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Writing Fillers for Fun and Profit

by Rebecca Livermore  
11/21/2006 / Writing

After many years of squelching the gift of writing within me, I decided to give it a try. I figured a good place to start was a Christian magazine I read regularly. As I picked it up, flipped through it, and read the bios of the various authors, I became disheartened. It seemed that in order to write for that magazine you had to lead some big ministry, be the author of numerous books, and have some type advanced theological training. Unfortunately, the only thing I possessed was the ability to write and a heart for ministry. Apparently that wasn't enough.

I was about to give up in despair when close to the end of the magazine I found a section of short articles. In the middle of that section were the words all writers long to hear: "GET PUBLISHED!" They were looking for short, practical articles on a variety of subjects. Since the articles were short (less than 400 words), no query letter was required. Good thing, since all good query letters include the writer's qualifications to write the article, and I was decidedly unqualified in a traditional sense.

I immediately sat down, wrote an article, said a quick prayer, and promptly dropped the article in the mail, along with the required SASE. Then, not knowing what else to do, I waited.

About six weeks later, with trembling hands, I opened that familiar-looking SASE, only to find that my article had been rejected. Thankfully, before I could become too depressed, I read words that only fueled my desire to write. The letter stated, "Due to the fact that we recently purchased an article on the same subject, we cannot accept your article. However, you certainly have the right feel for our magazine. Please let us hear from you again!" They didnt have to tell me twice! I immediately sat down, wrote another article, and mailed it.

Again, I waited. Four weeks later, I once again found an SASE in my mail, this time, with a publication contract rather than a reject letter! And so began my love affair with writing short articles, bits of advice, quizzes, etc. known as
"fillers."

In almost any magazine you pick up, youll find fillers. They may be short articles, practical bits of advice, jokes, quizzes, recipes, or cartoons. One thing they all have in common is that they are short.

Although fillers may not be the most prestigious thing to write, they are worth considering for the following reasons.

1. Publication opportunities abound for filler writers.

2. The odds of acceptance, especially for newer writers, are much higher than they are for full-length articles.

3. They seldom require time-consuming research, and since they are so short, often result in high payment for the comparatively short amount of time they take to write.

4. They help you learn how to write tight, since you have no room to waste words. Writing tight is a skill that is usefully in other types of writing as well. You may as well develop that skill by writing fillers!

5. They open the door to "bigger and better" things. Writing fillers helped build up my list of publishing credits, connected me with other writers and editors, and got my foot in the door with more than one magazine.

6. They can provide consistent income while you are working on longer pieces.

Here are a few things to keep in mind to help you successfully write fillers.

1. Find as many magazines as you can that accept fillers. The best way to be consistently published is to submit as many fillers as possible. You can only submit so many fillers to one magazine, so diversify as much as possible.

2. Study the fillers in the magazines you want to submit to. Notice the style, common themes, etc. Slant your fillers to the magazine you plan to submit to.

3. Read the writer's guidelines if available, and follow them to the letter. For instance, if they say the word limit is 250 words, don't think you can get away with writing 350 words.

4. As soon as you submit one filler, start working on another one. This helps pass the time while youre waiting to hear back on the first one, and helps soften the blow if your first one is rejected.

5. If a filler you write is rejected by one magazine, look through your list of magazines that accept fillers to see if perhaps you can submit it somewhere else. You may need to tweak it a bit to get it to work well for a different magazine, but that can be easier than starting from scratch.

6. Dont limit yourself to Christian magazines. Other interests such as parenting, gardening, household management, or any number of hobbies provide good experience and material for fillers that aren't specifically Christian.

Below is a partial list of magazines that accept fillers. Some of the magazines listed below do not have writer's guidelines on the website. Those magazines may require a bit of digging for you to find information on how to write for them.

Have fun as you delve into the fun and profitable world of filler writing!

