Style guidelines for text submissions

Thinking of sending us a written piece, photo-journalistic

reportage or video documentary? Good on you! Were open
to all sorts of submissions and we encourage you to be
creative. Drop us a line if you want to discuss your idea or
need some inspiration. Just as long as you remember one
important thing: the packaging is just as important as the gift

What we try to achieve at Are We Europe is to bring the nuance back into the public
debate all over Europe. We are starting an investigation into the soul of Europe: into its
culture, history, future and identity.

Whether that is about refugees in Greece, reviewing an art show in Berlin, gender issues
in Ukraine or debates in the European Parliament, if it relates to European identity we
want to talk about it. And most importantly, we want to ask questions. Because easy
answers are seldom true in a continent ridden with competing conceptions about Europe.

As a platform, Are We Europe merges Text + Photo + Video. Through these different
media, we strive to encompass the European debate from various angles. But what those
angles are, is up to you (our contributors). We can give you some ideas on content, but
most of all we ask questions and give you food for thought. The rest is up to you.

Here, some basics to what makes an Are We Europe story:

Content
Personal

A good AWE story inspires a reflection on what a common European identity could be
and that starts with you. It is the collective of all your personal experiences with or in
Europe that will bring us closer to finding out what Europe really is. So dont be afraid to
make it personal. Think of what interests you in life and try to find the European angle in
that story. Sure, that can be politics and everything else already associated with the
European Union, but it can be so much more than that. We dont need you to write like an
op-ed author of a global newspaper. Political or economic analysis is interesting and
absolutely welcome, but does not always add to a reflection on European identity. Try to
relate political or economic topics to a personal level.
 Local, National or European?

An interesting European story can be found at many different levels. You might think that
a local story sets a good example for other Europeans, or that a European story has
interesting influences on your neighbourhood. Many stories in Europe could have a
European angle. It could be that you share your story with other Europeans, or that it has
been made possible by living in the European Union. Ask yourself the question: how has
this particular story been shaped by it taking place in Europe? Surprise us with where you
find Europe in your daily life!

These websites might give a bit of support too:

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/makes-good-story/

http://www.profkrg.com/12-tips-for-finding-story-ideas

Style
Tone

Are We Europe is all about creating a broad dialogue. Were not The New Yorker. Were
not trying to be, so neither should you. So, basically, keep it simple. Being the smart
millennial that you are, were confident that your topics speak for themselves no need
to impress everyone with your intellectual-shmectual word use. This doesnt mean
compromising on quality or content. It means adhering to a less = more principle. Make
life as easy as possible for your reader without treating them like an idiot.

Heres some general advice that might help:

Use active sentences

Its simple. They write articles for Are We Europe is always better than Articles for
AWE were written by them
Use non-obscure, concrete words
The first word you choose is usually the best. Dont overuse the synonym
generator. If you didnt think of the word first, neither will your reader
Dont try to sound fancy
Avoid the typical overuse of words such as furthermore, conversely,
notwithstanding etc. Use them if they really add something to the point youre
making, but leave them out otherwise
Make it visually clear
Remember when big chunks of text used to scare us as kids? Well, they still do.
Break up your paragraphs. Alternate between long and short sentences. It makes
reading so much more pleasant
 Eliminate, then eliminate some more
The only time you need to be repeating a point you made previously is in your
introduction & conclusion. Eliminate redundancies. Short often means well thought
out. Mark Twain used to start some of his letters with: Sorry for the long letter, I
didnt have much time

Length

Theres some leeway here, but aim for somewhere between 200 and 1000 words. Think
about what you and (y)our audience (on their mobile phone most probably) would want to
read.

Style

We want to go by the term fresh for our content. Something that has not really been
done before, but reads in a nice and relaxed manner. Be yourself. Good writing is personal
and specific. If youre someone who uses cool and awesome a lot, dont use splendid
and magnificent. Well tell you if youre being too direct/personal/rude but dont hold
back in the first place.

Make your writing come alive

There are many ways to do this. For instance, you could think about using jargon to
emphasize your point, or avoiding it altogether (both ways are equally valid, but always be
aware of the effect on the reader).

Similarly, we can learn a lot from poetry and literature. Onomatopoeia works well. Words
like slam, slug and thump catch a readers attention and make the writing dynamic and
lively.

Dont be afraid to use and abuse existing clichs after all, they exist for a reason. Being
the humans that they are, all readers are prone to prejudice and gut-feeling. Feed into
this. Use a clich, but change it slightly for a surprising effect. Just because slogans are
used by corporate brainwashers and manipulative politicians doesnt mean you should
have any moral scruples about using them in your text they are essential rhetorical
devices and powerful message conveyors.

Finish strong

If possible with a goose-bump-inducing plot twist (wait, so politicians are actually

zombies controlled by aliens?!) but we at least expect a strong closing argument
summarizing your piece.
Style Guidelines - Grammar

In order to ensure stylistic coherence between articles published on our website, we

adhere to the following set of style guidelines.

Abbreviations: Articles about Europe will unavoidably contain many abbreviations. EU,
EP, ECB, Efta, Nato or Esa, our rule is quite simple. If you can pronounce the abbreviation
as if it was a word, you capitalize the first letter. If you cannot pronounce the abbreviation,
you capitalise all letters. For example: European Union becomes EU. European Free Trade
Association, on the other hand, becomes Efta.

Quotation marks: When quoting someone, use double quotation marks. When quoting
someone who is quoting someone else, use single quotation marks.

An example of a direct quote: A federated Europe is essential to the security and peace
of the free world, Monnet said in the aftermath of the Second World War.

An example of someone quoting someone else: I think it was Monnet who once said: A
federated Europe is essential to the security and peace of the free world. I could not
disagree more.

Use single quotation marks for quotes in titles.

Brackets: Avoid brackets at all cost, dashes and commas should do the trick. The only
exceptions to this rule - and this should come as no surprise - are dates and ages. Marcin
Nowakowski (23) said as much during the Deventer Grammar Summit (06-10-2015).

It is or its: In a quote, its, were and dont are allowed. In the actual text, use it is, we are
and do not.

Italics: Italics are used for (brand) names, to put emphasis on the literalness of the quote,
or to highlight invented words.

Example 1: Juan Ramirez Garcias new pop song about the EU-imposed regulatory
structure surrounding invasive alien weeds is called Alien Invasion.

Example 2: The new European biological control regulation concerning invasive alien
weeds is going to be absolutely amazeballs, Johan Johanson told our reporters.

A Few Practicalities:

Sources: Provide a hyperlink when you quote statistics from Eurostat, when you refer to
external articles, or when you use quotes from other news outlets.
Crediting Images: You are expected to find a picture for your article yourself. Be careful
when using external pictures or videos. Ask for permission when possible and always give
credit.

Quoting: It happens to every journalist: the person you interviewed disagrees with the
way you interpreted one of his quotes. A journalist should always be mindful of the
context of a quote, but often the best quotes are the ones interviewees regret in
hindsight. Do not let yourself be intimidated: that which has been said has been said.

Social Media: The Are We Europe Team has a schedule of when they will posts content
on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. When your contribution is published,
one of the team members will publish a link to your work at each of these social media.
Please make sure to share your article to your own friends as well, to reach as many
people as possible!