Writers Guidelines
Basic Guides
- Write directly to the topic you have chosen.
- Briefly describe your physical, emotional and spiritual condition when you entered OA. Be specific, including your weight at that time.
- Relate in detail how the Steps, Step principles, Traditions, tools and/or Twelve Concepts of OA Service helped in your recovery.
- Describe your OA experience. Your focus should be on OA. Reference to other Twelve-Step programs and outside support are considered outside issues.
- Tell the length of your abstinence and the weight loss you have maintained.
- Limit your story to 500 words if possible. When submitting handwritten stories, please write legibly.
Questions and Answers
Who writes Lifeline?
What kinds of stories does Lifeline publish?
Should I avoid any topics?
Does Lifeline publish poetry, humor or photos?
What if I make grammar or spelling errors?
What form should I give to my story?
What happens to my story at WSO?
Who Writes Lifeline?
Lifeline is written by OA members for OA members. The Lifeline staff writes only a small part.
Lifeline depends on you and other OA members to fill its pages each month. Without our OA authors, there would be no Lifeline. Thank you for contributing!
What kinds of stories does Lifeline publish?
Lifeline seeks true personal stories of recovery: “What I was like before OA; how I worked the OA program; what happened as a result; what my life is like today.”
Describe how OA helped you; include specific details. Lifeline’s slogan is “A Meeting to Go,” and most of our featured articles are written like meeting “shares.”
The most effective OA stories relate how conflicts are resolved, self-esteem improved or daily life made manageable through the OA program. Motivational stories that reach out to struggling newcomers or members in relapse inspire all Lifeline readers.
Every July Lifeline contains the “Lifeline Monthly Topics” list for the next year. Especially appreciated are stories on the Twelve Steps, Step principles, Twelve Traditions, tools, service, spiritual awareness and newcomers’ experiences. Consider these topics as well:
| Abstinence | Plan of Eating |
| Anonymity | Pregnancy/Infertility |
| Asking for Help | Promises |
| Attraction | Recovery/Maintenance |
| Fear/Resentment | Recovery from Relapse |
| Feelings | Relationships |
| General OA Topics | Self-esteem |
| Gratitude | Serenity |
| Higher Power | Sexuality |
| Holidays | Slogans |
| Honesty | Spirituality |
| Keep Coming Back | Sponsoring |
| Loners | Teen or Youth in OA |
| Longtimers | Three-Fold Recovery |
| Meetings | Twelfth Step Within |
| Membership Retention | Unity |
| Perfection | Vacation/Travel |
| Physical Recovery | Working the Program |
Should I avoid any topics?
Although you may have found help in outside resources and other Twelve-Step programs, please focus your story on the experience, strength and hope you have found within the OA program.
Does Lifeline publish poetry, humor or photos?
Lifeline publishes poems and humorous pieces that carry an OA message of experience, strength and hope or that speak directly to the OA program. Submissions must be the original work of the sender and may be edited. Lifeline loves photographs taken by members! No faces please. Photographs cannot be returned.
What if I make grammar or spelling errors?
Lifeline’s staff edits all articles to comply with Lifeline’s style guides and the rules of grammar, spelling and usage.
What form should I give to my story?
Stories of approximately 500 words have a greater chance of publication. It is not necessary to double-space text. Legible handwriting is a must. Manuscripts and letters sent to Lifeline are assumed intended for publication, are subject to editing and become the property of OA, Inc. Submissions are not returned.
All submissions must contain the author’s full name and address. You may request anonymity with publication. Your state, province or country may remain anonymous if you so indicate.
What happens to my story at WSO?
Submission does not guarantee publication. We do not publish stories that contain outside issues, little or no recovery, or no specifics of working the OA program.
Lifeline does not send contributors an acknowledgement when their stories are received. If your story is chosen for publication, we will notify you of its publication date and offer a complimentary copy of that Lifeline issue.
Mail, e-mail or fax your story to:
Lifeline
PO Box 44020
Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174-4020 USA
Fax: 505-891-4320
E-mail: contact
