Has anyone tried writing???

[Ol'DanBoone]

Has anyone tried their hand at outdoor writing?  Im 28, and I would most definately consider myself nothing less than passionate about bowhunting.  Its what I think about all year long: turkey in spring, elk in september, and of course  beloved whitetails in autumn, and all the possible adventures the future may hold.  When seasons are in, and much of the time in between, all my spare time is spent on hunting.  I read piles of litterature, scout, SHOOT,day dream and fantasise, and of course im in the woods in pusuit of whatever is in season.
   Naturally, my wallet suffers due to my "addiction".  This, unfortunately limits my ability to take my passion further.  So, being a thinker and analytical type, ive concocted a idea to bankroll a little  extra cash to blow on hunting.
  Ill write outdoor articles!!!!  I love hunting, I love contemplating all things about it: hunting philosophy, history, strategy, the future, culture, etc.  In my mind, as I reckon it, it appeard yo be a good way to make a very modest amount of cash that would help off set things.
  But, this idea of course has its problems.  We exist in a time when the curreny hunting culture and climate are driven by the "industry".  To all you out there that are serious, thoughtful hunters, I dont need yo explain to you what a hurdle the "industry" could be for the average traditional archer, trying to get published in major bowhunting publications, and make a little dough while doing it.
  Atleast, this is what I think.  I mean, who wants to hear about a young guy who is rarely successful, and when he is its a doe, a jake or a cow elk?  What is" a guy to do??  Sure I could write those touchy, feely" articles about what hunting means to us, what direction its headed, conservation, ethics, and all that, but who in todays hunting culture want to read that stuff?
  Atleast, thats my perception of things, what say ye fellars???  Have any of you ever wrote articles and been published??  Would you want to read articles a guy hunting vast tracts of public land, for a whole season just to bag a single doe?  What did you write about?  What gave you you inspiration?  Have you further pursued your outdoor writing?  
  Id love to hear from any guys and gals on here who have written and had success at getting published.  Heck, id like to hear from anybody whas has written about their passion of bowhunting, period.  Let er' rip......

Thanks,
Hunter.

[fujimo]

good idea, and i think it has scope. and for what its worth, i will tell you what i like to read, and what i really dont cast a glance at. now this is totally personal, but i am sure others will chime in- maybe you can get a cross section of your target market.

i like to read about products- but even more so about projects that people have built themselves.
i love "how to's"
i like to tinker and build stuff- so its the attraction!!!- ie: how to do fancy cresting- easy ways to build an arrow straightener, make the ideal hunting sleeping bag- a hunting tarp tent with a stove, solo stalkers, how to build a tree stand, how to make a deer call and so on and so on- anything and everything trad archery related.
 short cuts and tricks on how to ...say glue an overlay on a bow. or where to buy the right fabric to build a good tent....

i like reading about far off hunts in exotic places- even if they are an interview, and not the authors personal hunt.- i love to dream!!

i dont care much for high profile personalities- i mean i respect all the archery greats- and have read a fair amt about them- but dont go out of my way to read about them.
really dont delve into deep philosophical stories about hunting ethics, philosophy etc.
 like all trad hunters , i have my own very strong set of codes and ethics- i know they will vary from others- but they are what make me comfortable and feel good about myself. i am at heart an environmentalist and a conservationist, yet still pragmatic- or so I believe    

anyway good luck with your venture- make sure to post links to the articles on here- so we cam find them and read them  

[BWallace10327]

I love to write, however for the time being I'm eyeball deep in empirical research analysis.  I don't believe readers are that into reading a hunting story or product review in proper APA format.

[Steve Kendrot]

There are several traditional magazines that would be a less competitive outlet than the big name mags. Traditional Bowhunter, Trad Archers World are two. Put something together and submit it. Ask for feedback. There are many traditional groups that have newsletters that are always in need of materials. May not pay, but good experience to hone your writing skills.

[centaur]

I have had a few things published over the years. Once you have a subject, quality photos are a near necessity for publication. How are your camera skills?
Test the waters in smaller publications, like Steve said, and know that rejection is common. If you have an idea for a story, query the publication that you are aiming it at before blindly submitting work.
Writing can be fun, but it is a hard way to make a living. The few that do are very prolific. But as a side hobby and a way to pay for a few goodies, it is not a bad plan.

