Ever thought of Writing an adventure for Dungeon, but not done it? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Ever thought of Writing an adventure for Dungeon, but not done it?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
asmodeuslore
Jul 23, 2009 12:43:08 I've been thinking lately about writing adventures for dungeon magazine, but i never actually have done it yet.

Anyone else have that happen? What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas?
#2
ranadiel
Jul 23, 2009 15:11:51 Not really, but I have thought about writing for Dragon a few times. At the present I haven't submitted because I don't have a firm enough grasp on all the aspects of the article to write a good pitch just yet. Also I'm just not sure if I'd have the time to write the article if the pitch was accepted.
#3
Vengeful_Deity
Jul 23, 2009 15:31:17 I'm not even sure what they would accept. Do they take module style adventures?
#4
celloshane
Jul 23, 2009 15:37:34 I have, and I'd have to say the biggest factor holding me up is time. Between a 50+ hour job (as I type this I've got 3 laptops on my desk waiting for spyware removal) and raising 2 kids I often can't find the time to play, much less write. I've got a folder of notes for a fun, investigative low level adventure that needs to be compiled and written properly and then I'd like to run it a couple more times to get some feedback from the players. I've also been kicking around a few other ideas, a class, some encounters, a delve, and more.

Something else I'd really be interested in contributing is alternate mechanics, but I'm not sure if that's the kind of thing Wotc would want to feature in the ~~mags~~ e-zines. I suppose I should ask the source, or I'll never know for sure. I have to wonder if people other than me would be interested in that sort of article though. I'd love to see an article or column like that since it doesn't seem likely a book like Unearthed Arcana will surface for 4e soon.

So what's holding you up Asmod? I'm curious what sort of items you're looking to submit.
#5
pluisjen
Jul 23, 2009 15:48:34 My advice: Just do it.

I gave it go once, just because I had a fun idea for Dragon and sent in some pitches. They accepted the one I considered least likely to be selected and ran the article.

Granted, this was a while ago with Paizo, but the idea remains. Just go for it; the worst thing that could happen is them saying 'no' and you'll just have to try again ;)
#6
CoarseDragon
Jul 23, 2009 15:54:56 I have thought about it a lot. I have tons of ideas but I guess I am not sure how to pitch the ideas in such a way as to make someone at WoTC say "hey this is really good".
#7
Vilnias_Nastavnik
Jul 23, 2009 18:24:57 I have one written that I was going to (if needed) convert to fit their guidelines, but I want to run it through my group first and see how well (or poorly) they deal with it first, believe me, if it can go "wrong", my player's will find a way to make it happen, lol.
#8
Nyarlathotep
Jul 23, 2009 19:20:13
I've been thinking lately about writing adventures for dungeon magazine, but i never actually have done it yet.

Anyone else have that happen? What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas?

I have thought about it, but I haven't because the writer's guidleines still seem to be 3.5 so I am assuming that it and Dragon are all done "in house" these days.
#9
Artifact
Jul 23, 2009 20:28:42 I'm always impressed by the imagination of the articles in Dragon/Dungeon. I would love to submit ideas of my own. Writing is a hobby for me, a way to pass the time, unwind from work, relax at home.

I could polish my work up to professional standards but that takes an immense amount of time and effort. A nugget of an idea does not a great article make; the magic is in the execution ;).

Time is what holds me back the most, not so much a lack of ideas. I'm often called upon to write training manuals and other technical materials for work; I enjoy the process, although it is pain-staking. I'd imagine the process of writing and submitting a creative article would be just as enjoyable, and just as pain-staking.
#10
gregt_314
Jul 23, 2009 20:36:44 Check this thread and this thread.

Short version:

Yes, they accept freelance submissions.

You need to send a short proposal as per the submission guidelines. Don't write the article in advance, you only need to do that if they like your submission.

Submissions take 60 days to get looked at; if they don't like it you'll never hear anything back, if they like it they'll send you an email and ask for the full thing.

