I grew up with an aunt who, even though, she did not finish school, had a great love for reading. She kept stacks of magazines and comic books in her attic. During summer, my hideaway was her attic. Time stood still for me in the attic as I get engrossed in stories and enchanted by behind the scene details about celebrities.
It’s not surprising then that my first writing job was as a staff writer for a lifestyle magazine. It was a short stint, but I really learned a lot of things. Aglow Christian Magazine had just been out in the market for a month or so when I applied as a writer. I was a nervous neophyte but ambivalently, I was also eager to write just about anything. Looking back, I am thankful that I was given the chance to do just that. I interviewed celebrities, wrote cover stories, features, fillers, devotional, how-to-articles, and even restaurant reviews.
Writing for the magazine enabled me to express my God-given creativity and to communicate a Christian perspective. Years later, I would appreciate even more the value of a magazine that communicates the gospel when I saw my ten-year-old daughter reading a magazine. A few minutes later, I saw her crying, still holding the magazine. I asked her why, and she answered, “I just realized…I need Jesus Christ in my life.”
God can use a magazine and its magazine writers to proclaim the good news. As we magazine writers seek to hone our skills, we can be more effective messengers of glad tidings. Magazine Training International will be holding a conference in Manila, Philippines on Writing Effective Magazine Articles from October 4-7. I am privileged to be one of the trainers. For details about this course and inquiries on registration, please visit http://www.magazinetraining.com/UpcomingConferences/mticonf_Writers/. Hope to see you there!
