BuzzFeed Ideas is relaunching and we’re looking for unique, well-told personal essays that people will want to share. Here’s an FAQ.
Ask yourself: Is this something that is either a) taboo yet relatable that no one has ever articulated as well as you can, b) an experience SO crazy and foreign that people will feel compelled to share it, or c) a really big idea from the vantage point of the only person who could have had that perspective.
We're particularly interested in stories by women, non-white, and LGBT writers, as well as previously unpublished writers.
We're looking for pitches on a variety of topics, including but not limited to:
Sex and dating/relationships
Debt/money
Disease, especially the experience of being sick and invisible illnesses
Mental illness
Parenting and parents (including the experience of parents aging)
Drugs and addiction
Race
Work
We're interested in serious subjects, but not necessarily serious takes: If you have an idea for a humorous approach to any of the above (or anything else), go for it. There's also no strict word count, but pieces tend to be in the 800 to 1,200-word range, and we pay. We are also open to stories in other formats, such as graphic essays, photo essays, and audio pieces.
Why, yes! These are some essays BuzzFeed has published in the last few months that worked really well for us.
Notes On An Eating Disorder
The Last Time My Grandmother Slapped Me
Running Into My 12-Year-Old Self Online
I Was Sure Freezing My Eggs Would Solve Everything
The Worst Day Of My Life Is Now New York's Hottest Tourist Attraction
