistakes we all make.

If your submission is selected, we will do an editorial review. If it does not meet Two Drops of Ink’s standards, but the overall concept is appealing, we may ask that you revise and resubmit your article, which is not a rejection of your submission.

When the article passes our initial examination, or your resubmitted work is better, we will email you further instructions. Please submit your guest post in a Word.doc(x) format -no Google Docs, please.

Use proper citations when necessary. Give proper attribution when citing statistics, quotes, or references. Provide an accurate citation in the article and hyperlink to the verifiable source, including photos and images.

Use Subheadings

Subheadings are clues for the reader about what will follow. Make them interesting, use keywords from your post, use engaging or fun clues to content for the reader. Make sure that the content that follows each subheading is roughly 300 words for SEO strategies.

Reinforce Your Guest Post Submission with Images

Images are the visual clue that accompanies your words. Make them as enjoyable as your writing. Two free sites for commercial use photos are Upsplash.com and Pixabay.com.

Accompanying Bio

All work submitted needs an accompanying bio and high-resolution photo of the author ( or the best picture you have).

We prefer a headshot (Jpeg) image; we would like our readers to see you and read you. However, we would ask that it not be a vacation or family shot, etc.

Your bio is also the place where you can promote your website, books, other writing, and your social media pages.

Posts Can Be Withdrawn or Pulled Down

Two Drops of Ink may reject any guest posts that do not meet the guidelines mentioned above. We will also pull any posts that we later find false, misleading as to the author, or information in the bio.

Publication License Agreement

When submitting, you agree to an “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” license with Two Drops of Ink to publish your original articles.

Engage with Readers via Comments

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Barring an emergency that you cannot help, we want you to engage with the readers who leave comments, or likes. All comments are important, so we ask that our writers check for comments and respond.

Ready to Submit Your Guest Post?

Please follow the guidelines and then forward your word.doc(x) article to:

[email protected] with Two Drops of Ink submission in the subject line.

complacent two drops of ink marilyn l davis