Editor Interview: Pure in Heart Stories

Family-friendly work

Well, we're a little biased, but we love Heart of Flesh Literary Journal--- this is our sister-site geared toward a more mature audience. Within literary magazine publications for teens and children, we are often inspired by how creative kids can be in magazines such as Stone Soup, and we aspire to be the Christian-version of Stone Soup one day.

Unlike most other literary magazines for children and teens, we are founded in a Christian-worldview. We love children and families, we love stories and art, and we love Christ. We aim to combine these passions into a publication that is a safe place for kids, while still upholding quality and thought-provoking material. We also want to encourage young talent.

Give us something fun! Or something thought-provoking, well-edited, and intriguing. We love work that is exciting, as well as Christ-centered.

The first word that comes to mind for the ideal submission would be --- colorful. Whether it's a piece of artwork, a poem, or a story, we want something that feels alive, vibrant, and full of emotion. Something that draws us in because it is so interesting to look at or read.

What I see go wrong isn't really about the process, but more about the submission itself:
Sometimes we get a story or poem that makes us feel like we're in school --- it tries very hard to teach or preach, and makes the reader feel like there will be a test at the end of the lesson. We don't want that. We want a good story or poem that will demonstrate Bible truths, and illustrate them. This is very different than, say, a straight forward dialogue between a parent and child about right and wrong. There is a place for that kind of work, but at Pure in Heart, we want more imagination and storytelling.

A short cover letter is always appreciated, mostly so we get an idea of who you are. Previous publication credits don't matter, per se, but it is nice to know where a submitter is on their publishing journey. If a submitter is under 18, we would like to know their age (we publish this information with their work), and we take their age into consideration when reviewing their work. It is also nice to know where a person is from (state/country) because we receive submissions from all over the world and we find it very interesting!

We try to read every submission at least twice before making a final decision. However, there are times when we can tell within the first few paragraphs that a piece is not a good fit. Our advice: try to grab us in the first paragraph. Too much build-up before the story will most likely end in a rejection. Also, remember your audience. A story where the protagonist is a middle-aged man/woman with no kids working a 9 to 5 job and having trouble at work is most likely not going to resonate with kids and teens, so these kinds of stories are also clear rejections.

With every piece, we ask ourselves: will this resonate with a child/teen? My daughter, who is the co-creator, is crucial in this process, since she is still a kid and can give that perspective. She (sometimes along with my other two children) is the final test for a piece before acceptance.

We do basic proofreading and light copy editing. If more substantial edits need to take place, we contact the author. The author is able to view their work and approve the final edits before the issue is released.

We are primarily self-funded. Pure in Heart is a labor of love! We also receive a small amount from selling print issues, which we use to help cover costs.

We promote authors and artists through social media, on our Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts.