1. Talk It Up. Because cards are sent from one person to another as a greeting or message, they should read the way people really talk. When you write a line, imagine that you're speaking to a family member or friend. Then ask yourself, "Would I buy this card to send to these people?"

2. Make It Funny. If you find yourself wondering whether a line is funny or not, read it to a few friends and see if they laugh. From a creative perspective, go wild! Keep in mind your target list of people you send cards to. Make sure your ideas are sendable - not only to friends and family, but also general enough to send to lots of people. In other words, don't be too specific!

3. A Picture Is Worth A 1000 Words But… You Don’t Have to Draw! Cards that depend on a visual or photo are becoming a significant part of our line. It is not necessary to draw your visuals, but you should provide a brief description. Keep it short and understandable.

4. A Reason to Send A Card. Card ideas need to be written for these occasions: Birthday, Milestone Birthday, Relative Birthday, Belated Birthday, Get Well, Anniversary (from friend to couple), Retirement & Thank You.

! CAUTION ! We reject the following: PUNS, GROSS IDEAS, MEAN IDEAS, LENGTHY POETRY or PROSE, NARROWLY FOCUSED IDEAS. (ie: new baby for quintuplets)

5. Go back and edit your work! Honestly only send your best! We don’t want your eight great ideas getting lost in the mix with the other submissions. Our rate for writer copy is $100 per purchased idea.

6. Make It Easy.
A. Only send your best work.
B. Email your ideas to cathy@oatmealstudios.com
C. Name and address on every email, attachment, or snail mail.
D. Indicate [ O ] : outside [ I ] :inside.
E. Keep email attachments small in size (1 MB or less works).