You then write the full thing, and if they like that they'll buy it at a rate of 6 cents per word.

They'll accept multiple submissions so don't let the fact you haven't heard anything about your first idea stop you sending through another. Note the comment on the submissions page about them particularly looking for single-encounter adventures; I'm pretty sure that wasn't there until recently so it's probably a pretty accurate statement.

Despite all this there's a very low proportion of articles in either Dungeon or Dragon that are written by people who aren't already "in the club" so don't hold your breath.
#11
JohnLynch
Jul 23, 2009 23:39:51
What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas?

I have no idea how to estimate how long a Dragon article would be. As such I would have to first write up the article THEN submit it. That's too much time and effort for something that will most likely get rejected at the first stage.
#12
gregt_314
Jul 24, 2009 0:06:25
I have no idea how to estimate how long a Dragon article would be. As such I would have to first write up the article THEN submit it. That's too much time and effort for something that will most likely get rejected at the first stage.

Writing to a quota is a pretty essential skill for writing for publication. I'd suggest coming up with a scalable idea that you can lengthen or trim and estimating it to be 4000 words.
#13
JohnLynch
Jul 24, 2009 0:20:51
Writing to a quota is a pretty essential skill for writing for publication.

That's probably why if I do submit anything (at least to begin with) I'll just stick with something I'll be writing any way (most likely an adventure that be adapted to any campaign).

I'd suggest coming up with a scalable idea that you can lengthen or trim and estimating it to be 4000 words.

That would work too
#14
gregt_314
Jul 24, 2009 0:29:43
That's probably why if I do submit anything (at least to begin with) I'll just stick with something I'll be writing any way (most likely an adventure that be adapted to any campaign).

That would work too

Oh, if it helps, Chris Perkins estimated on another thread that for adventures laid out in Delve format a good guide is 2000 words per encounter. That seems a little high to me, but Chris should know, so that's probably a pretty good guide.
#15
Emi
Jul 24, 2009 6:48:39 Indeed I have, to be honest thinking about it almost every day. Have almost everything in my mind, just need to find the time to actually write it down and work out the details...been doing this for the last several weeks already.
#16
Matt_James
Jul 24, 2009 9:15:22 It's a blast, I recommend you get in on it!
#17
Cailte
Jul 25, 2009 4:20:50 I have made a submission for Dragon, which was not accepted .

I have a few ideas on the lap top atm, that I'm debating between Dungeon and LFR for submission. Certainly I think I'm going to make a submission soon.

For those worried about Word Count read Chris' response to my question on that exact matter here. (Which says 2 pages of encounter = 1000 words.)
#18
Vilnias_Nastavnik
Aug 02, 2009 11:54:06 Finally did it, I submitted my idea to Dungeon Magazine! Thanks to the Monster Builder, I was able to accurately make the monsters for the adventure, ran my group through it and they LOVED it. I have my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, lol.
#19
terradrius
Aug 02, 2009 13:44:09
Finally did it, I submitted my idea to Dungeon Magazine! Thanks to the Monster Builder, I was able to accurately make the monsters for the adventure, ran my group through it and they LOVED it. I have my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, lol.

Heh, that's a good policy. Cross your fingers, but don't hold your breath.

I've never really thought about submitting an adventure for Dungeon, but I wouldn't be opposed to the concept if an idea just came to me. My ideas lean more towards Dragon articles, which I have recently started submitting about one or two a week.
#20
Cyvaris
Aug 04, 2009 7:17:35 I would love to, I would probably use something from my campaign game that I am running. Personally I would like to submit an article about some sort of anit-elemental group or something, probably just feats etc at this point, but maybe a PP at some point. My only problem would be playtesting it. Does wizards do it or are we expected to have the article playtested/balanced?

