Seems to me that I'm going to have better luck placing a story if they are actively looking for what I'm peddling. Some journals do a special themed issue or two a year. Some, like
Thema, are all about writing about a particular concept. [Like "The box under the bed," deadline: March 1, 2008.]
When I'm on the hunt for a home for one of my pieces, I often drop by Duotrope Digest's frequently updated
Theme Calendar. It's a concise and clear listing of pertinent calls for submissions. It's organized by deadline date, and each listing is linked to a Duotrope page that gives you more info about the publication in general.
Anthologies Online's monthly
Writer's Wanted section is also a good resource. Anthologies are pretty much themed collections, whether by subject matter or the geographical location of the author.
Also consider checking out these sites when you are looking for inspiration. Find a theme that interests you and write something for their deadline. Nice to have a specific external goal to aim for.
While I have you, let me mention that in general
Duotrope Digest is a great online resource. You can click on the Home/Search tag at the top of the page to be shown random markets, or you can enter details about the type of writing you are looking to place.
In addition to links to the actual submissions requirements pages of the journals they list, they also collect and share statistics regarding average turnaround times, personal responses, etc. You can create a free account and use Duotrope's system to keep track of your submissions, simultaneously contributing to their statis collection.
[p.s. It worked for me once. My piece "Tools for Living" appears in the anthology at the top of this page. Yeah, expect some shameless self-promotion here. And tell me your success stories, too please!]
