call for submissions

So here's the deal: I'm going on spring break this year.  To Peru.  Don't hate or be jealous, there'll be time for that later.  The thing is that it's a trip of about a week and a half (and sadly it coincides with my favorite part of the college basketball season; namely, conference tournament time.)  That's the longest hiatus I've put myself on in almost four years of writing this blog.

I don't like the idea of leaving my sheep without a shepherd for so long; I might come back and find the pasture empty.  I'll have a couple pre-type posts prepared and ready to drop before I go, so this won't be a total ghost town.  Those are three-quarters done already, by which I mean I've had the idea and now all I have to do is write them.  (Concepts are over half the battle.)  But coming up with eight posting days' worth of stuff that far in advance is pushing the limits of my creativity past the breaking point.

So I'm turning to you, noble reader(s), to see what you can do for me.  What I'm looking for, essentially, is guest columns.  Terms, instructions, and guidelines follow:

-- Please first realize: I'm not paying.  This isn't a big commercial outfit.  One day I may find myself ruler of the world through this little internet space, but that day isn't today.  If you're hoping for compensation, this isn't the thing for you.  Your reward is the gratification of seeing your work in print (sort of), and my gratitude.

-- I will, however, credit you in the header in whatever way you prefer, whether it be a messageboard username, your real name, a nom de guerre, whatever you like as long it's your own and not, say, "Walt Disney."

-- Any UVA athletics topic is acceptable.  You can riff on the state of the basketball team (although be advised, I'm already planning to do that.)  You can provide insight on a team I don't cover much, like volleyball or track or something.  You can wax poetic about Mike London.  However, some topics would definitely be preferred to others.  "My Thoughts About Recruiting" is kind of a weak idea.  "My thoughts on the potential battles between Mike London and Mike Locksley in the DC area" is a stronger one.  If you have an idea and you're not sure if it's a good one, feel free to submit it for vetting/critiques.

-- Hell, I'll even stretch that and say any college athletics topic is acceptable as long as it has some kind of effect on UVA.  Don't be writing to tell me about the Sam Houston State gymnastics team, but if you've got some kind of "opponent's take," or something general like the sea changes in conference affiliation, that works for me too.  The major exception: I'm not publishing anything that runs counter to officially stated beliefs of mine.  Example: if you want to use this as a forum for your "why don't we have a playoff in college football??" screed, it ain't happening.

-- I will not edit your submission except for spelling.  Misspelled words are a giant pet peeve of mine.  This is not a place where you can go to find things written like a 12-year-old's YouTube comment.  That aside, unless there's something blatantly offensive (which probably means I just don't publish it anyway) if I like what you've got it will go straight to the page, uncut and uncensored.  If you provide a title I will use it; if not, I'll make up my own.

-- This is not a contest.  There is no maximum and no minimum number of "winners."  If I get nothing that I like, then I will post nothing.  If I get thirty things I like, I'll post thirty things.  (Admittedly unlikely given the size of my readership.)  I'm not going to automatically post everything I get (if I get anything at all) so please, pretty please with sugar on top, do not be offended if I don't post what you sent.

-- How to submit: click on my name on the right hand side and find my email in my profile.  (It should appear by hovering, if you've got any kind of a decent browser.)

-- Selected submissions will appear sometime between March 1 and March 10, the duration of my trip.  If you feel like this is totally your bag and you can't wait to submit something, please send it by February 28.  I won't be totally inaccessible while I'm gone, so I might see it if you get a brainstorm and send it afterwards, but, no promises.

Thank you in advance for the thousands of submissions I'm sure to receive.  Oh heck; if I get one or two really good ones I'll be happy with that.  Happy writing.