Story Submission Guidelines & Agreement
Grief is a reflection of Love.
Welcome
Thank you for considering sharing your story with The Grief Love Project.
Every experience with grief is unique, and every story matters. We believe that sharing personal experiences of grief, loss, love, and the journeys that follow can help create understanding, compassion, and connection.
We welcome stories that are honest, personal, and respectful. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and there is no expectation that your story must offer answers, acceptance, or a positive ending.
Before submitting your story, please review the following guidelines.
1. Sharing Your Story
You are invited to share your personal experiences with grief, loss, love, remembrance, mental health, or finding your way forward.
Your story should reflect your own experiences and be written in your own words.
You do not need to share anything that makes you uncomfortable. Please consider carefully before including sensitive personal details about yourself or others.
2. Choosing Your Category
When submitting your story, you will be asked to select the category that best reflects your experience:
Grief & Loss: Experiences of losing someone or something deeply important.
Love & Remembrance: Honoring memories, relationships, and enduring love.
Living With Grief: Navigating everyday life and the ongoing experience of grief.
Finding Meaning: Exploring purpose, perspective, or personal meaning following loss.
Mental Health: Experiences where grief, emotional well-being, and mental health intersect.
Unexpected Grief: Losses and life changes that may not always be recognized or understood.
Your selected category helps visitors discover stories that may resonate with their own experiences. The Grief Love Project may contact you if a different category seems more appropriate.
3. Permission to Publish
You will be asked whether you would like your story to be considered for publication.
You may choose:
Publish With My First Name: You authorize us to display your story using your first name.
Publish Anonymously: You authorize us to publish your story without displaying your name.
Keep My Story Private: You are sharing your story with The Grief Love Project but do not authorize public publication.
Submitting a story does not guarantee that it will be published.
Your email address will not be displayed publicly.
4. Review and Editorial Guidelines
All submitted stories are reviewed before publication.
The Grief Love Project reserves the right to decline publication of submissions that are inconsistent with our mission, contain harmful or discriminatory material, disclose sensitive information about others without appropriate permission, or otherwise raise privacy or safety concerns.
We may suggest edits for clarity, length, formatting, or privacy. We will seek your approval before publishing substantive changes to your story.
We will not knowingly publish your story contrary to the publication permission you selected.
5. Respecting Others' Privacy
We ask contributors to respect the privacy and dignity of other people mentioned in their stories.
Please avoid including private contact information, confidential medical details about others, or identifying information that you do not have permission to share.
The Grief Love Project may request changes or omit identifying details before considering a story for publication.
6. Sensitive Experiences and Mental Health
Stories may address deeply personal experiences, including mental illness, suicide, trauma, and other difficult circumstances.
We welcome thoughtful, respectful discussion of these experiences. However, submissions should avoid graphic descriptions of suicide or self-harm methods, instructions for harmful behavior, or content that encourages self-harm.
The Grief Love Project is a community and educational resource. We do not provide clinical treatment, counseling, emergency intervention, or crisis response services.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact emergency services. In the United States, you can call or text 988 for crisis support.
7. Ownership of Your Story
Your story remains your own.
By authorizing publication, you grant The Grief Love Project a nonexclusive, royalty-free permission to reproduce, display, and make your approved story available on our website for the purposes of our mission.
You are not transferring ownership of your story to The Grief Love Project.
We will request separate permission before using your story in merchandise, fundraising campaigns, printed publications, or other promotional materials beyond the Shared Stories collection.
8. Requesting Changes or Removal
If your story is published and you later wish to update or remove it, you may contact The Grief Love Project through our website.
We will review your request and make reasonable efforts to update or remove the story promptly.
Please understand that material already copied, archived, or shared by third parties may remain outside our control.
9. Privacy and Communications
We collect the information you provide in the submission form, including your name, email address, story, selected category, and publication preferences.
We use this information to review your submission, communicate with you when necessary, and publish your story only when authorized.
We do not publish your email address or sell your submission information.
Your submission may be accessible to authorized personnel and the service providers used to operate our website and receive submissions. Please review our separate Privacy Policy for additional information about information handling, storage, and retention.
10. Submission Agreement
By checking the required agreement box and submitting your story, you confirm that:
You are at least 18 years old.
You have read and understand these Story Submission Guidelines & Agreement.
The story is your own work, and you have the right to submit it.
You have considered the privacy of others mentioned in your story.
Your publication preference accurately reflects how you wish your story to be handled.
You understand that The Grief Love Project may review, decline, or request revisions to a submission.
You understand that submitting a story does not create a counseling, therapeutic, or confidential professional relationship.
Thank you for trusting The Grief Love Project with your experience.