Outdoors Unlimited® Online | The award-winning publication of the Outdoor Writers Association of America

Editor’s note: Following is text from a presentation from the June 13, 2009, OWAA conference workshop “Becoming an Outdoor Communicator: Working with Magazines.”

Tip 8: Sometimes you have to put down the gear and just take photographs

The world of freelance writing is extremely competitive, especially in these tough economic times. Money is tight, markets are shrinking, and editors are reluctant to assign stories to people outside of their “stables” of writers. It’s just too easy for editors to say, “No, thank you,” rather than taking a chance on people they are not familiar with. Because anyone would like to get paid for having fun outdoors and writing about it, freelance gigs for outdoor communicators are even more difficult to come by.

The key to breaking into the magazine market, therefore, would seem to be to make it difficult or impossible for an editor to say, “No.” And the key to that is to present yourself as 100 percent professional in attitude, attention to detail, work ethic and work quality.

Most of the suggestions below would apply to anyone trying to improve him/herself as a communicator in any field. The final one, however, seems to be particularly apropos for people trying to get a handhold in the field of outdoor communications. Other than that one, they are presented in no particular order. They come from my experiences as both a writer and an editor.

1. To write for money, you are telling an editor and the public, “I am a professional.”

Professionals learn the technical aspects of their jobs; in this case that means grammar, proofreading and extreme self-editing.

Those imply looking for what’s bad. But you can also look for how to make things better: parallel structure, using lively language and metaphors more than similes.

Just about every other tip that follows is an extension of this one. Be a pro.

2. Work to establish a rapport with an editor.

Not so much that when you call he says, “There’s my buddy, let’s go fishin’,” but that he says, “There’s that person who is a pleasure to work with and who has taught me to have confidence in what he/she proposes.”

3. Give the editor what he/she asks for.

If the guidelines say to deliver photos in digital form only, don’t send him a handful of prints and expect him to get them scanned for you. If he tells you he wants 1,500 words, don’t send him 2,300.

4. Remember, the editor is the freelancer’s client, not the other way around.

Basically a corollary to tip No. 3.

5. Don’t turn down work.

Another corollary to No. 3. If things get to the point between you and an editor that the editor is steering work your way, take it. It’s OK to be a bit anxious if it’s on a topic or task you are unfamiliar with. That gives you reason to learn new skills.

For example, several years ago, an editor asked if I wanted to take the tabletop photos of fishing lures for a gear review issue of his magazine. I told him, “Sure,” even though I had no idea how to accomplish the task. After a little research and a minimum investment for the appropriate equipment (about $100) I started cranking out those images as if I were a pro. But wait! I am a pro, so that should be expected, right? Even better news is the high-quality work I turned in on that assignment led to about a dozen more of the same.

6. Don’t tell the editor what you cannot do.

In other words, don’t reveal your weaknesses. Why would you want to do that? Another corollary to No. 3, actually. If the editor tells you he wants photos in digital form, don’t tell him “I’m a dinosaur” with digital photography. You know what happened to dinosaurs. Figure out how to get those images to him in digital form. If he asks for a certain format in which you submit articles, don’t tell him “I’m not very good with computers.” In this day and age, a writer saying that is tantamount to an office receptionist saying, “I don’t know how to use a push-button telephone.”

If the editor tells you you’ve got too many passive-voice verbs, don’t tell him you don’t know what he means. Find out what those are and get rid of most of them.

If the editor tells you that you need to improve the types of photos you are submitting, don’t expect him to teach you to be a better photographer. Do the research to see how your images compare to what’s “acceptable” or “required” and make the adjustments.

7. Passive-voice verbs should generally be avoided.

8. Learn to take good photos and you will sell more stories. That’s the sad fact of the matter for writers, but there it is.

Digital photography, though has made it much easier for “by-necessity photographers” to take dozens and dozens of images and to try different techniques to get their “best” shots.

“Sometimes, you’ve just got to put down the shotgun or fishing rod,” veteran outdoor communicator Tom Huggler once advised, “and just take photographs.” While we want to enjoy our experiences outdoors, if we are there for work; at some point we actually have to do the work.

