If you’re a fan of Narratively, you know that we are all about the BIG story. We like an epic narrative that unfolds in several acts and consists of vivid, cinematic scenes. But part of what we like, too, is a unique perspective. We want to be surprised and delighted — we want to not see it coming. And sometimes that looks like one delicious slice of pie rather than the whole thing… 

Enter The Personals. These first-person pieces still meet two of the main criteria for Narratively stories: They’re about something super unique and interesting, and they’re rooted in detailed and colorful scenes. BUT they instead focus on one moment, one day, one week, one summer, etc. (And consequently, they’re much shorter.) We want your best pieces about a surprising moment, a split-second, life-changing decision, an upside-down view of something that we, as a society, are used to looking at head-on. Send us your story about that time you decided at the last second to leave the altar and make a go of it with your unforbidden love instead, the stranger who gave you advice that changed the trajectory of your life forever, that time you confronted your bully 25 years later only to learn about the hardship they were going through at the time. 

What The Personals Is: You can tell us a story on a subject we’ve heard about before, but give us a unique way in. 

What The Personals Isn’t: We love a good internal-based story like everyone else, a writer working out their opinion or recent revelation on the page, but that is not what we’re looking for here. We want active, exciting first-person stories that revolve around dramatic scenes and moments.

A few stories we’ve done in the past that are good examples of what we’re looking for:

I Was Taught to Hate My Lesbian Neighbors. They Took Me In Anyway (1,500 words)

I’m Not an Asian Stereotype, But I Play One on TV (1,400 words)

Why I Apologized to My Rapist (1,500 words)

Details: 

Pitches? Drafts? We are accepting both pitches and submissions for these. 

Word Count: Ideal length for full drafts is between 1,000 and 1,500 words. Please don’t send anything longer than 2,000 words — longer drafts will not be considered.  

Deadline: We’re considering stories and pitches on a rolling basis at this time. 

Rate: $300

Memoir stories offer intimate takes on one-of-a-kind personal experiences. We want an honest glimpse into your life, and through that, into a world we’d never have access to otherwise.

As with all Narratively stories, first-person pitches should detail the compelling, vivid, active scenes your story will have. These scenes should be dramatic, exciting moments of you interacting with others. If most of your story is internal — thinking, feeling, reflecting — instead of moments where you are actively doing things and interacting with others, then it's not the right fit for us.

Some examples of first-person pieces we love:
Welcome to America’s Most Elite Girls Boarding School. Let the Hazing Begin.
I’m Married. I’m a Woman. I’m Addicted to Porn.
How I Wrote Myself into a Real-life Romantic Comedy – That Turned into a Survivalist Thriller

We never need an excuse to lean into love, but this is something a little different than we’ve done before and it has us all aflutter. We’ve absolutely fallen in love with our latest project, a collab with actor Emma Roberts, acclaimed producer Karah Preiss, and their production company/book club, Belletrist. The Narratively x Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize will award remarkable memoir and reported stories, from love quadrangles, to lost-and-found soulmates, to unthinkable sacrifices and bizarre romantic connections that defy all odds. We’re seeking completely new perspectives that shift our understanding of romance and relationships and reignite our pride about being human in 2025. We’ll even be teaming up with Emma and the Belletrist crew to develop our favorite stories for the screen!

How it works: 

Submissions are open Friday, March 21, 2025, through Thursday, May 1, 2025.

We’ll award winners the following prizes in the shortread category (up to 999 words):

• One grand prize: $500 prize               
  • Two finalists: $250 prize each 

Submissions are $10 per entry.

Competition Info:

• Prize period opens: 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on March 21, 2025. 
• Prize period closes: 9 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2025. We will not accept entries once the prize period closes.
• Final decision announced: TBD; more on that soon. Entrants will be notified via Submittable and/or email.
• Entry fee: US$10, nonrefundable and due at time of entry; one free entry for paid subscribers (become one here!). If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the (paid) subscriber-only free submission link.
• Eligibility: Open to folks 18 years of age or older on or before 2 p.m. EDT on March 21, 2025, and who are not employed by, related to or sharing living quarters with Narratively staff or our guest judges. This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. Current and former Narratively editors are ineligible.

