To flavor this feel-good monthly with your freelance pieces, combine honesty and humor to convey wit without snark, says Amelia Mcdonell-Parry in this recently updated How to Pitch. "Chicken Soup for the Soul magazine is like your new best friend," [senior editor Amy] Lorton says. The magazine's philosophy is not to be a sappy one-dimensional tearjerker, but to have depth and character beyond the motivational niche. "We are going to make you laugh. A lot of people are surprised by that," she says. The stories Chicken Soup wants are more than just a benevolent act by a good person. "There are a lot of good people out there," Lorton says. "So it has to be something that really grabs our attention and goes above and beyond 'I give one percent of my sales to charity' or 'I volunteer 20 hours a week.'" Don't pitch fiction. And contrary to instinct, most of the FOB is written in-house, so avoid most of that. Pitch via email.