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Writing on Faith
By Elisabeth Deffner
I’ve written on religious topics since I started my freelance
career more than 15 years ago, working my way into national
publications and, eventually, editing the monthly newspaper
for my local faith community.
So when I started pursuing a story with a faith hook that
would interest a wider readership, I pitched it to a magazine
whose readers would, I knew, appreciate the piece. The editor
agreed—and then she sent me the questionnaire they require
all writers to fill out. Name, address. House of worship,
pastor.
Writing for faith-based publication often requires more than
an outstanding resume. While not every editor requires his
freelancers to be card-carrying members of his own congregation,
first-hand experience in that particular faith community is
certainly a plus.
But where exactly does that put freelancers who belong to
other faith communities—or who don’t practice any particular
faith? Are they de-facto exiles from these particular markets?
They certainly don’t have to be. Freelancer Richard J. Bauman
says he’s sold his work to more markets outside his faith
community than inside it—and has even had reprint requests
that landed one of his pieces in publications representing
different faith communities.
How does he make it work? Sometimes it’s by evading the faith
angle entirely; as a regular contributor to Lutheran Digest,
for instance, the non-Lutheran writer most often covers
historical topics or writes humor pieces.
But for other Christian publications—including those
representing Free Methodist, Evangelical, and Mennonite faith
communities—he has focused on the Bible with great success,
writing scriptural commentaries, tips for applying scripture
to one’s life, and personal experiences with scriptural
tie-ins.
Faith is about opening doors, right? So don’t consider yours
a barrier to breaking into any faith-based market. Try these
tips instead.
1. Do your homework. You can turn off an editor with your
ignorance, as one freelancer did when blithely referring to
a Seventh-Day Adventist going to church on Sunday (the
Adventist Sabbath is Saturday).
2. Use the right tools. Many holy books—including the Torah,
the Quran, and the Bible—have been translated multiple times.
Check the writers’ guidelines of your target publication to
find out which translation is preferred. You may be able to
find citations from that particular translation online (for
instance, at www.biblegateway.com, you can access more than
two dozen English translations of the Bible, in addition to
translations in many other languages).
3. Remember your role is a writer—not a preacher. If you hope
to break into a faith-based market—and land regular assignments—
don’t try to turn your submission into a pulpit. A writer
isn’t likely to win fans among the editorial staff by trying
to convert the readers.
4. Consider alternatives. If you’re concerned about making a
slip-of-the-pencil mistake like the one referenced in tip 1,
try writing about something other than religion. Many religious
publications cover other topics, including personality profiles,
humor, food-related stories (that may include recipes), and
even health pieces. The first story I sold to Catholic Digest
was about managing a chronic pain condition.
5. Respect the rules. Some faith-based publications may work
only with writers in their faith community; don’t try to mislead
an editor into thinking you’re a fellow believer when you’re
not. Once the truth comes out, it’s sure to set you free—from
future assignments.
Faith is a fascinating topic and faith communities all around
the world work to help their fellow man. The stories are out
there, just waiting to be written. So don’t let your own
beliefs hold you back: knock on the door of this niche market,
and it may just be opened to you.
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