5 Magazine Markets for Children's Writers

I've had a lot of fun writing occasional articles for magazines during the last few years.  It's a great way to practice writing, build a resume, and get professional feedback.  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the magazines that have published my work.  The only draw-backs to writing for magazines include the long response time (it can take months to hear a reply) and the fact that you still have to deal with rejections (sigh).

You can submit work to many magazines for children, but here are five that accept (and some encourage!) online submissions.  These five also offer varying amounts of pay for accepted/published manuscripts.  Perhaps, if there is a lot of interest, I can do another post like this in the future.

Now, five magazine markets that will accept submissions of articles for children online (and pay you for accepted/published work!):

Listen Magazine.  This magazine shows teenagers a positive way of life without drug and substance abuse.  Queries are encouraged and email submissions are allowed.  A theme list and more information is available on their website.

Stories for Children Magazine.  This award-winning, online ezine publishes fiction and non-fiction for children three to twelve years old.  Email submissions are required.  Learn more about writing for them on their website.

Odyssey Magazine.  Part of the Cricket Publishing Group, this magazine focuses on science content for children between nine and fourteen years old.  Queries are required and may be submitted online.  For more information, visit their Submission Guidelines.

Friend Magazine.  Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stories in this faith-oriented magazine are often based on real experiences and written for children three to twelve years old.  Past issues and content can be viewed online and manuscripts can be sent on speculation through email.  For more information, visit their website.

Yes Mag.  This science-oriented magazine for kids and teenagers prefers queries before manuscripts.  Emailed queries are accepted.  They prefer Canada-related material.  For more information, visit their website.  Note: They seem to only be accepting material from Canadian authors at the moment.

Editing Exercise and Blog Awards

Editing can be a beast, but this writing editing exercise can make it a bit more exciting.  I'm calling it, The Chopper!  Follow the steps and enjoy the freedom that comes from detaching yourself from your writing!


The Chopper:

1.  Start with your manuscript for a picture book, article, or one chapter from a longer work.  Write down the total words.

2.  Cut the total words in half.  Yes, you read it right...in half!  This is your target word count.  Write it down!

3.  Start chopping!  You will need to chop because just plucking a word here or there won't do it.  You can always add things back in if you feel like you've changed too much, but wait a few days.  Do you really need that description, that conversation, or that detail?  Remember your goal is to show as much as possible with as few words as necessary.  It's  a lot of fun to see how different your work can be when it's forced down to half the original length.  It's also good practice to help train yourself to be able to say more with less!

Let me know how it goes!  I'd love to cheer for you!


In other news...

I want to shout out congratulations to Jo and Dawn for taking on the 50-Word Challenge last week!  I totally enjoyed their stories!  If anyone else wants to try it (just for fun!), feel free--I rarely close comments!


And now, for some awards!

Last week I received two blogging awards!  Stuff like this brings out all sorts of silly grins--it brightens my day and makes me want to learn how to turn cartwheels!  I am delighted to pass them on, too!

First, thank you Abby at Something To Write About for the 7 x 7 Award!  Her blog is full of wonderful posts related to writing and things that might interest writers. 

For this award, I choose a blog post for each of seven categories...so, here you go! 

MOST BEAUTIFUL:  Beating a Fear of Success 

MOST HELPFUL:  Writers, How Well Do You Know Your Audience?

MOST POPULAR:  eReaders For Kids

MOST CONTROVERSIAL:   Lessons/Morals in Picture Books

MOST SURPRISINGLY SUCCESSFUL:   P is for Al Perkins

MOST UNDERRATED:  What Do Kids Read?

MOST PRIDE-WORTHY:  Dreaming Big

I would like to pass this award on to the following blogs: 
The Writing Nut
Wavy Lines
Kelly Polark

Next, thank you to Elizabeth at Elizabeth Anne Writes for the Versatile Blogger Award!  Elizabeth writes in many genres and has lots of information for writers on her blog! 

