February Updates

It’s officially cabin fever month – I know February always has me looking for spring. That’s probably why groundhogs are peeking out to try to rush the season along. Have you stopped writing 2009 on your documents yet? Me neither, but now that it’s February, we can’t get away with it so much.

I’m delighted to see some new magazines blooming in the new year. Have you checked out Berry Blue Haiku yet? Or how about Guardian Angel Kids? Peek into Inside Markets for more about these welcome new additions to the children’s magazine market.

Also In This Issue

Have you ever entered a contest? Did you get your entry out in time for the January deadline for Highlights? If not, don’t give up – there’s still plenty of time for Pockets. And if you want to know why you should consider contests, check out Laura Aldir-Hernandez great piece for In The Beginning to learn what some contest winners have to say about them.

Do you blog? Lately, I’ve been hearing that blogging is really the number one online thing writers can do to improve their “platform.” Check out In My Office for a look at Mary Nida Smith’s dive into blogging and what she found there.

Our wonderful Word Wizard, Naomi Downing has a great piece on the funny side of similes. Want to have some simile fun? I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.

Check out Fresh Ideas for some idea sparkers that burst forth from this month of love.

In this month’s Technique piece, Kelly Fineman shares another fantastic poetry form, the Clerihew. This lively fun form sounded like a huge editor pleaser to me, since it combines nonfiction poetry with silly fun. What could be better than that?

And if you feel especially inspired, why not share an article about your writing journey with your fellow magazine writers? We’re always open to new material so just drop us a line.