Edit: this thread made me get off my lazy butt, just sent my pitch in.
#21
retsej_esiw
Aug 06, 2009 22:58:57 Time and complexity. I'm not sure how many DM's are up to running Time-Loop campaigns. I would want to try to come up with a number of epic level adventures that really do feel like the players are on the cosmic scale, though.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 asmodeuslore Jul 23, 2009 12:43:08	I've been thinking lately about writing adventures for dungeon magazine, but i never actually have done it yet. Anyone else have that happen? What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas?
#2 ranadiel Jul 23, 2009 15:11:51	Not really, but I have thought about writing for Dragon a few times. At the present I haven't submitted because I don't have a firm enough grasp on all the aspects of the article to write a good pitch just yet. Also I'm just not sure if I'd have the time to write the article if the pitch was accepted.
#3 Vengeful_Deity Jul 23, 2009 15:31:17	I'm not even sure what they would accept. Do they take module style adventures?
#4 celloshane Jul 23, 2009 15:37:34	I have, and I'd have to say the biggest factor holding me up is time. Between a 50+ hour job (as I type this I've got 3 laptops on my desk waiting for spyware removal) and raising 2 kids I often can't find the time to play, much less write. I've got a folder of notes for a fun, investigative low level adventure that needs to be compiled and written properly and then I'd like to run it a couple more times to get some feedback from the players. I've also been kicking around a few other ideas, a class, some encounters, a delve, and more. Something else I'd really be interested in contributing is alternate mechanics, but I'm not sure if that's the kind of thing Wotc would want to feature in the ~~mags~~ e-zines. I suppose I should ask the source, or I'll never know for sure. I have to wonder if people other than me would be interested in that sort of article though. I'd love to see an article or column like that since it doesn't seem likely a book like Unearthed Arcana will surface for 4e soon. So what's holding you up Asmod? I'm curious what sort of items you're looking to submit.
#5 pluisjen Jul 23, 2009 15:48:34	My advice: Just do it. I gave it go once, just because I had a fun idea for Dragon and sent in some pitches. They accepted the one I considered least likely to be selected and ran the article. Granted, this was a while ago with Paizo, but the idea remains. Just go for it; the worst thing that could happen is them saying 'no' and you'll just have to try again ;)
#6 CoarseDragon Jul 23, 2009 15:54:56	I have thought about it a lot. I have tons of ideas but I guess I am not sure how to pitch the ideas in such a way as to make someone at WoTC say "hey this is really good".
#7 Vilnias_Nastavnik Jul 23, 2009 18:24:57	I have one written that I was going to (if needed) convert to fit their guidelines, but I want to run it through my group first and see how well (or poorly) they deal with it first, believe me, if it can go "wrong", my player's will find a way to make it happen, lol.
#8 Nyarlathotep Jul 23, 2009 19:20:13	I've been thinking lately about writing adventures for dungeon magazine, but i never actually have done it yet. Anyone else have that happen? What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas? I have thought about it, but I haven't because the writer's guidleines still seem to be 3.5 so I am assuming that it and Dragon are all done "in house" these days.
#9 Artifact Jul 23, 2009 20:28:42	I'm always impressed by the imagination of the articles in Dragon/Dungeon. I would love to submit ideas of my own. Writing is a hobby for me, a way to pass the time, unwind from work, relax at home. I could polish my work up to professional standards but that takes an immense amount of time and effort. A nugget of an idea does not a great article make; the magic is in the execution ;). Time is what holds me back the most, not so much a lack of ideas. I'm often called upon to write training manuals and other technical materials for work; I enjoy the process, although it is pain-staking. I'd imagine the process of writing and submitting a creative article would be just as enjoyable, and just as pain-staking.
