Word choice & punctuation

Avoid slang, swear words & acronyms (spell it out). Minimize use of "that" and other filler words. Use adjectives sparingly. Use action verbs where relevant. No exclamation marks. Yes to the Oxford Comma.

Voice & rhythm

Write in mcosm’s voice. The tone should be reflective & contemplative (pose questions to prompt thought), calm & grounded, and emotionally evocative.

Vary sentence lengths & structures to keep it flowing.

Write primarily in a second-person point of view.

Length

At least 400 words long. Write as much as you need to fully explore the idea(s) in the piece. For first drafts, it's better to write more and cut down later.

Format and submission

Please write your piece in google docs and share the doc (with editor access) with team@mcosm.co

To ensure a successful editing process, once you submit it to us, do not make any further edits to your piece unless asked to make revisions.

Make sure your piece is 100% original. We cannot publish pieces that contain content from others, or that use artificial intelligence in any way. You are the writer. So, write.

Avoid sending us pieces that have appeared elsewhere, or that you plan to submit to other outlets. Something that has appeared in your own personal blog or platform is fine but unlikely to meet our style requirements.

Please include both your name and the name you’d like to use to publish the piece under (if different). While you should include your first and last names, note the Gigi style only uses first names once a piece is published.

Please specify the vertical you are submitting the piece for. If submitting multiple pieces, specify the vertical for each one.

You are strongly encouraged to include a few short words about yourself, your piece, and us in an email along with your submission.

Other things to keep in mind

Have a good hook to catch the reader’s attention. Consider starting with a a question, quote, statistic, or story.

Be specific & creative. Instead of “How to plan a movie night”, go with something like “Your guide to throwing the spookiest witch-themed movie night (magic potion mocktails included)”.

Keep it interesting & engaging (you’re not reporting news or writing an academic essay).

What to expect if your piece is accepted

If a piece is accepted, you will be notified via email.

Gigi magazine does not currently offer compensation for submitted pieces. All published pieces do receive a byline (first name only, to match our style). Pieces do not include full author bios.

As with any magazine, the full rights to the piece, and any final decisions on edits, lie solely with our editorial team.

Finally, it can take time to review and edit a piece, and our magazine is developed in advance, so please note that publication of a piece can occur weeks or months after its original submission.