9. Be sure to give specific titles to images and to supply captions clearly matched with those titles.

When submitting a complete story packet with text and photos, don’t merely toss in a CD with a bunch of photos with labels like “DSCF0058.jpg” and so on.

That sends the editor on a wild goose chase. Be sure to provide a contact sheet so the editor can compare photos easily instead of having to open them all up and maneuver them around his screen. (Many photography programs will create a contact sheet automatically.)

Instead of keeping the code for the images, give each one a clearly identifiable name: “1. Guide setting decoys at dawn,” or “2. English setter leaping after flushing woodcock.” Something that distinguishes them from one another.

Then, in some kind of orderly fashion, match the appropriate photo to the suggested caption. For example: “1. Guide w/decoys at dawn – Getting a head start on the action, guide Gary Posen makes sure his decoys are set well before first light.” There’s no way a caption for the setter and woodcock could mistakenly be placed with this photo.

10. Avoid complicating matters. The easier you make it on the editor to figure out what you are submitting, the easier things become on you.

You make the package impossible for the editor to mess up and you’ll realize two residual effects immediately. First, you’re not likely to get calls or e-mails asking where this is or that is. Second, the editor will trust you to do the job well and will likely steer more work your way. That’s part of the rapport building mentioned in tip No. 2.

It probably comes as no surprise to you when I say the most complete packages I receive as an editor come from a writer who was an editor herself. She submits a printed article, photo contact sheet, list of suggested captions and a CD with digital versions of everything. It should also come as no surprise that I don’t have to harangue her for more items to make her packet complete, but I do contact her to see if she’d like to do more work.

11. Deadlines are sacrosanct.

Don’t wait until a deadline has arrived or (Gulp!) has departed before you let an editor know you need more time. But better yet, don’t ever put yourself in a position of needing more time.

12. When in doubt, leave it out.

Cut. Cut. Cut. Don’t wed yourself to your words with an emotional attachment. An article is a piece of work. Doing whatever you can or need to in order to make things easier on the reader is an act of craftsmanship. And pride in craftsmanship is an attendant aspect of professionalism.

13. Don’t worry about using fancy language or big words – especially just for the sake of using them.

The attempt to try to sound intelligent by using big words with which we are unacquainted often leads to our exposing ourselves as being simply inept.

Focus on painting simple but precise images with your words, images the reader can easily connect to and enjoy. The readers will find deeper meanings, whether you intend them to or not.

14. If you want to write well, read a lot – and not just outdoor stuff.

The more we read, the more experience we get with the language of literature (as opposed to everyday conversation). We subliminally grasp the “feel” of words and their sounds and rhythms. We develop the ability and the need to bring such music to our own words. We become better writers.

15. Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!

When going into an interview, make sure you have a prepared list of questions and follow-ups written down. That way, you’ll never be at a loss for what you want to find out and if the interview goes down an unexpected road, you can always get back on track.

16. Take accurate notes.

Interview subjects totally appreciate when they’re quoted accurately. Wait for a break in the action to check to see if you heard what the person actually said.

17. It’s not worth the risk!

If you can’t read your notes, either double-check the info with the subject of the interview or just leave out that information. You must not risk misquoting someone.

18. Make sure you study the publications you want to write for so you deliver the appropriate slants in your queries and the appropriate styles in your articles.

19. You’ll hear, “No,” or “This doesn’t meet our needs,” about 100 times more than “Yes, please,” and “Nice job.”

Tough as it sounds, we need to develop thick skins, at least to the degree that we don’t take rejection personally.

20. A tip that applies especially to outdoor writers: If the story is not about you, then keep the first person references to a minimum. Examples:

Article – A writer submitted a story that was supposed to be about hunting chukars. The story was 1,700 words long; 10 percent of the words referred to himself, 3 percent to the birds.

Book review – 16 paragraphs, 53 first-person references, two references to the book and none until the 12th paragraph.

Article – “Bluegills on a Fly-Rod,” (how-to) approximately 2,250 words, 74 first-person references, 28 to the fish (13 to “bluegill,” 15 to “fish”).

Article – “Florida Keys Getaway,” (destination piece) 24 paragraphs long, 18 of the first 19 paragraphs have first-person references, at least 44.

