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NASOW
Newsletters of The
North American School of Outdoor Writing
Newsletter of The North
American School of
Outdoor Writing
Newsletter of the North American School of Outdoor Writing
"ROGER BRUNT"
Subject : Re: reduction in tuition cost for the North American of Outdoor Writing
Greetings from Salt Spring Island on a beautiful spring day.
Just a reminder that the cost of tuition for North America's only Outdoor Writing Course, normally $999, remains at $888 for *two more weeks only *April 30 2007. If you are interested in this very special offer, please let me know so I can hold a spot for you. All the best, Roger Brunt Founder
Dec. 2006
Storm after storm has been sweeping in off the Pacific. Fortunately, most do not bring snow, just lots of wind and rain. We call these storms The Pineapple Express because they come all the way from Hawaii—now, right at the shortest day of the year in all this rain and gloom, Hawaii’s sunshine doesn’t sound so bad.
Please welcome new students Jessi Bell in Terrace, B.C. and Susan Arbouw, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I look forward to working with both these writers, and getting to know them through their writing.
Thank you to Kevin Rhoades, Executive Director of Outdoor Writers of America. Kevin sent me a copy of OWAA’s Outdoor Reference Manual, a glossary of every outdoor term a writer is likely to encounter. Kevin also mentioned I have been a member of OWAA fir 17 years—wow!—seems like yesterday…
Congratulations to student Kent Dickens in Livingston, Texas. Kent has been accepted for membership in OWAA--smart move, Kent. Very smart move!
FREE MONEY FOR PUBLSIHED FREELANCERS
A REMINDER FROM GRADUATE STUDENT (2000) JUSTIN HOFFMAN
Hey Roger,
Greetings my friend! Just wanted to say - another great newsletter read. Really enjoy getting these, and they are tremedously helpful, even to a graduate student.
The writing and photography business is still going well. Enjoying my Field Editor position with Ontario Out of Doorss, which has brought on many new adventures, as well as great friendships. Currently Pro Staffing for two companies, namely HT Enterprises (ice fishing) and most recently Fin-tech (lure manufacturer). These two companies are leading to bigger and better things and I am optimistic that the future looks bright.
I wanted to send a personal thank you in regards to Access Copyright. In a previous newsletter from "way back," you had mentioned the importance of signing up for this free service. I did so two or so years ago, and religiously documented my publication credits. Never heard anything back, other than an information e-mail every couple of months. It was with great surprise, however, that I opened up the mail today to find a cheque for $467.53! This is my portion of the yearly payment that is shared between 6866 creator affiliates. Like everyone, receiving cash in the mail certainly starts the day off right!
Might be worthwhile to make mention of this program to your students again. It will take two years to receive your first payment, but it does in fact come, just like you had stated.
Congrats again on the course, Roger. It has certainly opened the door for me in so many ways...
All the best,
Justin Hoffman
TIP FOR ALL FREELANCERS
In the Writers Guidelines for Birders World magazine, there is a good bit of advice we can all heed.
It says: The worst queries we read come from writers who think only about what they want to say. The best come from writers who give thought to what our readers want to read. The editors go on to say: “We’re a family business and we consider our readership our Family of Subscribers. Furthermore, we consider our contributing writers a part of our family, too. We look forward to hearing from you!” …a very nice touch…
Kentucky Graduate student Charles Smick continues to thunder his way towards a very successful career as a part-time freelance writer. Writes Charles:
Hi Roger:
I thought I would drop you a note and say "Hi". I have been very busy with writing articles and photography shoots, both for articles and straight photography work.
I sold 34 articles this year, and several articles have been accepted for publication in a variety of magazines for next year. I sold my first article to a national magazine this year, BUCKMASTERS Whitetail Magazine. They have accepted another article and photos for publication next year. I currently have three articles into national magazines and I am writing for seven regional and state publications at this time also.
I am still working on completing the professional photography course through the New York Institute of Photography. It's a great course, and a good follow-on course to your outdoor writing course.
Thank you again for helping me make a dream come true!!!
Best Wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Your Friend and well-satisfied student,
Chuck Smick
From Montana writer-photographer graduate student Hobie Hare is busy helping out the Outdoor Writers Association of America find judges for the writing contest. He writes
Hi Roger,
Hope this finds you well, and getting ready for the holiday season.
I wanted to know if you could help get the word out that volunteer judges are needed to serve in the Camping/Backpacking contest for OWAA (Outdoor Writers Association of America). You do not have to be a member of the organization to judge, and it would be great to get some non-members' perspectives on the quality of the published work that members are putting out these days.
Could you run this request in your next newsletter, or alternatively, send it out to potentially interested parties? I am especially in need of persons who would feel experienced and qualified to evaluate submissions for the TV/Video and Radio sections.
If you know of anyone who might be willing to serve as a judge in any of the categories below, feel free to have them contact me and to put something about wanting to judge in the header in their e-mail to me. Thanks!
I am looking for judges to serve in the following sections: Newspaper Section ( 3 judges needed), Magazine (3 needed), Newspaper Outdoor Page (3 needed), Art/Photo (4-5 needed), TV/Video (3), and Radio (3).
Interested? The time frame and commitment would be that you would receive copies of submissions to read and score the second week of February, and they would need to be received by yours truly by March 8. You would be reimbursed for any mailing expenses, and your other reward would be a hearty thanks from someone who volunteered to coordinate the judging for all five of the above contests, plus some very excellent karma. If you are able to help judge, please also let me know your current contact info and mailing address.
Thanks again, Roger, for any assistance you can provide, and have a great holiday season and New Year.
All the best,
Hobie
Photographer and Writer
www.wildharephotos.com
P.O. Box 371
Bozeman, MT 59771
Grammar Grappler
In a recent column I wrote I was confronted with this dilemma:
Should I write:
At Cape Beale Light, there IS the remains of a fence that was erected…
Or
At Cape Beale Light, there ARE the remains of a fence that was erected…
Our Grammar Grappler Pennsylvanian John Swinton advises
Roger. You probably want the short answer, which is "the remains are" ("there" is not a subject). The longer and better answer harkens back to my bias against the false subjects "there are" and "there is." They reveal, first, a writer reluctant to get underway; second, a writer unwilling to find a lively active verb; and third, a writer liable to commit a grammatical error. Merry Christmas, if that's appropriate, and all the best for a Happy and Serene New Year. John
More Grammar:
...and this odd discovery..
I began a fishing article with this sentence: After a desultory morning trolling flatfish and flies with absolutely no results…
When I double-checked the meaning of DESULTORY to make sure I was using it properly—much to my surprise, one of the definitions for this seldom-used word is …of a circus rider who leaps from horse to horse…I’m still thinking about that one!
Adversity is a great teacher, so there’s nothing like a tight deadline with a National Publication to snap a writer to attention when a re-write is requested of a piece you thought was “in the bag.”
Writes Ontario student Chris Hockley:
Roger,
I have had a number of recent successes that have been incredible. Amidst
all of this was the first-ever returned piece of writing asking for a
rewrite. The piece was good... But not good enough for Outdoor Canada.
This has not hurt me in any way and I think that it's a positive that the
time was taken to explain to me what was wrong and why they wouldn't take it
as is. You read this piece before I sent it to them as did Bill Thompson, Executive Director of Outdoor Writers of Canada.
But who knew that it wasn't going to be what they were looking for...
All the points they made were valid and understandable. In fact I learned
more from the notes in that one article than I have since working on your
course. (Note to Chris—Now THAT’S a great attitude!)
The main point is that the first draft was too slow. It needed more
excitement and a catchier opening.
The rewrite of this article has been dreadful for me as I don't want to
disappoint the OC guys again...
Would you be able to take the time to go over it and make any necessary
suggestions? I am supposed to submit this tomorrow.
Many, many thanks in advance, my friend.
I hope to talk to you soon!
Bass wishes,
Chris Hockley
Owner-Blitzcreek Pro Fishing
www.blitzcreek.com
A freelancer’s opportunities are everywhere. Just ask Ontario writer/photographer student Dean Williams:
Good evening, Roger.
My lesson 10 is in the mail and should be in your hands by Monday.
Hope all is well with your family and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season from Ontario.
I forgot to mention in the package that the local golf course hired me to take some landscape photos for their Christmas card, and they also want me to take some winter shots to enlarge and hang in the lobby of the clubhouse.
Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Dean Williams
Atwood, Ontario
Student Elizabeth James in Vancouver B.C. writes with news of her first publication and pay cheque.
Roger,
I received my first cheque from Canadian Organic Gardener. I am awaiting the tear sheets. I'm working on the blueberry farm article (also for COG). My Glaucoma article is to appear in a Lower Mainland Senior’s publication - small fee but, again, the tear sheets will pad the portfolio. I'm updating the Victoria, B.C., Flower Count article in the hope of getting that published too.
Cheers,
Liz
Liz also writes:
While browsing for more magazines and guidelines, I found the following website: http://www.writers.ca/whattopay.htm It has some useful info for Canadian writers; thought you might be interested.
Liz.
More Student Publishing Success
From students Michelle and Jim Wiebe, in the Alberta Rockies:
Hi there, Roger.
Some good news – if you have a look at ‘Explore’ Magazine – page 25 I think – there is our small, but still our, piece about Cape Breton.
Cheers,
Michelle & Jim
As Founder of the North American School of Outdoor Writing, I am always keenly interested to know what students in the school think of the lessons. Here is a note from New York Graduate student William Lefebvre to a prospective student. Thanks for your kind words, Billy.
Hi David,
I am so glad you wrote. I would love to share my
experiences with the course with you. I wrote a story
and had it published well before the end of my course. It
was a story that was in the back of my mind for years waiting
to be written and published. Now to answer the questions
you have so far addressed, you will have more than
adequate time with the instructor Roger Brunt, before, during and
even after the course is completed, in fact he has come
to be considered a close friend of mine even though we have
never met. He was there whenever I needed him even when
I was deployed in the war zone at Baghdad International
airport in Iraq. I was worried I would not be able to
finish my course, but instead it flourished with and to
include my deployment. I had two works published that
had nothing really to do with the "outdoors" but rather the
war. I cannot think of any minuses or deficiencies in
this course other than I wish I would of taken it years ago.
Billy
I was pleased to see my article on Censorship entitled MUD ON THE WALL—COMMON SENSE AND A COUPE OF LAWSUITS PREVAIL was published in the newsletter for both Outdoor Writers of Canada and Outdoor Writers of America. It’s one of those unusual topics that generally don’t get much ink.
Prairie Writers Wanted
TJ Quesnel, publisher of the very successful Ontario Fishing e-zine, (where several students are regular contributors) is planning something similar for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. If you would like to write for TJ, contact him at duenorth@sympatico.ca
National Magazine Awards Submissions
From Outdoor Writers of Canada’s Don Meredith:
The National Magazine Awards Foundation is searching for Canada’s best in magazine journalism, photography, and design from 2006 and we need your help. We rely on partnerships with associations like Outdoor Writers of Canada to ensure that Canada's writers have the opportunity to submit their work. We request that you notify your members via email, newsletter, your website and/or other announcements of this year's call for submissions which opens December 1, 2006 and ends January 10, 2007. The 30th Anniversary Awards Gala will be hosted on June 15, 2007 at the Carlu in Toronto. The submission process, instructions and guidelines, a list of categories, and other relevant information are available on our website at http://www.magazine-awards.com. Please link to the site with either the attached ad banners or a simple text notification. We hope you will join us in making our 30th year the most successful yet for Canadian artists. Kind regards, Barbara Gould, Managing Director
National Magazine Awards Foundation, 416-828-9011
Hello Everyone,
OWC Corporate member Ontario Out of Doors magazine (Rogers Media) has sent me the following announcement that Ontario members might find interesting.
Yours in the outdoors,
Bill Thompson
OWC Executive Director
From: "Melissa Hammond" <Melissa.Hammond@ood.rogers.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2006 17:06:39 -0500
To: <outdoorswithbill@rogers.com>
Subject: Ice Fishing Tour Press Release
ICE FISHING SEMINARS PRESS RELEASE forwarded by Bill Thompson, Executive Director of Outdoor Writers of Canada.
Hi Bill,
I have attached press releases for a couple of the upcoming Ice Fishing Tours. Could you please pass on the press releases to some outdoor writers, it would greatly be appreciated!
I will send you more press releases as the events get closer. There is a list of all of the events including the dates and locations on the second page of the press release.
Thank you!
Melissa
<<2006 ICE FISHING TOUR PRESS RELEASE-Orillia.doc>> <<2006 ICE FISHING TOUR PRESS RELEASE-Ottawa.doc>>
Melissa Hammond
Sales Assistant
Ontario OUT OF DOORS
Phone: 416-764-1646
Fax: 416-764-1751
Email: melissa.hammond@ood.rogers.com
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Attn: News Department, Community Events/Calendar Editor, Outdoor Editor
ICE FISHING SEMINARS
SATURDAY, NOV. 11, 9 A.M. & 11 A.M.
TROMBLY’S TACKLE BOX
595 WEST ST. SOUTH, ORILLIA
(705) 327-3474
Winter is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean your fishing season has to end. Ice fishing is one of the fastest growing types of fishing in Ontario. In fact, Ontario is considered one of the world’s best ice-fishing destinations. Top hardwater anglers from all over the world come to Ontario during the winter to fish for walleye, pike, trout, whitefish, perch and crappie.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to get started or an experienced hardwater angler, you’ll learn everything you need to know to succeed on the ice this winter at one of the upcoming Mazda Ice Fishing Tour events presented by Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine.
The tour will be making a stop at Trombly’s Tackle Box here in Orillia on Saturday, Nov. 11. Ontario OUT OF DOORS writer and ice fishing pro Wil Wegman will host seminars at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. featuring great tips on gear and techniques. The event also includes hands-on demonstrations, door prizes, and great in-store deals. Every attendee will receive a free copy of the “Essential Guide to Ice Fishing in Ontario” from Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine.
The Mazda Ice Fishing Tour is sponsored by Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine, Lowrance, The Clam, Ice Armor, Fish Trap and the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alison de Groot
Ontario OUT OF DOORS
(416) 764-1789
alison.degroot@ood.rogers.com
Remi Trombly
Trombly’s Tackle Box
(705) 327-3474
trombly@tromblystacklebox.com
Complete Tour Schedule
Friday & Saturday, Nov. 3-4
Ramakko’s Outdoor Adventure Store
125 Loach’s Road
Sudbury, ON
(705) 522-8889
Seminary Friday 7p.m. & Saturday 10 a.m
Saturday, Nov. 11
Trombly’s Tackle Box
595 West St. South
Orillia, ON
(705) 327-3474
Seminars at 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18
JB’s Fishing Depot
24 Ronson Drive
Rexdale, ON
(416) 614-7222
Seminars at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 25
Natural Sports
1572 Victoria St. North
Kitchener, ON
(519) 749-1620
Seminars at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 26
Grimsby Tackle
515 Main St. West
Grimsby, ON
(905) 945-0399
Seminars at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 2
Fishing World Outdoor Centre
2411 Barton St. East
Hamilton, ON
(905) 573-2288
Seminars at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 9
Bass Pro Shops
One Bass Pro Mills Drive
Vaughn, ON
(905) 761-4000
Seminars at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
WANTED: Executive Directory of the Outdoor Writers Association of California
Dear Roger,
Perhaps you have someone in your files who may be interested in
submitting a resume for the position of
Executive Directory of the Outdoor Writers Association of California
(OWAC). This is a new position in our organization and we are looking for someone who will help us to grow as well as handle the every
day activities of our organization. Presently we have 150 members and
50 supporting members. Experience in the field of management would help. Outdoor writing is not a prerequisite, but contact in the outdoor field would be a plus.
Please review the document attached and let me know if you can help.
Thank you,
Shirley Miller
Executive Secretary
OWAC
PS: Should you know of anyone interested in this job, please have them
contact our president, Gary Graham bajafly@bajafly.com
…And thanks for all your work helping develop new outdoor writers.
ShirleyOWAC Executive Director
Job Description
Purpose of the Job: Establish a part time position to manage and direct the day-to-day affairs of a professional organization of approximately 175 outdoor communicators, supporting members and corporations, and to implement the policies established by its Board of Directors.
The Executive Director shall:
A. Edit and distribute OWAC email updates monthly and oversee the production and distribution of the newsletter, a minimum of four issues per year.
B. Provide a central office and PO Box and furnish storage for and maintain OWAC records. Maintain organization’s meeting minutes, policies, membership and financial records to be submitted to Board of Directors for approval.
C. Recruit New Members, supporting and corporate members. Support and assist members, and serve as a liaison among elected (officers?) leaders, committees, and others. Initiate membership renewal notifications for members and supporting members. Keep president informed about members’ views and problems.
D. Work toward achieving the OWAC strategic plan and mission by developing strong, positive working relationships with members, volunteers, the board, and supporting members. Initiate and maintain communication with OWAC members and leaders to foster an environment of inclusion and fairness in the activities of a diverse membership.
E. Manage public relations for OWAC including maintaining and developing files of tapes, articles, etc., for public relations purposes. Assist in public relations’ activities.
F. Oversee Volunteer production and content of all association publications, including the monthly email updates, OWAC News; annual directory [print and online]; and various brochures, manuals and handbooks. Work with volunteer committees to compile and maintain awards information, CA of Year info, elections, etc.
G. Manage all OWAC financial affairs. Be responsible for revenue receipts and expenditures and make timely disposition (as defined by Executive Committee) of all receipts and expenditures. Maintain corporate accounting records according to generally accepted accounting practices and provide financial statements monthly to the President, Finance Committee Chairman, and Auditor. These monthly statements shall include a complete record of OWAC financial activity, including but not limited to, photocopies of bank statements. There shall be no withdrawals from OWAC savings account or no transfer of funds from one account to another without the written approval of the President or Treasurer, which approval shall state the reasons(s) for such withdrawal or transfer. No OWAC account shall be closed or no account shall be opened without the approval of the Executive Committee. Will prepare a semi-annual and annual financial report and present it to the Board of Directors and General Membership as appropriate. The Executive Director shall be bonded for the maximum amount of assets within his (her) authority. Any one expenditure may not exceed $1,000 unless provided for in the budget. The President may authorize expenditures beyond this amount.
H. Coordinate with the Treasurer and Finance Committee; plan the annual budget, explaining assumptions and changes clearly. Present the budget for board approval. Provide forecasts and analyses of the organization’s programs and fiscal health. Give monthly financial reports to the Executive Committee, quarterly reports to the board and semi-annual reports to the membership. Control expenses to operate within the budget. Suggest ways to boost non-dues revenues and streamline costs. Invest assets consistent with association goals, board directives and bylaws.
I. Must attend all meetings of the Board of Directors with no vote at board meetings. Implement board policies. Alert and counsel leaders when these policies appear to contradict bylaws or past board directives. Assist the President as a key spokesperson for the organization and develop a clear understanding of the outdoor media so the diverse interests of members are fairly represented.
J. Serve on the Conference Site Selection Committee, which is responsible for obtaining and evaluating bids as well as inspecting all possible sites for the annual meeting. Assist with the planning of the annual conference and support the conference program chair. Oversee coordination of the midwinter board meeting. Oversee negotiations with host facility managers, vendors and corporate members to ensure smooth-running, cost-effective annual conferences and board meetings. Under the direction of the chair of the board, prepare an agenda for and attend all scheduled board and OWAC meetings.
K. While the President is the principal supervisor of the Executive Director, annually an evaluation of the Executive Director shall be made by the entire Board of Directors using MBO (Management By Objectives) system. A written summary of that evaluation shall be prepared by the President and shared with the Executive Director. The President and the Executive Director shall initial such a written evaluation confirming that each has seen and reviewed it. Such written summary shall be a permanent record of the performance of the Executive Director. Hire, train and supervise volunteers and outside contractors to serve the needs of the membership.
L. Additional “duties as assigned” may be agreed upon by the President and the Executive Director during the year.
M. Compensation for the Executive Director shall be included in an annual letter of agreement between the Executive Director and the Board of Directors. This letter of agreement shall be adopted by the incoming Board of Directors at their meeting following the general membership meeting at the Annual Conference.
And this, fowarded by Don MacLean of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia are the following opportunities for writers.
CONTESTS AND MARKETS
Twaddle Magazine: The Contest:
The best submitted piece with the words Dappled & Snack wins. Deadline: January 14th. For submission guidelines, visit: http://www.ryanbird.com/guidelines.html
The Poetic License Contest for Canadian Youth 2007 The League of Canadian Poets invites Canadian youth to participate in its Poetic Licence Contest. There are two age categories, junior (grades 7-9) and senior (grades 10-12). For more details and submission guidelines, please visit: www.youngpoets.ca Deadline: January 15, 2007.
Pandora’s Collective Poetry Contest
Hibernating with Words. Deadline Jan 15, 2007, Winners announced Feb 1, 2007. For full contest guidelines, please visit: http://www.pandorascollective.com/contest.html
Prism International Prism’s 20th Annual Short Fiction Contest. Entry deadline: January 31, 2007. For all the details, please visit: http://prism.arts.ubc.ca/
THE ROBERT KROETSCH AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE POETRY
Snare Books is pleased to announce the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry. The prize will be awarded annually to the best poetry manuscript by an emerging Canadian writer (a writer who has published two books or less). Each year the winning manuscript will be selected by an established poet in co-operation with Snare Books. This year's judge is Darren Wershler-Henry. The winner will receive a trade paperback contract with Snare Books which will include the publication of the manuscript and a $500 honourarium. Deadline is January 31, 2007. Each entry must be accompanied with a business size SASE and an entry fee for $30.00 Canadian. Please make all cheques payable to Livres Snare. No cash please. The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry, c/o Snare Books, #1A 4302 St. Urbain Street, Montreal QC, H2W 1V5. For more info: jon.fiorentino@gmail.com.
For an excellent and comprehensive source of information about writing contests and potential markets, may we suggest you visit www.placesforwriters.com. Barbara Fletcher maintains the site as a free resource to writers.
MARKETS
Toadlily Press is seeking poetry submissions for its next book. For details, visit: http://www.toadlilypress.com/sub.htm
Call for submissions for the initial issue (February 2007) of the Buenos Aires Literary Review, an English language literary magazine open to all genres based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They require first South American rights to any works and accept reprints, but please inform them where and when the work originally appeared. Payment is in contributor's copies. They are looking for Short Fiction (up to 6000 words), poetry and one-act plays. Submissions should be sent to editorbal@gmail.com . The website is under construction, but visit them at www.baliterary.com.ar after December 15th.
the travel itch is looking for non-fiction stories on international, Canadian and BC travel destinations containing 1500 words. For full details, please visit: http://www.thetravelitch.ca/guidelines.pdf
Misunderstandings magazine
Submission deadline for issue #5 is January 7, 2007. For submission guidelines for poetry and b & w artwork, visit: http://www.misunderstandingsmagazine.com/Submissions.htm
Ascent Magazine
A quarterly journal of yoga and engaged spirituality, publishes personal narratives on particular themes. Vision is the theme for Summer 2007, deadline: January 8. For more details, please visit: http://www.ascentmagazine.com/toc.aspx?issueID=31&page=read&subpage=current
Fieldstone
The Fieldstone Review, the online literary journal based at the University of Saskatchewan, is currently accepting submissions (poetry, fiction, creative non- fiction) for its spring 2007 issue. Deadline is January 15, 2007. Submissions will be paid (amount depends on funding). For submission information and guidelines go to: http://www.fieldstonereview.usask.ca/submissions.php (SWG)
Women and Work is looking for narrative accounts of how women define work. Submit a one-page prospectus and short bio to Melanie Springer Mock at: mmock@georgefox.edu. Deadline: January 15, 2007. Email for more details.
Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
www.writers.ns.ca
902 423 8116
Happy Holidays, everyone. It’s been a wonderful year, very much because of my friendship with all you fellow outdoor writers.
Roger Brunt rbrunt@saltspring.com
The North American School of Outdoor Writing www.nasow.com/
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Newsletter November 1 2006
The North American School of Outdoor Writing
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia,
Heavy rain—the first of the winter storms sweep in off the Pacific. Brrrrrrrrr!
This is the time of year that the Steller’s Jays come down off the mountains into the lowlands. No wonder! Salt Spring used to be one of B.C.’s premier agricultural areas. Abandoned orchards dot the Island and most people who live on this Paradise Isle have gardens, fruit and nut trees, poultry and livestock. This creates a veritable jay-bird paradise. Steller’s Jays are like blue jays, but darker in colour (slate gray) and a little larger. They are cheeky and noisy; their raucous calls ring out across the hills dotted with flame-coloured oak and maple trees.
Fall on Salt Spring may not be as spectacular as in the maple forests of the eastern seaboard but, this year in particular, it has been a spectacular fall. Flocks of California quail are everywhere, and blacktail bucks sport new racks of ivory-coloured antlers. I feel grateful to live here, and grateful to be able to tell all my writing compatriots a little about this place.
There’s nothing like the thrill of your first publication. Student Joni Pasch in Kendall, Wisconsin writes:
Hi Roger,
I received my Wishigan Outdoors magazines on Monday. My article was the whole back page. I told my 10-year-old grandson to read the part about the paint turtle and he said "Hey, who wrote this"? He read my name and wondered if I had entered a contest. He had to go and read the article to his sister. They thought that was pretty cool. He was the one who wanted the turtle and his sister is the one who threw it back. I'm working on my next article and I hope to get it and my lesson out to you next week.
Joni
If there is anything that comes close to the thrill of that first published piece of writing, it is positive feedback from readers of your published articles. I was thrilled to receive two this month.
The first was a note passed along by Mitch Cox, editor of Fur Fish Game magazine, from John Pearson in Nashville, Tennessee. John read my article in FFG on Coyote Attacks on Humans and wrote:
Mr. Brunt,
I own a wildlife removal company in Nashville, Tennessee and I am constantly receiving calls concerning coyote and human contact. I would like to post your article from Fur Fish and Game about such coyote/human contact on my website www.allpawswildlife.com or post a link to your story. I believe your story has important information the general public doesn't often see in print and it would be a good resource for them. I look forward to your answer.
Best Regards,
John Pearson
Owner: All Paws Wildlife Removal
And this very gratifying note was passed along by Associate Editor Bob Sexton of Outdoor Canada magazine, following publication of a tribute story I wrote about my Dad following his passing away 22 years ago. It took that long to find this story “just the right home.” Dad would be pleased. (My story appears at the end of this newsletter.)
I would like to thank the staff and editors of Outdoor Canada Magazine for publishing the short story Alone Time. On September 29, 2005 the world lost a wonderful man who enjoyed all there was to enjoy outdoors, my grandfather. As an avid hunter and fisherman, once his grandchildren were old enough to wear orange and keep up, they became students. Reading this story I had to stop and check the author as I could swear it was my husband, brother or any of my cousins speaking. To remember, we now wear blaze orange ribbons, and will all have our own Alone Time.
Thank you, Jo-Ann Lichty
Please welcome new student Jessi Lynn Bell, in Terrace, B.C. I spent time in Terrace, even got cornered in a tent by an irate black bear there once. I look forward to working with Jessi and getting to know her through her writing.
Congratulations to Livingston, Texas student Kent Dickens. He has been accepted for student membership in Outdoor Writers Association of America. Smart move, Kent.
Congratulations to Atwood, Ontario student Dean Williams and Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia student Damian Lee Welsh. Both have been accepted into Outdoor Writers of Canada as student members. Way to go, guys.
News From Game and Fish Publications
Writers,
Greeting from Marietta, Ga. Thanks for being a part of Game & Fish Magazine.
I have a few things I wanted to pass on to you.
1) We are no longer using our Post Office box. The U.S. Postal Service will
be stamping ³Return to Sender² on mail with the post office box on it sent
to me or anyone else in Marietta.
Note that our new address is the same minus the POB:
John Geiger, editor
Game & Fish Magazine
2250 Newmarket Parkway, Suite 110
Marietta, GA 30067
2) I have assigned all of May 2007 issue. In a few weeks I will assign June.
After that, in general we're heading into mostly hunting coverage with the
July issue. Keep queries coming. Know that I read all queries that are sent
or e-mailed to me, but I cannot always get back to you in a timely manner.
3) There has been confusion over word counts. Please write at least to the
word count for each article. For our production purposes, sidebars WILL BE
included in the word count. Titles, headers, bylines and captions ARE NOT
included. So a 1,300-word story with a 200-word sidebar and 30 words of
title and subtitle has a word count of just 1,500.
4) Jpegs are OK. But please no jpeg compression, or as little as possible.
(If scanning photos or slides, send photos or slides to me as well if
possible. And no compression on the scans.) Set digital cameras to the
HIGHEST QUALITY setting or the LOWEST COMPRESSION setting. Do not use
PhotoShop, PhotoElements or any other program to "enhance" the photos in any
way. If you want to see how big the photo is at 300 ppi/dpi, MAKE SURE
"resampling" is NOT checked in the dialog box. It might be hard to see it,
but "resampling" distorts the photo. if necessary, our production department
will do any color correction and enhancing here. If you take digitals,
there¹s a good article about digital photography, composition, lighting and
settings at www.eastmans.com/tips.php
5) Often I am in need of photos. Could each of you write out what slides and
high-resolution digital images you generally have available? It does not
need to be a catalog, but just a broad brush stroke of types of species you
have available for publication. E.G., John Jones: Oregon elk, rainbows in
high desert, ducks and geese. That kind of thing.
6) If you have any hunting or fishing adventure stories (you know, like
³Hunter Lost in Death Valley Survives Five-Day Walk to Civilization² or
³Angler Lives to Tell About Stream-side Bear Attack² stuff like that. Please
query me because we need stories like that for future issues.
Thanks.
John Geiger, editor
Game & Fish Magazine
2250 Newmarket Pkwy., Suite 110
Marietta, Ga. 30067
(770) 953-9222
New Publication
I see a note in the Market News section of the OWC newsletter that a new publication, Canadian Trophy Hunter, is looking for stories “from across Canada on any hunting activity.” Contact editor Dave Murray at ctha@mts.net
Stories wanted For The Sportsmans Channel
Happy Friday and a Pleasant Fall!
The Sportsman Channel’s January 2007 issue is fast approaching and we are looking for a few good articles. Please see below – remember we accept previously published articles, but all articles must have 2-3 high-res, good quality pictures. Pay is $150 to $350 per article based upon if previously published and quality of pics.
Our 2007 run of The Sportsman Magazine is expanding to 40 pages and 150,000 distribution!!
Ice Fishing tips/techniques: we are open to any ideas you throw at us for this piece.
Conservation piece – again, open to ideas, although we were considering maybe an interview with a DNR agent on what they are doing recently with the CWD campaign. I saw a piece on public TV that they were expanding their resources and going further with the campaign since it has been out for some time now.
Anybody a cartoonist? Send us your ideas/submissions for a regular cartoon strip
Your ideas – this issue will be handed out at our booth at the SHOT Show in Orlando so send us your best ORIGINAL, NEVER PUBLISHED query idea to really make our magazine stand out at SHOT.
Will you be at SHOT? If so, let me know as The Sportsman Channel is opening up a very special segment of their Producer Appreciation Event at the House of Blues on Friday, Jan 12th to outdoor writers! More info to follow, but keep that evening in mind!
Look forward to your submissions,
Best Regards,
Michelle Scheuermann
Director of Communications
The Sportsman Channel
w236 s7050 Big Bend Drive, Suite 6
Big Bend, WI 53103
Ph. 262-662-3800 ext. 11
Fax: 262-662-3890
www.thesportsmanchannel.com
mscheuermann@thesportsmanchannel.com
Milwaukee Writers’ Positions Available:
Also from Michelle, Editor of the Sportsmans Channel magazine writes:
Hi Roger,
If you wouldn’t mind adding in this from me:
The Sportsman Magazine 2007 editorial calendar is now available in rough format. Please e-mail me if you are interested in looking at it to submit ideas/queries. On a side note, we have lots of positions available at our Milwaukee location: specifically Marketing/PR Assistants and Copy Editor. Please send your resumes to me at mscheuermann@thesportsmanchannel.com if you are interested. As always, it has been a great pleasure to work with Roger’s group! Michelle Scheuermann, The Sportsman Channel.
Website Writers Wanted
Hi Roger,
B.C. angling writer Bill Luscombe suggested I contact you and see if any of your students might be interested in participating in a new website I am creating. It has a focus on the Canadian wilderness experience, specifically focusing on B.C. and the Yukon, although information about other outdoor or wilderness areas is welcome. It will be a place where visitors can come for unbiased information from experts in their various fields. It will provide them with a forum where they can discuss their experiences, ask specific questions of the experts, and get any information pertaining to their area of interest.
Your students' role would be to participate by writing articles about the outdoors. The payoff for them is that they will not have any of the financial burden or site maintenance duties other than contributing articles that they choose to write. It will offer them the opportunity to gain exposure. Their bio would be available including their website address if they have one. In other words, they will have significant exposure and free advertising.
Right now, we need a large amount of content to launch the site. If anyone is interested and has articles, they would be welcome. The articles could be about an area of expertise they have in the outdoors, trip reports, how to's, animal information, etc. We have very flexible guidelines.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Dean
Contact: pathways@bowronlakes.com
Web Sites: http://www.bowronlakes.com
http://www.canoe-yukon.com
When I queried Dean to see if there was a chance that writers could look forward to being paid he replied:
Roger,
Thanks for your reply. If we make money over the costs, I would be happy to have writers get paid. One of my hopes is that people who write, eg: experts in kayak, climbing, etc. will win by driving business to their own sites. I am very interested in spreading the financial success around and am not interested in taking advantage of anyone.
Dean
Pay back!
Grande Prairie Graduate Student and regular columnist in Alberta Outdoorsmen magazine Brian Bildson writes:
Roger:
I got your edits. I appreciate your quick turn-arounds. I received a cheque from Fur Fish Game magazine the other day for my marten story. I finished up my sheep story so I'll forward it to you after I have one more go at it. I added up all the revenue I've made since I finished the course and I'm at $6,250 (in two years). Looks like I made a good investment! Moose are in full rut--here's a pic of one from this weekend.
Brian
Correction
Would you mind correcting that I am in Bozeman, rather than Yellowstone, Montana in the next newsletter? Thank you. Otherwise people get mighty confused...
Hobie Hare,
Graduate Student
Photographer and Writer
www.wildharephotos.com
Graduate Student Allen McQuinn—On Vehicle Theft—Listen Up!
Hello Roger,
The October issue is an outstanding newsletter!
I will forward the info about ticks to my vet; she has been using the tweezers method on my (and others) dogs. (As I have as well!)
I really enjoyed reading the closing story. So incredibly well written!
In November I will complete the requirements for my Bachelor of Science in Business Management, and that will also free up more time to dedicate to writing, as I am settling into a routine as bank manager!
A tough lesson was learned the other day ... we had our tow vehicle parked backed up to the garage ready to hook up the boat for a nice venture on the water on a Saturday morning. I came out to hook up the boat and discovered that my failure to lock the car cost us the gift I had bought my lovely wife for Christmas; a very nice Cannon 20D camera and a telephoto lens with five different filters!
I was planning on doing a segment on summer perch, as the destination location was well known for very large, that is 15-inch variety perch. Photos would have made a great contribution to the story.
I wish you nothing but the best, and will send more later.
Allen McQuinn
Photos Available of the Outdoor Writers of Canada Conference from Peter Wood.
Hi Roger;
Great newsletter as usual. But I'm surprised you didn't mention that a lot of the photographs taken (including the one of you and Chris Hockley published in Real Fishing magazine--Fall 2006) and the OWC newsletter Inside/Outdoors were submitted by a graduate of NASOW. Of course, if anyone wants a full resolution photo sent to them contact me at: ripplejournalism@gofishin.ca I would only be too pleased to send one to them.
Peter
Peter Wood also Launches His PODCAST Site
To all hunters and anglers; I invite you all to listen to Ripple Outdoors' latest podcast at http://gofishin.podoptimize.com
Each week a new episode will air online.
Previous aired episodes will be soon be archived at www.gofishin.ca on the "podcast" page. Just click for a free subscription to download this free service. Most episodes will run about 15 minutes in length.
Interviews are with well-known hunters & anglers concerning Ontario's outdoor hot topics, conservation issues, tips, techniques and a chance to get involved.
If you would like to be interviewed to discuss new or old hunting and angling techniques, products or hot topics concerning Ontario's outdoors please email me at ripplepodcast@gofishin.ca Please email me your questions or comments; good or bad. (it's ok I have a delete button).
Peter F. Wood, Ripple Journalism & Images
1-888-396-6251 ripplejournalism@gofishin.ca www.gofishin.ca
From White Fox, Saskatchewan Graduate Student Gerald Peterson reflects on the Writing Life:
Hello Roger;
Thanks for the information on Outdoor Canada magazine's Waypoint section. I will give it a try.
Not much to report at this time. I finally got paid for my story in the trophy hunting magazine, you remember the one where I had give up on ever seeing a cheque.
Outdoor Edge magazine wants to see my article on hitting running game, so I am hoping they like it. The last article that I sold was in the January issue of the Varmint Hunter magazine. You see, I joined the Dept. of Highways last spring, operating equipment, driving truck and working on the general up-keep of the province's highways. I enjoy the job but I must admit that I have had very little time to devote to my writing. Only two short articles all summer! We were working a lot of overtime this summer and not seeing a lot of free time, but the season finishes Oct. 31 and I won't be called back until next April, so I have high hopes for my writing to pick up in the off season- beginning in early November.
I am reminded of the book that you lent me back when I first enrolled in your writing school, called Journal of a Novel, by Stienbeck I believe, where he went on about organizing all of his papers and sharpening all of his pencils, and if I remember correctly, doing most everything but actually sitting down and writing that day. I guess we all have a little procrastination in us that creeps to the surface from time to time.
I hope all is well with you and your outdoor writing school still plays a big part in your life. There are times, like this past summer, where I am not able to find enough time for my writing, and I think maybe my time as a freelance writer is almost finished and maybe I am entering a new chapter in my life. It is during times like this when I take a hard look back at what I have accomplished- the articles that I have wrote, the editors that I have worked with and the publications that I have written for and I realize that I am a very fortunate fellow indeed, that I will continue to find the time to vent my feelings and expressions through my writing and that I could never have done it without your guidance.
Thanks again, Roger.
Sincerely Gerald Peterson
Indiana student Rich Creason writes:
Hi Roger!
All is well here. Last week we were in Alabama at the South East Outdoor Press Association conference. Temperature was up to 92 degrees. Here in Indiana, it is a high of 42 today! SEOPA was interesting. Alabama Tourism who hosted the event was outstanding. I took advantage of the Tourism Showcase they had on Breakout Day. I am in the process of working out trips to at least four different states within the next six or seven months. I learned a few good things to take back to our Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers conferences. I also noticed several items that I want to make sure to avoid at our events.
Organization at SEOPA was excellent, people were extremely friendly, ability to handle problems on short notice was very good. Many good points, a few things which could be worked on, but that is true of any conference. A good group will always have mistakes, but learn from them. Overall, I would recommend SEOPA (or AGLOW!) to any writer looking for a quality organization to join.
Heading to South Carolina next month to gather story info and attend a metal detector hunt. In the last month, we attended AGLOW conference in South Dakota, visited a buffalo farm (pre-planning a buffalo hunt?) in Iowa, got some travel info in Grayling, Michigan, and headed south to Alabama. Add it all up and it's enough mileage to drive to British Columbia and back!
Rich.
Kentucky Graduate Student Charles Smick also attended the SEOPA conference:
Hi Roger:
The SEOPA Conference has really gotten me fired up about writing more articles! I've been VERY BURNED OUT from my full-time job.
Because my full-time job is in construction safety, and many areas of construction safety also parallel safety in many outdoor activities, I believe this could become a niche market for me. Since I have a M.S.degree in safety and several professional certifications, that would add credibility to my articles.
Take Care,
Chuck
Student Missy Maenle, on Hobnobbing with the Hoi Poloi in North Dakota
Roger:
I have to tell you about the last three days, but mostly yesterday.
Two of the three days were at Dickinson State University, the final day (when I met the Editor of Scientific American) was in Medora, ND. We went to the town of Medora which is where TR resided for a few years, as well as to the Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the Elkhorn Ranch...which is TR's actual ranch site. Its nothing more than a few foundation stones now, but still an interesting place.
As I said, I went to a Teddy Roosevelt symposium for a credit for college.
The symposium audience and speakers were filled with interesting people and I was thrilled to meet them. I had no idea who anyone really was except the speakers. I'm pretty shy until I get to know someone so it’s hard for me to go up and introduce myself and just start talking. Dinners were great because others would start the conversation and then I would get to meet these incredibly interesting people. Even better still, we took a bus ride to Teddy's Elkhorn Ranch, which was about an hour and 15 minute drive. The man who sat next to me started out by asking if I was a student and then what was my major. When I told him writing with a Journalism major, he got this look on his face, shook my hand and introduced himself as the editor of Scientific American. I was impressed and floored. We talked the entire trip about everything from his background in journalism to deep scientific stuff. He did the most incredible thing. ...he gave me ideas for stories to write about the symposium and about the oil fights in the area. Told me angles that would make even National Geographic interested. I doubt I'll ever be able to write the sort of story that will fit Scientific America...but it didn't matter to him. I feel like I have an ally in the publishing world and plan to keep an eye out for when he moves to another publication, because he said that in that type of work its always good to move around from time to time. He also told me not to give up on science just because of the math. A physicist from Massachusetts who I met at dinner the night before told me I would make a wonderful contribution to the science community because I would bring a new perspective...it wouldn't be math or science based, but rather based on love of nature.
I got more out of that symposium than I ever expected. What a weekend!
Missy
PS. I should be working on the story for the 4th lesson very soon, because the assignment fits very well with the story ideas Mark gave me.
Beaten by an 11-year-old!
North Vancouver student and frequent contributor to this newsletter Elizabeth James writes:
Roger;
Boo-hoo – It’s not fair! My 11-year-old granddaughter, published before me. She has a story on page 12 of The Magic Bookshop - A book for young writers of Canada.
Lizzie.
There is a very close link between Travel Writing and Outdoor Writing. Here are two letters from writing friends who are members of the Society of American Travel Writers. As you can see from their letters, this is the BIG TIME when it comes to writing and travel opportunities.
First, a letter from fellow writers Dave Wei and Suzanne Clouthier in Vancouver, B.C.:
Hi Roger,
Just wanted to thank you again for getting us into Salmon and
Steelhead Journal. Felt a bit like old home week with BC Sport Fishing
alumni like Dave Vedder and John Beath popping up in the latest
magazine. While we were able to do our profile on Farewell Harbour from
our files, we had a bit more of a panicky time with Sonora Resort.
(Thanks to you, the editor also has asked if we could come up with some steelheading
in BC articles, not really our forte, but it would be a chance to get
into another magazine.)
Our original plan was to go to Sonora Resort on Sept. 12 to14 and to the
West Coast Fishing Clubhouse on Langara Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands on Sept. 3 to 6. All Hell broke loose
About 10 days before our QCI trip when WCFC realized that, although we
were scheduled, someone hadn't counted correctly and they were
overbooked....and being writers (on a comp), asked if could we change
our plans. As it worked out, the only free dates at Sonora before the Salmon and Steelhead Journal’s deadline were Sept. 3 to 5, and the only free remaining dates
at the Clubhouse were Sept. 13 to 17 (the last trip of the season). Wheeew!
Our trips worked out even better than expected. Sonora had room in
their brand new helicopter, so we flew there and back in grand style, as
well as spending two glorious sunny days in the THE luxury resort of BC.
We even caught fish, went on a nature tour and run through the Aaran
Rapids, and finished with massages in their new Wellness Centre a half
hour before flying home...oh, we ate and drank far too much!
Our trip to the Clubhouse worked out fabulously too. For our
trouble, we got a five-day trip instead of a four-day. The grey skies
completely cleared for the first time all season, and we had four full
days of glorious sunshine (albeit windy!!!!!). As we were under no
pressure to catch fish (we were doing a Catch-and-Release trip), we
didn't need to fish our brains out but we still managed to do as well as
some of the guided boats. By spending less time fishing, we were able to
visit Pillar Rock when the light was best for photos, have a guided tour
of the abandoned native village of Kiusta (fascinating), and spent an
afternoon on a surfing beach that would put Long Beach to shame (at
Lepas Bay on the north-west corner of Graham Island). We came home with
four halibut that we caught (can only keep halibut on the C&R program),
and received another big box of one-pound packages of commercially
caught chinook, halibut, and even two Dungeness crabs for being on the
C&R program when we arrived in Vancouver....much easier than trying to
fit some monster chinook into our seven-cubic foot freezer.
Sometimes it pays to be flexible....
Next Thursday morning, we and Pat Taylor are off to Chile. Pat is
taking a pre-tour to the Atacama Desert, while Suzanne and I are off to
Easter Island. We will then meet back in Santiago on Oct. 18 for the
main Society of American Travel Writers Convention. I think we will all be together for a day trip to a big ranch, and probably have some meals together on the Dining Around
evenings and banquet nights. It will be nice to spend some time with Pat.
We have had a tremendously busy late summer and early fall. In
mid-August, my nephew asked if I would do some of the unofficial
photography (200 digitals) at his wedding at the same time as a tackle
manufacturer wanted me to photograph his latest tackle line-up for
advertising brochures (another 150 digitals). A day or two later, we got
an assignment to write about saltwater fishing around Vancouver,
followed by OP Publsihing asking us to revise and rewrite the 18,000 words we had
done for the 2006 Fishing Adventures to around 20,000 words in the 2007
version (which we have just finished). Then we had all the scheduling
problems with our last two writing trips. Editor Bob Jones is hounding me for
eight articles or more for Island Fisherman next year. AAAARgh, maybe I
should have continued teaching. Oh yeah, the Canadian Chapter of SATW is
going to Egypt in January......And I am doing research on digital SLRs
to replace the two 35 mm SLRs that I ruined when my canoe rolled on our
Atlin tour.......But, I'm not complaining!
Cheers and have a happy Thanksgiving,
David Y. Wei and Suzanne L. Clouthier
mailto:sclou@uniserve.com
And this information from Pat Taylor, also a member of SATW. Pat’s husband, Rikk (now deceased) was Founder of B.C. Sportfishing magazine—Rikk was my major mentor.)
