Curbside Classic Submissions and Writer’s Guide (Revised 04/06/2026)
Curbside Classic is a collaborative site that exists in substantial part to encourage and facilitate readers to become contributors. Except for first time or one-time contributions, we require contributors to draft their posts directly at the site. The directions for doing so are below.
If you would like to submit something for the first time, send us your proposed text (or concept/draft/idea) and images in an email to [email protected]. Please do not embed images within the text; send them as attachments. If your submission is accepted, we will let you know, and give you further details.
If you intend to contribute more than once, we will need to set you up as a contributor to give you access to the back end of the site, where you can then draft your own posts. In order to do so, you need to be registered at Curbside, and then tell us your user name so that we can upgrade you to contributor status.
This Guide includes simple step-by-step instructions to drafting your own post at Curbside using Word Press. Following that are some general Content Guidelines and related information.
Easy Step By Step Instructions For Creating A New Word Press Post in CC:
In order to have access to the “back end” of Curbside to create your post, you need to have been upgraded to Contributor (or higher) status. You must have registered with an account at Curbside, and then notify me with your user name so that we can upgrade your status.
When you’re logged in, click on “Curbside Classic” (circled in red) on the left side of black upper menu bar, and now that you’re an Author/Contributor, you’ll have more access from the Dashboard back there. On the left sidebar menu, look for Posts, hover your cursor over it to access the Posts submenu, and click Add New (Post). There’s also an Add New button right up at the top in Posts.
Important Note: these directions are for the WP “Classic Editor”. There is also a “Block Editor”. We generally do not use that; if you have experience with it and prefer to use it, that’s ok. But these directions do not apply to it. One can switch back and forth via the Editor feature on the right menu sidebar.
You’ll then see a “blank page” awaiting your input (above).
Title/Headline: The title goes in the obvious place, and just follow the usual format (All Headline Words Start With Caps). It’s very important that the title be as concise, short and explicit as possible. We generally no longer use prefixes (“Curbside Classic”, etc.) for the titles. If writing about a car, the year, brand, and model come first followed by a suffix. If you are writing about one of your cars (COAL series or such) start with “My” followed by the car specifics.
Note: Titles are actually the purvey of CC’s editorial staff, so they may likely be edited/altered from your submission.
Text: Then start writing your text. It is recommended that you draft/write your text directly at CC rather than copy and paste from another source. It’s no different than using any other basic word processor, and it will automatically save your work constantly, so there’s no fear of losing anything. Generally copy and pasting from common word processors like Word or Google Docs work fine but it’s possible that code containing info about font style/size and spacing may be copied over too. That can sometimes create problems. If so, let us know so we can fix it.
Insert photos or images: create an extra blank line above or between text paragraphs (Enter), and place the cursor there.
Note: We always start with an image at the very top of every post, followed by the opening paragraph. It’s essential that the top image very explicitly shows the the primary subject, so that a reader scanning the front page instantly has a visual idea of what this post is about. The top image is by far the most important one, so choose it carefully. Make sure the featured car or subject is large in the image; crop it if necessary, but keep the 3:4 aspect ratio intact.
Look for the Add Media icon just above the menu bar on the left side, and click it. Click Upload Files,
and then Select Files, which will allow you to upload from your own files the image you want to upload and insert, by clicking it and then Open. Note: You can open and upload more than one image at a time. If you upload multiple images, you can then retrieve them from the Media Library to insert into your post. This is quicker than uploading images individually.
After the image has fully uploaded, you will see it in the Media Gallery, as well as on the upper right.
If your image is very large, uploading might take a bit longer. We prefer images to be at least 1200 pixels wide; anything significantly less than that should be avoided if possible. It’s very important that the top image be 1200 pixels wide, or at the very minimum 1000 pixels.
Attachment Details: This menu will now appear when an image is being inserted. Some of these settings are optional; other mandatory. The Alt Text at the top provides for better identification in a Google Image search or such. This means it’s more likely to appear in one. It’s optional but recommended for the top image at least.
I generally don’t use captions, and our policy is not to use them for the top image, but if you want to have a caption right below a photo, this is the place to enter it. You can add a further description but that’s optional too.
At the bottom are the three options for Attachment Display settings. Set them to: Alignment: Center. Link to: Media File. Size: Full Size . (If they aren’t automatically already). The size is particularly important; we used to set them at 600 pixels width before our site update; now we want them to be ideally 1200 pixels wide. The system will automatically reduce them to 1200 when the setting is at full size.
Note: Once these settings have been set initially, there should be no more need to reset them for this post and subsequent posts. If these are not set properly, images may not be centered, and will not pop up to larger size when clicked on by the reader if the link to the Media File is not set.
Then click “Insert into post” (blue button on bottom right of screen), and the image will appear in your post, like this.
If the settings are not right or you want to make other changes to the image like the caption or such now or later or anytime in your post, just left click on the image to bring up the Image Editor, up at the top of the image. Click on the pencil icon to edit it in more detail, or the X to remove the image. The other icons move the image to the side or center.
When the Image Editor is opened, all of the settings will be there like this to change or correct as needed.