This is not to suggest first-person references should never be used but rather that writers should evaluate their use, checking to see if they are necessary or if they draw the reader’s attention away from the topic and toward the writer.

What’s wrong with such stories?

The focus on “the outdoor writer as hunting/fishing hero” has become a rusted cliché.

When stories continually arrive with “I went hunting and had a good time” as their main theme, it’s time to see what we can do about it, if the delivery of high-quality writing to the readers remains our primary goal. And those in the end are the people whose needs the writer must focus on serving: the readers’, not the writer’s.

How does an overdependence on self-references reduce the quality of the writing we’re producing?

In the first place, it’s monotonous. Second, such references establish a speed bump in the story’s ability to “come alive” for the reader. Instead of seeing/living the experience, the reader watches the writer having the experience. Consider the following example:

My dog Scout ran into the aspen stands ahead of me. By the time I had walked in four steps, he was on point about 20 yards ahead of me. I walked up and tried to keep as quiet as I could. Before I could get to the dog, I saw a grouse fly off to my right. I fired off two shots, but I missed.

(Eleven references to self in four sentences; 11 out of 66 words – 17 percent. And don’t laugh. I’ve edited pieces in which the percentage was this high.)

The reader just sits there watching the writer go hunting. An unsolicited response from an unbiased source: “It was irritating.”

What if we reword it?

Scout dashed into the aspen stand and about 30 yards in slammed onto point. As I made a quiet approach, he turned his head to the right and stared at a spruce scrub at the edge of the swamp. From the tree’s base a slight flicker of movement, then the whirr of grouse wings. Despite the two quick shots I offered, the bird disappeared untouched into the depths and darkness of the swamp.

(Two references to self in four sentences; two out of 73 words, about 3 percent.)

I took about two minutes to write the first sample and about three to write the second, so I’m not suggesting it’s print worthy. Notice, however, how focusing on reducing details about self also tends to get the writer to deliver more details about other elements in the scene – dog, bird, setting – and gives the reader a better chance of feeling the experience.

The real effort to write about something other than self begins, of course, in the field. Try training yourself to take more notes about the scenes and actions than about your own reactions to them. That way, you’ll have more to write about than just memories of your personal experiences.

Just as it’s important to put down the gear to take photos, it’s important to put it down to take accurate notes at the time the images and experiences are fresh in your mind and your mind’s eye. ◊

Tom Carney, of Alpena, Mich., is a full-time freelance writer and photographer, editor of the Upland Almanac, columnist for the Alpena News, managing editor of The Bird Hunting Report and field editor of the Great Lakes Angler.

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On our way home from OWAA’s recent conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., Andrea, the boys and I traveled northward to the Traverse City area, where we camped in the sand and splashed in the waves along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan.

The next couple of days we explored Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while traveling westward on Highway 2. We particularly enjoyed the region around Naubinway. Truly, this sparsely populated area featuring timbered lands, sandy beaches, smoked-fish shops and the Upper Peninsula’s famous “pasty” (beef, pork, potato, rutabaga and onion concoction on a pastry crust) is one of Michigan’s better-kept secrets – at least undisclosed among us Westerners, anyway.

The colorful “Yooppers” we met there, along with the mix of conifers and deciduous forests reminded us of the folks of northwestern Montana’s Yaak, although our home state fails to offer lakes as majestic as oceans, and Michigan touts four.

Continuing westward to Escabana (site of the 1951 OWAA conference), I couldn’t help but mark the map with circles that require a visit: Marquette, the south shore of Lake Superior and Isle Royle National Park – all these places call me.

That brings me to tear sheets: If you photographed and/or wrote about your adventures in Michigan, please send headquarters copies of published clips, which help staff entice convention and visitors bureaus to host our conference. Thanks in advance for sending yours!

Oh, so many thank-yous …

According to this year’s conference surveys, OWAA’s 82nd conference will go down as another memorable one. It’s the people that make our annual get-together a success, and all of us at OWAA headquarters appreciate your participation and attendance. We thank our speakers, sponsors, scores of volunteers and the gracious folks of South Kent Chapter of Ducks Unlimited, who helped pull off a successful OWAA auction.

The local committee deserves special recognition for their efforts. OWAA’s board of directors and staff thank Tom Huggler, Terry McBurney, Ed Sutton, Bruce Matthews, Dave and Kay Richey, Bob Gwizdz, Henry and Bernice Zeman, Dave Carlson, David Graham, Howard Meyerson, Mark Thue, Ed Stone, and the Grand Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau for their efforts in making our 82nd get-together a tremendous success.

For more thank yous, click here…

More OWAA News

• Bill Hilts Sr., of Sanborn, N.Y., received the 2009 J. Hammond Brown Memorial Award. The award is OWAA’s most prestigious recognition of a member “for devoted past service to the organization over a period of continuous years.” Editor of Bear Journal, Hilts served as OWAA president in 1990-91 and is a Life Member, with his membership originating in 1961.

• Jay Cassell, of Katonah, N.Y., received OWAA’s Excellence in Craft Award. The award honors an OWAA member “for outstanding effort in upholding the OWAA Creed and continued excellence in craft.” An OWAA member since 1977, Cassell is the deputy editor of Field & Stream Magazine. “Jay is the editor’s editor,” said Dave Richey, when presenting Cassell with the award. “Anyone who can thrive working for all three of the Big Three is a brilliant editor.”

• Jim Low of Jefferson City, Mo., news services coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation, received OWAA’s top conservation award. The Jade of Chiefs award represents an affirmation of OWAA adherence to and support of the principles of conservation. Low served as OWAA president in 2006-07. He holds degrees in journalism and wildlife management from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

• The recipient of the 2009 Jackie Pfeiffer Memorial Award is Kay Richey of Buckley, Mich. Recipients exemplify Pfeiffer’s genuine warmth and radiance, goodwill, helpfulness, generosity and kindness to others, especially at conference. Richey is a book designer and publisher specializing in layout of outdoor books and newsletters.

• Mark Taylor, outdoors editor of The Roanoke (Va.) Times, was elected third vice president by the board of directors. The board also honored Taylor with the 2009 Outstanding Board Member Award, awarding the honor after Taylor’s first year on the board.

• Mary Nickum is OWAA’s newest board member. Nickum will serve the remaining two years on Mark Taylor’s board seat, vacated when Taylor was elected third vice president.

• Conference attendance in Grand Rapids matches last year’s conference in Bismarck, N.D. – just a hair under 400.

• OWAA’s Community Night Auction netted $10,000. OWAA’s board of directors and staff thank the South Kent Chapter of Ducks Unlimited for facilitating the event.

• OWAA’s board of directors and staff trust that you enjoy Outdoors Unlimited Online, which will be posted anew on the first of each month, except July. See OU Online at http://owaa.org/ou/.

• At it latest meeting, the board of directors voted to authorize staff to create a hard-copy “OU Digest,” which will be paginated and mailed to members on a quarterly basis. Expect to receive yours via U.S. Mail the first week of September.

• OWAA Executive Assistant/Bookkeeper/Contest Coordinator Ashley Schroeder will be promoted to publications editor on Aug. 1. Schroeder finished her journalism degree in December, first working for OWAA as our journalism intern last fall. On Jan. 2 she was promoted to her current position, also finding time to help design and implement Outdoors Unlimited Online. Schroeder will replace current OU Editor Sarah Prodell, who has served as editor for the past two years. Congratulations to Ashley, and a great big Thank You to Sarah, whom we’ll miss.

Photo info: A camper enjoys a canoe trip on a lake in the Upper Peninsula near Paradise. Photo by Terry W. Phipps, courtesy of Travel Michigan. ◊

By Kevin Rhoades, Executive Director.

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Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to visit with any of the Buck family members during the Grand Rapids conference. However, one of my fondest memories from the first conference I attended was meeting Al Buck and having him give me valuable tips on knife sharpening. He even sharpened a small pocketknife I was carrying.

I have two treasured Buck folding knives: the 4-inch folding hunter, engraved with my name, that I received as a new OWAA member; and its 2.5-inch brother that I received in 2005 in recognition of my longtime OWAA membership. I sincerely appreciate the generous support the Buck family has given to OWAA and to those of us who write about the great outdoor opportunities we have in this country.

