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P=Poetry, N=Nonfiction, F=Fiction
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PFN – Call for Submissions to In The Mood Magazine. Theme: Period Piece
Submission Guidelines
Theme: PERIOD PIECE
Deadline: August 31st, 2024
Stuck in the past? We want to hear about it. For our 11th issue we are looking for submissions on period pieces. From ancient times (Last Temptation of Christ) to recent past (Uncut Gems) we want to hear your take on how films have represented, invented, or misunderstood a previous era.
Send us personal pieces, film diaries, fan fiction, and experimental pieces on anything set in the past. This could be a specific film, era or historical figure, an aspect of filmmaking (candlelight in Barry Lyndon), or a broader trend in film history or present. If you need some inspiration, check out this wildly comprehensive list.
Please keep in mind that we generally do not cover films made pre-1970, and please do not send pitches on films set in the future—that’s for another issue! 😉
Some ideas 💡
– Films that stick to historical accuracy or play with anachronism
– Directors who engage with/avoid the current moment
– Some of our favourite period films: Moulin Rouge, Gothic, Sleepy Hollow, Benedetta, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Daughters of the Dust, Embrace of the Serpent
– Revisionist history and era subversion: Posse, Wuthering Heights (2011), Zama, In the Realm of the Senses
– Biopics: Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters, Wolf of Wall St., Saint Laurent (2014), 24 Hour Party People
– Recent history period pieces: Uncut Gems, The Bling Ring, May December
– Directors: Ang Lee, Jane Campion, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Lee
– Overrated and underrated eras: Victorian, Tudor, 1970s…
– Adaptations of specific authors: Jane Austen, Daphne Du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith…
– TV: Watchmen, Lovecraft County, Mad Men…
– Shakespeare Adaptations: updated and classical
Please note that this issue will only feature 10-12 pieces, so send us your best!
What We Publish
We’re looking for writers with a distinctive voice, who aren’t afraid of getting personal, and who are curious about why we watch what we watch. We appreciate thoughtful analysis but also a playful tone; we want intelligent pieces that aren’t too full of themselves. We don’t think of ourselves as an authority, but a confidante.
How To Submit
We strongly prefer completed pieces, but we understand that writing on spec is not a realistic prospect for many writers. With that in mind, we still accept pitches.
👇 Please include:
– Completed piece (doesn’t need to be perfectly polished!)
OR if you’re pitching: a short paragraph on the piece (topic, relevancy, intended word count – 1,000 words max for features, 300 words max for film diaries)
– Why you think this is a good fit for In the Mood
– If you’re pitching: 1-2 writing samples (they don’t need to be published)
– Short bio or link to your website
Send Submissions & Queries to:
What then?
For magazine submissions, we review all of them at the end of our submission period, after which you’ll receive a response from us with our publication decision.
Please keep in mind that a rejection is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of your work! We get a large number of submissions and only have a limited number of spots, which unfortunately means we have to pass on many great submissions.
If your piece is accepted, it’ll go through an editing process. As a volunteer-run journal, we pay a modest honorarium of $30 CAD per feature and $20 CAD for film diaries, sent upon publication. We acknowledge that this is not a market rate, and won’t be doable for some writers.
Thanks for pitching to In the Mood, we’re looking forward to reading your work. And remember, we love surprises! 😈