ALIVE!
www.missionsalive.org (I did not see writers guidelines on this site.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, word puzzles, cartoons, quizzes, short humor.
Pay: $2-$25

ALIVE NOW!
www.alivenow.org (There is a link for writers at the top of the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Short articles, 300 500 words.
Pay: $50 and up

ANGELS ON EARTH
www.angelsonearth.com (A link for writers guidelines is on the homepage, on the bottom left.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, 50 250 words.
Pay: $50 - $100

BIBLE ADVOCATE
www.cog7.org/BA (A link for writers guidelines is on the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Poetry, facts, prose, quotes.
Pay: $20

CELEBRATE LIFE
www.all.org (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: 75-200 words with a pro life slant.
Pay: $10

CHARISMA & CHRISTIAN LIFE
www.charismamag.com (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Book and music reviews, 200 words.
Pay: $25 - $35

CHRISTIAN HOME & SCHOOL
www.CSIonline.org (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Parenting ideas, 100 250 words.
Pay -- $25 - $40

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
www.brainerd.net/~hapco2 (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, facts, quotes, 150 words.
Pay: $5 - $20

CITY LIGHT NEWS
www.calgarychristian.com (Click on Contact to find info for writers.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, cartoons, jokes, short humor, newsbreaks.
Pay: $30 - $50

DISCIPLESHIP JOURNAL
www.discipleshipjournal.com (There is a link for writers guidelines on the homepage. There are two separate sets of guidelines. Choose the DJ Plus option for the short articles.)
Types of fillers: DJ Plus articles on missions, evangelism, serving, discipling, teaching, and small groups, up to 400 words.
Pay: .25 per word

DISCIPLESWORLD
www.disciplesworld.com (There is a link for writers guidelines on the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, short humor, quotes, cartoons, up to 200 words
Pay: $10 - $50

ECLECTIC HOMESCHOOLING ONLINE
www.eho.org (I didnt see writers guidelines on this site, but under the contact link, there is a specific contact for articles.)
Types of fillers: Various columns and departments, all 350 words.
Pay: $35

FAITH AND FRIENDS
www.salvationist.ca (Click on the Magazines link for guidelines.)
Types of fillers: Recipes, quotes, games, jokes, cartoons, 50 words.
Pay: $25

THE GEM
www.cggc.org (Click on the Communications link for guidelines.)
Types of fillers: Various types, 25 100 words.
Pay: $5 - $15

INDIAN LIFE
www.indianlife.org (I did not see writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Quotes and short humor, 50 200 words.
Pay: $10 25

LEADERSHIP
www.leadershipjournal.net (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Ideas That Work, To Illustrate (sermon illustrations), short humor, cartoons, up to 150 words.
Pay: $25 - 50

LIVE
www.radiantlife.org (I did not see a link for writers guidelines on the website.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, prose (200 700 words).
Pay: .10 per word, or .07 per word for reprints

LIVING
www.churchoutreach.com (There is a link for writers guidelines on home page.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes and short humor, 100 200 words.
Pay: $20 - $25

MATURE LIVING
Email: [email protected] (Guidelines available by email.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, cartoons, word puzzles, up to 50 words.
Pay: $15 40.

MATURE YEARS
[email protected] (Guidelines available by email.)
Types of fillers: Anecdotes up to 300 words, cartoons, jokes, prayers and word puzzles, up to 30 words.
Pay: $5 25

NOW WHAT?
http://nowwhat.cog7.org (The website has a link for writers, but the only info is for full-length stories. A contact email is available.)
Types of fillers: Quotes, prose, anecdotes, facts, 50 100 words.
Pay: $20

PRAY!
www.praymag.com (There is a link for writers guidelines on the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Ideas on prayer, 150 500 words.
Pay: $25

PURPOSE
www.mph.org
Types of fillers: Anecdotes, short humor, cartoons, 300 600 words.
Pay: up to .05 per word

SEEK
www.standardpub.com (Click on Information Desk on the homepage for writers guidelines.)
Types of fillers: Short humor, jokes, and ideas.
Pay: $15

STANDARD
www.nazarene.org
Types of fillers: Word puzzles.
Pay: $20

TODAYS PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL
www.pe.ag.org (There is a link for writers guidelines at the bottom of the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Devotions, seasonal, current issues, Christian living, how-to articles, 50 200 words.
Pay: $20

VIBRANT LIFE
www.vibrantlife.com (There is a link for writers guidelines at the top of the homepage.)
Types of fillers: Facts and quizzes, 50 500 words.
Pay: $25 100

WAR CRY
www.salvationarmyusa.org
Types of fillers: Inspirational anecdotes, 200 500 words.
Pay: .15 - .20 per word

THE WAY OF ST. FRANCIS
www.sbfranciscans.org
Types of fillers: Prayers, prose, anecdotes, facts, cartoons, up to 100 words.
Pay: $25 50

Copyright by Rebecca Livermore, a Christian speaker and writer from Denver, Colorado. Her passion is helping people grow spiritually. To read more of her articles, visit http://www.rebeccalivermore.com or her AC page at http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/60801/rebecca_livermore.html .

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