Hi Roger,
Always enjoy your newsletter. Might use a few tips on bugs! Along with Dave Wei and Suzanne we are heading to Chile, South America on the SATW convention... Headquarters is Sanitago mid October. They got a nice side-trip to the Easter Islands.. Since I am now in the Senior category will be going up north to the desert area---good trip as in the area of the Inca's. Rikk and I always liked that historic area.
As a Senior wanting a single room: my core convention price including airfare, most meals and hotel was$l,280 US for Santiago. Day trips and half-day trips are included depending how soon you sign up. My pre-trip of 3 days to Northern Chile to the Atacama Desert was $870 ---again including airfare but might have to buy a few lunches as the lodge I am staying at does not have a restaurant. Suzanne and Dave were lucky to get their pre-trip to Easter Island as Dave is an active member.
Dave as an active paid $930US for himself and $l,350 for Suzanne as spouse for the core convention. The Easter Island trip cost $880 per person. The host country usually treats us royally with plenty of guides and photo trips for professionals that want a special story. Some times there are a few glitzes---but that always happens on any travel trip these days Just takes patience, which unfortunately some people don't have. Always a few prima donas!
Membership, I think is $300 annually. You must be sponsored by an active, like Dave and I could so-sponsor you.
Sign up is in March for review ---think Dave could give you the latest info as he was thinking of Suzanne joining since they work together. However, SATW has strict rules, he could let you know.
Cheers,
Pat
Grammar Grappler
Following the last newsletter’s discussion of the use of WHO vs THAT, fellow outdoor writer Ken Kieser writes:
Hey Rog,
Editor (of Wishigan Outdoors) Gary Martin is dead on. I edit papers in my writing seminars from "gifted" college students who apparently never heard of active or passive voice. I can assure you that all editors are well aware of this proper and improper form of writing.
Your readers should read at least three issues of targeted publications before submitting copy. Beginning writers often want to provide editors with a brilliant style that will redefine an already successful format. That may have happened in 1940 "B" movies, not in real life. Editors have a format they must abide by. I hope all students and beginning writers will pay close attention to what Mr. Martin wrote. A copy of Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" is a good purchase for any writer--even the most experienced. I certainly have a copy after 25 years of pounding out stories.
Best,
Kenny Kieser
Here is my article that was published in the Waypoint section of Outdoor Canada magazine in the Oct./Nov. 2006 issue: I hope you enjoy it. Dad would be pleased that so many outdoorsmen are reading about him now, 22 years after he passed away. It is my pleasure to share this with you. And it goes to show, NEVER give up on getting a piece published. This one took more than 22 years to find the right spot for it!
Grass Fire (re-titled Alone Time by the editor)
Ned came instantly awake, immediately aware of the silence. He had hoped for wind, a south wind, but the leaves outside his window hung still in the pre-dawn dark.
Most years it was quiet like this, but he always hoped for a wind just the same. Their best years had been in the wind, a south wind.
The clawing in his stomach was there as soon as his eyes opened too, and it hadn't stopped since the hospital. He didn't even remember what it felt like to not feel the hollowness but he knew there was a time when it hadn't been there. There had been mornings when it hadn't been the stillness and the emptiness that awakened him, but a gentle touch on his shoulder. "Come on, Ned", a voice would say in the darkness. "It's time."
And it would be. He always wondered how it happened. Each year he vowed to be the first awake but always it was the same. "Come on, Ned", the voice would say, and the smell of coffee and bacon would already be strong in the kitchen.
There would be no bacon-and-coffee-smell this morning, and knowing it didn't make it easier, even though by now his actions were almost ritual--making his breakfast and the lunch, checking the gun one last time, loading the shell-belt and his gear.
The drive to the river was the worst. It had always been a special time between them--a quiet time with the heater going like mad to rid the windows of the damp, and the air a special smell so early.
Once they'd seen a red fox crossing the road, another time a raccoon, but this morning there were no night critters, just the hum of the tires on the road, then the clatter as he turned off onto gravel.
Unloading the punt by himself was not new. Even when they'd hunted together it had always been his job, sliding the sleek shape out of the back of the truck onto his hip and swinging it out along the narrow plank wharf to ride low and slim in the reeds.
Checking the time in the dark, Ned quickly loaded the decoys and his small pack and shoved off.
He didn't have to watch the dark bank slipping by to know exactly where he was, and he hardly noticed the old stump that marked where the two sloughs joined.
He laid out the spread of decoys easily, hen and drake, hen and drake, letting the tug of the current of the outgoing tide spread them to the ends of their weighted tethers, keeping them just far enough apart so they wouldn't tangle.
He was lucky this year. There were no other hunters. He remembered the year they had just put out the decoys and they'd heard shouts back at the road. They'd hurried back to find a car on fire, it's load of city-slickers desperately trying to put out the flames. They had parked their car off the road in the tall grass and the heat of the muffler had set it on fire. That had ruined opening morning that year.
But this year all was quiet. Ned waited. A faraway glow began to streak the horizon and the sky was beginning to lighten in the north-east. A sudden patter of wings made him tighten his grip on his shotgun, but it was still too dark to shoot. Gradually the sky lightened, and he heard shots farther down the river, muffled by the distance....poom...poom...pop.
Suddenly it was light.
A heron coasted by, then a flitter of sandpipers skimmed past. A mallard banked in from across the marsh and dropped into the reeds around the bend.
And all at once there they were--hovering, wings cupped, necks craning to pick a spot among the decoys, bright orange feet flared to slow their descent.
Ned straightened in the reeds and the barrels of the old double swung up to cover them, smoothly and effortlessly.
"This one's for you, Dad," he sighed as his finger tightened on the trigger.
"This one's for you."
****
Roger Brunt rbrunt@saltspring.com
The North American School of Outdoor Writing
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
October 1 2006
Newsletter of The North American School of Outdoor Writing
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia,
Days and days of sunny and cool; wells are going dry, the salmon are stacking up in the bays and estuaries waiting for Fall rains to draw them home.
Roger: I thought you might like this quote for your October, Thanksgiving, newsletter. I found it in a book called Rainforest, about our westcoast forests - all the way from the magnificent California redwoods through to those of the Pacific Northwest. There are superb photos by Graham Osborne, text by Wade Davis and a foreword by David Suzuki. Along the way, Davis quotes people like Emily Carr and Randy Stoltmann, of Stoltmann Wilderness fame. This one, beside a photo of Vancouver Island's Carmanah Pacific Provincial Park, gives me goose bumps -Elizabeth James, North Vancouver, B.C.
|
|
|
Hear the roaring vastness
of a great valley, or the sigh of wind in the treetops,
or the eternal thunder of breakers on the shore.
Then go back, and speak to the world from your heart.
Randy Stoltmann
Grammar Grappler:
Following the last newsletter’s discussion of the use of WHO vs THAT, Chris Madson, Editor Wyoming Wildlife, adds this comment:
Roger:
On the choice of "who" or "that":
I agree (as always) with the counsel our Grammarian John Swinton gives, but I would point out another small issue in the sentence. Using "who" suggests that the clause modifies the word "people" rather than "group." If that is the writer's intent, the number of the verb in the clause is correct. If the writer chooses the conjunction "that," his choice implies that the clause modifies the word "group." In that case, the verb in the clause should be singular: "the congenial group . . . that welcomes others . . ." All of which lends major support to the old homily, "Ah, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to conjugate."
Advice from an Editor
Gary F. Martin, editor of Wishigan Outdoors writes:
Hello Roger,
I just finished the September 2006 newsletter. It is a good one! In each issue I look forward to John Swinton's comments and wisdom. English continues to evolve and sometimes not for the better. I too prefer "who" to "that" when referring to people.
Another comment John made was for beginning writers to read the publication. That cannot be stressed enough! About once each year someone submits an article totally out of line for my publication, Wishigan Outdoors. I send back a reply explaining that "Outdoors" is hunting, fishing, shooting, trapping and related activities, while gardening, golf, sailing and skiing are "out-of-doors" activities. Of course, almost any piece can be written with a hunting/fishing slant. "Fishing from a sailboat" for example.
You and I both work with new writers. Here are some general tips for unpublished authors. I'm sure some are covered in your course, but here a short list of a few that come to mind:
* Write in the active voice, avoid the passive voice. "Joe shot the rabbit" is preferable to "The rabbit was shot by Joe."
*When you use "mom" or "dad" in place of their name, capitalize it. "My mom came along." "When Mom comes along we eat better."
*Avoid redundancies. The reader doesn't need to read that the folks were friendly, the food great, and the weather beautiful in every other paragraph.
*Fishing rods and fishing poles. Here in the northern U. S. many call any fishing rod a "pole," but unless quoting someone we don't write that way. Simply because it's wrong. A rod has line guides (rings) and a reel on it; poles do not.
*One final tip is to fill your bookshelf with reference books and texts on the language and the subject you choose to write about. A good way to get a rejection is to write about trout fishing or bear hunting when your facts are wrong.
Peace,
Gary Martin - Editor, Wishigan Outdoors Magazine
Congratulations to Graduate Student Hobie Hare, in Yellowstone, Montana. Hobie’s graduation certificate is in the mail and he sure earned it. Hobie is an award-winning photographer (see www.wildharephotos.com) whose fine photographs are for sale in various National Parks in the US. In a recent letter he writes:
Roger:
I hope all is well with you and you had a great summer. I have e-mailed the sponsors of the Great Rockies Sports Shows to ask for their media packet. These shows are held in five major Montana cities in January and February each year; in Bozeman in mid-January. I plan on contacting them by phone within the next week or two if I do not hear back via e-mail. I can brainstorm show-related stories and markets this fall.
Your title for my Tibet piece really nailed the story. Thank you! I like its double meaning, and the alliteration.
Thank you also on your feedback on my story “Staying Dry.”
I will let you know once the Yukon piece has been published. The editor wants to run it in early 2007.
Once again, Roger, thank you very much for everything.
I am thrilled to be finishing the course after a multi-year stint plucking away at it. I will apply to OWAA for Apprentice Membership once I receive the NASOW diploma. I look forward to meeting you in person one of these days, maybe at the 2007 Northwest Outdoor Writers Conference.
Hobie
Congratulations to students Dean Williams in Atwood, Ontario and Damian Lee Welsh in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. Both have been accepted for membership in Outdoor Writers of Canada—smart move, guys, very smart move. I also see in the OWC newsletter a nice photo of me and Ontario Graduate Student Chris Hockley. Chris has gone on to a stellar career as part of the outdoor media with articles published in major Ontario and National outdoor magazines, his own fishing seminars at outdoor shows, and he has done extensive work in outdoor television. Way to go, Chris.
Note from Editor John Geiger at Game and Fish Magazine
Writers,
All articles have been assigned for the April 2007 issue of Game & Fish. I
have sent out all Confirmations of Article Acceptance for that issue. Thank
you for submitting a query.
As I had mentioned in an e-mail recently, in the future I most likely will
continue to send out a call for queries like I did for the April issue.
However, I want to assign stories well in advance. That means, send me
queries whenever you have an idea for an article. Do not wait for a call for
queries (also called a solicitation letter). I want to hear ideas as you
think of things you want to write about in the future.
Feel free to call me with any questions or concerns. Truly, I enjoy talking
to you all so give me a ring.
I look forward to working with you in the near future.
Sincerely,
John Gieger, Editor,
Game and Fish Magazine,
2250 Newmarket Parkway, Suite 110,
Marietta, Georgia,
30067,
770-953-9222
John.Geiger@primedia.com
John also circulated this message re: submission of photographs that will be of interest to all making the switch to digital:
Writers/Photographers,
Thank you for you queries. They are all being considered for future issues.
A few of you asked about my request for slides and my omission of
information on digital image submissions.
IF YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE DIGITAL PHOTOS, THAT'S FINE. Just make sure the camera is set on the highest possible setting for the largest possible file, and
the compression is either off or set for the highest-quality, lowest
compression possible.
Then, send me a low-rez image by e-mail along with your submitted article.
Burn high-resolution images onto a CD and send it via U.S. Post. Name images
with this protocol: Article code + photo slug + author's last name, e.g.,
1/07WO1-muledeer-Geiger. Print a color proof sheet of all the photos on the
CD.
Captions should be named to match photos, and also should be on the CD.
Thanks for taking these extra steps. It's much appreciated.
I just prefer slides because you know exactly what you are getting. With
digitals, resolution is often an issue. And if it's not resolution, it's
re-sampling or changing the photo (sharpening, color correction, etc.,)
before we even get it. Not to mention that we need ultra high-resolution
images in the neighborhood of 3,000 x 2,000 for some uses, and they jam up
e-mail boxes quickly.
If you have further questions about the image resolution or type, you can
call our photo editor Ron Sinfelt at the number below, or e-mail him at
ronald.sinfelt@primedia.com.
*Our photo and editorial guidelines are available via e-mail.
Thanks again,
John Geiger, editor
Game & Fish Magazine
2250 Newmarket Pkwy., Suite 110
Marietta, Ga. 30067
(770) 953-9222
Editing via E-mail
I’m sure every writer will agree that the Internet and especially e-mail has made their life easier.
Here’s an example. I wrote a story about a local lady who raises heritage turkeys. It had a tight Canadian Thanksgiving deadline, and she was leaving on a month-long holiday. I wrote the story, and her husband forwarded it to her via e-mail to Rhode Island. She sent me the edited copy from Reykjavik, Iceland, her next stop on her trip. FANTASTIC!
Writer Wanted
Thanks to Ontario Graduate Student Tim Shamess for passing along this item:
British Columbia: “Writer - Entry Level” – Cranbrook -
Ad Posted Wednesday September 20, 2006.
Writer (entry-level) REF#: 7947
Koocanusa Publications Inc
Cranbrook, British Columbia
Salary: $20,000 - $28,000
Description
We are currently looking for an entry-level writer to help with the large number of articles we require for diverse publications & web sites that we produce. We publish eight different magazine titles including: SnoRiders West, RidersWest, GolfWest, RVWest Journal, Rocky Mountain Visitors Magazine, Ski&Ride Magazine, ForestsWest, Kootenay Business Magazine as well as five web sites, which can be viewed at www.koocanusapublications.com.
If you are looking to start or have been in the publishing industry and want to find an opportunity to live in the recreational area of Cranbrook - this is it!
This is an hourly position that would range from $20,000/yr to $28,000/yr depending on experience and ability.
We require a writer who:
* can work simultaneously on different publishing products
* has the ability to contribute creative story ideas, conduct effective interviews and produce finished editorial copy.
* has an interest in both business and active outdoor lifestyles
* can work closely with other departments to meet constant deadlines.
* can write with clarity and accuracy
* is highly organized plus has strong writing and editing skills
* has the ability to write headlines and cutlines for the editorial copy.
* has typing skills and computer experience using QuarkXpress software.
We would also give preference if the individual can:
* take quality photos
* color correct and provide photos that will reproduce well on four-color glossy publications
* has a strong knowledge of photoshop and how to scan high quality photos.
If you excel at writing and are looking to find a great start for your career we would love to hear from you.
We welcome all interested persons to apply sending your resume, samples and cover letter to:
Murray Shellborn
Koocanusa Publications Inc
100-100 7th Ave S
Cranbrook , B.C.
V1C 2J4
Fax: (250) 426-4125
E-mail: murray@kpimedia.com
We want to thank all who apply, however we will respond to only those selected for further consideration.
Application Deadline: Sunday October 15, 2006.
I see TJ Quesnel’s Ontario Fishing Network E-Zine continues to be an excellent market for Graduate Writers. Tim Allard and Justin Hoffman both have features in the Sept. 06 issue—They have published dozens of articles on TJ’s site—way to go, guys.
Course Appraisal:
I asked student Scott Frost in Embudo, New Mexico to have a chat with a fellow New Mexico-er Franklin Romero, who is considering taking the course. Here’s what Scott had to say about his publication success so far:
Franklin-
As a graduate of Espanola Valley High, I send you my most sincere Q-VO! I have three Brothers living in the Four Corners region, am curious where you are from and which publication you write for. Regarding Roger and the school, I will say that I have been more than satisfied with the program. The nuts and bolts of it are profoundly simple, but if you stick to it, the curriculum will have you published nationally very quickly. I had banged my head against numerous walls (given myself "in the pipes" as we say here) by the time I joined the school and in fact the first two articles I ever had published (Bugle, In-fisherman) were submitted before I joined the school, but the expertise I gained from the school proved invaluable in capitalizing on those successes and expanding to other markets. Currently I have a 2500 word piece in Bugle (September/October), 1200 words in Fishing and Hunting News (September 21 edition), 2000 words in Bow And Arrow Hunting (Western edition), and 2500 contracted for the Feb 07 Rocky Mountain Game and Fish. I have yet to complete my third lesson in the North American School of Outdoor Writing. For me, the most beneficial part of the school has been tech support from Roger- I have e-mailed him numerous times with questions that must have seemed silly. He has never failed to respond within hours (not days) with answers that made a lot of sense....feel free to contact me with any questions you have, but take my word for it, the school is well worth the money if you are really interested in outdoor writing and don’t want to waste years learning the hard way.
Scott Frost ,
Embudo, New Mexico
More Student Success
Graduate Student Charles Smick in Paducah, Kentucky is often quoted in this newsletter due to his many publishing successes. Here he is again:
Hi Roger:
I talked to my wife earlier this morning and she said I had a check for my article published in BUCKMASTERS Whitetail magazine. Here is a copy of the article (Sept. 06 issue). BWM is a national magazine that goes out to members and to newsstands all over the US. It’s my first National sale and IU am very excited.
Mid-South Hunting and Fishing magazine covers eight states—you can see my Land Between the Lakes article in the Aug. 2006 issue that I also enclose.
I have had 21 articles published so far this year, in five magazines. I plan to go to the South East Outdoor Press Association’s Conference in October in Alabama, and the Kentucky Outdoor Press fall meeting in Kentucky Lake in October.
Thank you for helping me make my dream of becoming an outdoor writer come true.
Charles
Travel Writing Opportunities
Student Elizabeth James in North Vancouver found this interesting lead, which she passed along, to one of the writers who she is Editorial Assistant for. Thanks Liz.
Gail:
You may be interested in taking a looking at this overseas market: http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/writing.html
Note that submissions, etc., need to be sent by regular mail. While that takes a little longer, it would be especially useful for the purposes of re-submitting a story you've already had published in North America.
For example - you could query to Wanderlust the Alberta trip you had published in the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper--make sure that you have updated it in terms of providing an accurate "If you go" sidebar.
Then, if Real Travel does not pick up your Buenos Aires Tango story, we could query it to Wanderlust.
In both instances, it is imperative that you follow the writers' guidelines to a "T" of course. I will check back issues and let you know if any of your writing [including your Uganda article] duplicates destinations already covered and for which queries should be avoided.
Cheers,
Liz
Even though it is coming to the end of “bug season’, I wanted to share these two items for your health and safety.
Roger, thank you very much for your consideration! If I didn't feel this would really help your readers, members and their audience I would not send this at you. Yes, an anecdote:
When Bob Epstein, Past President of Florida Outdoor Writers Association, took up gardening recently to relax, get some exercise and reap a bit of what he sowed in veggies not just words, little did he know that he stepped into the "bug zone" where dozens of different biting and stinging insects found his moving around in their territory disturbing and frightening; provoking them into action, of the stinging, biting kind. As he bent over his densely leafed cauliflower to pull some elephant garlic to roast that evening at his farm in Crossville, Tennessee he was stung in the lower lip by a yellow-jacket wasp. Not knowing he was allergic to such stings to the point of major swelling and the point of going into anaphylaxis shock (where breathing is halted and thousands each year in America and all around the world are killed by the resulting asphyxiation this causes) he waited a moment and ran for the house. Barbara, his wife saw the swelling and heard the yelling. Recently at a TOWA Conference in Dale Hollow, Tenn. he had taken a sample of "Denver's Sting Stopper" and his wife applied this non-toxic product to the sting on his lip as his tongue began swelling out of his mouth and his lungs took on a labored sound. His left eye swelled shut and mouth and gums hurt horrifically. Eyesight ability was down to tunnel vision. Within second the numbness began subsiding, the swelling lessened and breathing became more normalized. In five minutes he was nearly back to normal and the trip to the emergency room was called off. Apparently, the product chemicals in Denver's Sting Stopper" did much more than stop the pain. True testimonial by Bob T. Epstein. Call him for interviews if you like 931-707-5626 and go: WWW.Denver'sstingstopper.com on the web for more info. and ordering. PS: Also stung since that time by an Africanized bee, the product worked flawlessly again. Use any or all of this and thanks again for your assistance on getting the word out on this. There are dozens of other testimonials out now too.
Bob Epstein
Tick Removal
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And this on safe tick removal from Ken Kristian in Mission B.C. (Outdoor wag and former outdoor columnist for the Province newspaper Tony Eberts adds that even if it does not work, you’ll have the cleanest tick in town!)
Please forward to anyone with children... or hunters, people who do
yard work, gardeners, etc.
A School Nurse has written the info below -- good enough to share -- and
it really works!
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove
a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's
sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head
full of dark hair, etc.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the
soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20). The tick
will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift
it away.
This technique has worked every time and it's much less traumatic for
the patient.
Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be
damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice
because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with
tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say,
"It worked!" |
Wrap Up
As usual I will complete this newsletter with what I consider to be an inspired piece of writing, this one from Writers Digest’s WRITING BASICS magazine issued in May 2006. This excerpt titled Articles of Faith is from Gina Ochsner’s Short Story Collection: People I Wanted to Be:
He went less fore the pike and perch than for the stillness of the water and the quiet. But for all the water, there were never enough fish. To go to Ladoga, though, or even Onega, to inhale the sweet dampness that hung like a cloud over the dark water, was a kind of healing.
He went there to get away from Irina. She had developed the habit of having too many habits. For example, pressing her mouth into a frown. He’d once loved the way she didn’t need a reason to laugh, the way her laughter erupted from her and could fill an entire room. And her stomach, flat and hard like the back of a shovel’s head. But since they’d married he had witnessed her slowly turning quiet and cross, packing herself full of blintzes and sweets. Now her stomach had grown spongy.
Evin brought the hoe down hard into the soil. Hope only filled you with expectation. At night Irina buried her face in the pillow and cried. In the morning he’d rise early, go to the lake, and make it his home for a day. He’d tuck the reel between his elbow and his side and watch for the possibility of grace, a bit of heavenly kindness dropped here on the flat surface of the water, shown there in the fierce span of an eagle’s wings here in his tired heart, which still managed to want what it wanted.
Evin stopped and leaned against the hoe. He was talking to the tree now, but so what. All this waiting for a group of cells to divide without any help from him. All this believing that someday he would have something he could hold in his arms, a proof of his love, something that he could spend the rest of his life showing his love to all this had worn him down.
Evin craned his neck. Something on the top branch wiggled, and a small flurry of leaves drifted onto his head and shoulders, then piled at his feet. He heard a whimper and, a few seconds later, a sneeze so close to his ear it raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Then the deliberate crack of a branch, a fluttering from the laurel hedge, a pair of small white hands.
“Wait!” Evin called out.