Dan Hansen,
Clintonville, Wis.

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The OWAA Annual Conference was enjoyable to say the least. Many activities, presentations and of course meeting up with friends made this a well worthwhile event. Although there were many very good presentations, one that I feel compelled to comment on dealt with a speaker who was hell bent on outdoor communicators focusing on reducing our emissions. No facts, no figures, no support material whatsoever; just continuous comments about reducing our emissions or we will all “perish” (my perception).

Forget the fact that since the start of the Industrial Revolution, our emissions have been reduced by leaps and bounds. Remember, for those of you old enough, when residential homes all burned coal, pre-1960s? Winter snows turned black with soot. Forget the fact that industry has placed scrubbers on all emission stacks to prevent the previously significant emissions of spent fuel. Forget the fact that our new technology reduces emissions even further, upwards of 70-80 percent for coal discharges such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter.

As journalists, we cannot and should not forge blindly into repeating what someone tells us just because he or she has a passion without a shred of credible science. It’s easy to tell if someone is just speaking “science” or speaking as a scientist.

I hope those who attended the session on “global warming” will not put too much emphasis into what was said regarding emissions. Remember that emissions are global in nature, and with China building uncontrolled coal plants by the dozen each year, our efforts here in America to clean up the air have been commendable to say the least. If we did nothing else at this point in with our current technological advancements, we would have done enough.

If we force industry to continue to do more and more, almost to the unachievable extent of zero tolerance, we may as well pack them up and ship them overseas. We need to be realistic on issues relative to our emissions and their so-called effects on the overall global warming. America and Americans are being sold a bill of goods by politicians and extreme environmentalists at the expense of our financial future, and our pocketbooks.

Chuck Lichon,
MOWA member,
Linwood, Mich.

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Looking into my rearview mirror, I’d say it was money very well spent. I became a new OWAA active member in February 2009. Information on the annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., was immediately forthcoming. Like anyone watching his nickels and dimes, I hesitated. After making the decision to attend, I was determined to squeeze every possible benefit out of my attendance. I was not disappointed.

Registration by mail was easy and confirmation was prompt. Additionally, conference information available on the OWAA Web site made it easy to make specific plans in advance of arriving at the conference. The facilities at the host hotel were excellent. The Amway Grand Plaza is truly a very nice place. The OWAA headquarters staff was quite helpful and cheerfully answered all my first-timer questions.

For someone who has written a relatively small number of articles over a long period of time, my goal was to gain insight into expanding my writing into areas other than fishing. The opening-day four-hour session, “On Becoming an Outdoors Communicator,” should be mandatory for all outdoor writers looking to expand their efforts. It was invaluable. Tom Huggler’s session on “Beyond Hook and Bullet Writing” was exactly what I was looking for. Climate change as it refers to fisheries is a topic very near and dear to me, so the session on “Fish in Hot Water” was a real eye-opener.

I’m somewhat of a photography neophyte making that first jump from digital point and shoot to an SLR-type camera. Attending as many photography sessions as possible and listening to the likes of Jack Ballard, Jim Foster, Tom Ulrich and my mentor James T. Smith improved my learning curve by a bunch. I’ll be much better informed when I make purchases in the near future.

Having written a number of layman versions of technical fisheries research-type articles for the general fishing public, the session “Science for the Public and the Outdoor Writer” was exactly what I was looking for. Finally, if I had a best of show, it would have to be Wayne van Zwoll’s session on “Making Money from Small Publications.” It was packed with good, relevant and not always easily obtained information.

One thought will remain with me and that was the willingness of everyone to talk to me. People saw my green ribbon from a distance away and literally intercepted me to introduce themselves. If you did not make many new friends and contacts at this conference, as well as develop a number of new article ideas, you simply were not trying very hard. The willingness to share and help was evident from beginning to end.

So, you’re thinking of becoming a first-timer in Rochester, Minn., in June 2010? Let me share some friendly advice: Go, you will not be disappointed! Bring at least half a box of business cards – I almost ran out. Walk around with your arm in the hand-shaking position. People from all walks of the business are genuinely interested in meeting you and helping you anyway they can. Back away from the table once in a while. If you eat everything served, you will gain five pounds during the conference.

