We (editors, staff, contributors, etc.) work in a variety of computer systems and software. In order to ensure cross-platform readability, we ask that submissions be sent in the body of your email message, not as an attachment. The best results are usually obtained when the text is saved in a "plain text" format, then pasted into the email message. If you are not sure how to accomplish this, please read the instructions below for Windows and for Macintosh. They may seem long and complicated, but they are merely detailed so they everyone can follow them, regardless of level of computer expertise. If these methods do not work for your system/software, please email us and we'll help you.

1. For Windows systems:
   1. Open your story in whatever word processing software was used to create it.
   2. Select the File menu, then select Save As...
   3. In the Save As... dialog box, change the file type to a plain text setting. Your program may call it Plain Text, Text Only, ASCII Text, or something similar. The extension given should be *.txt.
   4. Save the document using whatever name you wish, in whichever folder or directory you wish. Make a note of the folder or directory so you can find the file again.
   5. Close your word processing program.
   6. Open the new plain text version of your file using the Notepad program.
      1. If you can find the file on your hard drive using File Manager or Windows Explorer, you only need to double-click on it.
      2. If you can't locate the file, open Notepad, then go to the File menu, select Open, navigate to the folder where you saved the file, and double-click on it.
         1. In Windows 3.1 / 3.11 or Windows NT 3, you open Notepad by going to Program Manager, opening the Accessories group, and double-clicking on the Notepad icon.
         2. In Windows 95 / 98 or Windows NT 4, you open Notepad by going to the Start menu (lower left corner of your screen), selecting Programs, selecting Accessories, then selecting Notepad.
   7. With the document open in Notepad, go to the Edit menu and choose Select All. The entire story will be highlighted.
   8. Go back to the Edit menu and select Copy. The story is now temporarily stored in your computer's memory.
   9. Open your email program, and create a new message (or click on the appropriate email link in the submission guidelines).
   10. Make sure your cursor is in the message portion of the new email message window and go to the Edit menu to select Paste. This will copy your story from the computer's memory to your email message. (If your email program doesn't have an Edit menu, you can hold down the Control (cntrl) key and type the letter v. This will execute the paste command as well.)
   11. Address the email message to the appropriate department, be sure an add the correct subject line, add any introductory notes you wish at the top of the message and send!
2. For Macintosh systems
   1. Open your story in whatever word processing software was used to create it.
   2. Select the File menu, then select Save As...
   3. In the Save As... dialog box, change the file type to a plain text setting. Your program may call it Plain Text, Text Only, ASCII Text, or something similar.
   4. Save the document using whatever name you wish, in whichever folder. Make a note of the folder or directory so you can find the file again.
   5. Close your word processing program.
   6. Open the new plain text version of your file using the TeachText or SimpleText program.
   1. If you can find the file on your hard drive, you only need to double-click on it.
   2. If you can't locate the file, open TeachText or SimpleText, then go to the File menu, select Open, navigate to the folder where you saved the and double-click on it. (TeachText or SimpleText are usually located in the Apple Menu.)
   7. With the document open in TeachText or SimpleText, go to the Edit menu and choose Select All. The entire story will be highlighted.
   8. Go back to the Edit menu and select Copy. The story is now temporarily stored in your computer's memory.
   9. Open your email program, and create a new message (or click on the appropriate email link in the submission guidelines).
   10. Make sure your cursor is in the message portion of the new email message window and go to the Edit menu to select Paste. This will copy your story from the computer's memory to your email message. (If your email program doesn't have an Edit menu, you can hold down the Command/Apple key and type the letter v. This will execute the paste command as well.)
   11. Address the email message to the appropriate department, be sure an add the correct subject line, add any introductory notes you wish at the top of the message and send!