Since I have no experience writing for magazines, I decided a good way to start would be to take the advice of my Wordsmiths colleagues: to write about what I know, and to do some research. I took a look around my house and discovered that I pretty much like the same things I did as a kid. Painting, crafts, cooking, learning about God, animals and reading stories. So off to the internet I went, searching for magazines that cover these topics.
There’s lots to discover on the internet including a site devoted to writers of children’s magazines called kidmagwriters.com. I found it to be a helpful source, with interviews of editors and art directors. The market guide, which has links to many children’s magazines, is a gold mine!
As I spent a few hours reading articles, checking out sites, and reading submission guidelines, I began to feel overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. I decided to narrow my search even further and concentrate on what’s available for kids ages 7-9, the age of my Sunday school class. This new criteria cleared my mind immediately and helped me to focus on finding appropriate magazines.
There are a few of magazines I need to study a little more, and I’ll tell you more about that next time. So for now, it’s off to the magazine stand to make a few purchases!
Contributed by Veronica Walsh
