Have you had trouble following through on magazine theme lists or editorial calendars? If you're like me, the answer is a big YES!

I'd request theme lists and, sometimes when they arrived, they'd spark an idea or fit a story I'd already written. But, too often I left them to look at later. By the time "later" came, I had missed deadlines. I'd wail, "but I had an idea for that topic!" Sometimes in my stack, I found editorial calendars and theme lists that were months or even a year out of date.

One day I decided I'd had enough. There had to be a better way. So I gathered together all my theme lists and began organizing. Here's what I devised:
For each magazine/take home paper, I record the name of the magazine, audience age, word length, topic deadlines, and a summary of the topics. I use a table in my word processor and have the computer sort the information by deadline date, but it could also be done on 3x5 cards or on separate pages of a notebook. Each magazine in my table has an entry for every deadline date on the theme list. This could mean one topic per entry or many topics. The final entry for each magazine is a reminder to order the next theme list. (And, I still file my theme lists--I might need more detail than what's in my table.)

Here's a selection from my original chart:
*those marked with an asterisk buy all rights

When a deadline is past, I delete the entry. And, of course, when new theme lists arrive, I add the new information and resort the table.

I knew organizing would help me focus on topics with earlier deadlines, but what I didn't realize, was that looking at all the topics together would have other benefits.

First off, it was easy to see which magazines were looking for similar material. Ah ha, maybe that story on will work for two or three or four editors.

Secondly, I now have a reminder to write for a new theme list. It's nice to get new theme lists before half of the deadlines are passed!

But perhaps most important was how it freed me up for inspiration. For at least a year, I'd had a note hanging around my desk that said "a story on mailbox bashing." I knew I wanted to write something on this form of vandalism, but each time I looked at the note, it got reshuffled into the stack. But the day I organized my theme lists, one of the topic suggestions combined with my mailbox idea and immediately I wrote the first draft of the story. The very same day another theme list topic jumped out and I knew I could use my daughter's recent fear for a springboard for that story.

I still don't always meet theme list deadlines with this method, but now that lists don't just gather dust on my desk--or stay in some forgotten directory in my computer--my chances have improved tremendously.

Anyone else have methods they'd like to share? (Click on the title if you don't see the comment box.)

Do you remember? The agony of that boy or girl not "liking" you? Arguments with your parents about homework, or who you were going with, or curfew? Zits and feeling awkward? The joy of getting your driver's license? If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps you should consider writing short stories for teens.

Teenagers still have the same basic problems: wanting acceptance, striving for independence, peer pressure, etc. The trappings may have changed, but it doesn't take much to get up-to-date.

The first important thing to do is: hang around with some teens. If you have teenagers living in your home, this should be easy. But if you don't, there are many places you can observe and listen to teenagers:
- Organizations such as clubs, associations and church youth groups
- A local middle school or high school
- The mall or a local fast food restaurant
- Sporting events
Making friends with teenagers, will get you an even closer look at the problems in their lives. In addition, talk to adults who have teens in their lives: your neighbor, a school counselor, a youth pastor, etc.

Next step, check out the magazines written for teens. There are high paying ones such as "Seventeen" and "Boys' Life" and ones like "International Gymnast" and "Thrasher" aimed at a specific audience. Religious publications for teens vary from glossy magazines to skinny church take-home papers. Read the magazines, get their guidelines and, for some, request theme lists.

When you look at these magazines, notice the following:
- The audience.
Is this magazine for younger teens or older teens? For boys only? Or girls? Is it for sports enthusiasts?
- Does it do fiction? If so, how might you need to tailor a story for this market?
A teen magazine may want an inner city setting. Another wants no reference to dating. Let sample copies, the market book and guidelines be your guides.
- Morals.
Is this magazine avant-garde or conservative? In the religious market, be aware of how much "Godly living" or "religion" each magazine shows. In any case, don't preach.
- Rights each one buys.
Some magazines purchase "all rights," but many buy "first" or "reprint rights" and others buy "one-time rights" or "simultaneous rights." A story written for one place may be salable to another and another depending on rights purchased.
- Themes and deadlines.
Some theme lists are very specific; others are more general. Either way they can kick off story ideas for you. Just remember, stories to fit an entry on a theme list must make the magazine's deadline to be considered.

After you've finished your research, your mind will probably be brimming with story ideas. Choose one and get down to writing.

Keep focused on one problem per story. I have to ask myself, "what is the major issue I want to deal with in this story?" And then not let myself get side-tracked.