What should my entry look like?

As with all Narratively stories, submissions should be composed of vivid, active scenes, unique characters and an engaging narrative arc. We have a few rules to follow, but encourage maximum creativity within these guidelines. The best way to get a sense of what we’re looking for is to read the stories on the list of examples we love below. (Full formatting info is available on our Submittable form.)

Here are a few examples of Narratively pieces about love that we, well, love:

• How I Wrote Myself into a Real-life Romantic Comedy — That Turned into a Survivalist Thriller
• My High School Girlfriend Became America’s Most Wanted Drug Queenpin
• I Professed My Love at Mile 15...But Not to My Husband
• The Day My Therapist Dared Me to Have Sex With Her
• My Secret Life as The World's Worst Professional Matchmaker
• The Donkey Farmer’s Magical Matchmaking Book
• Dead Batteries

Why do we charge an entry fee?

Your fee will allow us to compensate the people who are enabling us to effectively and fairly evaluate every single prize submission — from our freelance readers to our prize editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, visual editors and producers.

How do I enter for free?

If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the subscriber-only free submission link for one free submission.

Submission Guidelines:

• Ready-to-publish pieces only — no pitches accepted
• Word count: Up to 999 words
• Nonfiction and in English (translations permitted)
• Original and previously unpublished as a written work (exceptions: self-published and small pubs; please disclose).
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but must notify Narratively ASAP if entry is accepted elsewhere.
• Multiple submissions from a single author are permitted, but each must be submitted and paid for individually.
• Adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) are permitted with disclosure.
• Any citations should be in endnote form and listed at the end of the submission.
• Please remove your name and contact information from your submission.
• Narratively prefers common fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial, at 10-12-point size, double spaced, for ease of reading. 

To answer your questions: 

• We will accept stories that have been previously published on personal blogs and very small websites.
• We will permit adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) with disclosure.
• This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. (Current and former Narratively editors, however, are ineligible.)
• The grand prize winner and finalists will be required to sign our standard contributor agreement.

Also please take a look at our FAQ page here. For full prize eligibility and rules, click here. Still have questions? Email us at prizes@narratively.com.

We can’t wait to be invited into your world. Best of luck!

We never need an excuse to lean into love, but this is something a little different than we’ve done before and it has us all aflutter. We’ve absolutely fallen in love with our latest project, a collab with actor Emma Roberts, acclaimed producer Karah Preiss, and their production company/book club, Belletrist. The Narratively x Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize will award remarkable memoir and reported stories, from love quadrangles, to lost-and-found soulmates, to unthinkable sacrifices and bizarre romantic connections that defy all odds. We’re seeking completely new perspectives that shift our understanding of romance and relationships and reignite our pride about being human in 2025. We’ll even be teaming up with Emma and the Belletrist crew to develop our favorite stories for the screen!

How it works: 

Submissions are open Friday, March 21, 2025, through Thursday, May 1, 2025.

We’ll award winners the following prizes in the longform category (1,000-5,000 words):

• One grand prize: $3,000
• Two finalists: $1,000 each

Submissions are $20 per entry.

Competition Info:

• Prize period opens: 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on March 21, 2025. 
• Prize period closes: 9 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2025. We will not accept entries once the prize period closes.
• Final decision announced: TBD for now; more soon! Entrants will be notified via Submittable and/or email.
• Entry fee: US$20, nonrefundable and due at time of entry; one free entry for paid subscribers (become one here!). If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the (paid) subscriber-only free submission link.
• Eligibility: Open to folks 18 years of age or older on or before 2 p.m. EDT on March 21, 2025, and who are not employed by, related to or sharing living quarters with Narratively staff or our guest judges. This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. Current and former Narratively editors are ineligible.

What should my entry look like?

As with all Narratively stories, submissions should be composed of vivid, active scenes, unique characters and an engaging narrative arc. We have a few rules to follow, but encourage maximum creativity within these guidelines. The best way to get a sense of what we’re looking for is to read the stories on the list of examples we love below. 