Roger Brunt rbrunt@saltspring.com
The North American School of Outdoor Writing
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
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September 1 2006
Salt Spring Island,
British Columbia
Warm days & cool
nights-- the spice of
Fall begins…the twin
deer fawns that appear
each evening with their
Mom in the meadow near
my place have lost their
spots, but not their
precociousness. They
run and jump in the
gathering dusk as if
they have bedsprings for
hooves. A biologist
would call this
behaviour
stotting—I
call it life-energy in
its purest form…
Every time I see them
bouncing around in the
field I pause and bow
the ancient Sanskrit
greeting
Namaste
which has been
interpreted to mean—I
honor the place in you
that is light-filled and
universal, where if you
are in that place in you
and I am in that place
in me, there is only one
of us.
New Students
Please welcome new
students Robin Van
Koughnett in Meadow
Lake, Saskatchewan, Kent
Dickens in Livingston,
Texas and Damian Welsh
in Port Hawkesbury, Nova
Scotia. I look forward
to working with these
new writers and getting
to know them through
their work. Exciting
times to come for each
of us…
Contending With
Unforeseen Events:
Freelance writers must
contend with unforeseen
events that can be
frustrating, but they
are all part of the
business. My
advice—handle them like
a pro, then cash the
cheque, when it comes,
with grace and thanks…
Writes Graduate Student
Allen McQuinn in
Rockford, Illinois:
Sometimes acceptance of
an article can be both
bitter and sweet! The
last communication I
sent your way indicated
that the new position I
had limited the
opportunities to write
as a freelancer. At the
same time, I have not
stopped; in fact I had
been accepted as a
writer for a new
publication in Illinois!
I sent them many
articles, and photos
that would have stories
to go with them. A few
days ago (here is the
bitter and sweet
together) I received a
letter in the mail from
this publication.
Noticing the return
address I hurriedly
opened the letter
looking forward to my
first check, which was
enclosed with a letter
indicating, "due to
circumstances beyond
their control the
magazine will not be
published." I got paid,
but what a let-down. My
article(s) will not be
seen by anyone, at least
not in that
publication!!
BUMMERS!!!!
Allen
And Michelle Wiebe, of
JW Photo in Canmore,
Alberta writes:
I got an e-mail from
XXXXXXX about the
Watkins Glen (car rally)
piece. For the first
time ever dealing with
them, they aren't going
to publish when they
told me. The editor
said it was too
time-sensitive for the
fall issue. I guess the
race is in September and
the issue was in
October. They say
they'll publish in
spring. That is a pain
because I can't start
re-selling until then -
and I'll have to do an
update - oh well.
I am in Australia now.
Jim is in Montana doing
a photography course.
We have had a great
summer so far; climbed a
couple of mountains
(scrambling only - no
ropes), paddled a few
rivers, and did a few
hikes.
Michelle:
Graduate Student Vince
Guiliani Becomes Outdoor
Columnist
As usual, I enjoy
reading those
newsletters. I get ideas
and motivation
from reading them. Since
June I have been writing
a monthly outdoor column
in the New Hamburg
Independent, Ontario.
I am not worried about
the pay; it is the
experience and the fact
that I enjoy sharing my
knowledge about the
outdoors with people.
I have had discussions
with the editor about
the fee plus the fact
that he expects an
article the second week
of every month. I have
signed no written
contract.
When I submit articles,
I append First North
America Serial Rights
and copyright. I was
thinking of making up an
informal contract;
however, I am not a
lawyer and lack
experience in this area.
I was wondering, do you
have any model contracts
or do you know of a
website that I could
download one that is not
too complex?
Thanks,
Vince
West coast writer Dennis
Reid replied via the
Outdoor Writers of
Canada chatline:
Roger
Check with The Writers
Union of Canada. They
have a suggested
contract that pretty
much covers everything.
I believe it is $5. In
the U.S. the National
Journalist Association
(National Writers Union)
also has a contract and
discussion of the
various types of
clauses.
D.C. Reid,
Victoria B.C.
Prairie writer Don
Meredith also used the
OWC chatline to suggest:
Roger,
Also, check out PWAC’s
(Professional Writers
Association of
Canada—formerly
periodical Writers of
Canada) sample agreement
at
www.writers.ca/downloads.htm
Don
Writing with Writers
From Canadian Living
Magazine:
If your child has an
urge to write, help
him/her with a visit to
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit.
The Writing with
Writers’ program is for
students seven to 18 who
send samples of their
work to published
authors, editors and
illustrators, receiving
feedback from them.
Thousands of students
have submitted their
words since the site was
launched in 1997.
Anyone can browse the
site and learn from the
advice submitted to
others.
NO TRESPASSING
Outdoor writers are
bombarded with Press
Releases about the
latest gizmos and
outdoor equipment.
Occasionally, something
that seems like a
particularly good idea
comes along. Nailess
Posting Co. at
www.glenlau.com
(e-mail
Glenlau@peoplepc.com)
is offering NO
TRESPASSING weatherproof
TAPE, like that used at
crime scene by police.
It means that landowners
can quickly post their
land without having to
carry nails and a hammer
by simply wrapping the
tape around a tree or
fence post. Not
necessarily good news
for us land-less
outdoorsy types, but
handy for the landowner.
Bass Fishing Course
Roger:
I’m sending a recent
piece from the Toronto
Star marking the 20th
Anniversary of the Bass
Fishing Courses I teach
at Seneca College and
the amBASSadors Cup
Tournament that goes
along with it. The next
series of bass classes
will be offered this
September and the
amBASSadors Cup
Tournament on Lake
Couchiching is on
October 8th.
We’d love to spread the
word about this
tournament and are
making an extra effort
to invite as many alumni
from the past 20 years
as possible to compete
in this special
‘reunion’ event. Former
students can e-mail me
direct at
wil.wegman@rogers.com
for more info on the
tournament or visit the
Seneca College website
at
www.senecac.ca for
more details about the
upcoming bass course.
Thanks very much
Wil
Wil.wegman@rogers.com
Freelance Human Being
and Editor Gary F.
Martin of Wishigan
Outdoors (Wisconsin and
Michigan area) sends a
note of encouragement to
student writers
Roger,
I'm
glad to do anything I
can to help you and your
students. I consider it
my small part in
helping keep hunting,
fishing, shooting and
trapping alive in North
America.
I
did include a web link
with your school’s
information, and I will
again.
Yes,
I warned your student,
Joni Pasch that I would
have to cut 400 or 500
words, but before she
sees the finished
product I will try to
explain a few things to
her.
I
do remember the thrill
of seeing my by-line in
print the first time.
The next best thrill was
when a publication uses
two articles in one
issue. I really want
other writers to
experience that and I
have tried to help many
over the years. Most
attempt writing and give
up when they realize how
low the pay is, even
though that is only one
of the reasons we write.
Wishigan
Outdoors is not a top
market for experienced
writers. Most of my
writer friends won't
contribute because my
payment is so low. On
the other hand, some
have offered to donate
articles, but I refuse,
not wanting to be owing
them.
I will contact your
student Missy Maenle re:
her deer camp article,
unless I hear from her
first. Her tale sounds
like exactly what I like
to print. I like new
writers and the
different tone and
writing style can only
help my magazine.
By the way, I was at the
Wisconsin Outdoor
Communicator's
Association conference
this past weekend and
found that Jon Fawcett,
another of your
students, is a member.
I’m sure you stress the
importance of writer's
groups in your course. I
don't use much of the
info from the speakers
in my writing, but I do
enjoy listening and
learning
Thanks again Roger,
Gary (note
from Roger—No, Gary!
THANK YOU!)
Thanks From Editor Bob
Bogwart
From:
Bob Borgwat
Contributors: You’ve got
a new editor at Game &
Fish Magazines (Rocky
Mountain G&F,
Washington/Oregon G&F,
California G&F.)
John Geiger is in his
second week as editor of
your G&F titles, coming
to you from central
Florida. I’ll let him
fill in the rest. Give
him a shout at the
office or via email when
you can – phone:
678-589-2039 …
e-mail:
john.Geiger@primedia.com.
Also, please forward all
further correspondence
to him, including your
January 2007 assignments
(both electronic and
hard-copy packages).
I’m through with my
interim editor’s job. I
appreciate everything
y’all have done for me
(to me?) during my
tenure. It’s been a
hectic three months,
with several hassles
thrown into the mix that
I’m sure will now smooth
out with John at the
helm. He’s a capable
editor with whom I’m
sure you’re going to
enjoy working. I, too,
will work with him from
time to time as a
contributor to the
titles, beginning with
the March 2007
assignments. Thanks
again for all your help.
I look forward to
“hooking up” with each
of you when our paths
cross in the future.
Bob Borgwat
Sharing Freelancing
Assignments;
It was my recent
pleasure to receive a
request from Patrick
Hogland at Salmon
Steelhead Journal for
several west coast
premier lodge
destinations. I was
able to write up one
resort (The Cliffs at
Hakai Beach) and pass
along a couple more to
friend and fellow
Outdoor Writers of
Canada and Outdoor
Writers of America
member, David Wei and
his
fishing/writing/life-mate
partner Suzanne
Clouthier.
Writes David:
Many thanks for the warm
recommendation to Pat
Hoglund. He wants
mini-profiles from us
about Sonora Lodge and
Farewell Harbour. My
God....this is the third
last-minute assignment
in the past three
weeks.... I'll see if we
can arrange a quick trip
to Sonora....haven't
been there since
before it was sold, and
some big changes have
taken place.
I notice that you have
taken on Hakai Beach.
You may know this
already, but they have
new owners too.
Pat wants
digitals...but we may
have to send him slides.
I can always get them
scanned.
(Roger’s note—I sent
prints as I have no
digitals of this
lodge—editors CAN be
flexible.)
We just finished a quick
piece the Sport Fishing
Alliance that we
only got on Wednesday
(deadline this Tuesday).
I knew that as soon as
Suzanne and I said that
we had nothing for July
and August that we'd be
swamped.....ohhhh the
adrenaline rush....
We are off to West Coast
Fishing Club's Clubhouse
in September for
our last assigned
writing trip of the
summer. In October we
are going to
Chile for the big
Society of American
Travel Writers
convention (our first)
with a pre-trip to
Easter Island (Suzanne
is thrilled!).
In January, barring war,
pestilence and plague,
the Canadian chapter of
SATW is going to Egypt,
and we have put our dibs
in for a couple of
spots.... if we get to
go, Suzanne owes me
big-time.
You may recall that our
last trip arranged by
the Canadian Chapter of
ASTW was a marvelous,
but all too
action-packed, tour of
the Azores.
We took the "fire"
themed tour of four
islands, looking at
extinct, dormant, and
semi-active volcanoes.
We ate far too much
"meat and
potatoes" comfort food,
washed down with copious
quantities of local
wine.
At one of our workshops,
our speaker, Mike
DeFrietas, from right
here in Delta, B.C.,
gave a wonderful talk
about using photos to
sell
articles. He told us
that A- and B-list
magazines like Islands,
Diver,
McLean’s, Condé Naste,
etc. pay the best, but
want top-notch photos
first,
and will accept even
mediocre text....with
only about 1000 words
needed
(at a whopping $1 or
more per word). Most
outdoor magazines and
newspapers
are considered C- or
D-list and only pay
peanuts for articles,
and
usually want photos
thrown in for free, he
said.
Among things that he
suggests is to e-mail
two or three medium or
low res versions of your
best photos, and to
build a query
specifically around the
photos. Now
that is certainly a new
approach for me. Mike
earns six-figures
annually
from his photo-essay
articles that sell for
$3000 + USD each ($2000
for
photos, and $1000 for
text)....with travel
expenses paid by resorts
and
publisher! However, be
prepared to spend $5000
for a professional
standard digital camera
body of at least 12.8
mega-pixels, and another
$10,000 in lenses,
memory cards, and
flash...or stick with 35
mm slide
film (but worry your
guts out until you get
the slides back). Mike,
and
three other
photographers that were
with us, photographed
everything (items in
stores, people,
products, produce, food,
wine, as well as scenics
and
village shots)....they
shot over 1500 digital
images each, along with
10
to 15 rolls of slide
film during our
week-long trip...but
just one magazine Cover
Shot would fetch $1200.
....and I thought that I
was retired....
Cheers,
Dave and Suzanne.
STOP THE PRESSES
This note from student
Elizabeth James in North
Vancouver
Your newsletter needs a
new section to cover
late-breaking news:
Its title should be:
STOP THE PRESSES!
The very first entry?
This one from my search
for good quality
Writers' Guidelines:
Rates:
We have regular
writer/contributors
scattered throughout the
world, some have been
working with us for
eight years.
Travel-wise.com and
Travelwisemagazine.com
does not charge its
writers
to have their original,
unique content appear on
our site.
Don't all rush, Guys
and Gals... I found it
first.
Liz
Writers Guidelines on
the ‘Net from Liz
Hi Roger:
I have found so much
that I thought I'd send
along a few of the
combined fee/writers'
guidelines URLs for you
to include in the next
newsletter if you so
desire.
Liz
-
www.coastalliving.com/coastal/magazine/writers_guide
-
www.enroutemag.com/e/writers/index
-
www.sunoasis.com/sunoasismarkets -
this one is a
goldmine, with lists
of magazines broken
down as to topics -
health, environment
and nature,
regional,
travel, etc. [U.S.
emphasis]
-
www.coastalliving.com/coastal/magazine/writers_guide
-
www.writersmarket.com/content/howmuch1 [Writers'
Digest, U.S. based
guidelines - this
time suggesting a
fee schedule]
-
members.shaw.ca/neoopsis/rates [Science
fiction in the
Outdoors? Rates
quoted in Canadian
funds]
-
www.outdoorcanada.ca/contrib [Guidelines
first, then fees]
-
westerncanadatravel.com/travel.writing [Good
stuff for me right
now. Canadian
emphasis. Includes
lots of useful links
to other sites of
interest to
writers.]
What Happens When You
Enroll in Outdoor
Writers Association of
AMERICA
From:
Terri Roberts
OWAA
Member Services
Manager/Office Manager
Allow
me to provide
information about the
process. In accordance
with OWAA Bylaws, on
receipt of your
application your name
will be listed as a
prospective member in
the next issue of
Outdoors Unlimited.
On the last business day
of the month (which
fulfills the requirement
for a 30-day waiting
period), your membership
will officially begin.
Your new member packet
and membership/press
card will be mailed to
you on approximately
that date.
If you have any
questions in the
meantime, or if I can be
of further assistance,
please feel free to
contact me. Thank you,
and we look forward to
welcoming you to OWAA!
Terri
Roberts
OWAA
Member Services
Manager/Office Manager
Ph. (406) 728-7434 / Fax
(406) 728-7445
121 Hickory St. Ste. 1
Missoula, MT 59801
mailto:troberts@owaa.org
http://www.owaa.org/
A Strange Old World
How do you say
"cognitive dissonance"
in Chinese? This Sunday,
Chinese officials will
be auctioning off
licenses to kill rare
wildlife -- including
some endangered species
-- to raise funds for
... wildlife
conservation. Due to the
country's gun laws, only
foreigners can bid for
permits at the auction,
which will be supervised
by the State Forestry
Administration. Starting
bids to kill a wolf (the
only predator on the
list) are $200; red deer
start at $6,000, and the
right to kill a wild yak
starts at $40,000. Only
about 15,000 of the yaks
remain in the world.
Some rules do apply: The
winning hunters will
stalk their prey in five
western provinces, and
must be accompanied by a
guide to make sure they
kill only male animals.
While paying to hunt
rare animals isn't a new
trend in China,
international groups
have previously had to
petition for the
pleasure on a
case-by-case basis.
This seems mighty
strange until you
consider that we do the
same thing here.
A permit to kill the
largest bighorn sheep in
or near our National
Parks has been auctioned
off to the highest
bidder—sometimes
bringing close to
$1,000,000. The money is
used for habitat
restoration,
transplanting sheep into
areas where they have
been extirpated, etc.
It’s environmentally
sound --one old sheep
for enough money to
improve the lives of
thousands...
Indeed truth is stranger
than fact...Last night
on TV I saw that in
Mozambique the army uses
trained rats (great big
buggers) to sniff out
land mines--seems weird
until you remember that
we use cormorants to
catch us fish, falcons
to hunt ducks and
pheasants, reindeer to
pull sleighs, ferrets to
“ferret-out” rabbits and
hares, otters to catch
fish and crabs for us
(in Indonesia),
elephants to log and
carry our gear, monkeys
to harvest coconuts,
bees to make us honey,
silk-moth caterpillars
to make us silk,
swallows’ spit (nests)
to make us soup, ducks
and geese to eat slugs
and trim the grass on
farms and at plant
nurseries, dolphins to
work for the navy, cows,
goats, sheep, yaks and
god-knows-what-else to
give us milk, llamas and
alpacas to carry packs,
dogs to pull sleighs and
carry packs (not to
mention answering the
phone for deaf folks,
crossing the street for
blind folk, and finding
drugs at airports and
border crossings) etc.
What I want to know as
why we don't ride moose
instead of horses (think
of all the gear we could
pack in their antlers)
and use giraffes to pick
apples and peaches. How
about manta rays for
water-skiing and camels
to haul stuff in the
sand at the beach, and
an anteater or two to
keep the picnic site an
ant-free-zone. It's a
strange old world, for
sure...
Correspondence with our
Grammar Grappler:
Writer/Editor/Professor
John Swinton in
Pennsylvania.
John:
When you return from
Maine, will you
took-a-look (an Eskimo
expression meaning “to
examine”) at the
following
sentence...should it
read:
Traditional bowhunters
are a friendly,
congenial group of
people THAT welcome
others into their sport.
Or should
THAT be
WHO?
Roger;
Once again you've
focused on a point of
some contention
nowadays. Most "old
school" grammarians,
where I usually place
myself, agree with you,
and I think reason is on
your side. My argument
has always been that if
we see a chance to
stress our humanity, we
should grab it. "Who"
is a human word; "that"
is a mechanical word. I
believe readers
subconsciously warm to
an attempt to "humanize"
a group of people. But
current usage (according
to my Merriam-Webster
and my own informal
observations) runs
counter to my
preference, perhaps
reflecting a more
technocratic and
mechanized society. So,
I prefer "who" and for
what I think are good
reasons, but the trend
is toward "that." Hope
this helps.
Dream Project
In the last month or so
it has been my pleasure
to take on a dream
project—the editing of a
book for the Willmore
Wilderness Society. The
Willmore Wilderness is
north of Jasper National
park in the Canadian
Rockies. It is one of
the largest tracks of
true wilderness left in
North America. The book
is a collection of
interviews with the
packers, trappers, big
game guides, outfitters
and hunters who opened
up that country. Before
I get to a grammatical
point that arose from
this work, here is part
of a note I received
from Sue Feddema-Leonard,
who is compiling this
valuable work. Sue and
her husband, Bazil are
mountain outfitters who
know this land
intimately, and still
live there in much the
same way as the earlier
pioneers.
Hi Roger:
“I apologize for my
quick response, but I
only had two hours in
town before a 14-day
pack trip. We had people
and horses waiting for
us at the staging area.
Outfitter, Pete McMahon
had a freak accident and
had the end of his
finger cut off. I had to
help Pete’s wrangler
take a string of nine
horses to the McMahon
hunting camp.
Baz (my husband) took
Pete to the hospital and
later followed our
tracks. It was a
midnight run, riding
back to our camp after
we got the McMahon’s
horses to their base
camp. Pete ended up
having the tip of his
finger amputated.
After everything settled
down, we had a great
trip into the Jackpine
Valley and were able to
assess the extent of the
damage caused by the
wildfire last month. All
I can say is that it was
a close call. The
woodpiles in front and
behind our trapline
cabin were completely
burned up and the trees
on both sides caught on
fire. The saddle rack
was burnt on one end, as
was a ridgepole from one
of the wall tents. The
fire came within 30 feet
of our cabin.
Art Allen had a
hand-hewn structure that
he built in 1945 and
this log building was
also spared. This
building is located
approximately
one-quarter mile from
Bazil’s cabin. There was
only 20 feet between
Art’s cabin and the fire
line.
We were amazed by how
hot the fire burned.
There was no sign of
buck brush. Everything
was burnt, leaving the
charred pines standing.
Despite the devastation,
green grass shoots are
coming up through the
blackened earth. There
is hope for the future.
Our horses and other
wildlife will benefit
from the new grasses
that will most certainly
come in the next few
years.
Susan
A Question of Numbers
The question that arose
from my editing was: how
does one write the
numbers in a book.
Specifically I wrote
John Swinton and asked:
HI JOHN--QUESTION
PLEASE. I KNOW THAT IN A
MAGAZINE ARTICLE,
NUMBERS NINE AND LOWER
ARE WRITTEN OUT LIKE
THIS, 10 AND LARGER ARE
SHOWN IN NUMERALS LIKE
THIS.
WHAT ABOUT
IN A BOOK—I’VE NOTICED
IN A BOOK THAT NUMBERS
SEEM TO BE WRITTEN OUT
IN FULL NO MATTER HOW
LARGE.
Roger,
Your students might like
to mull over a freelance
irony. A beginning
writer does well to
study the particular
paper or magazine he or
she is aiming for when
writing numbers (as I
suggested, their
preferences are all over
the lot). But the more
established the writer
becomes, the more
willing an editor
becomes to work with his
or her prose to get it
to conform to "in-house
style." My personal
preference is to write
out one through twenty,
but this is nothing more
than my own preference.
Your question has,
unfortunately, no
hard-and-fast reliable
answer. In general,
those publications that
place a value on saving
space--newspapers and
most popular
magazines--write out one
through ten and then use
the Arabic numbers. In
general, the more
"serious" the
publication, the more
inclined it is to write
out the numbers one
through one hundred.
Intermediate
publications often use
the one-through-twenty
rule. Thus, bound books
tend to write "one"
through "one hundred."
Time Magazine writes
"one" through "ten." A
related problem arises
when a writer wants to
speak colloquially
("about a hundred") as
opposed to speaking
precisely ("exactly
ninety-seven"). Here's
where we enter still
another problem--namely,
the all-too-casual use
of such words and
phrases as "some," "a
few," "several," "lots,"
and so forth. It's an
issue I've discussed in
the OWAA publication,
Outdoors Unlimited, and
I like to point out that
the more precise a
writer can be ("seven"
instead of "a few") the
more credible he or she
appears to a reader.
John
I also asked my brother,
Doug for an opinion. He
is an author, writer,
publisher, editor and
videographer.
Roger
I always, Always,
ALWAYS, Defer to the
Canadian Press Style
guide.
So
the CP Style guide says
--------->
One
through nine is spelled
out.
10 and up are figures,
Until you get to a
million in which case
it's "two million
bushels," "2.5 million
bushels" "10 billion
cubic metres," "five
billion marks" "$1
billion".
If
you're starting a
sentence it's ----->
Twenty
to 30 escaped unharmed,
as well as 10 horses.
Do not spell out the
year at the start, but
avoid: "1972 was a leap
year."
When
numbers 21 through 99
must be written out use
a hyphen: "Thirty-five
or 36 may have died"
In
expressing a range
repeat million or
billion:
"25
million to 30 million"
There
are five pages of this
stuff in my CP style
guide, but you get the
idea.
If
I were writing for a
largely American
audience I might use the
"Chicago Manual of
Style" or some such.