As you write, think teenagers! Is this a problem a teen would have? Is this a place a teenager would be? Is this how they would say this? If you get stuck, ask a teen for help. Ask them what they would say or do. If you want to use slang, either use what's current--and know what it means--or use something that sounds slangy but doesn't come from any specific generation.

Also, as you write, think which youth magazines might like this story. Make yourself a list of the potential markets for each individual story.

A lot of work writing short stories for teens? Yes. But there are opportunities for sales and satisfaction in doing the job well. The ultimate reward though is teenagers reading your stories.

"Writers, it's getting close to the new year. Do you set goals? Forget dropping pounds. Pound out more words." James Scott Bell

His tweet is so apropos. Just Tuesday on #kidlitchat people were discussing their 2011 goals and it reminded me that I needed to assess my 2010 writing goals and create 2011 goals. Last year I was fortunate to have a writer friend challenge a group of us to come up with a list of goals and due dates and bring them to a meeting. (Thanks again, Heather!) We learned from each other and revised our goals. Here's the general outline of mine, post meeting:

EMAIL, TWITTER
- Don't read until afternoons - Monday through Friday

NOVELS
- Keep my two completed novels out until someone is willing to represent one of them. I listed novels and had lists of agents I planned to submit to
- Finish rewrites on mg mystery and get it out by end of year
- Complete first draft of YA WIP by certain date
- Complete first draft of boy mg WIP by certain date

PICTURE BOOKS
- Get pb revised and submitted by certain date

SHORT STORIES and ARTICLES
- Submit 2 magazine pieces each month

BLOG
- Post minimum of 1 article per month
- Post 2-4 book reviews each month

WEBSITE
- Make the following changes to my website

I could have added my twice a week writing appointment and my monthly critique group meeting, but those have become engrained through years of habit. I also am an instructor for ICL and have weekly student assignments, but since they come in email and by UPS, they are hard to forget.

The Whys and How My Goals Worked

Email, Twitter
- I'm strongest and best at writing in the morning, so besides a quick check on when/where my writing buddies and I are meeting, I wanted to cut down the time spent on those easier tasks. Not as successful as I'd like, but at least I had the frequent reminder of my goal.

Novels
- I'm not a speed novel writer. Probably because I work on too many projects at once. But I know from my years of experience that works for me. Still I thought goals might speed me up and keep me on task.
- I determined one novel needed lots more rewriting, so I quit submitting early in the year. Haven't gotten to rewriting.
- The second novel kept going out until I heard Deborah Halverson (aka Dear-Editor) talk in LA at the SCBWI conference. Now I'm going through it with her Ultimate Novel Checklist. (If you get a chance to hear her speak, jump on it!)
- Finish rewrites on mg mystery - not done
- Finish two WIPs - neither is done, but I definitely made more progress

Picture Book
- Got it rewritten and sent out. No response. Got professional critique at conference in September and was told I had two stories. Light dawned. Must rewrite. When I get good idea on how best to do so . . .
- In November I got an opportunity to submit a picture book based on a fable on spec to a Korean publisher doing ESL. Wrote, submitted, revised by specifications, got contract. Still working on revisions. Asked to do other projects for them on spec - in progress.

Short Stories, Articles and Blogs
- I've been more successful in the past selling short stories and articles than I have in the last five years. If I don't write and submit, I can't sell them. I have stories written that have never been submitted. That needs to change.
- I created charts of the months where I recorded the number of submissions/posts in each category. Was I 100% successful in 2010? No. Was I more successful than in 2009? YES!
- I blog on my website for several reasons - it's a good way to add content, I have things I like to share about writing (they make a great place for me to refer other writers), and I enjoy sharing books I like/love. Oh, yeah, and it's fun. This one is the most easily measurable. I increased posts by 16 in 2011. Some book posts mentioned multiple books.

Website
This was at the bottom for a reason. I made more pressing changes. Asked for help on harder ones from my computer experts in the family. Some are done and some aren't.

Overall

Was I over optimistic about how much I'd get done in 2010? Unfortunately, yes. Will I continue with goals in 2011? Oh, yes. After revising.

I learned for my Works-in-Progress that I need to make those goals more tangible. For 2011, I plan to list where I am in the novel at the start of the year--probably by word count since chapters get combined or inserted. Each month I plan to see where I am in word count. I think it will point out how much I am progressing or not.

I didn't write it down, but I also had weekly schedule goals. Usually they were:
Monday - finish up student assignments
Tuesday - write or revise WIPs
Wednesday - get ss and article submissions ready and/or sent out, work on blog posts, do general writing recordkeeping
Thursday - write or revise WIPs
Friday - work on student assignments
This year I think I'll write those down, too.

