Editorial Resources
Everything a Creations contributor needs in one place: what we publish, how we edit, what to send, and the few lines we will not cross. Written down so nothing about working with us is a mystery.
Four things that matter more than anything else
Write to one reader
Not an audience, not a demographic. One person, in the middle of something hard, who picked up this magazine hoping for company. Everything else follows from that.
Earn the abstraction
Start in the concrete: a moment, a client, a morning. Reach the principle after the reader already feels it. Never the other way around.
Give something away
Every piece should leave a reader with something usable even if they never contact you. Generosity is the most persuasive thing you can publish.
Say it plainly
Our readers are intelligent and not always fluent in your modality. Define your terms once, in ordinary language, then get on with it.
What to send
Plain text or a Word document. No PDFs for text, and please do not lay the piece out. We will typeset it.
| Item | Length or size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articles | 800 – 1,600 words | One idea, taught well. Subheads every 300–400 words. |
| Personal essays | 700 – 1,400 words | First person. A real scene in the first paragraph. |
| Poetry | Up to 3 poems | Send them together in one document, in the order you would like them read. |
| Reviews | 400 – 900 words | Name the audience it serves and the audience it does not. |
| Author bio | 2 – 3 sentences | Third person, with your city and state and one link. |
| Headshot | 1200 px minimum | JPG or PNG. Natural light beats a studio backdrop. |
| Article images | 1600 px wide minimum | Only images you own or are licensed to publish. Include the credit line. |
Include your name exactly as you want it printed, your city and state, any credentials you want listed, and the best email to reach you. If your piece is tied to a date or an event, tell us in the first line of your note.
Six issues, six themes
Creations publishes on the first of every even-numbered month, and distribution begins the last week of the month before. Articles and poetry are due about six weeks ahead; a piece that misses its theme may be held for a future issue we think it fits.
February / March
Relationships, sex, introspection, and meditation.
April / May
Honoring the Divine Feminine: celebrating women, mothers, Earth, the environment, and rebirth.
June / July
Balanced masculinity, fathers, creative passion, prosperity, and abundance.
August / September
Welcome the new school year with lessons and new beginnings.
October / November
Change is good: transitions, cycles, death, and healing.
December / January
Radiate the spirit of the holidays; promote peace and goodwill.
Wondering where your submission stands? Ask through the support page and a person will check for you; we are a small staff, and the form keeps nothing from getting lost.
How Creations reads
- Second person, sparingly. "You" is powerful and wears out fast. Alternate with the first person.
- Active verbs. Something happens to someone. Passive constructions hide the doer and slow the sentence.
- Short paragraphs. Three or four lines in print. White space is part of the reading experience.
- Subheads that promise. "What changed" beats "Discussion". A reader should be able to skim your subheads and get the shape of the piece.
- No em dashes. House style uses commas, colons, parentheses or a new sentence instead.
- Numbers under ten in words. Ten and above in figures, except in measurements and ages.
- Traditions named respectfully. Capitalize what a tradition capitalizes, and do not flatten one practice into another's vocabulary.
- Credit your sources. Name the researcher, teacher or lineage in the sentence rather than in a footnote.
What happens after you send
- Reading
An editor reads it
Every submission is read by a person, usually within a few weeks. We publish six issues a year, so timing is the most common reason for a delay, not quality.
- Editing
We edit for clarity, not for voice
We trim, tighten, and fix the mechanics. Anything that changes your meaning comes back to you before it runs.
- Approval
You see it before it prints
You get the edited text and the headline. Say the word and we will change what does not sound like you.
- Publication
Print and online
Into the issue and onto creationsmag.com with your bio and links, plus a PDF of the page you can share.
Claims about health
For the wellbeing of our readers, Creations does not publish content stating or implying that any practice, product or protocol cures, treats or prevents disease. This is not negotiable, and it applies equally to editorial and to advertising.
Experience, offered
"In my practice, clients often describe feeling calmer within a few sessions." "Some studies suggest an association between X and Y." "This helped me. It may not help you."
Outcome, promised
"This cures anxiety." "Reverses autoimmune disease." "A safe alternative to medication." Anything that would lead a reader to stop or delay care.
Health-related pieces carry a short standing note that they are for informational purposes and are not a substitute for professional medical care. It protects the reader, and it protects you.
Rights, reprints and the rest
Who owns the piece once it runs?
You do. Creations publishes with your permission and keeps the right to run it in the issue, in the online archive and in our own promotion. You are free to republish it elsewhere afterwards; we simply ask that you credit Creations and link back.
Do you pay contributors?
Creations is free to read and supported by its advertisers, and most contributions are unpaid. Contributors get a byline, a bio with links, print and online placement, and forty years of reader trust behind the page. Commissioned work is discussed case by case.
Can my piece promote my practice?
Your bio is the place for that, and it can carry your practice name, your city and a link. The piece itself has to earn its place on its usefulness. If you want a promotional placement, that is advertising, and advertorial is clearly labelled as such.
Can I write about a client or a patient?
Only with their written permission, or so thoroughly de-identified that no one could recognise them, including themselves. Composite characters are fine if you tell the reader that is what they are.
Do you accept AI-written submissions?
No. Use whatever tools help you think, but the piece we publish has to be your experience in your words. Our readers can tell, and so can we.
When are the deadlines?
We publish six issues a year and copy closes several weeks before each one goes to press. Send your piece whenever it is ready and we will tell you the issue we are aiming for.