#10 gregt_314 Jul 23, 2009 20:36:44	Check this thread and this thread. Short version: Yes, they accept freelance submissions. You need to send a short proposal as per the submission guidelines. Don't write the article in advance, you only need to do that if they like your submission. Submissions take 60 days to get looked at; if they don't like it you'll never hear anything back, if they like it they'll send you an email and ask for the full thing. You then write the full thing, and if they like that they'll buy it at a rate of 6 cents per word. They'll accept multiple submissions so don't let the fact you haven't heard anything about your first idea stop you sending through another. Note the comment on the submissions page about them particularly looking for single-encounter adventures; I'm pretty sure that wasn't there until recently so it's probably a pretty accurate statement. Despite all this there's a very low proportion of articles in either Dungeon or Dragon that are written by people who aren't already "in the club" so don't hold your breath.
#11 JohnLynch Jul 23, 2009 23:39:51	What is it that keeps you from submitting your ideas? I have no idea how to estimate how long a Dragon article would be. As such I would have to first write up the article THEN submit it. That's too much time and effort for something that will most likely get rejected at the first stage.
#12 gregt_314 Jul 24, 2009 0:06:25	I have no idea how to estimate how long a Dragon article would be. As such I would have to first write up the article THEN submit it. That's too much time and effort for something that will most likely get rejected at the first stage. Writing to a quota is a pretty essential skill for writing for publication. I'd suggest coming up with a scalable idea that you can lengthen or trim and estimating it to be 4000 words.
#13 JohnLynch Jul 24, 2009 0:20:51	Writing to a quota is a pretty essential skill for writing for publication. That's probably why if I do submit anything (at least to begin with) I'll just stick with something I'll be writing any way (most likely an adventure that be adapted to any campaign). I'd suggest coming up with a scalable idea that you can lengthen or trim and estimating it to be 4000 words. That would work too
#14 gregt_314 Jul 24, 2009 0:29:43	That's probably why if I do submit anything (at least to begin with) I'll just stick with something I'll be writing any way (most likely an adventure that be adapted to any campaign). That would work too Oh, if it helps, Chris Perkins estimated on another thread that for adventures laid out in Delve format a good guide is 2000 words per encounter. That seems a little high to me, but Chris should know, so that's probably a pretty good guide.
#15 Emi Jul 24, 2009 6:48:39	Indeed I have, to be honest thinking about it almost every day. Have almost everything in my mind, just need to find the time to actually write it down and work out the details...been doing this for the last several weeks already.
#16 Matt_James Jul 24, 2009 9:15:22	It's a blast, I recommend you get in on it!
#17 Cailte Jul 25, 2009 4:20:50	I have made a submission for Dragon, which was not accepted . I have a few ideas on the lap top atm, that I'm debating between Dungeon and LFR for submission. Certainly I think I'm going to make a submission soon. For those worried about Word Count read Chris' response to my question on that exact matter here. (Which says 2 pages of encounter = 1000 words.)
#18 Vilnias_Nastavnik Aug 02, 2009 11:54:06	Finally did it, I submitted my idea to Dungeon Magazine! Thanks to the Monster Builder, I was able to accurately make the monsters for the adventure, ran my group through it and they LOVED it. I have my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, lol.
#19 terradrius Aug 02, 2009 13:44:09	Finally did it, I submitted my idea to Dungeon Magazine! Thanks to the Monster Builder, I was able to accurately make the monsters for the adventure, ran my group through it and they LOVED it. I have my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath, lol. Heh, that's a good policy. Cross your fingers, but don't hold your breath. I've never really thought about submitting an adventure for Dungeon, but I wouldn't be opposed to the concept if an idea just came to me. My ideas lean more towards Dragon articles, which I have recently started submitting about one or two a week.
#20 Cyvaris Aug 04, 2009 7:17:35	I would love to, I would probably use something from my campaign game that I am running. Personally I would like to submit an article about some sort of anit-elemental group or something, probably just feats etc at this point, but maybe a PP at some point. My only problem would be playtesting it. Does wizards do it or are we expected to have the article playtested/balanced? Edit: this thread made me get off my lazy butt, just sent my pitch in.
#21 retsej_esiw Aug 06, 2009 22:58:57	Time and complexity. I'm not sure how many DM's are up to running Time-Loop campaigns. I would want to try to come up with a number of epic level adventures that really do feel like the players are on the cosmic scale, though.