Study the agenda before you get to the conference. The schedule is packed and you’ll need to prioritize, since you can’t be in two places at once. The literature and pressroom area offers a treasure trove of great information that could be important to you in the future. Consider bringing an empty box or a flat-rate postal box if you are flying. Take good notes at all sessions you attend. Each one is full of good information, story ideas and contact information. Finally, remember to follow up when you get home.

This conference will be paying me back until I get to Rochester next year. ◊

Steven Budnik, of Winchester, Wis., is a periodic freelance writer and field editor for Muskie Magazine, a speaker at various muskie fishing clubs and chapters and an organizer of the Muskellunge Research Symposium. He also writes fishing and boating promotional materials and is a youth fishing instructor.

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• Session: “No Child Left UnWild”

• Speaker: Kevin Frailey, Education Services manager,
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Kevin Frailey presented Michigan’s program for involving children in the outdoors. The often-seen quote from a fourth-grader, “I like to play indoors because that’s where the electric outlets are,” is a sad reality today. Children under 13 spend an average of 30 minutes per week outdoors. The child obesity rate is now at 20 percent, while in 1950 it was a mere 4 percent. These statistics – and Frailey presented many more – should be alarming to parents, teachers and all of us associated in outdoor activities. Frailey quoted author Richard Louv: “[T]he greatest increase in obesity in children has happened at the same time as the greatest increase in organized sports for kids. We’re replacing that free-range play, in which kids spent a lot of time moving, with soccer practice. In fact … the amount of playtime kids have has shrunk by 25 percent in the last 20 years.” Experts blame video games, lack of open space and fear of strangers for this decrease.

The North American Conservation Education Strategy is an effort to align all state fish and wildlife agencies with consistent messages and tools to help reconnect Americans with nature. Federal and state agencies are developing programs to help address the issue of reconnection. The U.S. Forest Service began a program called National Get Outdoors Day. The goal of this event is to encourage kids and their families to participate in healthy, active outdoor activities. Other agencies planning outdoor activities include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and many state DNR agencies. Frailey discussed the Core Concepts Project, which asks participants, “What would you want everyone to know about fish and wildlife?” He stressed the importance of the public understanding that public trust resources are managed by the government, which, in turn, makes them available to all. The challenge to educators and other agency education service managers for K-12 conservation education is, “What should kids know and when should they know it?”

Frailey provided several helpful Web sites – www.fishwildlife.org/consed.html, www.childrenandnature.org and www.fishwildlife.org – as places to begin when looking for information on new and existing programs. Many programs are not only for children, but are family-centered. ◊

By Mary Nickum

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I wanted to make sure the first e-mail I sent after getting home from the conference was a sincere THANK YOU for helping me attend. Having heard from other friends and school colleagues that conferences can be hit-or-miss, I wasn’t sure what to expect; I’m happy to report that my experience exceeded my highest expectations.

It wasn’t just the seminars (all very helpful) or the variety of seasoned pros I got to meet and talk with. It was all that plus an incredibly warm, across-the-board welcome I received every time I talked with someone. The OWAA membership seemed genuinely, personally interested in helping out a new attendee and making sure I got something useful out of the conference.

For that, I am truly grateful.

I’m spending today organizing the mountain of fliers, sample issues and business cards I brought home, and I’ve already started putting some of the tips I received to use. If I play my cards right, I suspect the raw material I brought home will form the foundation for a very successful summer and fall of freelancing.

My membership application is going in the mail this afternoon. I’m optimistic that when this time rolls around next year, I’ll be able to catch up with you over lunch and report on a successful launch of another outdoor communicator’s career.

Matt Cunningham,
West Chester, Ohio

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• Session: “Making Money from Small Publications”
•Speaker: Wayne van Zwoll

Wayne Van Zwoll is an OWAA member, book author, magazine writer and photographer specializing in hunting, conservation, rifles, cartridges, optics and shooting gear. He has made a large portion of his income contributing to outdoor-related publications – many of them relatively small markets – and shared with annual conference attendees at Grand Rapids how they, too, can cash in.

