If you're 13-18 years of age, go to youngwritersproject.org and click the JOIN button, upper right. Fill out all the information accurately and choose a user name that does not closely resemble your real name. (Make sure you like it; this will be your identifier on the site.) You'll receive an email notifying you that you've been approved. It might take a day or so. If you're 12, click here for a parental permission form.

Now that you have an account, log in, click on CREATE and select "create a blog post" from the drop-down menu.

Now, fill out the form. A red asterisk marks required fields. Choose a category to file your piece under (you can select multiple by holding shift while you click), pick a title and write! You can write directly in the body or paste in text. Add images, audio or other media embed. If you are writing in response to a challenge, write the challenge in the challenge box. (Or if you're responding directly to a challenge, it will automatically fill that in for you... see below.)

You can submit writing by going directly to the Challenges list in the top bar of the main page. Select a challenge, click the RESPOND button under the challenge description, and a blog post form will pop up, including the name of the challenge. You'll see other responses here; if not, be the first! You can also click on the challenge headline to see all responses to the prompt.

Along with the daily challenges, we also have Community Journalism challenges that bounce off the news or are great idea generators. But feel free to post anything, anytime. That's what the "General" challenge is for.

All posts are automatically considered for publication unless you specify "no" at the bottom of the post. Teachers: If you're posting for your students, please fill out the box for the student or "author" name.

Remember to SAVE!

You and your fellow writers and artists can share your feedback -- or comments -- on each other's work.

Go to the Comment box beside each post to share your thoughts about the piece. Read what others have said and engage in a discussion.

Feedback -- the giving and receiving of comments -- is a BIG part of the YWP community. It's fun and rewarding. Please keep your comments civil. You might talk about specific things you noticed about the piece or suggest a next step. You might just want to say, well done!

You can also "love" a piece. Click the heart at the bottom right corner of a writer's blog and they'll feel the love.

A team of editors -- YWP staff, community leaders and mentors -- reviews every piece of writing and art that is submitted to youngwritersproject.org. We look for fresh voice, interesting perspectives, humor, wisdom -- and GREAT STORYTELLING!

You will get a notification if a comment is left on your piece. The editor may also annotate the piece, meaning he or she will leave specific suggestions within the body of your post that only you can see (which will appear as yellow highlights on your post). Annotations help you make very specific improvements to those pieces that YWP readers think have potential for publication or presentation (slams). Everyone deserves a good editor, and that's where the YWP team comes in. Work with us! We want you to be proud! 

Also, check out the Daily Reads, what's been published with our media partners -- and specifically what made it into YWP's showcase, our monthly digital magazine, The Voice.

(Read and hear what YWP writers say about being published.)