Preparing your writing for publication means polishing it so it’s the best version of itself – clear, engaging, and ready for an audience. This section explains the practical steps you should take to achieve this. In this section, you’ll find information on things like revising drafts, checking grammar and punctuation, and getting comfortable with rewriting.

Which piece of work should I submit?

What type of writing is Word Oysters looking for?

At Word Oysters, we want to encourage you to share the writing you do, whether it’s a short poem, a section of a novel, an essay or report, a journal entry, or any other type of writing that you want to share with a supportive group of readers. It could be an experimental piece, a series of observations, a short story or prose poem, a dialogue, monologue, character sketch, idea for a film, or song lyrics.

Will the magazine refuse to publish my work?

Word Oysters exists to provide all home educated students in Australia with a public forum in which to share their work. This means that we aim to publish all writing submitted to us. Submissions will never be rejected.

However, in the event that the editor feels your writing is not quite publication-ready, we will email you with an explanation and suggestions for changes. When it has been revised, your work will be published.

Equally, in the event that we receive an unusually large number of submissions for any one issue of the magazine, we may delay publication until the next issue.

Revision and editing basics

Checklist for self-editing

Suggestions for peer feedback and/or reading aloud