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| How do you become a writer for a musky magazine? |
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Posts: 1451
Location: Kronenwetter, WI | Why? Writing for magazines is usually a by product of being successful in other endeavors like guiding and conducting seminars. Writing is a means, not an end. |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | There are professional outdoors writers out there. If you are still getting your education, LOTS of communication/writing/journalism classes would be great. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | muskie kid - 4/16/2009 5:33 PM
How do you become a writer for a musky magazine?
Write. Haha. |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | Catch a lot of "BIG FAT GIRLS" and they'll be running to you...... |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Write a bunch of articles/stories and submit, submit, submit and then submit more. The worst they can do is say no thank you. |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | First of all, I think you need to be an experienced muskie angler. This will be the basis of your writing and necessary to draw on for content. Contact the magazines and request their writer's guidelines. Then submit, and if you're shot down, hopefully the editor will include notes on what you need to work on.
JS |
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Posts: 1220
| Couple of things: First, the number of pages available for editorial content in a print publication is a mathematical relationship to the ad pages sold. These days of recession means that less ad pages result in less space for articles and that means it will be a bit harder to break in. Having said that, there is nothing more fearful to an editor than the blank page. That's why you see some really dumb stuff appear in the newspaper that is known as "filler." This is always a reminder that the editor must simply find something now and again and if your manuscript is laying around--it just might find a way into print. Musky fishing, on the other hand is such a unique and specialized narrow field that it would make no sense at all to include material from someone who has not made some sort of a name for him or herself. As a guy who once published a paper in a different sort of sport, I would suggest spending a whole lot of time on both your fishing and your writing so that when your fishing makes you noticed, you will also have the skills to sound that way too. |
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| I agree with some but disagree whole heartedly with the "catch a lot of big fish" comments. It takes much more than that to get an article published in a magazine. I know many guys that catch a lot of big fish, but have struggled getting their stuff in a magazine.
First and foremost you have to have a good grasp of the english language. There is nothing that an editor hates more than getting an article that he or she has to spend many hours on correcting gramatical errors.
I think another big thing is to have material that is cutting edge. Nobody wants to read about burning bucktails over the weeds to catch muskies. The last article I had published was about an offbeat tactic that is putting a lot of fish in my boat that not many people are utilizing.
Finally, whatever you choose to write about, make it entertaining! Nobody wants to get bored reading your stuff!
If you have something in mind, write the article and submit it!
John |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | Steve and John hit on the head what I forgot to mention.
The editors I work with absolutely LOVE it when an article is submitted technically sound, means they can focus on things other than basically re-writing the article. Have a very good grasp of the language arts, and make it entertaining, no one wants to read stereo instructions.
I read a great book a few years ago called "On Writing", by Stephen King. The book is an autobiography of his life as a writer and the countless rejection notices he recieved for many years before catching a break. A very informative and entertaining read that I would highly recommend.
JS |
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Location: Sun Prairie, WI | Pointerpride102 - 4/16/2009 10:34 PM muskie kid - 4/16/2009 5:33 PM How do you become a writer for a musky magazine? Write. Haha. Yeah, real classy. Way to keep someone encouraged and make them want to come here for advice and guidance. Real smart! |
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Posts: 425
| were is the best place to submit?
Edited by 50"skie 4/17/2009 8:26 PM
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| 50"skie - 4/17/2009 8:20 PM
were is the best place to submit?
You can submit to any of the muskie mags. also you can write about other things... I highly recommend the "Nick Adams" stories by Hemmingway...they are pretty great short stories about outdoor life in Michigan by one of our greatest writers...Lots of opportunity to make a living writing, you just need to get your work out there...good luck it is a fun endeavor.... |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | I agree on the not having to be an expert angle. Sometimes just a great story about a specific experience or trip is a good read. Take the last article in Musky Hunter last month, the author was no expert. However, to get regular work you either better have a lot of good stories, or else be pretty proficient at catching them and write well also. |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | You know, writing is a passion of mine that I enjoy sharing with others. It's not about gaining approval from anyone, it's all about feeling so passionate about what we do that you have to relieve yourself by getting it on paper. Sharing is the best part. I never write to impress anyone with big words, I simply love the idea of someone being able to place themselves in your story/article as if they were watching a movie. . . or acting in it. I've only submitted one article, and that was just recently so we'll see where it goes. The main focus of most magazines are how-to articles, but there's only so many how-to's in musky fishing before it gets repetitive. The bonus, in that respect, is seeing the focal point of a repetitive article from different angles I suppose, but I definitely think it's a relief to read a good story once in a while.
Good luck to you. I'm in your boat.
Edited by Sam Ubl 4/18/2009 12:03 AM
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Posts: 80
Location: Clintonville, Wi | There are lots of people that have written articles that don't necessarily catch alot or really big fish all the time. |
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| I'll toss out this perspective: it probably depends on what kind of articles you hope to be contributing the the magazine. You should be fairly knowledable and have some experience on the subject that you're writing about. Beyond that, as we've all observed by various writers or speakers---some have a more interesting style of presentation than others.
But as for the question you asked, it seems reasonable to me that if you have an interst in writing for a particular Musky magazine, then just make some contact with them by phone, mail, or email and ask them what avenues are available for submitting an article for consideration. |
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Posts: 11
| Pick up a copy of "Writer's Market" in the most recent year available. It lists all the magazines looking for freelance writing and also outlines a generic target audience, what they want, and how much they pay. |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | As a person involved with ESOX ANGLER magazine, I can tell you to get the writer guidelines from the editor of the magazine you wish to write for. Most have open writer policies. But don't forget, the editors make all of the decisions when it comes to the material.
Some dont's:
1. Don't use a thesaurus for every big word. It may translate like you did so.
2. Make sure everything you write is original. Don't rewrite something you have already read.
3. Don't blatantly promote - ex. I set the hook on my trusty GMX90RTX9'r IM12 Graphite composite noodle series rod after the beast ate my custom color Nickel Perch Poopie tail by Joe Poopie in Beaver falls Minnesota phone number -####### - It was tied on to a moose wire leader by Blah blah blah.
Those are sure ways to not get published.
Ways to get published:
1. Original ideas - Ground breaking if possible.
2. Check Facts a 100 times, then once more.
3. Great images with articles really do help.
4. Articles with legitimate scientific research are huge.
Good luck! |
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Posts: 13
| Great pictures can go a long way. Also, if you just want to write an entertaining story, you don't need to be an expert (or pretend you are one). An interesting and entertaining story could also go in something like Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. I think other states have may have similar magazines. Give it a shot - the worst that could happen is that you get turned down. As somebody else also mentioned, request guidelines from editor of the magazine. There is no one better to ask than them. |
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How?