Editorial Guidelines

Cozy.Consessions is an editorially curated publication. Every story we publish has been reviewed, edited, and approved by a member of our team. These guidelines explain how that process works and what we look for in submissions.

What we publish

We publish first-person personal narratives about relationships, family dynamics, and the emotional turning points that define people's lives. Stories should be real and experienced firsthand. We do not publish fiction, secondhand accounts (“my friend told me that...”), or stories intended to harm or publicly shame a specific named individual.

Strong stories for Cozy.Consessions typically involve: a clear situation or tension, a moment of change or realization, and an emotional truth that will resonate with readers who have experienced something similar. They do not need to have a tidy resolution — real life rarely does.

How to submit

Email your story to cozyconsessions@gmail.com or send us a DM on Threads. Write in whatever format feels natural — a long email, a voice-note transcript, bullet points. We will work with you to shape it into a publishable piece.

There is no minimum or maximum length for initial submissions, though published stories typically run between 400 and 1,200 words. Include as much detail as you feel comfortable sharing — more detail gives our editors more to work with.

The editing process

Every submission is read by a human editor. We do not use automated systems to accept or reject stories. Our editing focuses on three things: clarity, pacing, and anonymization. We work to preserve your voice while making the story readable to someone who was not there.

Before anything is published, we send you a final draft to review. You have the opportunity to request changes, withdraw the story, or approve it as written. Nothing goes live without your approval.

Anonymization policy

All names — yours and every person in your story — are changed before publication. We also change specific locations, employers, physical descriptions that could identify someone, and any other details that could link the story to real, identifiable people. We will never publish your real name or any contact information.

The emotional content of stories is preserved intact. The identifying details are not. This is the core principle behind everything we publish.

Response times

We aim to respond to every submission within two weeks. If your story is a strong fit, we will be in touch to begin the editing process. If it is not a fit at this time, we will let you know — we read everything and appreciate every story sent to us.

Corrections and takedowns

If a published story contains a factual error, or if a subject of a story believes they have been identified despite our anonymization efforts, contact us at cozyconsessions@gmail.com. We review all such requests promptly and will take appropriate action, including correction or removal, where warranted.

Content we do not publish

We do not publish: stories submitted about other people without their knowledge where the intent is to harm their reputation; fictional accounts presented as real; content targeting minors; content that constitutes harassment of a real, identifiable individual; or promotional content of any kind.

Questions

If you have questions about these guidelines or about a specific submission, email us at cozyconsessions@gmail.com.