“To believe that your impressions hold good for others is to be released from the cramp and confinement of personality. — Virginia Woolf

Thank you for your interest in writing for Bipolar Winds.

Requirements:

1. You must be at least 18 years of age.
2. You must either have bipolar or schizoaffective disorder or be a family member of someone living with one of these disorders or be a medical professional.
3. You must commit to write at least one article a month. The cycle begins on the first day of the month and ends on the last day.

Identification:
You may use an anonymous name as long as it is not offensive. You must provide an email address.

Other Factors:

1. You must agree to avoid offensive language – language that attacks or degrades other people. Sometimes foul language does serve to express the intensity of the experience – e.g. I have a fucking headache (OK) vs. Fuck you (not permitted) – but please don’t make a habit of such usage or use it more than once in a post.
2. You may post accounts of your struggles, book reviews, commentaries on current legislation, reflections on life with bipolar disorder, stigma, cultural links with your disorder, topical video logs, and poetry — in English. Please – no fiction.
3. It is perfectly all right to post vlogs as long as you host them elsewhere – Youtube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion are some places you can do this. Instructions for embedding videos on the site are to be found at those locations.
4. You may not at any time alter or delete any one else’s contributions. If you have a complaint about another blogger, please take them up in the comments section or contact bipolarwinds@pathsoflight.us. (Admins may edit or delete inappropriate content.)
5. You may post photos,drawings or paintings to accompany your blogs as long as they do not exceed 500 pixels wide and 400 pixels deep. If you can host them offsite, this will be appreciated. I use flickr.
6. You may not repost copyrighted material including cartoons, photos, and excerpts from articles that are more than 500 words long. You may not post videos from Youtube that are not your own.
7. You may not attack another blogger, but you may offer your own perspective on an issue raised by another blogger’s article. Be polite when expressing disagreement.
8. You are encouraged to comment on other bloggers’s articles, offering your own experience and support as well as your personal perspectives.
9. The admins will not tolerate articles that are racist, sexist, or defamatory of any spirituality gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. This is not a question of political correctness but of politeness.
10. You may post articles that you have written for other blogs. A link to the other blog would be appreciated.
11. You may not publish blogs that offer services or products. If you write a review, you must make a full disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
12. You are expected to post one article a month. If your health prevents you from doing so, let us know as soon as possible. Bloggers who vanish without a trace will be removed from the group and the vacancy filled.
13. You may not advocate self-medication, alcohol abuse, or illicit street drug use.

Application:

1. Submit a sample of your writing (up to 1000 words) together with a statement describing your background and what you can offer this blog.
2. Send the application to bipolarwinds@pathsoflight.us
3. You will receive an answer in two to four weeks.

Applications submitted as comments to this page will be ignored. Your ability to follow instructions is critical.

Preference will be given to persons who do not have a blog. We plan to limit the number to 10 individuals plus the admin.