Tips for inspirational writers
Published: November 30, 2007
In the January 2008 issue of The Writer, Carolyn Campbell wrote about the inspirational market in "Writing to inspire." Here is some more information from her:
The editors interviewed for "Writing to inspire" offer the following suggestions for inspirational writers:
Look for a story that touches you. "Our writers often are ghostwriters. If you don't think you have a story, ghostwrite for someone else," suggests Rick Hamlin, executive editor of Guideposts.
Find the heart of the story. Meg Grant, West Coast editor of Reader's Digest, says to look for the emotional experience of the subject that others can connect with. "Look for universality of experience and human connections. Real people. Real stories. We also do look for stories that haven't been covered massively by the media," she adds.
Read inspirational writing. It's the best way to learn about inspirational writing. Study the magazines you'd like to write for to get a sense of their style, advises John Richard Williams, staff editor of Angels on Earth.
Skip the sermonettes. "Every once in a while, a pastor will submit an article, and within a few paragraphs, I can tell that I'm holding a printed version of Sunday's sermon." David Tank, editor of The Lutheran Digest, says. "It may have been a great sermon. But sermons don't make great reading."
Pay attention to theology. If a magazine is affiliated with a specific faith, pay attention to the theology of the readers for whom the magazine is published, Tank advises. "At The Lutheran Digest, we receive a number of excellent articles that revolve around the moment the writer or subject of the story 'found Jesus as his or her personal savior.' " While that may be the perfect story for many inspirational magazines, it's not going to end up in a publication aimed at Lutherans, says Tank. |