We are seeking a wide variety of content. We highly value unique perspectives or novel thought processes with a diversity of voices and experiences as well as variations in content lengths. These types of pieces will have a better chance of being published. Please visit our Writer’s Guidelines and submit to: content@mops.org.
Deadline: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020.
Theme: Do Your Work
Doing your work happens in big and small, but always significant ways. It’s about persevering through the daily grind of essential but mundane tasks; and it’s also about making brave choices to do new things. Doing your work looks different for each of us, but everyone’s work will require some grit and courage. Maybe it’s choosing forgiveness, healing from past trauma, or making amends to those you’ve hurt. Maybe it’s sharing the secret you’ve been carrying for years, or unlearning harmful patterns of behavior. And when it comes to mothering … God gave those kids to you, Mama! You’ve been appointed and no one else can mother them like you. You are made of brave spirit. You’ll figure it out because you always have, and you have God and your MOPS sisters by your side.
FORMAT OPTIONS:
- Essay or narrative piece (wordcount: 600-800)
- Informative or research article (wordcount: 400-800)
- How-to article (wordcount: 400-800)
- Satire/humor piece (wordcount: 400-800)
- Opinion or inspirational piece (wordcount: 400-800)
- Round-up article (wordcount: 400-800)
- Poetry or fiction shorts (wordcount: 300-800)
WRITING PROMPTS:
Spiritual/Faith
- How do I stay in my own spiritual lane?
- 4 Truths I Learned About Stepping Into the Authority of the Lord.
- The spiritual work of “not doing.”
- Meaningful family faith practices around holidays – advent wreath, fasting, boxing day, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, New Years, etc.
Relationships/Marriage
- Four Tips for Dating (on-line) for a Single Mom (middle-aged)
- Four Ways to Take the “Work” Out of Sex With Your Husband
- How to get along with difficult people you work with
- How to identify a narcissist and why it’s important to know
- What I Wish I Would Have Known Before Blending Families
- How to talk to your husband about your in-laws (especially around the holidays)?
Home
- Do you have a pet-friendly home/personality? What type of pet suits your home, family, personality?
- A scientific look at how pets enhance our homes, lives, mental state. (e.g. cat cafes, etc)
- Family traditions that have been passed down through generations (think holiday, new year, etc)
Parenting/Kids
- Four Ways to Instill Work Ethic in your Kids
- These are four ways you (and your family) can live out racial inclusion and advocacy
- The Sandwich Generation – the hardest and the most rewarding part of caring for my parents and my kids in the same home
Self
- “Lazy,” “not good enough,” “aren’t qualified”: Here’s how to separate the lies from the truth
- My Dos and Donts for Working from home
- Justice: Healing is justice … this is my story
- Healing from trauma is hard work. Here are some alternative forms outside of talk therapy that helped me.
- Science of the brain and trauma – how it relates to childbirth, spiritual trauma, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse
- These Are the Top 4 Things I Do Every Day to Start My Work Day
- The Art of Working With Our Hands – trades, craftsmen (women), is not a lost livelihood
- Redemptive work: turning scars into something beautiful through scars tattoo procedure
- The 5 keys to finding a job (after being a stay-at-home mom)
Fun/Illustrations/Charts
- Types of parenting: illustration (we’d love to see something real and comical)
- Chores for kids – charts by age or task, allowance, etc.
- Fun mom chore chart to quantify hours of daily mom work
- Fun quips, sayings, quotes relating to work: Work like a dog, whistle while you work, work my fingers to the bone, etc.
- Quips: greatest advice/tip about work I got from my …
- Quips: recalling your first real job or your favorite or worst job (chore) growing up