Writing is different from preaching.

One of the main reasons articles are turned down for religious publications is they are too "preachy." Good preachers are not frequently also good writers. The reason? The two mediums are very different. They are different in several ways. I'll share one obvious one here.

This is an oversimplification but it will help you get the picture. In writing, you cut, cut, cut; you can never cut enough. In preaching, you add, add, add; you can never add enough—even after the sermon begins. At least this is how sermons used to be and how they are still in many traditional churches. You can't afford extra words in writing. You don't have a captive audience. Draw them in, get to the point, and give them a great conclusion.

And don't write it like you'd preach it.

Manuscript Review Questions

This excellent advice is from "From the Editors" in a 1993 edition of Leadership. Editor Marshall Shelley wrote that four questions are applied to every manuscript submission:

1. Is it Christian?
2. Is it true?
3. Is it significant?
4. Is it well-written?

These would be good questions to consider each time you submit a manuscript to a Christian publication.

Make timely submissions.

Timely submissions of magazine articles are crucial. September is too late to submit an article to be considered for Christmas. Seasonal articles should be submitted at least 9 months in advance. January or February would be even better for a Christmas article.

Be familiar with periodicals you submit articles to.

If you submit an article to a periodical, understand the periodical and its audience. Do your homework and familiarize yourself with any periodical you submit to. Editors hate it when you submit articles that don't fit their publications. Don't waste their time ... or yours.