For this award I tell you seven things about myself!  So, here you go:

1.  I signed up to run a half-marathon in February on the beach!  Woo hoo! 

2.  I love to try new things...especially food!  This week, I've tried three new recipes and loved them all...Mmmm!

3.  I'm slightly germaphobic.  I used to be extremely germaphobic, but then I had a little boy who seems to desperately want to cure me. 

4.  I have a small in-home daycare.

5.  I'm a serious science nerd.  College only encouraged me. 

6.  My favorite places in China are probably gardens, Yellow Mountain, and the Great Wall area.  It's no coincidence that they're all outdoors.

7.  Laughing makes me happy.  Life is funny.  It feels good to laugh about it.

Well, there you have it!  I'm going to pass this award on to the following bloggers: 
 (note: Original Versatile Blogger Rules say to pass this on to 15 others...but, since I'm versatile, I'm passing it on to 5!)


Lauren Boyd
Imagine Today
The Restless Writer
Of Thoughts and Words
Children's Books Heal

50 Word Flash Fiction Contest

Yes, you read that right!  Last week this blog reached 100 followers.  To celebrate, I'm hosting a small Flash Fiction Contest!  It's easy, it's fun, and there are prizes!  Here's how it works: 

To Enter:

1.  Write a 50-word (or less) story inspired by this picture:

Photo Credit

2.  Leave a comment on this post with your entry.
3.  Entries must be "Family-Friendly" or, in other words, "G"-rated.
4.  Make sure I have a way to contact you!  If your email is on your blogger profile, great! 
5.  Entries will be accepted until Thursday, September 15th at 6:00 am CST!

Prizes:

1.  Winner will be highlighted in my October's First Friday Blogger post and receive a $5.00 Amazon gift card!
2.  Runner-ups will be highlighted in subsequent First Friday Blogger posts!

What is a First Friday Blogger post?  It's a new meme I'm beginning to share the blogging love and get to know my followers better!  On the first Friday of each month, I will highlight a blogger with interests in the world of children's literature. 

Judging:

Judging is 100% completely subjective.  I will choose my favorite story.  I will also choose the runner-ups, based on which stories I like the best. 

A contest... First Friday Bloggers... I'm very excited!  I can't wait to read your stories!

Like a Bar-Headed Goose...and Other News

Today I have three bits of news for all my writer-friends!

#1: My New Favicon is a Soaring Bar-Headed Goose!! 

There's a good reason why, too.  I was tired of seeing Blogger's "B," and I wanted something that would be inspiring to me and anyone who happened to be visiting my blog.  Bar-headed Geese are probably the highest flying birds on the planet.  Every year they battle high winds, low oxygen, and other weather extremes to migrate over the Himalayas!  I want to be a high-flying, fear-stomping, stellar type of writer who doesn't mind tackling a few mountains on a regular basis!

Close-up of a Bar-headed Goose!

#2: Rachel Harrie's Writers' Platform-Building Campaign Has Started!! 

I have already met many other writers with interests similar to mine, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.  If you're interested in learning more, visit her here.  Today is the last day to sign up to join the campaign, which runs through October.

#3: More Than 100 of You Are Following This Blog!! 

Thank you so much!  I can't tell you how happy it makes me to think that I'm not just talking to myself, that some of you might actually find the things I say useful, and that there are other people like me with similar hopes and dreams (and blogs!).  It makes me want to celebrate...so, next week I'll tell you how I plan to celebrate!

Creating Characters for Picture Books

Character-driven picture books are in demand, but how do you make the space to introduce a character, share his/her story, and create a decent plot in a couple hundred words? 

Every author will find a personal method, but here's a few tips I'm working with: 

* Know your babies!  You, the author, will know far more about your characters than your readers ever will.  You will know their passions, weaknesses, greatest fears, and proudest moments.  You don't have to put it all in your book (you can't!), but knowing them may just bring the story you're looking for onto the computer screen.

* Kids (and editors) like character-driven books because they relate to the main character.  Reading the book makes them feel something.  Emotions and feelings are powerful!