Try these links for
Guidelines:
http://www.heritagehouse.ca/
Go
to their submission page
which says to use
Chicago Manual and the
Canadian Style Guide
http://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/en/publications/alpha/gui_can_sty_e.htm
I
have the Chicago manual
and it says ...........
In
nonscientific text,
numbers less than one
hundred should be
spelled out and numbers
of one hundred and more
should be expressed in
figures.
I
think the most important
thing is consistency
through the document.
Metta
Publications
http://www.mettapublications.com
Bits & Pieces
Is there ANYTHING you
can’t get on the
‘Net????
Fulford Harbour is a
tiny community on the
south end of Salt Spring
that we refer to as
being “deep in the
Granola belt.” It is
home to artists,
musicians, writers and
folk of the
counter-culture,
including one of the
country’s last-surviving
hippy communities. In
the men's washroom of
the local restaurant
there was a soap
dispenser on the wall
that had the brand-name
Happy Soap.
Some wag scratched out
the "A" and replaced it
with "I" so it read
Hippy Soap. “You
gotta love Salt Spring,”
I thought to myself when
I saw it.
I mentioned this to my
friend Katharina Otto
here on SSI and she sent
this note:
Roger
You can actually buy
"happy hippy soap" (see
http://humannatureofme.bizhosting.com/happy_hippy_soap.html ).
Katharina
Clearly
the trick in life is to
die young, as late as
possible…
Rev. William Sloan
Coffin (no pun intended)
On the inside of a
McDonald’s Crispy
Chicken sandwich box
(bought off-Island—there
is no McDonalds here,
thank you very much!) it
says: WHO WOULD YOU GIVE
YOUR LAST FRY TO?—good
question, yes?
And to wrap up this
newsletter:
Food For Thought
Have a history teacher
explain this----- if
they can.
Abraham Lincoln was
elected to Congress in
1846.
John F. Kennedy was
elected to Congress in
1946.
Abraham Lincoln was
elected President in
1860.
John F. Kennedy was
elected President in
1960.
Both were particularly
concerned with civil
rights.
Both wives lost their
children while living in
the White House.
Both Presidents were
shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were
shot in the head.
Now it gets really
weird.
Lincoln 's
secretary was named
Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was
named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated
by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by
Southerners named
Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who
succeeded Lincoln, was
born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who
succeeded Kennedy, was
born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who
assassinated Lincoln,
was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who
assassinated Kennedy,
was born in 1939.
Both assassins were
known by their three
names.
Both names are composed
of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your
seat.
Lincoln was
shot at the theater
named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a
car called ' Lincoln'
made by 'Ford.'
Lincoln was shot in a
theater and his assassin
ran and hid in a
warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a
warehouse and his
assassin ran and hid in
a
theater.
Booth and Oswald were
assassinated before
their trials.
And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln
was shot, he was in
Monroe, Maryland
A week before Kennedy
was shot, he was with
Marilyn Monroe.
Roger Brunt
rbrunt@saltspring.com
The North American
School of Outdoor
Writing
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
|
|
|
Newsletter of the North American School of Outdoor
Writing
Sept. 15 2005,
Newsletter of The North American School of Outdoor
Writing,
Salt
Spring Island, British Columbia.
…spider webs hung with dew—seven deer in the pasture
by the gate—a covey of quail in the driveway-- fall is
here…
More English Quirks and Quarks from Mission B.C.
outdoor writer Ken Kristian
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is
no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither
apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't
invented in England or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't
sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if
we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can
work
slowly, boxing rings are square and a
guinea pig is neither from Guinea
nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't
fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If
the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of
booth, beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two
meese? One index two indices? Doesn't it seem crazy
that you can make amends but not one amend? If you
have a bunch of odds-and-ends and get rid of all but
one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a
vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian
eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should
be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In
what language do people recite at a play and play at a
recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have
noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You
have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in
which your house can burn up as it burns down, in
which you fill in a form by filling it out and in
which an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it
reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of
course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the
stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights
are out, they are invisible.
PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"
In this note
from newsletter reader J.B. Struthers he informs me
that the list of words that are exactly alike but have
different meanings (that I published in the last
newsletter) are called heteronyms, as in “We WOUND
the WOUND” with dressings, or “Please POLISH the
POLISH furniture.” JB sent along this
gem to add to the
collection:
Roger
I
enjoyed the samples you provided in the
recent newsletter. Years ago, comic books
carried an advertisement for saws that went something
like this:
'Of all the saws
I ever saw saw, I never
saw a saw saw as this saw saws.'”
Jim continues: “These words are heteronyms (although
the saw bit is
not a good fit because it is pronounced the same for
each usage) and a significant list can be found at:
http://jonv.flystrip.com/heteronym/heteronym.htm.
That site will also direct you to an interesting
article on the topic.
When I was a kid, I used to work in my grandfather's
shop but I was not allowed to use the good lumber or
the new nails. My projects were fashioned from scraps
with used nails from a bucket, stored under the
workbench. In retrospect, I liken that process to
writing. We have no new words; we merely recycle old
ones in new permutations or
combinations.
Regards
Jim
For
the word buff, the web site Jim provides has 28 pages
of more than 400 heteronyms, and in part yields the
following
information:
The Heteronym
Page by Jon Vahsholtz
“A Heteronym is a word that has the same spelling as
another word but with a different pronunciation and
meaning. These words are sometimes also
called homographs.
My interest in
heteronyms started on a long drive to Kansas with my
family. Needing something to help pass the time, we
tried to come up with as many of these words as we
could. At the time we didn't even know what these
types of words were called, but we came up with 14
examples and thought we had done pretty well. I knew
there must be many more heteronyms that we simply
hadn't thought of, so I created this page with two
purposes in mind.
Publish a list of heteronyms for other interested
people.
Grow the list through reader contributions.
I'll be the first to admit that this is a pretty
useless list. I didn't expect that many other people
would find it even vaguely interesting. But I've been
pleasantly surprised at how many people hear
about the list
and enjoy seeing the collection and try to think of
more words to contribute.
For
more information, the November 1988 edition of the
Smithsonian magazine contained a short article about
heteronyms written by Felicia Lamport, and there are
numerous other websites listed at the end of Jon’s
site.
In
another message to do with word usage and grammar I
received the following from Anderson, Indiana student
Rich Creason who had an article published in the
latest issue of The Outdoors Writers Association of
America’s Outdoors Unlimited. Rich writes:
Hi
Roger,
I
just received my OWAA magazine. My story is on page
12. It's been changed slightly and I have a question
on one of the changes. In the third paragraph, I
wrote
"The FMDAC table
had metal detectors, prizes, and a display box of old
coins, artifacts, Civil War relics, jewelry, and other
items...." They changed my first two
commas in the sentence to semicolons. My daughter
told me that was how they taught her in school also.
Would you use all commas in the series of items or the
semicolons like they did? And why? This might be a
good question for your newsletter.
Rich.
Here
is OWAA’s Outdoors Unlimited Editor Katherine
McKalip’s reply:
Hi, Roger and Rich,
Thanks
for
your note.
The 2004 AP (*Associated Press) Stylebook
says, "Use semicolons to separate
elements of a series when the items in the series are
long or when individual segments contain material that
also must be set off by commas" (page
336). In my read of your piece, Rich, I understood
you as listing three things on the FMDAC table: metal
detectors, prizes and the display box. Things IN the
display box were, stylistically speaking, part of that
one item in your list--so I set off the "main" items
with semicolons to avoid confusion.
I hope this makes sense. I'm actually quite
interested in grammar and punctuation and strive to
employ them effectively, which often can be a
challenge!
Best regards,
Katie
Thanks Katherine, that explains a use for semi-colons
that I have never seen before—I Iive-and-learn every
day!
Once again our Grammar Grappler (Pennsylvanian writer
and scholar John Swinton) rides to the rescue on why
we my dictionary shows two acceptable spellings for
defense/defence.
Roger,
Once
again the Grammar Grappler has been out to lunch, or
more specifically out fishing and (then) closing the
Maine cabin. So my answer to your question will be
tardy, but accurate. The difference between "defense"
and "defence" reflects where Merriam-Webster wants to
sell its dictionaries, which is to say, as
widely as possible. The preferred spelling in the
U.S. is "defense" and the preferred English (and
Australian and Canadian and New Zealander) spelling is
"defence." The United States and Britain, said
Bernard Shaw, are two countries separated by a common
language.
John. Thank you John—I can always count
on you.
Longtime newsletter reader Andy Duffy adds this
aside: Hi Roger,
“I
noticed in the draft of your September newsletter you
mentioned using the alternative spelling of defense
last month. It reminded me of an old (bad) joke that
goes like this.
Teacher: All right, students, can any of you use the
words defense, defeat, and detail all in the same
sentence?
Tommy:
I can, teacher, I can. De cow jumped over de fence,
de feet before de tail.
I
suppose in a sentence like that, your spelling (de
fence) would be the preferred one.”
Andy
Conversations with an Editor:
Student Charles Smick in Paducah, Kentucky, sends
along another note for the newsletter:
”I
had an interesting phone conversation with an editor
today. A friend from Iowa sent me some magazines so I
could look at them to see if there were any query
opportunities.
One
was a free publication. I called the editor and
introduced myself and told him I was interested in
writing for the magazine. He started to "blow me off",
saying he gets three times the material that he can
use, most of it very poorly written, and if I wanted
to send something, go ahead but don't count on
anything being accepted or published. You WOULD NOT
BELIEVE HIS CHANGE IN ATTITUDE when I told him I was a
member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America,
my education and experience! He came back with, "Mr
Smick. Please send me several articles at once, even
if they have been published before in other areas!”
I am getting things ready right now! He told me
how he wanted them sent, etc. Another door opened up!
It was an interesting experience to say the least!
Keep
in touch,
Chuck
More
Correspondence With an Editor
Vancouver, B.C. student Elizabeth James is a dedicated
(and determined) writer of
Letters to the Editor,
so much so that she has decided her goal is to become
a newspaper columnist writing on
political/environmental issues. She sends along this
reply to a query and article she sent the editor of
the newspaper she is targeting:
Hi
Liz, (the editor replies to her query):
“…any chance you could distill this into something
about half the size? As usual, constraints of space…”
When
her piece was accepted, Liz wrote me:
“The
first version of this piece assumed that some readers
would not know the background. The second dropped that
assumption, and the third shaved off a little more…
Liz
continues, “I still get astonished when a piece gets
printed...and, to tell you the truth, I hope that
never changes...”
Liz
Writers Wanted
Hello Roger,
Maybe you can pass this on to your students. I've
just launched a new
website;
www.dogsledcanada.com. We are currently seeking
articles on
topics related to dog sledding, snowshoeing, winter
camping and
survival. Following is additional information.
Thanks for all your help,
DogSledCanada.Com Launches National Dog Sledding
Website
Sept 28, 2005
Recently launched,
DogsledCanada.com promises to provide Canadians with
the largest source of Dog Sledding information found
anywhere.
Working alongside some
of the industry’s biggest names, the site provides
information on Outfitters, Guides, Equipment, Trails,
Articles, Breeders, Race info and more!
From home you’ll be able
to book a wilderness sledding tour in your region, or
sit back and enjoy an article from Canada’s top
authorities on sledding and winter backcountry
camping.
For those who’ve never
experienced sledding before, they’ll find a wealth of
information on getting started. Everything from
choosing the correct outfitter, to tips on staying
warm on those snowy trails!
For more information
please visit us at
www.dogsledcanada.com or
email us
info@adventureoutdoor.net
Harlan Schwartz
DogSledCanada.Com
Congratulations
to fellow British Columbia outdoor writer David Wei
for the following award. This is proof once again
that there’s just no telling where the path of an
outdoor writer will lead! David (and
partner Suzzane) specialize in writing about sports
fishing the B.C. coast. This note is from Julius
Pokomandy of the B.C. Chef’s Association.
Hello
David:
I am pleased to inform you that our panel of
judges selected your "Halibut & Crumble" recipe pair
as the winner in our
contest.
You are cordially invited to attend the monthly
(September) meeting of the BC Chefs' Association to
receive a well deserved kudos and prizes.
The meeting is at 6.30 pm at the Sheraton Guilford
Hotel. Please confirm your attendance so I can
arrange good seating. Congratulations!
This
note from Ontario student Karyn White who is just
beginning the course.
Hi
again Roger;
I
just wanted to let you know that I am currently
working my way through the first lesson…and loving
it. I can’t believe how much I have learned
already…it’s amazing. (I was doing
everything the wrong way.) I
never even knew what a query was or that I should
probably send one. (A professional writing career has
always just been a dream and not something I thought I
was good enough to pursue). I'm a social worker by
profession, although I did think about going to school
for journalism...but that was a long time ago. To
continue my point of what I have learned so far in the
course... I have sent entire articles to editors of
many magazines, some of which I did receive a polite
rejection from e.g.. "I'm sorry we do not usually
accept work from freelance writers" or, "I'm sorry but
we are currently looking for writers with more
experience." After reading the first lesson,
I definitely understand why I received those
responses.
Thanks very much,
Karyn
A
Christmas Stocking Stuffer
New historical volume on
IGFA is being shipped ---
Big Game Fishing Headquarters: A History of the
International Game Fish Association
---Signed & numbered copy is perfect as a Christmas
gift
DANIA BEACH, Fla.…A
perfect Christmas gift for avid anglers is the long
awaited
Big Game Fishing Headquarters: A History of the IGFA.
Previously reserved copies are now
being sent out and a limited number of the signed and
numbered 9”x 12” coffee table-styled books are still
available.
Award-winning copywriter and IGFA representative
Mike Rivkin
authored the comprehensive look at the development of
big game fishing and the IGFA’s pivotal role in the
sport. Rivkin’s work has already received enthusiastic
and glowing reviews among leaders in the fishing
trade:
“Excellent! This important book reveals the
origins, personalities, and timeless concepts of good
sportsmanship and conservation as practiced by the
most influential angling organization in the world.
It is a classic volume that belongs in every angler's
library." Michael L. Farrior, Historian,
Tuna Club of Santa Catalina Island.
"This book is the bible of the IGFA and is a
wonderful addition to the angling literature. In
writing it, Rivkin has added much to the history of
the sport." Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., Angling Pioneer
"Mike Rivkin has done a masterful job, through
careful research and skillful writing, of capturing
the details of IGFA's colorful history and presenting
it in a fascinating, fast-moving, easy to understand
style." Mark Sosin, Host, Mark Sosin's
Saltwater Journal
This is the first time that the IGFA has ever
given a writer access to the vast store of its
internal records. The 240-page book focuses on the
IGFA’s event-filled 66-year history and includes more
than 200 heretofore unpublished photographs and
documents from the IGFA’s enormous archives.
For more details or to order your own signed and
numbered copy, visit the IGFA’s website at
www.igfa.org or contact IGFA merchandise
coordinator Crystal
Carey at
ccarey@igfa.org or by phone at 954-924-4310. (For
more information on
Big Game Fishing
Headquarters: A
History of the IGFA, please click the book
cover graphic on the IGFA web site’s home page.) IGFA
members also receive a 10% discount on the retail
price of the book.
Learn from the Best
The
annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas is the largest gathering
of outdoor media on the globe. Every year some 1,000
professional communicators view the world's newest and
largest display of products in the shooting, hunting
and outdoor trade, find stories among the products and
people in the industry and, in many cases, file those
stories, broadcasts and telecasts directly from the
show.
If
anybody knows how to put together Press Kits and Press
Releases, it is the managers of this show. In a
recent Press Release,
Slaton White, Editor, SHOT Daily
Slaton.white@time4.com gives this
advice for show participants and media types who will
be attending. It is useful information for every
member of the outdoor media.
Press Kits
The
most important detail that should be included but
often is left out of a press kit is SRP--suggested
retail price. I realize that at the time some kits
are written pricing hasn't been finalized, but keep in
mind that the first thing a retailer wants to know is
the price a consumer will be expected to pay for the
product. The editors of "SHOT Daily" work under a
very tight deadline and when it gets down to the wire,
the last thing we need is to try to find a company
spokesman for a price. Including SRPs makes it easier
for us to prepare the copy, which gives your product a
far better chance of making it into "SHOT Daily."
In
one case, I called a company spokesman before the show
and asked him why none of the products in his press
kit had SRPs. He said it was because he wanted
editors to call him. I tried to explain that when
we've got lots of time, no problem, but in a deadline
crunch, his stuff would get overlooked in favor of
material that included all the relevant
information--including SRPs.
Press kits should always include relevant specs. What
we don't need is pages of jargon from the marketing
department. We don't have room for that sort of copy;
more important, reporters and editors consider this
sort of copy useless "fluff."
Quotes from company brass are an inevitable part of
any press kit, but most don't help tell the story.
The few that do are greatly appreciated; the others
get "filed," i.e., thrown out. The best press kits
I've seen have separate sections loaded with product
details. These are supplemented with sections on
marketing strategy and quotes from company
spokespeople. That's fine; it enables us to get to
the meat very quickly. The worst examples require an
editor to labor through pages of copy trying to find
just what the product is and why it's important to
consumers. Unless we know a lot about the product
beforehand, these kits go into the trash. We simply
don't have time to conduct a treasure hunt.
We
see more digital press kits these days. That's good.
Electronic files allow quick acquisition of important
information. But please keep in mind that digital
images must be at least 300 dpi.
Press Releases
To
be brief--keep 'em short. The important information
should be in the first paragraph. Editors don't have
time to search through three pages of marketing and
corporate boilerplate to find out what it is you're
trying to publicize. Tell us up front.
Remember the old newspaper device: WWWWWH: who, what,
where, when, why, how. It still works.
Last
year I received an e-mail from the public relations
department of a manufacturer of outdoor clothing
alerting us to the fact they had signed a celebrity
spokesman. I replied, "Send a press release." What I
received was one sentence that read something like:
"Retailers will really want to stock our product
because such-and-such is our new celebrity
spokesmen." That was it. When I asked for more
information, I was told I had everything I needed.
Obviously, I didn't.
On
another occasion I got a hurried phone call from a
footwear manufacturer who wanted to know if there was
still time to make "SHOT Daily." Again, I asked for a
press release. They said they would fax one right
over. What I got was a release prepared for another
show. The show's name had been crossed out and "SHOT
Show" was handwritten above it. The information
relevant to SHOT Show was inserted by hand over the
printed information for the other show. Modern
computer editing programs could have cleaned up that
release in seconds, but they were too lazy to do the
work. To me, the release showed a complete lack of
respect for the SHOT Show. You can guess where that
release ended up. (Hint: it wasn't "SHOT Daily.")
You
should keep in mind that editors may not be intimately
familiar with your product. Last year we received a
release touting an upgrade to an arcane shooting
product. The problem? The release never mentioned
the product, only the improvement. We had no idea
what it was referring to.
Finally, the editors of "SHOT Daily" want to be able
to feature your product in the pages of the magazine.
Help us help you
Timing
Ideally, we'd like press kits and product releases in
early October (for a springtime show). But we can
still place material that arrives as late as
mid-November. After that, the window starts to close
as we ready the first day's issue and portions of the
other issues for the printer well before the SHOT Show
begins. Once these "pre-builds" are set (early
December) the next opportunity is the show. But don't
wait until then. Get the material to our offices
ASAP.
As
usual, I end this newsletter with what I consider to
be a fine piece of writing, valuable to any
freelancer.
In
Ray Bradbury’s
Zen In The Art of
Writing, he says:
“There is only one type of story in the world. Your
story. If you write your story it could
possibly sell to a magazine.
I
have had stories rejected by Weird Tales that I turned
around and sold to Harper’s. I have had stories
rejected by Planet Stories that I sold to
Mademoiselle.
Why? Because I have always tried to write my own
story. Give it a label if you wish, call
is science fiction or fantasy or the mystery or the
western. But, at heart, all good stories are the one
kind of story, the story written by an individual from
his/her individual truth. That kind of
story can be fitted into any magazine, be it the Post
or McCall’s, Astounding Science Fiction, Harper’s
Bazaar, or The Atlantic.
I
hasten to add here that imitation is natural and
necessary to the beginning writer. In the preparatory
years, a writer must select that field where he thinks
his ideas will develop comfortably. If
his nature in any way resembles the Hemingway
philosophy, it is correct that he will imitate
Hemingway. If Lawrence is his hero, a period
imitating Lawrence will follow. If the
westerns of Eugene Rhodes are an influence, it will
show in the writer’s work.
Work
and imitation go together in the process of learning.
It is only when imitation outruns its natural function
that a man prevents his becoming truly creative.
Some writers will take years, some a few
months, before they come upon the truly original story
in themselves. After a million words of imitation,
when I was twenty-two years old I suddenly made the
breakthrough. Relaxed, that is, into originality with
a “science-fiction” story that was entirely my “own”.
Remember then that picking a field to write in is
totally different from slanting within that field.
If your great love happens to be the world of the
future, it is only right that you spend your energies
on science fiction. Your passion will
protect you from slanting or imitation beyond the
allowable learning-point. No field, fully loved, can
be bad for a writer. Only types of
self-conscious writing in a field can do great harm.
Why
aren’t more “creative” stories written and sold in our
time, in any time? Mainly, I believe, because many
writers don’t ever know about this way of working
which I have discussed here. We are so
used to the dichotomy of “literary” as opposed to
“commercial” writing that we haven’t labeled or
considered the Middle Way, the way to the creative
process that is best for everyone and most conducive
to producing stories that are agreeable to snobs and
hacks alike. As usual, we have solved our problem, or
thought we solved it, by cramming everything into two
boxes with two names. Anything that
doesn’t fit in one box or another doesn’t fit
anywhere. So long as we continue to do and think this
way, our writers will continue to truss and bind
themselves. The High Road, the Happy
Way, lies between.”
Roger Brunt
rbrunbt@saltspring.com
The
North American School of Outdoor Writing
www.linksnorthoutdoorwriting.com
August
15 2005
Salt
Spring Island, British Columbia
Featured writers group Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers
and Photographers
...a
hint of fall in the air…
Giddy
from the summer heat, Roger Brunt attempts to explain
where
he
finds inspiration for his writing on his small, rural
island...
Writing’s easy when you’re on Salt Spring,
Where
the women are thick with charms.
They
wear gumboots when it’s raining,
Seldom
shave beneath their arms.
Most
raise rabbits, ducks and chickens,
Some
even sell their eggs.
(Along
with shaggy armpits,
They
seldom shave their legs.)
To
see them dance is something,
They
shimmy and they flop.
(That’s
the girls not the rabbits,
Who’ve
a tendency to hop!)
Island
girls aren’t like city girls,
Where
living is a breeze.
Our
girls can shovel cow manure
And
conjugate with bees.
For me
they’re inspiration,
To put
pen to paper well.
There’s
no shortage of these Island girls,
And
that suits me just swell!
****
Please
welcome new student Rich Creason in Anderson Indiana.
Rich is a well-established outdoor writer—it’s going to
be very exciting work with him.
Congratulations to Dean Williams of Atwood, Ontario who
has been accepted into Outdoor Writers Association of
America. Way to go, Dean. Congratulations
also to Chino, California’s Richard Lee Merritt who has
applied for membership in OWAA. Smart move, Rich, very
smart move.
