Submit your Essays & Stories

Share your voice, explore meaningful ideas, and collaborate with me in a written conversation.

Hello Fifi’s,

One of the things I’ve come to love the most about Postcards by Hasif is the collaborative essays we publish here. They’ve slowly become a special part of this space.

For those who may be new, these pieces aren’t typical guest posts. Instead of a single writer sharing their thoughts, the essay becomes a conversation.

A guest writer begins the piece by exploring a topic through their own reflections, experiences, or perspective. After that, I write a response where I engage with their ideas, sometimes agreeing, sometimes offering a different angle, and sometimes simply expanding on what they’ve shared.

Two voices, two viewpoints, one shared essay.

It’s a format I really enjoy because it feels much closer to how real conversations happen between people who are thinking deeply about something.

With that said, submissions are now open for the next three months: August, Sept and Oct

As usual, I’ll be selecting 4–5 writers each month to collaborate with.

Each selected writer will submit a 600-word essay, and I’ll follow it with a 500-word response, turning the final piece into a thoughtful written dialogue between two perspectives.

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Topics You Can Explore:

Here are some themes you can write about if you’d like inspiration:

• The Loneliness of Becoming Someone New

• Why Some People Only Exist in Certain Versions of Us

• The Quiet Panic of Time Moving Too Fast

• The Human Need to Leave Something Behind

• The Strange Intimacy of Being Remembered Incorrectly

• Growing Older While Still Feeling Emotionally Young

• The Things We Pretend Don’t Hurt Us

• The Invisible Pressure to Have a Beautiful Life

• The Emotional Weight of “Maybe”

• Why Closure Rarely Feels Like Closure

• The People We Become Around Different People

• Missing Places More Than People

• The Fear of Wasting Your Potential

• The Soft Ache of Almost Relationships

• Learning to Live Without Constant Validation

• The Versions of Ourselves We Abandon to Survive

• The Emotional Aftermath of Being Too Self-Aware

• Why We Romanticize the Past Even When It Hurt

• The Quiet Grief of Realizing Nobody Fully Knows You

• The Exhaustion of Always Trying to Be Better

• The Strange Art of Starting Over

• The Fear of Becoming Replaceable

• The Comfort of Imaginary Futures

• Why We Keep Revisiting Old Conversations in Our Heads

• The Emotional Distance Between Online and Real Life

• The Feeling of Watching Your Life Instead of Living It

• How Silence Changes Between Two People

• The Hidden Loneliness of Independence

• The Unspoken Competition Between People Online

• The Desire to Disappear Without Actually Leaving

• The Strange Ways We Try to Earn Love

• The Fear That You’ve Already Met the Best Days of Your Life

• Becoming Difficult to Reach Emotionally

• The Tiny Lies We Tell Ourselves to Keep Going

• The Quiet Embarrassment of Caring Too Much

• The People Who Changed Us Without Realizing It

• Why Certain Songs Feel Like Entire Time Periods

• The Emotional Side Effects of Constant Self-Improvement

• Learning to Sit With an Unfinished Life

• The Strange Sadness of Outgrowing Your Dreams

• The Comfort of Being Around People Who Expect Nothing From You

• Why We Archive Our Lives Online

• The Feeling of Being Emotionally Homesick

• The Unnoticed Moments That End Up Defining Us

• The Pressure to Turn Your Life Into Something Meaningful

• Missing Who You Were Before the World Hardened You

• The Quiet Fear That Everyone Else Understands Life Better Than You

• The Emotional Impact of Living Through Screens

• Why Some Goodbyes Never Fully Happen

• The Relief of No Longer Needing to Prove Yourself

• The Way Certain People Make Time Feel Different

• The Loneliness Hidden Inside Productivity

• How People Slowly Become Strangers

• The Desire to Be Chosen Without Asking

• The Quiet Shift From Dreaming to Surviving

• The Feeling of Carrying Too Many Versions of Yourself

• The Emotional Attachment We Form With Temporary Things

• The Internal Conflict Between Wanting Attention and Wanting to Hide

• The Strange Comfort of Knowing Nothing Lasts Forever

• Learning to Accept That Some Questions Never Get Answered

A Quick Note

You don’t have to limit yourself to this list.

If you already have a thoughtful essay, personal reflection, or story you’ve written that explores an idea you care deeply about, you’re welcome to submit that as well.

Some of the most meaningful pieces come from writers sharing their own experiences honestly, and that’s always been at the heart of this publication.

