L.A. Affairs: L.A. Affairs submission guidelines

L.A. Affairs is our Los Angeles Times column about the current dating scene in and around Los Angeles -- and finding romance in a wired world. If you’ve got a story to tell, we want to hear it. We pay $300 per published column.

Submission requirements

• We seek previously unpublished work.

• Your essay should be set in the present day, not the distant past.

• Each story needs to have an arc. Mere musings on the state of affairs won’t do.

• We like stories to have a strong sense of place and to feel rooted in Southern California.

• Stories must be factually correct and about your own life. No exaggeration, no fictional or composite characters, no hyperbole for dramatic effect.

• Submissions should be 800 to 900 words.

A few words on editing

We will edit your stories for content, length and tone. We understand that these stories are personal, and the process will be collaborative. But ultimately the editors’ decisions will stand.

How to submit an essay

Please email submissions and questions to: home@latimes.com. Include “L.A. Affairs” in the subject line. Essays may be sent as text in the body of the email or included as an attachment, or both. Please be patient as we are not always able to respond immediately.

We look forward to reading your essay.

— The editors of L.A. Affairs