Congratulations on a First Sale:
Congratulations to student Charles Smick in Paducah,
Kentucky, who has just made his first sale. Charles
writes: “I just received an e-mail from Mid-West
Outdoors and they plan to use one of my articles in the
next issue. That will mean I’ve sold my
first article! What a thrill!!!” Now if
that sounds a bit surprising considering that Charles
has been mentioned frequently in this newsletter
whenever he gets an article published, the difference is
that, up until now, Charles has not been paid for his
work. He has been writing for non-paying markets to
gain experience and build a portfolio of published
articles. This is a tactic I strongly
recommend for beginning writers, even though I am aware
that many freelancers feel strongly that writing for no
pay, or even low pay, just drags the whole industry down
and encourages publications to keep pay rates low. But
Charles has used this technique to good advantage, and
he has learned a great deal during this process.
Charles continues “I did a spin-off article from the
Alabama boar hunt article, made it a “How-to,
Where-to-go” article and made it more generalized. They
liked the article, but don’t cover Alabama, so they
returned it. They liked the article really
well, and made some nice comments, so I revised it and
sent it back to them…Finally getting out there!” Now
that’s adapting to a moving target!
Way to
go Charles!
More
Feature Articles;
Congratulations also to Ontario Graduate Students Justin
Hoffman and Tim Allard for their feature articles on TJ
Quesnel’s Ontario Fishing website (www.ontariofishing.net/news/aug2005-1.html.)
Justin and Tim are old hands at being published and have
written most of the features on this website (as well as
hundreds of magazine articles) over the past several
years. Way to go you guys.
Proofreaders welcome:
Thanks
to all those eagle-eyes who e-mailed me to point out my
spelling error in the last newsletter when I spelled
CAPITAL (as in capital letter) as CAPITOL.
In my
defence I quote the following from Wallace Stegner…
“Some
people, I am told, have memories like computers, nothing
to do but punch the button and wait for the print-out.
Mine is more like a Japanese library of the old style,
without a card file or an indexing system or any
systematic shelf plan. Nobody knows where
anything is except the old geezer in felt slippers who
has been shuffling up and down these stacks for
sixty-nine years. When you hand him a problem he
doesn’t come back with a cartful and dump it before you,
a jackpot of instant retrieval. He finds
one thing, which reminds him of another, which leads him
off to the annex, which directs him to the east wing,
which sends him back two tiers from where he started.
Bit by bit he finds you what you want, but like his boss
who seems to be under pressure to examine his life, he
takes his time.”
Writing In Crayon:
Newsletter reader Andy Lightbody in Gunnison Colorado
writes
Roger:
“IN
REPLY TO YOUR MESSAGE ABOUT HAVING TO USE ALL CAPS… for
mail from the US to Canada… Somehow
that does not surprise me. We've been using the U.S.
Education system to keep "dumbing down" our citizens and
students for years. Maybe, it’s finally sunk in...we
have to use Cap letters only. Next, we probably have to
write everything with Crayons.
Andy
Awards:
And
congratulations to Andy for his recent Rocky Mountain
Outdoor Writers and Photographers Association award:
Gunnison TV Producer Wins Awards
August 8, 2005---
Gunnison resident Andy Lightbody and Rocky Mountain
Television have taken first place honors in the annual
photography and writing contest held by Rocky Mountain
Outdoor Writers and Photographers, Inc. Almost 300
photos, articles, books, video programs, and other
submissions were entered by RMOWP members, and awards
were presented last month at the
organization's annual conference in Silver City, New
Mexico.
In the TV/Movie/Video category, Lightbody took first
place
awards for several TV programs he produced for Rocky
Mountain Television,
including "Super Shoot with Wille T Ribbs," "Life of a
Gunnison Kokanee
Salmon," and "Word Wranglin' and Wrymin' - Cowboy Poet."
Grammar Grappler: Bob-tailed adverbs.
Once
again I have turned to Pennsylvania writer and
grammarian John Swinton to answer a grammar question:
Hi
John:
I
notice that TV sportcasters often leave the "ly" off
words (adverbs?).
Am I
correct in thinking these words should have a
"ly"?
Here’s
some examples:
I like
it that he's playing aggressive.
He's
striking the ball very solid.
The
ball wasn't hit that sharp.
Take
care--hope your Maine trip was peaceful...
Roger
And
John’s reply:
Roger,
A few familiar adverbs
(now, often, there, quite) carry no distinctive form.
But we form most other adverbs by adding -ly to an
adjective: inadvertent-ly, particular-ly, real-ly,
sincere-ly.
Some adverbs have two
forms, one with an -ly (the long form) and one without
(the sort form): slow-slowly, loud-loudly,
tight-tightly. A few more of these two-form adverbs
include bright, cheap, close, deep, even, fair, loose,
quick and rough.
You can often interchange
the long and short forms: Go slow, Go slowly; I pulled
my line tight, I pulled my line tightly. But in these
situations you can often detect a slight difference in
meaning, so think carefully about what exactly you want
to convey.
We tend to use short-form
adverbs with short words in short sentences: new found
friend versus newly publicized reputation. (And here
you see in the choice another indicator of a writer's
personal style.)
When an adverb has
only the -ly form, we avoid dropping its ending: A
hundred yards is considerably (not considerable) farther
than I can cast; You take yourself too seriously (not
serious, though we see this a lot); He behaves
differently (not different, a grammatical mistake) from
other shotgunners.
Dropping the -ly in some
of these cases can, however, accurately convey a dialect
or informal discourse. The most common adverbs where we
see this dialect phrasing at work include badly, really
and surely: He paddles badly (not, grammatically, bad);
She pulled a really (real, only in dialect) neat trick;
They surely (sure, in ordinary conversation) had a good
time.
Your question centers on
what grammarian Jim Corder at Texas Christian University
called "the bobtailed adverb," though that expression
probably originated elsewhere. You're right to
suggest--and your examples illustrate--that
ungrammatical bobtailed adverbs appear oftenest in
sportswriting. A real confusion between the adjective
and adverb explains some of it. (Compare He plays
aggressive hockey and He plays hockey aggressively.)
But sportswriters generally go around Fisher's barm to
avoid appearing high-toned. They correctly sense that
while faulty grammar is a misdemeanor, offending a
reader's ear is a felony. But they then proceed to
underestimate their readers.
I hope this helps.
Best, John
Featured Writers Group:
Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and
Photographers
Formed
in 1973, Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and
Photographers is a regional organization of professional
and aspiring
writers, photographers, cinematographers, artists, and
others that is
dedicated to the improvement of communicating the
outdoor experience.
Each year the organization holds a conference at various
locations throughout the Rocky Mountain Region, offering
members an
opportunity to meet new people and make new contacts,
share experiences,
enjoy local attractions, learn from a variety of
seminars and experts, and
participate in photographic and other
communications-oriented activities.
Details are available from the group's website,
www.rmowp.org.
Don & Barb Laine
lainedb@newmex.com or
lainedb@taosnet.com
OWAA
Conference Highlight:
Longtime newsletter reader (and now new student) Rich
Creason, in Anderson Indiana sends along this note about
an event-of-interest that occurred at the recent Outdoor
Writers Association of America conference in Madison,
Wisconsin. His e-mail also illustrates very well how a
serious outdoor communicator works hard at getting
involved to help improve his craft and knowledge, and to
raise his profile among fellow outdoor writers and
editors.
Hi
Roger!
Thanks
for the latest newsletter. I look forward to getting
them each month.
You
missed a special attraction at the OWAA conference this
year. A new supporting member, the Federation of Metal
Detector and Archeological Clubs put on a treasure hunt
for the writers and supporters at Shooting Day. We are
members of FMDAC and were invited to assist at this
event.
Attached is a copy of the story I wrote about this
event. OWAA has asked to publish it in the next Outdoors
Unlimited. This month’s issue (I just received
it today) has a picture of Sue Hansen and my wife Susie
with one of the metal detectors we used in this special
hunt. I thought you might be interested in reading the
story before it came out.
I
already have my reservations to go to the South East
Outdoor Press Association conference in Louisiana. I am
running for Director in the Association of Great lakes
Outdoor Writers and have a last minute conflict and am
not going to be able to attend their conference in
Minnesota. I have only a few more hours of community
service and will finish my course to become an Indiana
Master Naturalist. That's all for now. Rich.
Rich
Creason
eyewrite4u@aol.com
Photo
Cutline Mixup:
Graduate student Don Sangster sent along this note of
caution for fellow outdoor writers after a mix-up with a
photo caption. Don asked me to point out that he takes
full responsibility for the mix-up.
Hi Roger.
Funny thing about my latest piece in a national
publication. The article included a photo of mine of a
nice walleye being held with a dark, pre-dawn sky
background. The caption says that the guy holding it is
pro angler. Problem is, the guy holding it is actually
a buddy of mine! I couldn't figure out how this
happened, other than the fact that the magazine
obviously didn't use the caption that I provided (it
seems that no one ever does!). I looked back at the
caption that I provided and what I said was: "As
walleye tournament angler (name withheld) advises, never
be afraid to try your favourite tactics on a new lake.
This walleye was caught on a white spinnerbait, a
nearly-unheard of choice on this particular lake."
The
magazine took my mention of this angler, (whom
I interviewed for the article) in this caption to mean
that the fellow holding the fish was him. I had
purposely not mentioned my buddy's name because I didn't
want anyone to assume that he too is a pro walleye
angler.
I
notified the editor and contacted the angler, and have
arranged for a correction, along with an actual photo of
this man, to be published in the next issue. The lesson
to be learned by your students is to always mention the
name of everyone pictured in the photo (or mention no
names at all) to ensure that no one assumes anything.
Letting Nature Ease Past:
Vancouver B.C. student Elizabeth James, after reading in
the last newsletter how Graduate Student William
Lefebvre was able to keep on doing the course even when
posted to the war zone in Iraq writes:
Roger:
Many
thanks for persevering by sending along the latest
newsletter. It is encouraging to read of everyone's
endeavours and successes.
I'm
not in Iraq and wonder at a man's ability to keep the
writing going in the face of what's going there, while I
have allowed myself to be diverted by only visitors from
Switzerland and "house" hunting! Well - not quite....I
have kept up my political commentaries and have had
another one published in the North Shore Outlook.
Problem is that those are always freebies for the papers
and I want to get going with articles that someone is
willing to pay for - even $20 would be a start.
Right
now, I am sitting outside, with the laptop on my
knee. …While I sit here writing, I watch dozens of
chickadees, purple and house-finches, towhees and -
today! - one wild canary. They are coming down to the
feeders and, believe it or not, lining up for the new
tepid bathwater I put in the birdbath. They are
delightful little sweethearts - bright-eyed and becoming
more and more tame by the day.
Talking of tame, before I left the office this
afternoon, two Stellar's Jays had plucked up courage
enough to take peanuts from my daughter's hand. It's
really interesting to see that, through the shell, they
can tell which ones are worth taking. Sara and I checked
the ones that they had taken and discarded. Sure enough,
although the nuts were plump enough, they were also
somewhat grey about the skin....interesting.
And,
talking of other creatures...I must arise, to go fetch
some hot water, with which to discourage a 2-way trail
of ants...those incredible creatures have built their
own Highway One, to and from a large flower pot and the
scrap of lawn that I call my garden. I feel mean but, if
I don't deplete their numbers, they make their way up to
my kitchen counter!
So,
off I go....offering once again, my thanks for your
interest and encouragement. I will be back....
Cheers,
Liz
Outdoor Writers Newsletter Offer:
Editor/author Galen Geer makes this offer to students
and readers of this newsletter.
Roger,
I am about to launch "The Pines Review" newsletter.
This is a somewhat different publication in that it is a
newsletter covering the "Art and Literature of the
Outdoors" and as such is will not have much appeal to
someone who is happy writing for "Trailer Park News."
Many of your students and former students do have higher
goals and they will gain from the publication. The
premier issue, for example, has a story on a Ruark
biography, an essay on the use of gender roles by
anti-hunters to attack hunting literature and another
essay on the development of the character in outdoor
writing. There's also a "news" section, a
photography column by Jeff Davis, "Photograph Is Not a
Noun," and the release of a new Hemingway novel. A
critical review of "The Bamboo Chest" and review of a
Jim Corbett collection are also in this first issue.
Future issues will include profiles of successful
writers, artists, photographers, and their works.
The newsletter will become available via the web to
subscribers by either the second or third issue, however
a print version is available now and print versions will
always be an option.
Any of your students who would like to receive the
promotional issue please have them contact me at:
editor@pinesreview.com or
galengeer@mlgc.com. The promotional issue includes
information on contributions and requirements.
The newsletter will be published four times per year and
the subscription price is $35.00 per year. The
individual price is $10.00 per copy.
Complementary subscriptions of the newsletter will be
available for specific groups and businesses of the
outdoor industry (of which you are one). All you need
to do is request it and each year you'll be asked if you
want to continue receiving it.
Limited advertising will be accepted and special
consideration is given to new books or seminars by
outdoor artists or writers.
So, please let me know if you are interested in
receiving the newsletter and if any of your students
would like to receive a free promotional issue.
Best,
Galen L. Geer
USA Editor, "African Hunter"
Outdoor Editor, "Soldier of Fortune"
Author, "Last Supper In Paradise."
Writer
First, or Outdoorsman first?
In
Lesson Four of the course, I make the point that I think
it is important for a student to know if he/she is an
outdoorsmen who wants to become a writer, or a writer
who wants to write for outdoor markets—there is an
important distinction. In reply to this question,
student Richard Lee Merritt in Chino, California wrote
this reply that I feel applies to the vast majority of
students in the course, and outdoor writers in general.
Richard writes:
”I
definitely fall into the “I am a fisherman/outdoorsman
who wants to be a writer ” category. I have been a
fisherman/outdoorsman all my life. It is
the driving force in my existence. It is what I
love…it’s a religion. Another lifelong
passion I have enjoyed is reading; as a child, if I
wasn’t on a stream, a lake, or a trail in th woods, I
was reading about being on one. I loved (and still do)
outdoor magazines and I have always had a collection of
outdoor magazine subscriptions—it all started with
Ranger Rick magazine when I was about seven years old.
Today I subscribe to over 15 magazines, and now
that I am beginning to write this could easily double.
As I
grow older, I find more and more that I enjoy sharing
and teaching my knowledge with others who are passionate
about the outdoors, and even more so to those who have
not been exposed to the outdoors or a sporting
lifestyle, but are curious about it, or just starting
out. A couple of years ago my wife pointed out to me
that I should be a writer, since I’m always jotting down
something—notes, lists, ideas, definitions and sometimes
a simple note would become a full-blown report.
I didn’t think anything about what she said at
the time, but subconsciously it was obviously
lingering. When I came across the North American School
of Outdoor Writing website, something happened.
I can’t explain exactly what happened, but I knew
that this was the path I was destined to follow, a
crossroad, if you will. I find writing to be the
perfect vessel to balance my outdoor addiction and
ultimately share the “Outdoor & Fishing Gospel.””
Richard.
A Note
Between Friends:
Readers of this newsletter know that I often quote
outdoor artist and writer Bob White, in Minnesota. Bob
writes a wonderful weekly outdoor story (along with a
copy of one of his fine paintings) which he posts on the
‘Net and sends out in the form of a discussion group for
writers and artists.
Here’s
what Bob has to say about his writing:
Roger,
I've done a bit of thinking about my writing... as I
tend to do a lot
of thinking about almost everything. It occurs to me
that my writing is
one of the few things in my life that I do "just for
me".
When I produce an illustration... I'm pleasing an
editor. When I paint
a commission... I'm desperately trying to please my
patron. When I
paint for "myself" (which is rare)... I'm still painting
with the
thought of pleasing someone else enough that they'll
want to collect
it.
The writing... well, I just do it for me. It's a way for
me to go back
and relive moments that are meaningful. If the stories
connect with
someone... great. If not... well, maybe next week.
I didn't realize all of this until, as you know, I began
to approach
magazines with my stories in hopes of selling them...
I've always
dreamt of being published. Some editors have suggested
that the stories
are too maudlin and self-absorbed. Don't get me wrong...
I'm deeply
appreciative of the time and effort any editor takes to
read my work
seriously, and comment on it constructively. It's just
that when I try
to change the content... I usually lose my voice.
In one instance, I ended up with a better story... In
all of the
others, I ended up with someone else telling my story
instead of me.
I've decided to write for myself.
This doesn't mean that I don't take the craftsmanship of
writing
seriously... I do. I'll continue to offer my work to
magazines, and
gladly publish it with them when my work fits their
style or editorial
needs, but making money with them isn't the objective...
it's just
something that I do for me.
Warm regards,
Bob White
bob@whitefishstudio.com
www.whitefishstudio.com
…and
here’s my reply to Bob.
Hi
Bob:
Thanks for your e-mail--valuable words that any writer
will want to
hear—
Many
readers of the newsletter comment on how
much they enjoy hearing from fellow writers, especially
when those messages
explain how the craft is carried out--nobody does that
better than you.
I think your writing reads so well because you "do it
for yourself." So
much outdoor writing is "formula" writing, where-to-goes
and how-to-do-its
that squeeze the life out of the words. I appreciate
that most magazine
readers want to learn things they can use for
themselves, so these types of
articles are very popular. But there are still many of
us who want to
settle back in the tub with a copy of Gray's and read
nothing but Me 'n Joes
for an hour or two--that's the kind of writing you do,
the tub soakin' kind,
so it's not surprising that many editors won't publish
it. It doesn't fit
their format, and I think they do themselves (and their
readers) a
disservice by doing so. It wouldn't take much to save
one spot in every issue for a well-written Me 'n Joe--in
fact, some magazines do just that.
For now, take care and thank you again--it's a pleasure
to talk with a
fellow writer who writes "from the heart."
And it's wonderful that your writing finds an outlet in
the form of your web
site. Otherwise, the whole exercise would be very
frustrating--nobody can
withstand a blizzard of rejection letters for long, even
if all they are
saying is that we should "go with the flow."
Bye for now,
Roger
Readers know that I always like to conclude each
newsletter with an example of what I consider to be
outstnding writing. Here’s an e-mail from Timothy Hume,
a friend of mine—this is one of the most unusual stories
I have ever heard—enough to make the hair stand up on
your arms…Tim and I invite your comments on this.
I’ll pass your messages along..
Here
is a fun true story:
An
interesting event took place two days ago when we had a
surprise visit from a travelling Tibetan Monk.
He
arrived with interpreters because he spoke no English.
Turns
out he is a very important teacher who lives and works
closely with the Dalai Lama.
He had
come to Saltspring to take part in a spiritual retreat
and teach about peace.
On his
last day he was asked what he would like to see while on
the island.
Just
drive me around, I will tell you where when I know the
place.
They
were traveling along Fulford Ganges highway when the
Masters said Please turn down here.
Beddis
Rd.
Coming
abreast of our place which is not visible from the road
he asked them to slow.
Here
he said Turn in here at the sign of the Yak.
The
interpreters answered there is no sign with a Yak.
No
this is the place, The Dovecote Gallery.
This
is how the interpreters explained how they came to our
Gallery.
This
is the sign, The Lord of Birds. ( I call my loft, Lord
of the Isles Loft) but that is not on the sign
The
Yak are in this sign says the Master.
Anyway
we do have a sign with a dove and the name Dovecote
Gallery but there is no Yak.
When
they arrived they all got out of the car and right away
the interpreter said,
The
Master has seen the sign of the Yak and would like to
meet the man that owns them.
He
wonders if it is possible for him to visit the Yak.
Amarah
said we have no Yak here but our neighbours up the hill
has them.
The
Monk said, No this is the place with the sign of the
Yak.
The
top of the hill is the orchard, This is the place. You
have the sign for the Yak.
I have
no sign for Yak I said. You are the one that makes the
sign says the Master.
I was
to make a sign for my neighbour but I have not painted
it yet. I only see it in my minds eye.
Yes,
Yes you make the sign.
You
are the one that owns the Yak.
No, I
just look after them while the owner is away, I tell
him.
The
one who brought them from the mountains is the one who
owns the Yak
The
one who makes the sign.
Anyway
I figured it was just misunderstanding through
translation.
Didn't
matter IM looking after the Yak herd so we drive up to
see them.
He
asks me a lot of questions about the animals.
Where
they came from, How they got here, What will you use
them for?
Lots
of questions about what kind of nature they have. About
plans for breeding all that animal husbandry kind of
stuff.
At the
end of question and answer he says
IM
very pleased, impressed, You Know a lot about the Yak.
He
thanked me warmly for allowing him the privilege of
visiting my Yak.
You
are the right man to own the Yak.
I try
to explain once more that they are not my animals but
belong to my neighbour.
I am
only caring for them while he is away.
The
interpreter said.
No,
the Master says you are the man with the sign of the
Yak.
You
were responsible for bringing them here.
The
Yak are pleased to come here for you.
( This
is also pretty true because I was the one that did all
the research found and made contact to set the Yak
purchase in motion, Ian was the guy that bought them, I
just helped set the deal up )
Does
not matter who pays for them, They have come because you
visualized because you have the sign of the Yak
When
you have ponies again he said you will be like a Tibetan
Man. You will ride and you will be blessed.
IM
very glad you care for the Yak.
When I
was a boy the Monk tells me, My family raised many Yak.
When I
left Tibet my family had 300 Yak in the mountains.
IM a
long way from those mountains and am so happy to see the
Yak are here.
You
are all blessed.
Your
Wind Horse is Running.
Cheers
Timothy
Roger
Brunt rbrunt@saltspring.com
The
North American School of Outdoor Writing
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
August 1 2005
Newsletter of The North
American School of Outdoor Writing
Featured Writers Group:
International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
Salt Spring Island, British
Columbia
…the Dog Days of summer…
Please welcome new students
Jon Fawcett of Green Bay Wisconsin and Morgan Davies in
Missisauga, Ontario. I look forward to reading about Jon
and Morgan’s outdoor experiences and getting to know them
as the course unfolds.
Congratulations to student
Michael Bullington in Redding California who has applied
for membership in Outdoor Writers of America.
Congratulations also to
Ontario graduate student Chris Hockley and Ohio student
Tony Seals; both have been accepted into Outdoor Writers
of America.
And finally, congratulations
to William Lefebvre in Plattsburg, New York, who received
his Certificate of Course Completion this month. William
is a perfect example of a student who let nothing stand in
his way of his love of writing. When he was
posted to Iraq mid-way through the course, not only did he
continue e-mailing his lessons, he was able to use his
experiences to generate some very good writing, including
his “Sentinels” piece which was published in the Green
Mountain Guard, the magazine of the Vermont Army and
National Guard.
Long-time newsletter reader
Andy Duffy sends along his impressions of the recent
Outdoor Writers of America conference.
Hi Roger,
Being a first-time attendee
of an OWAA annual conference, I want to share just a few
of my impressions about the experience. I’ve wanted for
years to attend such a conference. I’ve gone
to conferences before, but I’d never had the opportunity
to attend a conference of outdoor writers and one attended
by some of the best in the business besides. I felt the
same anticipation many individuals involved in broadcast
journalism would feel about the opportunity to rub elbows
with Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and other luminaries of
television news broadcasts.
I wasn’t disappointed. I
was able to meet many of the people behind the by-lines in
the magazines I read.
