Blizzard Watch is looking for a few new writers!

We’re adding a couple of new writers to the Blizzard Watch team and you may be just the person we’re looking for! We need people who can help us write news and guides that break down complicated topics so everyone can understand what’s going on. Our readers are busy people who may not have time to dig through the patch notes or read every news story: our goal is to break out the information that matters so they can enjoy their favorite games.

And to do that, we could use a few more hands. Our biggest game remains World of Warcraft,but we need more staff who can reliably talk about Diablo, Overwatch, and WoW Classic. We’re also looking to write more about tabletop gaming, and need writers who are familiar with TTRPGs. You don’t have to be an expert in all of these things to be considered: Blizzard Watch is a team effort, and if you can help us cover one or two topics with authority, that’s great.

This isn’t a nine-to-five job with fixed shifts: we’re looking for a couple of writers who can contribute 15 posts a month each, on a flexible schedule. (If you’re interested but 15 posts sounds like more than you can write, send in an application anyway; I’d much prefer people contributing a few articles a week, but will consider writers who can’t be around quite as often.) We prefer people who are available to write during the day to help with breaking news, but many of our writers contribute articles on evenings and weekends, between other commitments. This is a paid freelance position open to anyone 18 and over.

Here’s what we need writers to do:

• Explain complicated topics. We need writers who can clearly convey knowledge in a way that’s accessible to newbies while also being a useful reference for veterans. We write a lot of how-tos and explainers, where it’s important to be able to break down topics in a way that readers can easily understand.

• Format their own posts. Writers need to format their own posts in WordPress, as adding relevant links, videos, and images where appropriate. Not being familiar with WordPress isn’t a dealbreaker: the system isn’t difficult, and as long as you’re willing to learn we’re happy to help out.

• Adhere to our styleguide. Though we keep our style casual, we want our posts to have good grammar (we more or less follow AP style). We have guidelines for style, formatting, and images that writers need to stick to.

• Write on a deadline. We’re usually flexible on deadlines, but sometimes we need posts quickly: for example, we can’t wait a week for a breaking news post. News posts are typically 300 to 500 words, and are usually due the same day — and in the case of breaking news, we may need those posts even faster. Longer feature posts are typically around 1000 words, and are usually due within a week.

• Bring ideas to the table. We maintain a list of posts that need to be written for writers to claim, but we also need writers who will pitch their own post ideas. If you see an opportunity to write a guide covering something players are struggling with or an interesting news tidbit we should point out, please pitch it!

• Respond to feedback. Sometimes posts need edits before they’re published, and writers need to be available to make them. While you’re working, we expect you to be available in our staff channel in Discord so we can chat about assignments and edits. (And please don’t take feedback personally. All of us are asked to revise posts now and then.)

If you think you fit the bill, please fill out the application linked below. And if you don’t think you fit the bill, but you’re interested, send us an application anyway. Very few of the Blizzard Watch team were professional writers before we started, so please don’t talk yourself out of the role before you try.

To apply, please fill out this form.

If you applied in the past and are interested in this role, please apply again. We review all applications, but we are not able to respond to submissions individually. You will be contacted after the application period if we like your application!

All applications must be submitted by March 31, 2024 to be considered. 

I’m looking forward to working with you!

— Liz Harper, Editorial Director