Writer's Guidelines
for LifeTimes Catholic eZine

LifeTimes Catholic eZine is a weekly electronic publication designed to spread the Good News and minister to people online.  The articles are published by ParishWebmaster.com on its own Web sites, on Affiliate Web Sites, and on the Web sites of Parishes that subscribe to the Content Subscription Service.  Readers can subscribe to the ParishWebmaster.com version of LifeTimes or to a version customized for a subscribing Parish Web site. 

All of the articles must illustrate solid Christian values, and we prefer that they specifically make reference to our Christian Faith, though this is not a requirement.  Although LifeTimes is written for a Catholic audience, we accept submissions from other denominations.  In most instances, however, the content of the articles must be in agreement with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the teachings of the Magisterium.  In particular, inferences to sola scriptura will be edited or removed before publication.

Topic Areas

Weekly Reflection   These articles are reflections on a theme or themes taken from each Sunday's readings, as listed in the Lectionary for the United States. 

Articles by assignment only.  To be considered, please contact Brandon Jubar:
<editor_wr @ parishwebmaster.com>

Catholic Catechism   These articles attempt to expound upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church and apply such teachings to our daily lives.  They may also be a discussion of theology using layman's terms, but should not be argumentative apologetics. 

Articles are by assignment, but queries are accepted.  Please send queries in the body of an email to:
<editor_cc @ parishwebmaster.com>

Faith & Spirituality   We recognize that there can be a distinct difference between Religion (or Faith) and Spirituality.  People can be intensely spiritual without being Christian -- and they may have no religious affiliation at all.  These articles are intended to draw faith and spirituality together, showing how our Christian values and beliefs can spiritually enhance our lives.

Unsolicited manuscripts accepted.  Please send full manuscript in the body of an email to:
<editor_fs @ parishwebmaster.com>

Family   Articles can be on anything relating to family.  Topics could be on marriage and spousal issues, raising children -- different ages offer many possibilities -- elderly parents, dealing with abuse or dysfunction, et cetera.

Unsolicited manuscripts accepted.  Please send full manuscript in the body of an email to:
<editor_fa @ parishwebmaster.com>

Self-Improvement   Most people spend most of their time doing things other than praying, reading scripture and attending Mass.  These articles examine other aspects of our lives -- from office politics to time-management skills -- and integrate Christian values into suggestions on how to improve in different areas.

Unsolicited manuscripts accepted.  Please send full manuscript in the body of an email to:
<editor_si @ parishwebmaster.com>

Teen Issues   Whether or not teens want to believe it, most adult were teens at one time too.  These articles are written by adults, for teens.  They can be on virtually any topic as long as they are written in a down-to-earth style.  Do not preach.  Do not tell teens what they should do.  Talk about the issue, share an event from your younger years that illustrates your point, explain your opinion, and even suggest possible courses of action.  Tie-in Christian values, or Church teachings if appropriate.

Unsolicited manuscripts accepted.  Please send full manuscript in the body of an email to:
<editor_ti @ parishwebmaster.com>

Teen 2 Teen   Adults do not always give teens enough credit.  They are often full of wonderful insights and learnings, and many are wise beyond their years.  These articles are a way to allow teens to minister to their peers.  The articles are written by teens, for teens, and they can be on virtually any topic.  The best articles tend to be those that are based upon a personal experience.  Tell the story, explain what you learned, and tie-in Christian values.

Unsolicited manuscripts accepted.  Please send full manuscript in the body of an email to:
<editor_t2t @ parishwebmaster.com>

General Guidelines

Editorial Policy

The articles for LifeTimes Catholic eZine are published every Monday.  The various editions of the eZine are distributed on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We currently publish over 300 articles a year -- with an editorial staff of one.  Because of this, there is no time to work with each writer in order to polish an article.  ParishWebmaster.com reserves the right to edit submitted articles to prepare them for publication.  When the editing needed to make an article appropriate for publication is too extensive, the writer is notified that the article does not fit our needs.  If time allows, suggested changes are communicated to the writer.

Compensation

At this time, we are unable to pay for articles published.  However, the following non-monetary remuneration is available to contributing writers:

Writers who do not have their own Web site will be provided up to five Web pages on the ParishWebmaster.com Web site.  These pages may contain biographical information, samples of other writing, contact information, and a small picture of the writer.  (Page size is limited and all pages are published and controlled by ParishWebmaster.com.)

Writers may submit a press release that will be sent via email to Catholic Newspapers nationwide (approximately 200 email addresses).  The topic of the press release must be newsworthy and written in the proper format.  One press release will be allowed per article published.  However, ParishWebmaster.com reserves the right to refuse distribution. 

Questions?

Please send them to Brandon Jubar <bjubar @ parishwebmaster.com>

Contact Me

To submit queries or completed manuscripts, please send an email attachment as a TXT, MS-Word or RTF file, to:
<bjubar @ parishwebmaster.com>