People like Joel Vance, for
example. I’ve long believed he wrote some of the
slickest, tidiest prose I’ve ever encountered.
I was able to attend a workshop he instructed with
Tom Huggler. Tom, by the way, is a prolific writer from
my home state of Michigan, a writer whose by-line I see
frequently in both state and national publications, but an
individual I’d never had the opportunity to meet.
From a teaching team like that was I able to
receive some helpful writing instruction? You bet!
In fact, I gained benefit
from every workshop I attended. From each session, I
heard something that would improve my writing, develop
into an article, or simply reinforce something I already
practice.
I met an individual who
makes more-or-less regular appearances in your newsletter,
John Swinton. John is a teller of very interesting tales
and I enjoyed conversing with him. Ask him
sometime to tell of his encounter with Punxsutawney Phil,
the famous groundhog. The story is hilarious.
Shooting day offered the
opportunity to examine and shoot new firearms, to watch a
very talented exhibition shooter in action, and to see an
assortment of firearm-related products such as shotgun
targets that quickly melt away. Breakout day gave another
opportunity to see new outdoor products and to communicate
in an informal setting with representatives of the
companies that manufacture them. A writer
could go home with a wealth of story ideas just from those
two occasions alone.
A special treat for me was
meeting members of the OWAA headquarters staff. Because
I’m a new member of OWAA, I’d had recent occasions to
communicate with Executive Director Kevin Rhoades,
Publications Editor Katherine McKalip and Member Services
Manager Myra Gray. In person they are as
nice, friendly, and helpful as they are at the other end
of a telephone line or behind a computer terminal from
which they are composing e-mail correspondence.
Was attending the conference
a valuable experience? Certainly. I’m
looking forward to the time when I can attend another one.
Sincerely,
Andy Duffy
And from Allen McQuinn in
Rockford Illinois comes this report:
Hello Roger,
It is truly unfortunate you were not able to make the OWAA
convention in Madison last week. Joan and I met so many
great friendly people, and the event was truly
overwhelming. Several people asked me to say hello for
them: Sue and Eric Hansen from Corvallis Oregon, Wiggy
Robinson from Millinocket, Maine Gary Engberg from the
Madison area, and last but certainly not the least, Marty
Malin. We had a terrific visit on a number
of occasions with Marty. What a wonderful warm individual
he is. He even shared his story about his dog, one more
hunt that you had published. I cannot thank you enough for
all the opportunities that lay before us, thanks to your
tutoring!
Best Wishes,
Allen
Writers Wanted
Cross Country Skier Magazine
Cross Country Skier
specializes in information for the Nordic Ski enthusiast.
The magazine is always looking for information about
equipment, techniques, trails and resorts.
Also wanted are feature articles about cross-country
skiing. Complete guidelines are at
www.crosscountryskier.com Queries to Cross Country
Skier, P.O. Box 550, Cable, WI, 54821. E-mail lou@crosscountryskier.com
Purebred Pigeon Magazine:
Purebred Pigeon magazine is
looking for club news and events, photos from pigeon
shows, events or home flocks, and original unpublished (in
the US) articles on any topic relating to pigeons such as
loft management, feed, preparing for race or show, disease
management and care, diet and supplements, great birds and
pigeon people. Contact
staff@purebredpigeon.com. Purebred Pigeon, PO Box
2001, McKinney, Texas, 75070
972-562-8490
www.purebredpigeon.com
Pigeon Magazine
Pigeon Magazine is actively
seeking publishable manuscripts of fiction and nonfiction,
travel writing, memoirs and journals entries, as well as
essays, short stories, novellas, longer works of fiction,
even novels-in-progress, humor, opinion pieces and poetry.
Before submitting please
look at guidelines on web site at
www.pigeonmagazine.com
Submissions to
submissions@pigeonmagazine.com
Magazine Awards
From Bill Thompson,
Executive Director of Outdoor Writers of Canada comes this
note re: Outdoor Canada Magazine
To all OWC List serve
members:
A number of OWC members with
Outdoor Canada magazine, and the magazine
itself, were honoured at the Canadian Society of Magazine
Editors Annual
Awards Banquet held on June 9.
Highlights of the banquet were the naming of Patrick
Walsh, editor of
Outdoor Canada, as Editor of the Year, and Outdoor Canada
magazine being
named the top magazine in the Circulation of 50,000 -
149,000.
Congratulations to Walsh plus managing editor Aaron Kylie,
associate editor
Bob Sexton, hunting editor Ken Bailey and fishing editor
Gord Pyzer.
In addition, writers with Outdoor Canada, published by
Transcontinental
Media, received six honourable mentions at the June 10
National Magazine
Awards ceremony. OWC¹s Ken Bailey of Edmonton, AB
received:
Honourable mention (How-to): After the shot, which was
published in
October 2004 issue
Honourable mention (How-to): Waterfowler wisdom, which
was published in
Hunting 2004 issue.
Outdoor Canada field editors include OWC members: Tom
Adamchick, Gary Ball,
Patrick Campeau, Mario Carlucci, Brad Fenson, George
Gruenefeld, Andy
Houser, Jim Lawrence, Jake MacDonald, Paul Marriner, Bruce
Masterman,
Richard Mellon, Wayne Phillips, Mike Randolph, Bob Reguly
and T.J. Schwanky.
For a complete list of winners, visit
http://www.canadianeditors.ca/
If you would like any more information on Outdoor Canada¹s
awards, you can
contact Patrick Walsh at
walsh@outdoorcanada.ca or at 416-218-3696 (toll
free: 1-888-290-1466)
Student Success Stories
Student Charles Smick of
Paducah, Kentucky, sent me copies of three more stories he
has had published, two in Great American Heartlands
magazine and one in Professional Bowhunter. Charles is
now published in half-a-dozen magazines around the
country, including Texas Trophy Hunter. Way
to go, Chuck.
Ontario student, guide and
tournament angler Chris Hockley continues to report
excellent success. He writes:
Roger: I am now a member of
the Outdoor Writers of America, and I just made the cover
feature article for the Summer issue of Real Fishing
Magazine!
I have articles in two other
major magazines and both are looking at using queries of
mine for major features! The guiding has been going well,
the writing has been amazing, and my tournaments are just
about to get under way.
Will talk more soon!
Chris Hockley
Tony Seals, in Bellville
Ohio, writes:
Roger,
Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that
Midwest Outdoors
magazine is going to publish the "Lighten-Up For Big Erie
Perch" piece.
This will be my first. VERY EXCITING!
Tony
Grand Prairie Alberta
student Brian Bildson continues to report success:
I went
to the Alberta trapper's convention this weekend and was
lucky enough to receive a plaque of recognition for the
promotion of trapping through my writing. I was very
surprised and proud that my columns (in Alberta
Outdoorsmen magazine) are appreciated by my fellow
trappers. The convention was really a great source for
future columns. I'm finding that folks are seeking me out
with ideas for articles, for example the Program Director
for the Trappers Compensation Board was very keen to have
the program explained in a column. He rightfully believes
that most trappers do not understand how the program
works.
Isn't
this a great job! Check out the two young grizzlies I
photographed the other day.
The real
value in this course is the hands-on real world help that
you've provided. Your course is worth every penny I
spent.
Brian
Student Scott Frost in
Embudo, New Mexico reports:
Hey
Roger! Summer time is the worst season for me to make
sit-down time- haven't given up, or even lost one whit of
enthusiasm, simply been overwhelmed with
responsibilities at work and home.
By the
way, I have received payment for the piece in Bugle
magazine--the most precious dollars I have ever received!
Thanks, Roger.
Scott
Ontario Student Don Sangster
had a great feature article titled “The Competitive Edge”
published in Western Sportsman magazine. Way to go, Don.
Bob White Chosen by FFF
Bob White, whose Thursday
morning on-line Outdoor Art Review and weekly short story
(see
Bob@WhitefishStudio.com) have been mentioned in this
newsletter several times, reports:
I was recently chosen as one
of three artists to create an original work of art to help
the Federation of Fly Fishers commemorate their 40th
anniversary. The original oil painting “First Fish” (30" x
35") will be sold at auction on Friday, August 12, at the
FFF National Conclave in Livingston, Montana. Bids can be
placed on the FFF web site (www.fedflyfishers.org)
if you can't make the event. As well, signed and
numbered, limited edition (125 in the edition) prints are
also being offered by the Federation of Fly Fishers. The
prints will be available at the event, on the Federation's
website, or by directly contacting us.
Postal Changes Could Cause
Students Grief
California student Mike
Bullington reports that there has been a change
implemented by the Canadian Postal Service that may cause
problems for students mailing their manuscripts and/or
lessons from the USA to Canada. It is now a requirement
that all typed address labels must be IN ALL CAPITOL
LETTERS. I have made this change on all new
mailing labels, but if you have an envelope with an older
label you might want to change it.
The
Importance of Getting it Right!
Mike
also sent along this item datelined LONDON:
Britain’s biggest-selling hiking magazine (Trail)
apologized after its February issue contained a route that
would lead climbers off the edge of a cliff on Ben Nevis,
Britain’s tallest peak. Editor Guy Proctor acknowledged
that in the editing process, the magazine had
inadvertently erased the first of two crucial bearings
needed to get off the summit.
Fishing for Dreams
It’s not often I get a
chance to talk about a friend’s book. Dennis Reid’s
collection of stories about fishing on Canada’s West Coast
is a great read. For anyone interested in
fishing this part of the world, or just catching a glimpse
of the inner workings of a passionate angler, this book is
a must. In a recent e-mail, Dennis wrote: “I
come to writing from the literary side and the self
revealing thing is something that comes from my poetry
which is all about my life and the people I know.
I
wanted to name it: The Man Behind The Fish, but the sales
people and Chapters people like Fishing for Dreams, and
so, sentimental and all, it's FFD. For a copy contact:
Linda Martin at Heritage House Publishing
media@heritagehouse.ca
Featured
Writers Group
International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
In 1956,
a group of professional food, wine and travel writers
founded the International Food Wine and Travel Writers
Association in Paris to critique restaurants, wines and
hotels in France. Headquarters was moved to the US in
1981 and by 1991 had grown to include writers, authors,
photographers and broadcasters. Our members
cover a broad spectrum of travel destination attractions
such as adventure activities, ecology, historical
features, culture, fairs, festivals and special events.
IFW&TWA
strives to be a gathering point and resource base for an
active membership composed of professionals engaged in the
food, wine and travel industries. The association’s
membership includes professionals in culinary arts and
sciences, the wine growing and production industry, and in
the hotel and hospitality industries.
Our
membership standards include a minimum of 10 published or
other media travel articles per year. We enforce a code
of professional conduct and periodically audit our more
than 300 members.
The
association organizes conferences, regional meetings, and
press/media trips to provide members with story
opportunities, information and contacts essential to a
successful career in food, wine and travel journalism.
Since
1994, we have held at least three media trips per year out
of which have come thousands of travel articles,
photographs, and broadcasts to a wide range of outlets
reaching millions of viewers, listeners, and readers.
The
association maintains an endowment fund devoted to
training, instruction, scholarships and research into the
culinary arts and sciences, study of wine growing and
production, and hotel and hospitality management.
For
information go to
www.ifwtwa.org
Great
Writing
Readers
of this newsletter know that I always like to finish up
with a piece of what I consider to be fine writing. The
following is from an article by Bruce Grierson in The
Walrus magazine. In it Grierson is talking
about his grandfather who was a doctor/missionary in Korea
who left a diary for his family which he began writing in
1898.
“In many
ways writing and missionary evangelism are more alike than
most writers would care to admit. You try to use the
language more to describe than evaluate, but you judge in
the end, you do. You do constant, epic,
Protestant battle with yourself at every turn, trying to
decide whether to reveal wonder or stick to verifiable
facts. You penetrate your subjects defenses (if you are a
journalist), win their trust, and then you do what you
have to do. You sometimes misrepresent
yourself as more sympathetic—or at least less
unsympathetic—than you are.
Preaching is supposed to be the enemy of art. (“If you
want to send a message,” goes the classic advice to
would-be authors, “call Federal Express.)
But even in simply showing things “as they are,” the
writer is a parablist of sorts; stories are about options
and actions and consequences, and they always say, “This
is how a life can be.” If you are a “writer’s writer,” a
stylist above all, your belief in The Word is absolute.
The
desire to write a story or honour a god are, perhaps, the
same desire. For many writers (even secular ones) mystery
is preferable to no mystery—even if that mystery is
consciously manufactured. I think that’s one
reason my grandfather’s rational mind could accommodate
spirituality so readily without crashing. It’s a richer
story. To accept material science as the
final word is to reconcile yourself to a demystified
world. No magic, just coincidences. (…On
the metaphysical desk of a scientist there are three
in-baskets: “matter”, “anti-matter”, and “doesn’t
matter.” There is no room for a spirit realm…)
…There
are a number of ways to achieve immortality. Kill the
president or become him, and you may be remembered for
hundreds of years. Invent a religion and you
may be remembered for thousands of years. My grandfather
was vying for men’s immortal souls, and he achieved a
certain history-book immortality in the bargain.
But he understood, I think, that there is another
way, humbler and altogether adequate. To write words your
children will carry into a future you will never live to
see. To plant those words forever in their
minds, like a prayer.”
Thank you very much.
Roger Brunt
rbrunt@saltspring.com
The North American School of
Outdoor Writing
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
June 15 2005
Featured Writers Group——Golf Writers Association of
America
Here on Salt Spring, we’’re having an ongoing cycle of sun,
cloud and rain like a slow eddy in a big river as weather
systems sweep in from Hawaii and Alaska.
The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
The following is written about the birthing pains of the
book Rockbound, which is an account of life in the
commercial fishery in the North Atlantic off Nova Scotia
shores in the 1920s. This excerpt is from the appendix of the
book:
""By the time Day (the author) submitted the novel to
Doubleday, Page and Company in the spring of 1927, it had gone
through a number of drafts and had been read by at least two
discerning friends. Referred to at various points in
Doubleday’’s correspondence as ""The Devils in the Sea,"" and
""Devil’’s Island,"" and ""The Islanders,"" the novel was
initially returned to Day on June 1 1927 with the suggestion
he tighten the point of view. The scene with the sinking of
the boat Sylvia Westner was praised by the editors although
Day was encouraged to expand or delete the confrontation
between Gershom and the devil. In letters March 2 and March 15
1928, Doubleday, Doran and Company enthusiastically accepted
Day’’s rewritten manuscript, offering him a royalty of ""10%
until our plant account is paid, 12½½% on the next 2500, and
15% thereafter."" There were suggestions that Day might make
the sinking of the Sylvia Westner even more vivd and that he
might reconsider his use of Shakespeare’’s The Tempest in the
text, but publication was none the less assured. A follow-up
letter from Beecher Stowe of Doubleday on April 30 1928
explained somewhat apologetically that the publisher had
""taken the liberty of slightly modifying certain words and
phrases in your manuscript which it seemed to us might give
necessary offense to a considerable number of readers……For
example, where you say ‘‘God Damn"" I have cut out the
‘‘God’’."" Correspondence about editorial changes and the
title continued until the end of June when publisher and
author both decided to change the name to Rockbound even
though the dies for another title had already been cast and
the book was in galleys.""
Please welcome new Salt Spring Island student Karen
Hosie. Karen is a third generation Salt Spring
Islander——it is a pleasure to be working with her as she
explores the world of freelance writing.
Congratulations to Powell River, B.C. Graduate Student
William Duff who has been elected as a Director of The
Northwest Outdoor Writers Association. Also
congratulations to Bill for his feature articles in the Summer
issues of B.C. Outdoors Fishing and B.C. Outdoors Hunting.
Way to go, Bill. You are carving out quite a niche for
yourself..
Congratulations to Sunderland Ontario student Chris
Hockley, Atwood Ontario student Dean Williams, and
Bellville, Ontario student Tony Seals who have all
applied for membership in Outdoor Writers of America.
In the May OWAA newsletter there was also a nice bio about
Andy Duffy who writes his Outdoor Column for the
Cadillac News in Michigan. Andy is a long-time reader of
the newsletter. In the June issue there is a nice bio and
photo of Ottawa Ontario student Jessie Henderson. It’’s
a clean sweep for Ontario, that’’s for sure
Tony Seals writes:
Roger:
""I wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I was
recently accepted
into the OWAA, and you are right when you say that it is a
must for any
aspiring outdoor writer. It seems like a very special
organization. Also, nice job on the eagle piece that was
published in F-F-G.""
Tony
Thanks to all those who wrote to congratulate me on my
upcoming Grandpa status--as for the comments about the Geritol……
Also thanks to those, like Tony, who commented on my
Eagle Poaching article in the June issue of Fur Fish
Game, and thanks to the editor for publishing it. It’’s
controversial, but a story that needs to be told. Likewise
thanks to the editor of Western Sportsman for
publishing my wolf attack news report in the last issue.
Here’’s a report on the Outdoor Writers of Canada
conference just over in Ontario from Graduate Student and
Outdoor Columnist Peter Wood. Hi Roger; ""Just a
quick note on the OWC conference. The OWC staff did a great
job pulling off a record number of writers in attendance. I
learned a few fishing tips with my fishing guide Gus Jojos of
the In-Line fishing show. Gord Ellis stole the show with his
guide Gregg Klatt; they caught the most pickerel.
The weather was perfect for the conference with an evening
dinner cruise. Sharon, my better half, won a humungous gift
basket for a karaoke song, Of course she was edged on by Tom
Doyle and Susan Kane.
The seminars were both informative and interesting. I
obtained a number of good leads for future articles.
Break-out day had myself and (Ontario Out of Doors’’) John
Kerr battling out target shooting with a spud gun. Ken
Gilbertson, the editor of the National Wild Turkey Federation,
had set up his spud gun display. I certainly will build one of
those for the cottage! I suppose John's win was a vindication
over me as I beat him last year throwing tomahawks during the
Campbell River OWC day.
Larry of Xtools, located in Florida, had a great product
line of floating fishing tools. I'm looking forward to trying
them out at the cottage.
My desk is swamped with literature and pamphlets, CDs, and
VHS tapes. I suppose
Next year is Edmonton's turn--should be good.""
Take care,
Peter Wood
Ripple Journalism & Images
www.gofishin.ca
E-mail Numbers On Your Masthead?
There has been discussion in this newsletter about whether
it is a good idea for writers to include their e-mail number
at the end of their columns and articles (subject to the
editor’’s approval, of course). I believe it is, and other
readers agree. Half the fun of being a freelance writer is the
network of fellow writers and readers that springs up the more
you practice your craft.
Graduate Student and Outdoor Columnist Allen McQuinn
in Rockford, Illinois took the opportunity to contact Alan
Solomon at the Chicago Tribune, as Soloman’’s
e-mail number is included with his articles.
He wrote:
Hello Alan,
""After reading your article on Hong Kong in Sunday’’s
(5/8/2005) Tribune, I had to take a moment to write and let
you know how enjoyable that was.
I am a recent graduate of The North American School of
Outdoor Writing and believe me, you have raised the bar for
me! Great article, very well done. Thanks so much for sharing
your experience. I have had the great fortune to have a few
articles about fishing trips published, and can only hope I
can get to your level.""
Sincerely,
Allen McQuinn.
Here’’s Al Solomon’’s reply:
Hi Allen.
""You’’re very kind. You’’re also at the beginning of a
lifetime of great adventures and stories to tell——and, in
that, I envy you.""
Regards,
Alan Solomon,
Chicago Tribune
In regards to the question of whether or not to include
your e-mail address so readers can contact you, Al Solomon
has this to say:
Hi Roger--
""Folks in the business, as you probably know, are split on
the issue of email addresses. The downsides: 1) It gets us on
junk-mail lists, which is a nuisance; and 2) It does draw
reader response, and answering them, some feel, consumes time
without purpose -- and not answering them is rude.
My take: I love hearing from readers (I answer almost every
e-mail), and the junk mail takes nanoseconds to zap.
Anyway, you're doing noble work. There can never be too much
good writing out there...""
Alan
Writers Wanted
Hidden Creek Ranch in northern Idaho invites qualified
freelance writers to stay for free. Some restrictions and
added bonuses apply. Press rates can be negotiated for those
who do not qualify for a free stay. All press members, free or
otherwise, are requested to pay a 15% service charge to cover
the cost of gratuities. Contact Elaine Meredith Steele
at 800-446-3833 or go to
www.loupemedia.com
Two New Markets
Congratulations to B.C. Graduate Student Ryan Stuart
for his collaborative piece in the new Pacific Northwest
Adventurous Magazine. This looks like a good market for
Extreme Sports writers——everything from sky diving, sea
kayaking, scuba diving, etc. Excellent photography skills are
needed to fill this market.
Another new magazine is called Plenty, where stories
range from features on hydrogen cars to an investigation on
the practice of eating only raw food to a photo spread on the
most environmentally friendly ski resorts in North America.
Publisher Mike Spellum says he wants the magazine to show
that environmentally friendly lifestyle choices don’’t
necessarily mean giving up luxury and style. Canadian
environmentalist Davis Susuki was quoted as saying that
he had some misgivings with Plenty at first, but
decided it is a valuable exercise to try to get mainstream
consumers on-side. ""There’’s no question we have to get
consumers, because the people cruising the malls and looking
at all this stuff have an enormous impact,"" he said in an
interview. ""They’’ve got to recognize that their
decisions——what they buy or whether they buy——have
repercussions. So anything that will try to get another
message out there, I hope will be effective.""
Recycling Your Outdoor Gear
Editor Jim Goerg sends this note for outdoor writers
with too much gear, and those who are looking for more……
Roger -
""Here is a newly re-designed web site that you might
want to share with your students and others that enjoy your
newsletter. It offers a great opportunity for all of us to
recycle our outdoor "stuff" -- so we can buy more! FREE
CLASSIFIED ADS are good!
www.thesportsmensreview.com
The site is NEW, and OLD!
www.thesportsmensreview.com
has been around for one year now but only as an informational
site with links to various news releases and fishing
regulations. That's the old part.
We have spent the last few weeks doing a complete revise to
turn it into someting of more value for outdoorsmen. Thus the
FREE CLASSIFIED ADS. Our intent is, as you would expect, to
eventually sell banner ads here.
We are based out of Lake Stevens, Washington, just a few
miles east of Everett, Washington. The Sportsmen's Review is
an electronic "sister" publication to our monthy print
publication, THE REEL NEWS which is now 21 years old and
features fishing and issues covering the Pacific Northwest
including BC and Alaska.""
Sincerely,
Jim Goerg
Publishing Editor
THE REEL NEWS
THE SPORTSMEN'S REVIEW
Montana student Hobie Hare sent a note to advise
that his photography website is now up and running. Take a
look at
www.wildharephotos.com to see
Hobie’’s stunning images of the Yellowstone area.
Ongoing Education for Writers:
For those students (and fellow writers) who feel they
really want to work on improving their grammar, Ontario
Graduate Student Tim Shamess sends along this link to
Centennial College’’s (located in Scarborough, Ontario)
on-line courses in Professional Writing. The section is
Grammar for Writing Professionals.
http://db2.centennialcollege.ca/ce/search/FMPro?-db=cecertificate.fp5&-
format=recordcert_detail.htm&-lay=search&-max=1&-find=&-
op=eq&Certificate+Code=7360
Children’’s Book Writers
I also see this same link takes to you a section called
Writing Children’’s Literature which several people have
expressed an interest in.