Featured Image: The last thing to do is to is “Set Featured Image”. That will end up as a thumbnail along with the title on the “Recent CCs” menu, as well the image when the post is on the second (or more) page. Pick which shot you think would work best, but use one that has the normal 4:3 aspect ratio, otherwise it will not appear fully. I generally use the same image as the one very top of the post.
Click on the Set Featured Image (lower right side menu) and it will take you to the Media Library, where all uploaded images reside. Presumably the image you want to use will be there, having been uploaded for the post.
Select it (click it), and click Set Featured Image on the right lower corner. It should appear there now.
Hyperlinks (embedded links to another web page): Copy the url (the internet address in your top browser bar) of the page you want to link to. Highlight the text in your post that will be hyperlinked. Click “Insert/Edit Link” on the upper menu bar (it’s the chain symbol). Then paste the url into the provided space and hit enter (blue arrow).
That’s basically it! Just keep repeating these steps. You can write all your text first, then create an empty line between them where you want images, and insert them afterwards. Or insert them as you go along.
Inserting a YouTube Video: Just copy the url (web address) from your browser of the video you want to insert, and then just paste it into a blank line (between paragraphs), and the video will appear. If the video is already in another website, click on the YouTube icon to see it directly at YouTube, and get the url from there directly.
Just a couple more minor things after you’ve finished drafting the text and inserted images;
Insert “Read More” tag: You’re going to add a hard “page break” (Enter) at the end of your opening paragraph, then Insert Read More Tag after the opening paragraph by placing your cursor at the end of the first paragraph and clicking the appropriate icon on the menu bar just above the text (below headline). After the hard break, I recommend inserting an extra blank line before you add more text or pictures.
Note: The most repeated mistake is to forget the “Insert More Tag” (hard page break). If you forget it, the whole post in its entirety will show up on the front page. We try to catch that before it happens.
Categories: Go to “Categories” on the right sidebar, and check the one(s) that apply, but only the one (or two), not just any you think might vaguely apply. The fewer the better, preferably just one. In the case of a CC, that would be “Curbside Classics” and “Curbside Classics American Brands “. if you’re not sure about what category, just leave it and we’ll select one.
Preview Your Post: In order to see how the images (and all of your post) will look when published, you’ll need to check it in “Preview” (Under the Publish Section top right). This will show you how your draft will appear when it’s published.
Submit for Review: When you’re finished, click on Submit for Review, which will send the draft into the Posts Pending file, where we will see it, review/edit it, and schedule it for publication.
If there are issues with your post draft, try looking at the more detailed guide Part 2 below, or let me know.
A few more helpful items:
Media Library: All pictures uploaded will also go to the Media Gallery automatically. So if there’s something not right, or whatever, delete it from the post and reload it from the Media Library instead of “Upload Files”.
Automatic Updating: WP automatically updates your work in progress constantly, so there no need to do that manually.
Missing Cursor: For some reason, it sometimes goes AWOL. Hit Save Draft, or Update (if you’re editing it after Publication). That will bring it out of hiding.
Problems with Image Uploads: If you have weird delays or time outs or the image won’t upload all the way, hit “Save Draft”, and that often clears up the issue.
Editing: One of the Editors will try to check posts for obvious historical and grammar/typo issues, but the goal is for all Authors to be self-publishing, and responsible for the look, accuracy, grammar, etc. of your posts. If we spend too much time editing, it takes us away from our own writing. We try to walk a middle path: fix the obvious, and accept that some minor mistakes and typos might slip through.
Editing A Piece Already Edited or Posted: Just make the changes you want directly in the text, and hit Update, Or Preview Changes, to check them first. If you are a Contributor you may not be able to edit a post once published.
Some Content Guidelines: Curbside is not static and continues to evolve. We cover the full spectrum of automotive and other transport subjects, both old and new. And we welcome contributions on that full spectrum. The key element is that it be interesting and compelling.
CC Photographs: If you’re shooting cars, here’s a few basic pointers. The minimum is shots from these angles: frontal, but usually not directly head-on. That works in some cars, but I’ve generally found that having a bit of an angle is better. Front-quarter, side rear quarter, and a rear, also with some deviation from perfectly straight on. Some cars like straight-on front and rear shot; many don’t. Let the car speak to you, or take plenty of shots and go through them at home.
The main thing is to get some decent, clear, high-quality shots. Most phones now do an adequate job, but beware of low-light situations, as well as glaring sunlight.
I always try to get an interior shot from the passenger front side window. You have to get the lens right up to window, and may have to cup it to avoid reflections. I understand that you may be uncomfortable doing this on certain streets. If you can’t get the interior, you can probably find it on the web.
Speaking of, please feel free to use additional pictures from the web for historical perspective within a CC. oldcarbrochures.com is an excellent source, and they claim no copyright. Other photos snipped from the web can be given a credit in the caption line (more on that later); I usually try to give credit, but the reality is, that any photo on the web may well have been passed around a couple of times already. But if it comes from an obvious original source site, credit them, and don’t take more than you need from any one site. Otherwise it feels a bit like plundering.
Re-sizing Photographs: Resizing means to reduce the file size of your shots so that it is easier to handle, as well as to not overload our graphic-rich site. We have set up CC so that it will automatically reduce all uploaded picture files to a maximum of 1200 pixels. If you have a slow internet connection, uploading very large picture files into CC may take a while. If you reduce them first (to 1200 pixels), uploading will be faster.
If you’re not equipped for with either cropping and reducing, I recommend downloading a free editing software, like Photoscape, which I use. Its Editor is easy to use for both functions. Photoscape’s Combine function is also a handy way to put two car shots together for a comparison. And it’s easy to fix shots that have a color imbalance or such.
Shooting: Of course, in addition to the basic car shot angles, go for details that catch your eye, or make the car distinctive. Also, please always try include at least one full profile shot, from across the street if necessary.
Two more points on shooting in the street: don’t be timid, or intimidated about it. If the car is on a public street or public parking lot (please note that many parking lots are actually private, if they’re on private property), you have every right to shoot it. And that goes for the license plate too. A few folks seem to harbor some unfounded paranoia about license plates being seen on the web. Sorry; but cars (and plates) are part of the public street scene, and photographers have been shooting cars on the streets for almost forever. Don’t want your car or plates shot? Keep it in the garage, and never drive it again! Or get license plate covers. But feel free to blank out the plates if you really want. Photoscape or such offers a paint brush to make it easy.
Occasionally, some folks might get antsy about your intentions and come out of the house: just smile and wave your camera and say you have an obsession about shooting interesting old cars in the street. They just want to know there hasn’t been an accident or you’re trying to steal it. And almost always, they’ll be happy to share something about the car.
Curbside Classics: Our traditional main featured posts. They require depth and context in order to qualify as a proper CC.
Automotive Histories: Pretty self-explanatory. If there’s a subject vaguely related to cars, but it’s not about any specific car, like technology, engines, design, or other aspects of automotive history, then it goes in this category. You’ll probably need to get images from google or such. And it probably wants to be a bit more thoroughly researched. The point is, if you don’t have access to cars to shoot on the street, or want to cover other subject matters, don’t let that stop you. It’s a wide open field.
COAL (Cars Of A Lifetime): A regular CC feature. If you’d like to do a series, let us know, and we’ll get you in line. But one-off or random COALs can run anytime, so help yourself.
Length: We no longer do short posts, and prefer that they all have at least 500 words. But posts should not be excessively long either. COAL series posts should avoid excessively long personal non-car related content.
Contributors/Authors: There are two levels of access to the back end of CC: Contributors and Authors.
Contributor: If you are an occasional Contributor, or new to CC, you will be assigned Contributor status. Your posts will be “Pending” after you have Submitted them for Review (they will need approval before being scheduled or Posted). We check the Pending file from time to time, it’s a good idea to you can send me an e-mail letting us know it’s ready for review and scheduling.
Authors: If you are an author, you schedule and Publish your own posts. The way to do that is to check the Calendar (in Posts), and then go to the upper right corner of your post, where the blue Publish button is. Don’t hit it yet, unless you want your post to be published immediately. Click on the “Edit” to the right of the “Publish Immediately”.
That will open the timer. Carefully set the publication timer to the date and time that is desired, and then hit Publish.
If you make a mistake, or Publish a post accidentally, you can re-set the timer and Update it. Just change the date for a later time to get it off the front page. Or leave it, if it was finished. All of us have done that at one time or another; it’s a rite of passage at CC.
Essentially, we all create our own schedule for CC. And that’s how the Editorial Staff knows what’s scheduled. In order to review and edit, please schedule 48 hours out, or more.
Scheduling/Programming: The daily featured CC is scheduled for 1 AM (Pacific Time). Subsequent posts are scheduled at two-hour intervals, beginning at 4AM. Note: The timer works on the 24 hour day. Feel free to schedule your CC any day that the 1AM slot is open on the Posts Calendar for a given day, but posts are always subject to be rescheduled for one reason or another.
Copyright/Legal Stuff: Since CC does not compensate its contributors, we do not have or claim an exclusive publication right to your work. As a courtesy, we naturally expect that you won’t be having the exact same work running elsewhere at the same time, except perhaps at a personal blog or such.
We do have an over-all copyright on what appears on our pages to protect others from stealing our/your original work and re-running it without permission. Of course, enforcing that is another story.
As to pictures from the web, here’s the general rule of thumb: since the vast proliferation of social media, original images posted on the web are constantly being reposted, often many times. The reality is that copyright for images on the web is essentially dead and unenforceable. It’s just how it is. Giving credit to the site where you found it is often irrelevant since quite likely that’s not even the original source. But if you really want to give image credits, help yourself, but not on the top image.
That’s the reality of how things have evolved with images on the web. Almost all the time, folks are actually pleased to see their pictures given exposure on a large site like ours. That’s a major reason they put their pictures on the web: exposure. In doing this for over fifteen years, I’ve never had a request to remove an image except for a couple of times, and that was in the early days.
Happy blogging!
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