[McDave]

All the well known magazines, such as Traditional Bowhunter, have their regular stable of writers, who contribute the majority of the content.  They are also looking for new talent, so if you're a good writer and photographer, and if you are writing about something that hasn't already been beaten to death, they might give you a shot.  If what you have written is well received by the readers, then they might give you another shot down the road.

However, if your writing skills aren't up to par, you might benefit from taking a creative writing class.  Same thing goes for photography.  For example, I'm considered an excellent business writer, because I can make my point clearly, accurately and unambiguously, but before I could transition that to writing for public consumption, I would have to make my writing more interesting and entertaining.

Imagine the difference between a true astronaut and a good science fiction writer describing a space mission: one would be accurate, but boring, while the other would be less accurate, but more entertaining.  The reason Traditional Bowhunter has a regular stable of writers who contribute the majority of their content is that they are known to be able to write things in a way that makes people want to read them.  A good example is Fred Asbell.  If he wanted to, Fred could write a more entertaining article about shooting arrows in his backyard than most people could about shooting a grizzly bear without backup.  Develop those skills, in addition to being there and doing that, and maybe you'll end up as one of their regular contributors too.

[randy grider]

Go ahead and submit some articles dont expect to get much if any money from it though. Writing is something to do because you like it, not a good place to search for a living.

[Jon Stewart]

As mentioned there are some good archery mags out there.  Primitive Archer is another good one to consider submitting an article to.

[kadbow]

I have had a couple articles published in TBM.  I just wrote a couple stories I wanted to tell. One about elk hunting and one about mule deer, both were successful hunts. Don't expect to get rich but it was pretty cool to get published.

[Sam McMichael]

I have only been published once (but not under my own name). I co-wrote a story based on a real situation that was published in... wait for it... wait for it... a psychiatric journal. Actually, it was a collaborative effort, but I did not include my name when it was submitted.

If I had a better repertoire of bowhunting adventures, I would give it a try. I have worked up a couple of decent items that I never got around to submitting.

In college, I was that weird guy who enjoyed writing term papers but did not like the research  required. Maybe if I became a writer, the research (costs of equipment and hunting trips) could be tax deductible. Hmmmm.

[Terry Lightle]

As was said above,not a lot of money in it usually,I have wrote a few and actually have one in the latest TradArchers World.Kinda neat to see it in print.

Terry

[Roger Norris]

Writing is a tricky thing...write what you know about. Nothing worse than a very young author trying to write from "experience". My advice is stick to topics that you can be an expert on.

I write some, but relatively little. I refuse to write about things that I feel I am not "expert" on.....which is damned little.

Good luck, it's a worthy endeavor.

[Jerry Russell]

Good advice above.  Stay within the boundaries of your true expertise and write from the heart when showing your passion of the sport. Get the parameters of submission before you write for each particular magazine to save wasted time and never believe you will make a lot of $$ doing it.

I absolutely love to write and I have been published a few times. I have never considered doing it for the money. I just love to share a story.

Good luck to you.

[Pat B.]

Perhaps you'd be better served by a second job to defray the cost of hunting..

Then write as time permits and see where it takes you..

[Mark Baker]

What has been said above is good advice.  I've been "published" numerous times....and rejected half again as many.  

Besides the tips above - writing from the heart and your OWN unique perspective - here's a few more....

Never inject your "expertise", but value your own perspective and recognize others.

Get good at being "to-the-point"...long, flowery descriptives are usually the first hurdle a newcomer must overcome...other than plain ol' bad grammer.

Take lots of pics - good quality ones - to submit with your article.  

Don't hesitate to "query" the publications about what they want/need, and go from there.

Just because an article is rejected one place, doesn't mean it won't fit in another.  Also, don't submit to more than one at a time.

[Ray Lyon]

Some good comments above. Especially about getting a second job instead of counting on writing.                

 I've had a dozen articles published now and a couple more coming out this winter. I've been published in Traditional Bowhunter Magazine (TBM) and TradArchers World (TAW); about equally.

