Submission Guidelines
Thank you for showing an interest in making fan fiction more easily accessible. In the interest of saving both time and effort, please take the care to read and follow the guidelines below, otherwise it will be returned/rejected (which we take no pleasure in). Of course, if you have any questions, we welcome them at any of the email addresses found at the bottom of this page.
Q. What kind of story belongs in the Dirty Howler Archives?
All fan fiction, of any rating or orientation (including, but not limited to, slash, hetslash, and rps), must be based on the characters of the Harry Potter Series. This can mean the movie universe, book universe, or anything in between. Fiction centered on original characters that you crafted yourself is also welcome, providing that a Harry Potter character plays a determining role as well.
All RPS fan fiction must be centered on the actors/crew members from the Harry Potter movie series.
Any and all pairings are accepted, no matter how weird. Pairing pages will be added if they don't already exist, so don't hesitate to submit if you've written something not already featured. Crossover fics will be accepted, but will be archived separately as to avoid confusion.
Q. What kind of stories will not be accepted by the Dirty Howler?
Stories with fewer than 95 words (not including the header information). This also goes for individual chapters of works in progress. Each part must meet the length requirements.
A main pairing of two Original Characters (OC's). We will archive stories that feature original characters as long as the main pairing features at least one canon character. No main pairings of two original characters will be accepted.
Fiction that uses racial slurs, hateful terms, or other unacceptable jargon. If it is absolutely necessary to the story’s plotline, put the first letter of the word followed by asterixes, I’m sure people will get it. Any fiction that appears to be outwardly racist, sexist, or support some other kind of bigotry without necessary cause in the plot will be returned, and the author of the piece will be notified of what in their story has been deemed inappropriate and given a chance to change the offensive material.
Q. What are the Formatting requirements for submissions?
1. Correct formatting. Fan fiction must be sent as a .doc or .txt attachment to either the slash or rps e-mail address below. Please try and submit your fiction to the appropriate address. All other forms of submission will be rejected, including sending your story in the body of an email. If you absolutely cannot submit a story as a .doc or .txt, contact us at mods@thedirtyhowler.com and we'll work with you.
2. Proofread. Make sure you proofread the entire story several times and at different intervals so you can catch grammatical and spelling errors. If you have obviously not made the effort to edit your story - such as having the main character's names spelled wrong or having grammatical errors throughout - we reserve the right to simply delete your submission. We will not edit your story. This is your art; take the time and care to show your best work. If you need a beta reader, you can use the Beta Reader's Index to locate one. A beta reader will go through your fics to help you find errors you may have missed.
3. Proper Use of Spacing. Text in one great big lump is difficult to read. Create a blank line between paragraphs by pressing the "Enter" key twice. Remember that speech is considered its own paragraph (for the most part), and a new paragraph should be used for each speaker.
4. Complete Heading. At a minimum, you must include these 5 elements in your story header:
Title:
Author:
Pairing(s):
Rating:
Warnings:
Summary:
**The site has it’s own disclaimer covering all fiction posted herein, so you do not need one. **
Q. What kind of rating system is acceptable?
Here at the Dirty Howler, we adhere to MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) Red Carpet Rating System. We reserve the right to adjust the rating on submitted fiction should we feel it has been improperly labeled. A comprehesive overview of the rating system can be found at The MPAA Film Rating Guidelines.
Q. What warnings are needed for my fiction?
There are some elements that might be included in your story that readers might find offensive or disturbing. We in no means advocate censoring your writing, but would appreciate that, when you are submitting, be sensitive to who might be reading and, should your fiction contain anything that might potentially be cause for someone else’s discomfort, add a warning. Should we feel that there is an un-noted element in a story that we feel warrants a warning, we reserve the right to add a warning to your header.
Here are a few examples that would require warning:
Rape: Consummated sex that is fully against one character's will.
Dub-Con (Dubious Consent): If it's not rape but it is not clear that both characters want it, this is the warning to use. It also applies to rape situations cut short/uncompleted.
Incest: Use if the characters are closely related, such as father/son or brother/brother. If they're cousins or less, it's up to you. This applies as well to the separate categories of twincest (including phelpscest), as well as weasleycest and malfoycest.
BDSM: Covers bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, sadism/masochism and generally implies that sex is consensual, unless you add a non-consensual warning.
Graphic Violence: For very intense, explicit, and/or disturbing violence.
Character Death: If it is non-canon. For example, you don't need to warn people that Dumbledore dies, but if you're going to snuff young Neville, you could use this warning.
MPreg: Yes, it means "male pregnancy." Such stories are acceptable, but it is best to warn readers ahead of time so they don't get too confused.
Q. What if my fic isn’t the same pairing/rating all throughout, or has multiple parts to it?
Multiple or changing pairings. If your series begins with one pairing then switches to or includes other pairings (even implied), please note that in your pairings list.
Multiple or changing ratings. If your series begins with one rating but will change in future chapters - such as if you know it's going to be NC17 later in the story, mark the story like so:
Ex. Rating: G – NC-17
Then include a separate rating at the top of each chapter page.
Multi-Chapter/Part Stories. When you submit a story, make it clear whether you are submitting a multi-chapter fic or a story related to a series of larger pieces. For this 2nd example, if you write a fic and call it “Blue” then write a sequel called “Eden”, who's to know that the two have anything to do with one another? Even if you include a note in your header, your readers might have difficulty finding the multiple parts (or reading them in the correct order). We suggest you name your fic using a two-part title if you are writing a sequel (or just continuing it) in the future. By calling the series “Fluff” both stories will be in the alphabetical listing together as "Fluff: Blue" followed by "Fluff: Eden." Not alphabetical, but rather logical. Then that simple note in the summary is enough for the readers to understand what's going on.
Q. Under what situations will my fiction be returned without the opportunity to adjust and resubmit?
The mods at Dirty Howler retain the right to ban, without warnings or notice, authors who:
1. Plagiarize. This will not be tolerated. Rest assured, the mods at the Dirty Howler are very well read in many different pairings. All apparent plagarizations or accusations of that nature will be thouroughly investigated. Should cause be found to believe that your work is not original, ALL of your works of fiction, not simply the plagiarized one, will be removed from our archives, and no further submissions will be accepted from you. As a sidenote to this, it might be pertinent if you write at another site to use the same, or a very similar name to the one you use there, to avoid any potential situations. Please remember, if you are accused of, and found innocent of, plagarization, that we are so strict for your benefit as well. If someone had potentially stolen your fic, would you not want us to be hard on them as well?
2. Cause Undue Hardship to the Mods. Don't worry, we aren’t easy nuts to crack, but if you continuously badger us about situations we cannot help, or submit multiple inappropriate fictions regardless of our warnings, we will simply block you. To be clear, if you have honest questions, even if you think they're silly, you are encouraged e-mail us, we love to answer questions! There is a difference between asking an honest question and harassment, please do not cross that line. As an additional note to that, you may not receive an immediate response to a question. It might take anywhere from a minute to 3 days. Don’t freak out and start spamming us, we’ll get to it. Remember, we’re not being paid to do this, and we have lives just like you…although we do this a lot lol.
Happy Submitting!
Where To Submit
Actor Based Fiction
Character Based Fiction
Questions/Comments
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