Guide for Writers
Southern California Research Lodge Fraternal Review
(1) Get solid information:
Do a Google search and a Google Book search before you begin writing and get as much
information as you can. Don’t forget related search terms. If, for example, you are writing an
article on fishermen and Freemasonry, search for:
fishermen Freemasonry
Angling Freemasonry
Fishing Masonic lodge
Sailors Freemasons
Sailing boat Masonic lodge
Etc.
When you begin to write your article, set the information down in your Word document, in an order that makes sense, so you know where you are going.
(2) Speak to today’s audience:
Do not use flowery language and old-fashioned phrases such as “dare I say” or “permit me to
say.” You dare say and you are permitted to say, so say it.
Freemasonry should not be frozen in amber and good writing always reflects its time. While we
might enjoy reading classic books, only bad writers imitate old-fashioned writing or try to sound
clever. Good writers communicate directly and effectively.
Masonic writers of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries spoke to the audiences of their time, using
the language of that time. We live during the 21st century. Use today’s language and speak to
today’s audience. Keep sentences free of old-fashioned flourishes. If your writing sounds like it
could have been written a century or so ago, edit it until it does not. (Don’t worry; in a couple of
centuries, your writing will sound old-fashioned as well.)
(3) Simplify:
Writing is mostly a process of editing, re-editing, and then re-editing several times more.
Consider your sentences and remove whatever is unnecessary. Bad writers not only fill their
sentences with jargon but also repeat themselves in the same sentence or paragraph using
different words and phrases.
Consider the following sentence (and note the redundant use of “feline” after “cat,” “not
standing” to mean “sat,” and “common parlance” after “vernacular”):
“The cat, or dare I say, that which we might define as a feline, was not standing erect as we
might so predispose our minds to contemplate, but, so, indeed, it sat, located on the adornment
and jewel of the house known, in the vernacular and common parlance, as the mat.”
Edit out the old-fashioned flourishes, jargon, and information that is rephrased and repeated:
The cat, or dare I say, that which we might define as a feline, was not standing erect as we might
so predispose our minds to contemplate, but, so, indeed, it sat, located on the adornment and
jewel of the house known, in the vernacular and common parlance, as the mat.
And we have a clear, easily-understandable, sentence:
The cat sat on the mat.
(4) The Wow factor:
We want your article to be memorable and informative. We want the reader to say to himself,
wow! I didn’t know that. And we want him to be able to talk about what he read.
If you are writing about something non-Masonic (e.g., fishing), frequently link back to
Freemasonry and include relevant facts to make your point. Include interesting, lesser-known
information if you can.
(5) Begin with a bang:
Movies from 50 years ago start slowly and get to the action about 75% of the way through.
Today, movies start with the action and then fill us in on the backstory. People don’t have time
or patience for long introductions, philosophical musings, or explorations of the author’s feelings
about his subject. Begin with something punchy: a striking fact, statement, or anecdote.
(6) Other considerations:
Articles should be single-spaced; paragraphs indented 5 spaces. Please use Times New Roman
12-point font. Single space after a period. (Double spacing after a period was the norm with
typewriters. Computers adjust the spacing automatically with one space.)
Circa = c., not ca.
Lodge No., not Lodge #
20th century, not twentieth century.
Capitalized "Mysteries" for traditions and teachings.
Lowercase "mysteries" for things we can't explain.
Italicize book titles: Morals & Dogma.
Article titles and story titles, use double quotation marks: “article or story name.”
Quotes: put in double quotation marks: “like this.”
Quotes within quotes, use single quotation marks: “Then the sailor said, ‘look out!’ Around the
boat was ice.”
March
The FESTIVE BOARD TRADITION
Guest Editor: Bryan Evans
(No Submissions Needed)
April
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON
Guest Editor: Matt Parker
Submit by 2/1/2022
MAY
the Taxil hoax
Guest Editor: Daniel Molina
(No Articles Needed)
JUNE
THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF THE CRAFT
Guest Editor: Joe Martinez
(No Articles Needed)
JULY
The MASONIC INFLUENCE ON TATTOO ART
Editor: Johnny Arias
Submit by 5/1/2022
AUGUST
MOBY DICK & Freemasonry
Guest Editor: Michael Jarzabek
Submit by 6/1/2022
SEPTEMBER
Masonry and the working class hero
Editor: JC De La Monto
Submit by 7/1/2022
OCTOBER
FREEMASONRY & EXTRA TERRESTRIAL LIFE
Editor: Daniel Rivera
Submit by 8/1/2022
NOVEMBER
KABBALAH & FREEMASONRY 2
Editor: Mark Poliner
Submit by 8/15/2022
DECEMBER
HERMETiCISM AND FREEMASONRY
Editor: Ian E. Laurelin
Submit by 9/1/2022