When I first started my freelance writing career, I let one of freelance writing’s most lucrative markets escape me because I ignored the potential of the inspirational and religious markets.

Then it struck me. I’ve had many inspirational and/or spiritual times in my life. They were, and still are, all around me. I don’t even have to look for them. So, why am I not writing about them?

I began listening to, and observing, those around me–mostly family (with particular emphasis on grandchildren), but also friends and even complete strangers. I journeyed inward, recalling some of my most personal thoughts and prayers. I sifted through all my life’s happenings, searching for those moments that were meaningful, the ones that others could relate to. I came up with a well that has never gone dry.

Over the years I’ve written hundreds of these inspirational/religious/feel-good pieces. I recently had two small inspirational pieces (each less than a full-page) published. One, for True Confessions, was about a kind and gracious woman who spent more than an hour driving me around an airport parking lot looking for my lost car. That piece earned me $85. Another, for Mature Living, a magazine with a strong Christian slant, published my inspirational about something my four-year-old granddaughter said while the two of us were driving through Mississippi only days after a series of tornadoes struck the state. That piece earned me $65. I’ve written pieces on everything from a poignant moment watching my two tiny granddaughters swaying in time to the lively soundtrack of a children’s video to my reflection upon my father’s troubled life and its impact on our relationship.

Here are a few of the bonuses I discovered while writing inspirational/religious pieces:

1.) They’re fun and easy to put together.

2.) You don’t have to be “religious” in the traditional sense of the word to write one.

3.) There are literally loads of inspirational/religious publications to write for (many general consumer magazines can be included)–denominational and non-denominational alike.

4.) Most pay exceptionally well for just a few words.

Barbara Weddle has had articles, book reviews, stories and service pieces published in more than 200 magazines, including CONNECTING . . . SOLO TRAVEL NETWORK, THE MISSOURI REVIEW, CHICAGO LIFE, THE DOLLAR STRETCHER, WRITERS WRITE, THE WRITER and others.

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