Contribute an essay to Distance.
Distance wouldn't be anything without its contributors – which could well include you. I'll edit your essay until it shines, allow you to push back on any of the changes I make, pay you for your time and effort, and ship nicely printed copies to all sorts of phenomenally attractive people. (Here's a little bit more about how I edit Distance's essays.)
These days, too many well-publicized essays come across as incendiary link bait, even ones that have great ideas buried within them. I don't believe that's a productive way to have discourse, and wish to put Distance's issues together with this perspective in mind.
Helping as an editor.
I've discovered a side effect of editing: it frequently empowers people who want to get into long-form writing, but don't know where to start, or are nervous going it alone. After writing for Distance, people frequently make a bigger thing of it: they start writing more frequently, and they turn their Distance-related work into talks or books. I've been lucky to work with folks who have provided kind words about the process:
Working with Nick has been great. Nick's friendly and steady encouragement have been crucial in helping me write. Nick isn't shy about telling you what he needs, and what you need – and then there's his editing, which has been crucial. Nick's insight has enhanced the expression of my ideas. My work went from being abstract and pedantic to clear and straightforward.
— Jon Whipple, issue 1
Nick is, without a doubt, one of the most awesome guys in our solar system. What he lacks in good looks and charm, he makes up for in brains, humor, and the ability to out-wit any man at the table. He is a damn fine editor, a shrewd businessman, and an exemplary human being. If I ever end up childless and shooting blanks, I want Nick as my donor.
— Benjamin Jackson, issue 1
[I have no idea what to say about that last sentence. —ed.]
What constitutes a Distance essay?
I have received many ideas, but I'm especially fond of these:
- a retrospective on the reasons behind the successes and failures in launching a local meetup for UX-focused product critique;
- the ways that designers change their values with respect to upfront research as they become more experienced in their field;
- a critique of Pentagram's redesign of the religious-values magazine "First Things" – and its subsequent editorial backpedaling and internecine debate, which culminated in the recent ouster of the editor-in-chief who was responsible for the redesign;
- and a comparison of major urban planning initiatives (with a focus on world's fairs in specific) with the efforts of Archive Team, Internet Archaeology, Twitter's (lack of) data preservation, etc as a way of showing the piecemeal death and rebirth of content.
I think all of those are awesome, but what do you really care about? What would prompt you to crawl across a lava-filled hellscape to slay an angry narwhal for? Write about that.
What doesn't constitute a Distance essay?
Tutorials on specific design techniques. Countless publications, in nearly every field of design, are far better at editing and publishing this sort of writing than I would ever be.
Surface discussions of the design process. The design process is extremely important, but it shouldn't be the focus of an article; rather, think about the ways that the design process impacts design.
Anything that doesn't take a firm and confident stand. "Why can't we all just get along?"-type articles are probably inappropriate for this.
The basic terms.
Essays for Distance should probably be somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 words. The final word count is up to you, but our only suggestion is that it cover all sides of the topic.
You can't have published your essay in any form before submitting it to us. Sorry, but Distance is for original writing.
Although you give us the right to print it, your work remains your work, not the property of Distance. That said, we ask that you not publish it publicly until the next issue is released after the one that your essay appears in.
☞ Got a good idea?
Write a little bit about what you've been interested in lately, and we'll work together to make it into something great.
Many people are making Distance essays out of their blog posts or conference talks. Giving a great talk in conjunction with an essay in Distance will probably help you think through your ideas more thoroughly on each front. It will also make for good publicity. Scientists have also told me that it is an aphrodisiac.
Distance's accepted authors are paid US$1,000 within three weeks after the first batch of books goes out.
If you have any questions:
I will answer you as fast as I can.