Grammar Grappler:
Once again I have turned to Pennsylvania writer, teacher
and editor John Swinton to answer a question I had about
comma placement in compound sentences.
Hi John:
""Here's another question for you:
Most writers use a comma before AND in a sentence like: "We
shot three ducks, and because of the weather, thought we had
done well."
I like to use a comma AFTER the AND, like this: "We shot three
ducks and, because of the weather, thought we had done well."
The same applies using BUT in a sentence like this: "I felt
fine, but honestly, I've felt better."
I write: "I felt fine but, honestly, I've felt better."
Are you aware of any rule on this, or do you have any
comments?""
Cheers
Roger
John replies:
Roger, ""This reply comes to you from the OWAA Conference
in Madison, Wisconsin, and Sue and Eric Hansen (from Oregon)
send you their regards. Look at that sentence. It's a compound
sentence, and the traditional rule is to place a comma before
the conjunction ("and," here) connecting the two, or the last
two, clauses in a compound sentence. This rule has, however,
an exception. When one or both of the clauses are short and
unlikely to confuse a reader, you can drop the comma: ""We
fished hard but the pike refused to cooperate."" Having
written a sentence correctly, a good writer looks for chances
to strike commas, which tend to clutter up copy. Your first
example is not a compound sentence. Your "we" is not the
subject of the second clause. Therefore your choice, rather
than the choice of "most writers," is the right choice. The
second example is a true compound sentence. So if you want to
be precisely correct, the first alternative is preferable. But
under the ideal of trimming commas, the second alternative
would prevail. Once again, the defensible choices writers make
in situations like these determine their styles."" Best, John
Featured Writers Group
Golf Writers Association of America
Membership Information
Our organization’’s goal is to strive for constant
improvement in press facilities at tournaments, hotel
accommodations, local transportation, interviews with the
players and work in concert with the Association of Golf
Writers, our British counterparts.
At the close of 2004, we had 995 members. We publish a
directory and 11 newsletters each year and maintain a
members-only website that includes tournament transcripts,
contact numbers, links to newspapers, magazines and tournament
sites, a bulletin board and other information that will help
us do our jobs better. We also sponsor an annual writing
contest and a number of awards. Those winners are honored at
our annual GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Ga., the Wednesday
night of Masters week.
The GWAA Championship is held in Myrtle Beach, the weekend
prior to the Masters.
Our board of directors meets annually with officials from
the all governing bodies to review policies, working
conditions at events and discuss any bumps we’’ve encountered
while doing our jobs. We have a scholarship program, seeded in
1988 by Ryder Systems, which helps students at 17 universities
around the country with scholarships and internships. We also
work with the First Tee to help stock libraries at facilities
around the country.
There are currently three membership categories –– Regular
(staff writers and editors), Associate (part-time writers,
includes freelancers), and Professional (public
relations/marketing). Writers applying for membership must
meet specific criteria, which includes writing for GWAA
recognized publications/websites. Professional membership is
for individuals only.
Among other criteria, candidates for Regular membership
must submit a minimum of 12 different golf stories published
(not just written) in the current 12-month period. Associate
members must publish six different stories under the same
criteria. A book, which must be published and released in that
12-month period, counts as one piece.
Interested parties can email
golfwritersinc@aol.com for
an application or further requirements. If you are requesting
an application, please note the name of your publication and
an address where information can be sent via U.S. mail.
Enjoy Your English While You Can. The following was
sent to me by Marty Malin, President of Outdoor Writers of
America. Thanks Marty.
""Enjoy your English while you can. The European
Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English
will be the official
language of the European Union rather than German, which was
the other
possibility.
My "spell checker" blew a fuse on this one!
As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded
that English spelling had some room for improvement and has
accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as
"Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly,
this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.
The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should
klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year
when the troublesome"ph" will be replaced with "f". This will
make words
like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be
expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are
possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which
have always
ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the
languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as
replasing "th" with ""z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords
kontaining
"ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten
styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it
ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali
kum tru.""
Roger Brunt
rbrunt@saltspring.com The
North American School of Outdoor Writing www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
Newsletter of The North
American School of Outdoor Writing
May 20 2005
Featured Writers Group the
Construction Writers
Association
Salt Spring Island, British
Columbia
Heavy rain—then cold sun.
Please welcome student
Michael Bullington, of
Redding, California, back to the school. Michael
was a former student who has been able to rejoin the school
after a series of moves around the country—welcome home,
Michael.
A reminder that
Outdoor Writers of Canada’s
annual get together is June 1st to 5th
in Peterborough, Ontario.
For information contact Executive Director Bill Thompson at
outdoorswithbill@rogers.com
In the last newsletter, I asked
the question: What does
Roman a clef mean?
Thanks to
Bob McNitt,
Contributing Editor Team Realtree,
Jim Rizzuto of Kona
Fishing Chronicles in Hawaii, B.C. outdoor writer
David Wei, Alberta
outdoor writer Bob Scammel,
and student Elizabeth James
in Vancouver, B.C. All knew that a Roman a clef is a novel
that presents historical events and characters under the guise
of fiction. Roman is the French word for novel,
Jim tells me. Bob points out that the novel
The Carpetbaggers
may be a Roman a clef of the late Howard Hughes.
Jim also writes the following
after my use of the colourful old saw: hoist on my own petard,
and my discussion of the proper usage of “ a lot” as in “I
caught a lot of fish.”
Roger:
”See, that's the point of your lesson and mine. Writers get
into trouble when they use terminology with which they aren't
familiar ("alot," "allot," "a lot," "petard.") Good advice
for any writer: Be sure you know what you are saying.
A "petard" is an explosive device use to breach a doorway in a
castle. The petard user places it against the door and blows
it inward. If he does not use it properly, the petard blows
him up in the air, too. Thus he is "hoist by his own petard,"
to use the old English way of saying it (a way that has
survived to the present).
At the risk of sounding like a huge know-it-all, you used the
term improperly as well as using the incorrect term
("hoisted"). You are "hoist by your own petard" if you set
out to use a weapon against someone and that weapon hurts you,
instead. In this case, your purpose was to help, not hurt.
You alloted space in your newsletter to assist a lot of people
who don't know that "alot" is not a word. Thus you were not
deploying a petard against an enemy. Incorrect term and
incorrect usage.
And you thought I was a bugger before.”
Jim
Student
Brian Bildson in Grande
Prairie Alberta writes:
Roger;
“The Alberta Trappers Association contacted me and asked if
they could reprint my Going, Going, Gone article (about the
future of trapping in Alberta) in their Alberta Trapper
magazine. They felt it really portrayed the issue well. Of
course I said yes. As
part of my latest lesson I queried the Alberta Wilderness
Association about an article for their magazine. They've
recently gone to a glossy high-end magazine. They liked my
query and have asked for an article for their next issue.
Another deadline!!
Off to
Sheep Creek for the weekend.“
Brian
My good
friend and fellow outdoor writer
Ken Kristain writes
from B.C.’s Fraser River valley:
Hi Roger:
“The other day the Honorable Mike de Jong, Liberal Party MLA,
had some very nice words to say about a big story I had on
spotted (diseased) sturgeon that made the front page of the
Abbotsford News. In fact, what Mike de Jong said to me is
probably every outdoor writer’s dream come true. In between
me verbally bashing him for his government's policies, Mike
said, "You should be very proud of yourself because you
made a difference." Mike de Jong went on to say,
"because of the story you wrote, farmers in the Fraser Valley
picked up the ball and are slowly but surely changing their
farming practices to a style that will not negatively affect
bottom-dwelling sturgeon or the Fraser River's salmon stocks."
I guess that in the end the only thing that any of us can hope
for is that we somehow made a difference?
Deep down
inside, I wholeheartedly believe a "united front" could still
turn the tide on the mess our fish and fisheries are in at the
present time here in B.C., if we could only manage put our
differences aside for a short time and concentrate on the task
at hand. It wouldn't be an easy job to return salmon,
sturgeon and steelhead runs to their former glory, but if
someone would help lift these chains off me, I honestly think
I could help get it done before I die.
Being deeply involved in stream rehabilitation and restoration
work over the past five years has certainly opened my eyes as
to how wonderfully resilient salmon and steelhead truly
are. The fish ask for so little, but in return give back so
much to us and nature. Talk to you soon.”
Ken
Outdoor
writer Rich Creason,
in Anderson Indiana, writes:
Hi
Roger!
“Still enjoy your newsletter. Your new student rates (tuition
has been reduced from $1200 to $999) may be too good to pass
up. I'm strongly considering! We just returned from a 10-day
trip to southern Florida. Fishing, shelling, birding, eating,
and lots more. We are now getting ready for an eight-day trip
to Virginia. Visiting the coast, watching the ponies of
Chincoteague Island, saltwater fishing and eating seafood,
then a tour through the center of the state, finishing with a
visit to the mountains.
I've also been accepted for membership in South East Outdoor
Press Association (SEOPA) and have been asked to run for a
Director position in Association of Great Lakes Outdoor
Writers. I've just started taking classes to become an
Indiana Master Naturalist. Doesn't pay anything, but looks
good on a resume. Looks like I'm going to be busy for a
while. Hope things are great in Canada. “
Rich.
From outdoor
writer Zach Lwanga
Hey Roger!
“I really appreciate your tenacity in sending that newsletter
every so often. If I had your job, I’d-a quit after 3 weeks if
I hadn’t gotten feedback from at least [and mark the least
here] 50% of the recipients. Sometimes I mean to write and
thank you as soon as I’m done reading the newsletter but you
know how it is when you keep procrastinating. Well, I hope to
be more regular after this. Lots of tips I’ve learnt from
other writers’ experiences. Great; thanks to you and all your
team who make the newsletter possible. I hope to send you a
sample of my writing soon so you’ll tell me what you think.
More later. Take care!”
Zach.
You May Have to Read This Twice.
When you pat your dog on the
head he will wag his tail.
What will a goose do?
Make him bark!
Apologies to British Columbia
Graduate Student Rob
Romberg. In the last newsletter I mentioned that
Rob’s article Rainbows of
the South Okanogan had appeared in
B.C. Outdoors Sportfishing
magazine. That should have read
Rainbows of the South Cariboo—sorry
Rob; I don’t want to have you fishing in the wrong part of the
country!
Rob writes:
Roger:
“I'm sorry I haven't chatted
with you in a while but I have been quite busy. I have started
my own fishing/guiding business and have recently been
certified as a first responder instructor for police and
firefighters through my fire dept. I am currently working on a
new fishing website as well as producing brochures and other
advertising for my guiding business. Thanks for the compliment
on my latest article. I haven't seen it yet. The article is on
Rainbows of the South Cariboo not the South Okanagan. There is
actually a lesson for your students in this particular
experience. You can include this tip to all your students -
The article was originally accepted by the editor who wanted
the article to deal with gear fishing for rainbows. I
proceeded to write the article and create the photo bank based
on gear fishing. The following winter the editor informed me
that she was leaving the magazine. I decided to contact the
new editor and ensure that we were on the same page as far as
the article went, deadlines, etc. The new editor wanted a fly
fishing article and that's what he was expecting as the theme
for this particular mag was fly fishing. I was quite happy to
write it from a fly fishing perspective but I now had only a
couple of weeks before my deadline - luckily I had a good
photo bank to choose from and was able to write and submit the
article with photo support before the deadline. The two
things your students can take away from this experience is it
is your job to ensure that communication between you and a
magazine is very clear and that you maintain a broad photo
bank so you can take advantage of opportunities when they
spring up in front of you.”
Rob
This question came in from
freelance writer Andy
Duffey way back in December.
Roger:
“Let me pick
your brain a little. What do you think about writers
including their e-mail address with their articles? I had
always thought the practice was a little faddish, tacky or
unprofessional. Then I saw the practice recommended, I think
on a website for which you provided the link in your
newsletter. Now I'm wondering if I might be missing out on
something. Also, since I started thinking about the practice,
I've realized that some syndicated columnists in the
mainstream media are including their e-mail addresses. What
do you think--is including an e-mail address tacky or a good
idea? I'll really appreciate your thoughts.”
Andy
Here’s my reply:
Hi Andy:
“I've noticed the same thing lately. A lot of regular
columnists include their e-mail address. I think this is
nice--it gives the reader a way to contact the columnist
directly. It would be nice if this address was a "company"
address so you could answer your e-mail on company time. If
you are a freelancer, that's something you'll have to decide.
In
most cases, though, the decision will also be made by the
editor who will have some say in the matter.
If it was
up to me, I would include my e-mail number. Another thing it
might accomplish is that if a reader has a beef with something
I've said, they can tell me about it directly, rather than
writing a letter to the editor about it.”
Cheers
Roger
Web Site of Interest to Outdoor
Freelancers looking for story opportunities
www.prairieoxdrovers.com
Readers of this newsletter will
know how much I enjoy the weekly outdoor stories and art works
of Bob White in
Minnesota at
Bob@WhitefishStudio.com
It’s apparent to me from one of
Bob’s latest stories that he shares my belief that it is a
writer’s job to pay attention to details, and to relay them to
readers when appropriate.
Here’s the lead to Bob’s story
The Things We Leave Behind
where he does just that:
“One of my favorite artists was
also a cherished author, and when I was a boy, his books were
the very first that I borrowed from our little town's library.
Eric Sloane begins his book, A Reverence for Wood, with the
description of an old barn that he plans to take apart and
goes on to tell us what he discovers from its deconstruction.
He learns about the value of snow as an insulator, for
example, when he observes that the ancient shingled roof is
studded with thousands of nails that have been pushed outward
by the countless expansions and contractions of the roof as it
"breathes" with daily changes in weather.
"It's too bad," he remarks to his flinty, New England friend,
"the way these nails pull out of the shingles. I guess the
old-timers didn't figure on that."
"We always left them that way on purpose," his friend tells
him, "It kept the snow in place."
"Snow in place? You wanted the snow to stay there?"
"Sure." He replied. "To keep the heat in. Most barn heat goes
out the roof, doesn't it? The snow's the warmest thing we have
'round here most winters"
By examining what's been left behind, we also gain insight
into the life of the man who built the barn, and used it for
over fifty years. The scratches just above the wooden latch on
the door indicate almost a century of match lighting.
"It seems odd," Sloane remarks to his friend, "that a farmer
would light matches on his way into his barn. Barns don't last
very long that way."
"That farmer smoked a pipe." His friend answers. "Guess he did
just like my father used to do... never smoked inside the
barn, but after the animals were bedded down and the door was
locked, then he lit his pipe. Those marks were made on his way
out."
Thanks,
Bob-two new things learned from you, and it’s barely 10:00
a.m.
The Perfect
Name For a Writer:
You know how it is after you
change the ink cartridge in your printer--invariably you leave
raccoon-sized fingerprints all over the place until you get
your hands washed (and sometimes even after that). I came
across the name of a Canadian politician that reminded me of
that a lot. His name:
Inky Marks, surely a perfect name for a writer.
Grammar Grappler
My Grammarian buddy in
Pennsylvania, John Swinton,
has replied to a question that is more complicated than I
first thought.
John says:
“Answering
a recent question about where to put commas and periods when
quotes occur at the end of sentences, I suggested that the
practice differs between the United States and countries
influenced by Britain. Everyone agrees that when a full
sentence involves quotation marks, a comma or a period belongs
inside. Here's an example: He said, "I want to go fishing
and catch Old Jake." But watch what happens now: He said he
wanted to "go fishing and catch Old Jake." Here the Canadians
and USers might differ on whether the period goes inside or
outside. I've used the US preference. Watch again: He said
he wanted to go fishing and "catch Old Jake." Here the
Canadians would definitely disagree and write "catch Old
Jake". Look once again: He said, "I want to go fishing and
catch 'Old Jake.'" This is US punctuation; Canadians would
write, He said, "I want to go fishing and catch 'Old Jake'."
Whew!
The US rule
is to put the final comma or period inside quotation marks,
even if nothing more than a short phrase or a single word
needs quotes at the end of a principal clause or sentence.
The British practice is to place the comma or period outside a
quoted single word or short phrase at the end of a sentence or
principal clause, though the jury remains out on exactly what
the adjective "short" means. The US rule is recent--within
the last 100 years or so--and acknowledges that small pieces
of type like periods and commas tended to fall out of hand-set
forms and so were better enclosed within more prominent
quotation marks. The Brits trusted their typesetters more
than we Yanks did.”
John.
Welcome...
 to
the Construction Writers Association website…
CWA is a network of journalists, editors,
marketing communications professionals and photographers who
cover building and non-building construction. CWA creates a
forum where members can exchange information on business
conditions and industry trends; ideas on content development
and management for magazines and newspapers; and strategies
aimed at maximizing return on investment in public relations
and business development work.
CWA hosts three-day meetings in the spring in Washington,
D.C., and in the fall in Chicago, IL, plus social gatherings
at industry trade shows. The meetings include educational
sessions, presentations from professionals throughout
construction, and social functions. They also provide the
occasion for naming recipients our annual Journalism,
Marketing Communications, Website and Photojournalism Awards
competitions.
The association was incorporated in New York in 1958 after an
informal gathering two years earlier of journalists covering
the Association of State Highway Officials of the Atlantic
States. The first officers were elected at an organizational
meeting in Chicago during an Associated Equipment Distributors
event. While the CWA mission has evolved since then, members
have always maintained the core objective of working to
enhance the image of the construction industry.
The organization has expanded steadily through the past 46
years and now has nearly 300 individual and corporate members
from North America and Europe. Membership growth has enabled
CWA to establish a scholarship program with an eye toward
increasing the awareness of construction journalism and
related media functions as a viable and rewarding career path.
In addition to the scholarship, CWA is actively expanding
international membership, reaching out to overseas
professionals who can learn and profit from regular
communication with their North American colleagues.
If you are interested in membership, construction industry
insight, or upcoming CWA events, feel free to contact our
executive director, Sheila Wertz, at 847/398-7756 or by e-mail
at
office@constructionwriters.org, or me at
dmarsh@primediabusiness.com.
Don Marsh
2004-2005 CWA President
Editor, Concrete Products
My friend
Tall Terry Graham, listed as Tall Terry (he’s over
6’ 6”) in our local phone directory, sent in this:
“There are
three kinds of men.
Those who
learn by reading.
Those who
learn by obersavation.
And those who just have to pee
on the electric fence for themselves.”
A recent graduate (who prefers
to keep his name out of it until this issue is resolved sent
in the following:
“I thought
I'd tap into some Outdoor Writers of Canada wisdom on this
issue. (Apologies in advance if this topic has been covered
before).
In the past 6 months I've had a few of my articles used
without my consent, stolen to put it bluntly. Two examples:
one was taken and used in a US fishing club newsletter and
website- the original published in a fishing newspaper; the
other included in an email newsletter taken off a website. (I
am aware that the Internet and websites are still somewhat
shady territory when it comes to copyright issues).
To be
honest, I can't really decide where to land on the "right"
course of action. Is it a matter of sending a formal letter
advising of the breach of copyright? Do you send an invoice
for use of the article? Do you go even further?
I know the above are all reasonable options, but I'm curious
(if any of you are willing to share) what you have done, or
would do, if this occurred to you. Hopefully, with some
responses I'll have a better sense of what is
industry-acceptable/appropriate. Looking forward to your
replies.”
Thanks
This reply from
James Smedley:
“There were a bunch of my articles from the fishontario
website appearing without permission on another site. We
(Ontario Out of Doors and myself) simply told them to take
them off which they did.
Sending an invoice with a pay or remove choice would be a good
option too assuming its a site you would not mind having your
work appear in - if they did pay. Never
had anything stolen for print that I know of.”
James
This reply from Don Meredith:
“James’s solutions are good. I just want to make the point
that the Internet is becoming less shady. Recent court cases
in the U.S. and Canada are making it clear that people still
need to get permission to use your writing. I was at a
workshop a few months ago where a copyright lawyer stated that
a single person can send a copy of an article he or she has
legally obtained (in print or off the Internet) to another
person (private communication) without fear of penalty.
However, they need permission to post it on a web site or
e-mail listserv or bulletin board (the latter are considered
to be public places, even though a membership may be
required). It was suggested at the workshop that if anyone was
having a problem with a publisher illegally using your work,
after you’ve notified them, to use Access Copyright (if you
are a member) to pursue your rights. I haven’t used them but
they’re supposed to be looking out for the publication rights
of writers and publishers.”
Don
And this from
Ken Kristian:
There is more on
copyright information at these sites:
Fair Dealing clause
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-42/37956.html#rid-37976
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/primary_materials/#uscode
Ken
And this final reply from the
person who asked the original question:
Roger:
“I got your email about using my question in the newsletter.
Sure. Please go ahead, maybe just say "a recent graduate, or
something instead of listing my name - reason being I haven't
decided my course of action on the latest issue - and you know
how your newsletter gets around. Hope that makes sense.
Here's some details on my learning's thus far on this issue:
What I've found in the cases that it's happened to me is
individuals don't know they are breaking copyright laws by
using someone's work without permission. I know that some
people think if they quote the source or author they've done
their due diligence and they think it's ok to cut and paste a
piece in it's entirety.
I've put a call into Access Copyright to get some details on
if there's a procedure they recommend on following when one
encounters this type of thing.
I'm sure it'd be great for readers of the newsletter if you
could share some industry standards.
Sending a formal letter via mail with and invoice is always an
option, but I wonder the impacts this might have on one's
networks and reputation. In my humble opinion one's actions
need to balance between assertive and fair - like you say in
the course: everything you do as a writer puts your reputation
on the line. I guess every case is individual and requires
its own approach. I only hope few readers of the newsletter
encounter (or have) this issue.
Looking forward to what you find out. Hope this info is
helpful”
As is my practice, I always try
to end this newsletter with a sample of writing I feel is
bound to strike a chord with anyone who has ever struggled to
find their own voice. This is from
Shambahla Sun magazine.
On Buddhist Writing: by Norman
Fischer.
“I began to write as a boy out
of a need to respond to the world by making something of my
own. Words were the only thing laying around available for my
use. Besides, I loved stories and poems and
naturally wanted to write them. This was not as easy as it
looked. I went to the University of Iowa
Writer’s Workshop, but what I learned there seemed not to
help. For years I wrote constantly but none of it ever came
off.
In despair I
began my Zen practice. Things were then still worse.
My experience in intensive meditation, more immediate
and real to me than the biographical events of my life, simply
couldn’t be explained in words or dramatized in scenes or
stanzas. I felt forced to find a way to work with words
beyond their explanatory or dramatic possibilities.
I saw that I needed to get myself and my literary
notions out of the way in order to allow the words themselves
to come forward. Little by little, through reading and
experimenting, and finally trusting what came out., I
developed a sense of how to do this, and writing became quite
easy.
Mostly,
writing is a joy for me now. It comes freely, and I never
think or worry. I do revise, but even then the
work has a feeling of play. Craft, but payful craft—a form of
doodling. To me writing is like playing an
instrument: you do have to practice, but once you’ve
developed your chops it’s easy to swing with the music.”
The North American School of
Outdoor Writing
Roger M. Brunt
rbrunt@saltspring.com
Founder
www.linksnorth.com/outdoorwriting
-
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