So if you have something sincere to say, I’d love to read it.

How the Collaboration Works

Your Essay:

You’ll write a 500–600 word essay on the topic you choose. It can be personal, reflective, analytical, or narrative whatever style feels most natural to you.

You don’t need to arrive at a final answer. Sometimes the most powerful essays are simply explorations of a question.

My Response:

After reading your piece, I’ll write a 500-word response where I engage with your ideas. I might agree, challenge something you wrote, or add another perspective.

That’s what turns the essay into a genuine exchange of thoughts.

The Final Piece:

Your essay will appear first, followed by my response, forming a collaborative essay of 1100+ words that reads like a written conversation.

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Submission Timeline

Submissions are currently open for Aug, Sept, and Oct.

You can send your essay anytime during these months, and it will be considered for one of the upcoming collaboration slots.

However, if you’re hoping to be featured in Aug, I recommend submitting sooner rather than later. Once selections are made, I’ll need time to review the essay, write my response, and schedule the post.

You’re also welcome to submit older essays you’ve written before, as long as they fit the reflective tone of Postcards by Hasif.

Since there are only a few spots each month, earlier submissions naturally have a better chance of being selected.

Once an essay is chosen, I’ll reach out personally via email to confirm the collaboration and schedule the publication date.

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Submission Guidelines

Original Work Only:
All submissions must be your own original writing.

Word Count:
Your essay should be around 500–600 words.

Format:

Please send your submission as:

• Microsoft Word document

• Google Docs file

• PDF

Avoid pasting the full essay directly into the email.

Use a simple font such as Arial or Times New Roman, size 12.

At the top of the document, include:

• Your name

• Your Substack publication

You can also add a short optional bio at the end.

Send your essay to: hasifnewsletter@gmail.com

Subject line: Co-Author Submission

In the email body include: [Chosen Topic] – [Your Name]

You’re also welcome to include links to your Substack or social media.

If Your Essay Is Selected

• You’ll receive a confirmation email & payment link.

• A $50 feature fee will be required only if your essay is selected. Entry to submit your essay is completely free.

• Before you jump in, I just want to say something important. I know when I introduce something like this, it can feel a bit transactional. But please don’t take it the wrong way. Postcards by Hasif will always remain free to read. I have no intention of turning it into a paid publication, and I never will. Every piece I write, your submissions, my reflections, and my essays will always be accessible to anyone who wants to read them. I also don’t want to bring in brands, sponsorships, or ads. This space is not about marketing, it isn’t about influencer culture, and it certainly isn’t about monetizing in a way that compromises the essence of what this publication stands for. This is about creating a genuine community of thinkers and writers, exploring topics that matter, sharing perspectives, and giving both you and me a chance to engage meaningfully with readers. The $50 fee isn’t about making a profit; it’s a small way to ensure this collaboration is valued and taken seriously while also helping me maintain the publication sustainably. Postcards by Hasif will always be my voice, my vision, my space. This collaboration is simply a way to bring in other voices I respect, share ideas, and build something together without compromising what this place stands for.

• Once payment is completed, we’ll coordinate with you via email to finalize the title, thumbnail, and posting dates.

• Your essay will be published in Postcards by Hasif (140,000+ readers).

• Exposure to 140,000+ readers: Your voice will reach a large, engaged audience that values thoughtful, reflective writing.

• Recommendation of Your Substack: As part of the collaboration, I will recommend your Substack publication for a week. This means followers will see “Postcards by Hasif recommends {Your Publication Name},” increasing traffic to your page.

• Collaborative Content: This is more than just a guest post. You’re collaborating with me in a meaningful way, creating a written conversation that will resonate with readers.

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What You’ll Receive

Your essay will be published on Postcards by Hasif, currently reaching 140,000+ readers.

You’ll also receive:

• Exposure to a large, engaged audience

• A collaborative essay featuring my written response

• A one-week recommendation of your Substack

Your publication will appear as:

“Postcards by Hasif recommends [Your Publication Name]”

which helps introduce your writing to new readers.

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I’ve genuinely enjoyed reading the perspectives many of you have shared through these collaborations over the past months.

Every essay has brought a new lens to topics we often think about quietly but rarely discuss openly.

If you’ve been considering submitting something, this is a good moment to do it.

I’m really looking forward to reading your work.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at hasifnewsletter@gmail.com.

Best,
Hasif