But I Want to Write Books! Why Should I Write For Magazines?

Yes, why should you write for magazines?  Here are a few reasons.

1.  It hones your writing skills.  You have to be precise when writing for magazines and get to the point of your story.

2.  It looks good on a writing resume.  Agents and editors who see success with magazines know that you have experience.  It can help your query letter stand out from the crowd.

3.  It helps give you a boost when you're feeling depressed about writing.  Turnaround time on queries is much faster.  Magazines sometimes (but not always) give feedback on your writing.

4.  It's good practice.   Short stories are like a practice run.

5.  It's  fun.  After I got my first acceptance from a magazine, I felt like I could do anything and ended up getting a dozen more before the year was out. 

6.  Some magazines pay extremely well.  Not all magazines pay, but either way, you'll have a writing credit.

7.  It looks good on your website.  Imagine having a whole page full of writing credits for prospective agents and editors to see. 

Now, where do you find these magazines?  Here are a few helpful sites.

1.  Children's Magazines:  http://www.evelynchristensen.com/magsA-E.html

2.  Speculative Fiction:  http://marysoonlee.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/mag.html

3.  Literary Magazines:  https://www.everywritersresource.com/literarymagazines/

4.  All Categories:  https://www.christopherfielden.com/short-story-tips-and-writing-advice/short-story-magazines.php#ShortStoryMagsUSA

5.  Classified/Calls for Submissions:  https://www.newpages.com/classifieds/calls-for-submissions

These are just a few of the hundreds of links I've found.  In the future, I'll be highlighting a specific magazine and talking about what they like and my experience publishing with them.