Here's some thoughts based on comments I've received back from the editor's:

1) Take good pictures and lot's of them. Here's some tips posted by TJ Conrads from TBM recently on the TBM website:

 I'd like to outline a few other tips for good hunting photos. This applies to the magazine, our online galleries, or even the bulletin board at the sporting goods store. Keep in mind that not everyone who sees your photo is a hunter. Images of hunters straddling their quarry, animals hanging from a hook, or anything with motorized vehicles will not be accepted. Take a few minutes to follow a couple of guidelines and everyone will be happier with the results.
•Position the animal so the sun, if available, shines onto the animal's face.

•Tuck the legs under and sit the animal upright as much as possible.

•Trim away grass or brush to get a clear view of the animal and remove all blood, guts, arrows, and anything man-made (tents, motorized vehicles, etc.) from the picture.

•Push the animal's tongue back into its mouth or cut it off.

•If the hunter is wearing a brimmed hat, push it back and up so that his/her face shows in the picture.

•Get in close and fill the frame with the picture.

•Shoot both vertical and horizontal shots, and shoot lots of photos.
 
One of my rejection comments from Don Thomas at TBM was on a whitetail story. Don's always been straight forward with me. He said that they get hundreds of whitetail articles, so he/she with the best pictures wins (as well as a unique story). I'll say it again, as it's been said before, poor writing can be fixed by an editor, but poor pictures cannot. I generally spend an hour on pictures putting them together after deleting the poor ones for an article and lot's of time on top of that in the field taking photo's too. Any money I've made off my writing has been reinvested in camera equipment (and then some), however now I have nice equipment that helps take good photo's of both my hunting, family and kid's sporting events (a pro photographer can usually take a very good photo with low grade equipment, however top equipment doesn't guarantee a good photo). Learn to use your camera, whatever it is (I took a couple of classes at the local community college). Good photo's can be taken with a lesser quality camera. Make sure it's set on the highest resolution that it can be set at. This takes much higher quality photo's. Usually 6 megapixels is the bare minimum.  My camera takes at 18 megapixels. Don't worry about wildlife photo's, the magazine will purchase them elsewhere from professionals if they feel they need them for a story. If you have an old photo from 'print days', take them to a professional shop to have them scanned and saved electronically to send with the article. You want the highest quality you can get for publication. I've had a few stories with relevant photo's from the 80's and 90's published and this is the process I've used.  

2) Keep an open mind about rejections. You may think you've written the greatest thing ever and worthy of all kinds of awards. The editor's going to look at it from the standpoint of 'have we already published something on this topic before and is it something our readership will likely enjoy/find useful. Remember, they get lot's of letters to the editor, so they're going to have a pretty good pulse of what their readership is looking for.

3) Don't be flowery with your writing. Keep it simple and tell you're story. I've received several comments now that I could reduce my articles by 20-30%, so I really look at them with a critical eye now before sending them. TAW generally likes 1,000 word stories and TBM is generally in the 1,500-2,500 word story range.  

4) There are submission guidelines for TBM.  They're available by contacting them and they can e-mail them to you. Not following their guidelines is a good way to get rejected.  For TradArchers World, you can email story and pictures to Tom Colstad (his contact information is on their website).

So do you see where this is going??? The people you see in print a lot probably have made an investment and it's definitely not a way to make a quick buck, but is something they enjoy. If you want to tell a good story, by all means GO FOR IT.  However, keep the above in perspective, if you want it to go beyond one or two articles.

And two more comments.  If you've told the story here or on another website, it will probably not get published. Magazines would like some exclusivity to what they're purchasing. Also, don't send your materials to everyone all at once. Pick a magazine and send your materials off, if it's rejected, then it's fair game for another, but it's poor etiquette to send it to several at the same time.

Cheers,

Ray Lyon

[Roger Norris]

Jeez Raymond. ...that post was an article unto itself. ...  

[Ray Lyon]

Originally posted by Roger Norris:
Jeez Raymond. ...that post was an article unto itself. ...      

Nope, didn't have any pictures.  

[mparks]

Great stuff Ray.  Thanks for taking the time to post all of that.

[halfseminole]

I've written over a hundred theological treatises, a number of accepted physics papers and a published novel, and getting writing to pay is pretty difficult.  I write for the love of it-if you do it for any other reason the rapport with the audience won't be there.

I'm considering doing much the same.  I'm made of time these days after my forcible retirement and subsequent strokes.