* Challenge your main character.  Tension is good.  Don't make the solution too easy.  Remember you're relating to young children.  Life can be downright hard sometimes.  Challenges do not always disappear in less than 32 pages, even for children living relatively comfortable lives. Today, for example, my four-year old said "Good-bye" to her grandma (who she won't see for at least 2 more months), had to leave some "beautiful, special flowers" outside where the "wind might blow them away," had to cope with her brother putting a scribble on her masterpiece, had to wait for a turn (several times!), had to share toys and games she didn't want to, had to play outside while it was hot, and lost her computer privileges when she didn't mind.  Remember the world from a child's point of view--what seems like a minor inconvenience to me can be a very stressful situation for preschoolers.  And they want to see that in their books.

* Learn from the best!  Fancy Nancy and Mr. Duck Means Business are two fun examples. 

Free Writing Conference: WriteOnCon!!

WriteOnCon is currently in session!  I have been learning from industry experts and other writers all week...for free!  I'm heading over there now, but thought I'd give them a shout out just in case you haven't heard.  There's still live events until Thursday, but here's a few of the highlights so far for me:

* Live events with industry experts!
* Brilliant articles posted hourly on the blog!
* Forums for query critiques and critique partners!
* Everything is online!  (This is a huge plus for me and my crazy schedule.)  

In case you're too busy to join them live, they're saving all events and articles...you can catch up any time.  If you're able, they'll take donations.  Otherwise, they're offering everything free.  It's an amazing opportunity--I feel like I've learned so much already. 

Changes

As the summer is ending, I find our schedules changing...again.  It seems like our schedules change significantly every 3-4 months.  These are good times to consider priorities and goals.  I have two projects that I'm putting away for a while and two new projects that I'm beginning.  My fingers are crossed and my hopes are high for my new ideas!

I've been enjoying the Bird's song Turn! Turn! Turn! lately.  The world keeps turning and there will be a time for all the good things I want to do.  Here's the first verse:

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time for every purpose under heaven

Do your schedules change with the seasons?  the school year?  anything else?  Do you have any new projects or projects that need a rest? 

Scenes v. Summaries

I've been learning a lot from Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul lately.  I was lucky enough to win it during National Picture Book Writing Week and have thoroughly enjoyed working with it.  Today, I wanted to share one little tool that applies to picture books and (ahem) non-picture books.  It's about choosing when to write a scene or a summary. 

A scene is like a line by line from real life...the story you would expect to see in a movie or on a stage.  A summary skips the details and quickly tells you what happened. 

Ann explains that scenes do one of two things: move the plot forward or reveal something new about your characters.  If you're writing a scene that does neither of those things, cut the scene and summarize it.  If you're summarizing a move in the plot, slow down and take the time to write a good scene. 

I immediately began thinking of the scenes that I've enjoyed reading: Katniss shooting the apple at the game-makers feast, Mat Cauthon using a quarterstaff to beat a small army, Nancy tripping over her sparkly parfaits, and many others.  They are all full of action and either move the plot forward or teach us something about the characters. 

Writing a scene is a lot more work than writing a one or two line summary, but it is so much more fun to read.  Are you up for a challenge?  I'm so excited to try writing some scenes that I can't wait to finish posting this! 

A Little Something For You

There are days and weeks (and sometimes even months) when the demands of life simply refuse to let me blog.  I know you've all seen them!  I will catch up with my normal blog-reading as soon as possible (I miss you all terribly already!), but in the meantime I thought I'd leave you with a few gems from Mother Teresa:

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired."

"It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy."

Have a wonderful week!

Mama Says...

Writing prompts are a fun way to let your mind exercise and relax at the same time.  Today I'm joining Kelly at Write With Pictures for her Wednesday writing prompt.  Kelly posts a variety of regular writing prompts that are unique and engaging.  Today, for example she is using this picture as a prompt for a 10-word only writing exercise.  I absolutely love this picture!!   Below is my response.  What do you think she's saying?

photo from National Geographic

"Don't make me come out of this lake.  That's it."