Join Haywire!

Haywire Magazine is in search of new members, and features writers too.

Hello, folks! A special time has come around again, and Haywire is in search of some fresh recruits. We’re hoping to meet a regular column author, as well as some number of editors. Those of you interested in submitting features to Haywire will also find some news in this post!

Before we get into it, there’s one thing we always strive to make clear: Haywire remains a volunteer-driven site. Nobody makes any money from what we do here, and none of our openings are paid positions. We aren’t trying to scam you with false promises of “exposure!” Our only goal is to help literary types in the world of games discourse get some on-the-job learning with the help of a friendly and spirited group of like-minded people. In light of that, we don’t keep our writers or staff editors terribly busy – one commitment per month is the norm, and we can be pretty accommodating if you need time off.

Haywire has always been committed to diversity – it’s part and parcel of our mission to boost fresh voices – so applicants from traditionally marginalized communities are encouraged to apply, and will receive priority. It’s not lost on us that asking women, POC, queer folx, etc to work for free is a tightrope act. Hopefully what makes us different is that our members aren’t a means to an end for us: our only aim is to be of some benefit to those under our wing. If you think you’d make a good fit, then read on.

Here’s who we’re looking for…

A COLUMNIST

We’ve got a vacancy in our pool of columns – a fairly rare occurrence! You would be a recurring voice on our site, publishing one article on a videogame-related topic every 5 weeks, with the week prior to publication spent on the collaborative editing process (so, the hope is that your first draft is mostly complete prior to that week). Columns tend to hover between 1500 and 2000 words. Also, Haywire doesn’t have a house style, so you can bring your own. It’s spelled “videogames,” though. That part is non-negotiable.

Our columnists can arrive with any amount of experience and level of writing ability – in fact, if you’re already masterful, there’s probably not much point in you coming to write with us! Please go get paid instead. Maybe you’ve only ever written in your diary, maybe you’re a professional writer from another field, or maybe you’re already great but you need some support with the practicalities of actually blogging on the regular. We want somebody we can offer a helping hand.

Still, we do want to be excited about your voice! In your application, give us an idea of your column’s angle. A narrow focus can be great, but a general outlook is also fine. How do you look at games? What do you want to explore about them? Who are you, in general? If you’ve got writing samples to show us, that’s helpful, but we’ll still consider your application if you don’t.

When we can, we like to fill column vacancies with applicants from previous calls like this one. So, please don’t pass on applying for the reason that a single opening sounds impossibly competitive – we might still work with you at a later date!

SOME EDITORS

Haywire exists to support writers, but many of our editors are also first-timers in such a position. The philosophy is the same – we hope that our editors enjoy the work and find the experience valuable – but since the position is a supportive one, we do want to take on people who can demonstrate that they have wisdom to impart.

Each columnist has an assigned editor who they work with consistently. That said, we’re starting to take on more editors than we have columnists. We want to try having some extra editors who are focused on features. The hope is that every writer, both our regulars and our one-hit wonders, will be able to work with an editor who is a good fit for their particular vibe. The particulars of which kind of work you’ll be doing will depend on who applies! There’s no maximum number of editors we can work with, but we’ll most likely take just a couple of new faces.

Let us know what your experience in writing or editing looks like. It doesn’t have to be professional, or videogame-specific, but you should have some know-how and a keen eye. Also, a good attitude is essential – editing can be sensitive work, especially with strangers!

LOTS OF FEATURES

You might have noticed that Haywire has gone a bit dark on the features front – especially if you’ve submitted a pitch to us lately. We’re really sorry about that! We’re taking steps to straighten out our workflow and get things running smoothly again. Look forward to a bunch of new names on our frontpage.

We’ll certainly address our pitches backlog, but it’s pretty long and we’ll probably never get to all of it, so if you’ve submitted in the past and you’re still interested in working on a feature with us, absolutely feel free to re-submit.

A word about the selection of pitches: for a long time, our submissions page has suggested that we’ll accept every pitch we’re sent. That policy must be a relic of a different time – if we stuck with it we’d end up with a years-long waiting list, not to mention we’d open ourselves up to some toxic ideas. So, going forward, we’ll have to be somewhat selective about pitches. But don’t feel like you need to be a pro writer before you can pitch to us; our purpose is still to show developing writers an open door. We’ll endeavor to be constructively communicative about our reasoning behind the pitches we don’t take, so please reach out!

GET IN TOUCH

We’re so glad you’re interested! Applications for any position can be sent to joshtrevett@gmail.com. Just include which position you’ve got your eye on in the subject line. Or feel free to apply for both, of course! A formal resume isn’t necessary, just give me an idea of your relevant experience and your hopes and your dreams.

Features pitches can also be sent to that same email address, or to our submissions box which you can find on the right.

Looking forward to meeting you!