Here are a few examples of Narratively pieces about love that we, well, love:

• How I Wrote Myself into a Real-life Romantic Comedy — That Turned into a Survivalist Thriller
• My High School Girlfriend Became America’s Most Wanted Drug Queenpin
• I Professed My Love at Mile 15...But Not to My Husband
• The Day My Therapist Dared Me to Have Sex With Her
• My Secret Life as The World's Worst Professional Matchmaker
• The Donkey Farmer’s Magical Matchmaking Book
• Dead Batteries

Why do we charge an entry fee?

Your fee will allow us to compensate the people who are enabling us to effectively and fairly evaluate every single prize submission — from our freelance readers to our prize editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, visual editors and producers.

How do I enter for free?

If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the subscriber-only free submission link for one free submission.

Submission Guidelines:

• Ready-to-publish pieces only — no pitches accepted
• Word count: Between 1,000-5,000 words
• Nonfiction and in English (translations permitted)
• Original and previously unpublished as a written work (exceptions: self-published and small pubs; please disclose).
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but must notify Narratively ASAP if entry is accepted elsewhere.
• Multiple submissions from a single author are permitted, but each must be submitted and paid for individually.
• Adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) are permitted with disclosure.
• Any citations should be in endnote form and listed at the end of the submission.
• Please remove your name and contact information from your submission.
• Narratively prefers common fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial, at 10-12-point size, double spaced, for ease of reading. 

To answer your questions: 

• We will accept stories that have been previously published on personal blogs and very small websites.
• We will permit adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) with disclosure.
• This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. (Current and former Narratively editors, however, are ineligible.)
• The grand prize winner and finalists will be required to sign our standard contributor agreement.

Also please take a look at our FAQ page here. For full prize eligibility and rules, click here. Still have questions? Email us at prizes@narratively.com.

We can’t wait to be invited into your world. Best of luck!

"Secret Lives" is one of Narratively’s most popular ongoing series, and one for which we’re always looking for new pitches. 

The series includes both reported profiles and first-person essays, and is defined by stories that bring readers into a slice of life they normally wouldn’t have access to.

Like all Narratively pieces, “Secret Lives” stories are narrative-driven, not topic-based. This means they go beyond “this is what it’s like to have this job” and take the reader through a *story* about the job or experience at hand. There needs to be a narrative arc with a clear beginning, middle and end. The writer or subject needs to be transformed in some meaningful way over the course of the story, and that transformation needs to be communicated through active, engaging, vivid scenes. 

There has to be something at stake, something universal and human that’s being unraveled and examined. The most successful “Secret Lives” stories draw the reader in thinking that they have nothing in common with the writer or subject, and by the end leaves them feeling connected to their experience in a way they never imagined possible. 

Some favorites:

Meet Ladybeard, the Crown Prince of Japan’s Strangest Music Scene

Porno Power: The Next Generation

The First Family of Human Cannonballing

The Deep South’s Dames of Dildos

Deep Dives are Narratively's signature longform pieces: big, exciting, cinematic stories. Each Deep Dive takes readers on an epic journey, following its subjects on a months- or years-long odyssey. They are deeply reported and chock-full of engrossing, dramatic scenes. Reading a Deep Dive should feel like watching a great movie.

Like all Narratively stories, we want Deep Dives to be human (focused on a compelling character or characters); narrative (full of vivid, active scenes); and untold (something that hasn't been covered much by other publications). What sets these articles apart is the particularly ambitious reporting, whether in the form of historical research, on-the-ground reporting or both.

Before pitching, please take the time to read some of our best and most successful Deep Dives:

The Curse of the Ship of Gold: How a brilliant scientist went from discovering a mother lode of treasure at the bottom of the sea to fleeing from authorities with suitcases full of cash.

Jannie Duncan: “Beautiful Human” or Fugitive Killer?: She was imprisoned for murdering her husband, then escaped and assumed a new identity. Her adoring friends and employers had no idea.

The Man with the Golden Airline Ticket: The author's dad was one of the only people with a good-for-life, go-anywhere American Airlines pass. Then they took it away. This is the true story of having — and losing — a superpower.

For more stories, check out our Deep Dives section here. 

Please note that Deep Dives are not defined by how long they are, but how ambitious the reporting and storytelling is. We're looking for robust pitches here, with some pre-reporting/research already complete, plus an outline of how you plan to finish the reporting.