Some writers have word or page count goals per day. Others have a goal of finishing a chapter in a certain amount of time. Illustrators might have a number of paintings or sketches to accomplish in a certain time. What matters is to have what in the business world of project management is called a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. A goal such as "get an agent" isn't really under your control. A goal of "submit so many queries to agents by this date" is under your control and measurable.

I also think we writers need to be flexible in our goals. Writing a picture book on spec was not one of my goals at the beginning of the year. Revising the two novels yet again were not my goals. But the former resulted in a sale and the latter is going to make them so much better.

Another goal I may include for 2011 is which craft books I plan to read this year. I have this list, but don't get to many. Writing it down will give me a better chance. I already read some helpful writing magazines and list serves on a regular basis. If you don't, you might want to put that on your goals list. Speaking of lists, a new article was recently posted on goal setting for the new writer. Check out "Lists That Motivate!" by Amy Houts. It's specifically aimed at ICL students, but definitely has some good points.

So are you ready to set your own goals?

Write them down and share them with someone. Throughout the year share how you each are doing on meeting your goals. Don't use it as a chance to beat yourself up at what you've missed, but an opportunity to encourage yourself to press on.

You're welcome to share your goals here, too. (If you don't see the comment box, click on the title above and it should show below this text.)

After a recent discussion about story ideas, I decided to come up with this list especially for the children's magazine writer. So here you have it: 22 places to find story and article ideas.

1. Theme lists. Many magazines post the themes for future issues. Market books and guidelines will tell you which magazines have theme lists or editorial calendars. If you can't find the list online, write to the magazine.


2. School calendars and newsletters. What special events are happening at your local school? What topics are being discussed by the principal, teachers, or the PTA?


3. Find out what kids are learning. Ask your kids or a teacher what topics are being studied. Check out some home school curriculums. Some teachers and/or schools have blogs. Does yours?


4. Study the stages of childhood. Learn about their fears and desires. A good site for both this and the previous topic is http://www.education.com/all-topics/. And, of course, there are books about this subject.


5. Observe kids. Go to the park, a play area, a mall, a fast food restaurant. See what they are doing.


6. Listen to kids ask questions. An easy place to find what older kids want to know is at http://answers.yahoo.com/. They'll be asking about help for homework, what to do for a birthday party, how to take care of a pet, and much, much more.


7. Find out what kids think. Children have opinions on many topics. Here's a site that shares kids' favorites: http://www.imbee.com/discover/grooves.


8. Read what kids write. Check out the high school newspaper. Some elementary classrooms put out school newspapers, too. Or here's a website where children share their writing: http://www.stonesoup.com/sample-issues/.


9. Volunteer. Schools, churches, organizations often need volunteers for a variety of events that involve children and teens. Your experiences may inspire you.


10. Listen to adults talk about kids. People complain, tell funny stories, relate accomplishments and failures about their own kids and/or about the kids they work with.


11. Hobbies and recreation. Would kids be interested in what you're interested in? Very possibly. Especially if you can look at it from a kid's viewpoint. But what else are people doing?


12. Local newspapers. Read reports on school projects, special things kids have done, sporting events, etc.


13. Try writing prompts. If it is one for adults, such as this one: http://www.writersdigest.com/TipsPrompts/, think about how a child could be on the scene and what his or her part in it might be.


14. Read magazines written for children and teens. What's being done? What's missing?


15. Don't forget the past. Yours especially. What incidents from childhood are engraved in your memory? How did you feel? Is it something that could happen to a kid today?


16. Check out "today in history." Some newspapers have a section on this topic and many websites do as well. http://www.answers.com/ also includes birthdays.


17. Diaries and letters. Libraries and museums have historical documents that you can read.


18. Look at pictures. Stills and videos both. There are many online sources of pictures, such as flickr, google, morgue file for the former, and of course, a favorite for the latter is you-tube. You may discover a setting or place, a picture of your next character, or an event you want to write about.


19. Go to an art gallery. Are there pictures that evoke emotion or a memory?


20. Learn something new. Take a class, try a sport or a game, a new food. Do something outside your normal routine.


21. Step outside your comfort zone. Go somewhere that you are one of the minority or feel you don't fit in. Go to an event you think you'll dislike or don't understand why others like it. (I'm not saying where you know you'll be bored.)


22. Attend a children's writing workshop, conference or retreat. It's amazing the ideas generated around other creative minds. When a group does writing exercises, the variation you'll see is incredible.

Not only will you track down ideas, you'll have some fun doing it.