“When approaching a publication for the first time,” van Zwoll said, “consider four things: the homework, the contact, the pitch and the product.” He then elaborated on each point.

The Homework

Before ever approaching a publication, van Zwoll strongly suggests studying in depth the particular magazine you’d like to write for. “Mind the content, style, slant, even the advertisers,” he said. “And learn to read between the lines; in other words, what is not in the magazine? Whatever it is, it’s probably not there for a very good reason.”

The Contact

Van Zwoll next recommended getting the name of a specific person at the magazine to contact. That person may likely be the editor, but it may be someone else altogether, so again, do your homework. And whatever you do, make sure to spell the person’s name correctly when you make that first contact.

It may be surprising that in this electronic age van Zwoll prefers making his initial contact with a publication through a letter. “Few people take the time to write an actual letter anymore,” he said. “By doing so, you set yourself apart from all those other writers trying to break in to a publication.” If van Zwoll’s initial business letter of introduction is fruitful, his future correspondence with the editor – his story pitch – is then usually via e-mail.

The Pitch

When querying a publication with a story idea, van Zwoll said, it’s important to show imagination. “There’s a surfeit of information on the Internet and in print,” he said, “much of it redundant and useless. Convince the editor you can deliver new, practical information in a fresh, compelling way that will appeal not only to targeted groups, but also to casual readers.”

He advised being specific about an article topic, but not dogmatic. “Show you have a plan, but leave the editor room to broach an alternative or to re-engineer your proposal.”

Once you get the assignment, van Zwoll said, make sure to confirm the due date, format, word count, number of photos expected and pay schedule. Lastly, ask the editor, “Is there anything I should know that we haven’t covered?”

The Product

When writing the assigned story, van Zwoll said, write as well as you can every time, no matter the pay. “A mediocre product may pass muster,” he said, “but it won’t get you more assignments. Consider each submission an investment in future projects.”

Photos, too, should be the best you can make them, and van Zwoll told a story to illustrate the length he goes to obtain a good picture. “I was once on a hunting-story assignment when I killed a deer near dark, the light fading too fast for good photos,” he said. “So I took the deer to camp, but convinced the guide to help me return it to the woods early the next morning for photos. Together we did that, and the early morning light breaking over the mountain and onto the deer made for great photos.” A lot of work? Yes, but worth it.

Lastly, van Zwoll reminded seminar attendees to always be professional when interacting with editors. “It pays big dividends,” he concluded, “with large publications or small.”  ◊

Reported by W.H. “Chip” Gross

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• Session: “Beyond Hook and Bullet Writing: Success in Other Venues”

• Speaker: Tom Huggler

“Yesterday’s market for freelance outdoor material has either dried up, drastically changed, or morphed into an Internet vehicle with new rules and few regulations. How does an outdoor writer make a living anymore, especially in the current economic climate? Here are 15 ideas you can take to the bank.”

That’s how Tom Huggler, past OWAA president and Excellence in Craft Award winner, began his one-hour seminar on opening day of the 2009 annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. Following are Huggler’s suggestions of how to make money in tough economic times:

1. Don’t think like an “outdoor writer;” think like the professional communicator you are.
2. Cast a wide net and think outside the box.
3. Tune in to national concerns, some of which already are – or soon will become -major marketing trends: health care, retirement security, the “greening” of America, subsistence food gathering and growing, assisted living, etc.
4. Find mainstream and fringe magazine-writing opportunities (gardening, travel, bird watching, children). This includes house organs.
5. Prospect the Internet for gold.
6. Write a book.
7. Go local with a PR campaign.
8. Give birth to brochures, pamphlets and fliers.
9. Learn how to write press releases.
10. Try your hand at scriptwriting.
11. Offer a “work-for-hire” arrangement.
12. You have photography skills, rechannel and refocus them.
13. Hitch a ride on the “outdoor shows” express.
14. Polish your speaking skills.
15. Teach.

Huggler’s take-home message was for outdoor communicators to diversify and not put all their eggs in one market. Near the end of his seminar he recounted a sobering story to illustrate that point.

“Years ago, I was freelancing for Outdoor Life magazine and making good money,” he said. “I was their camping editor, and one year I made $34,000 from just that magazine alone. But the next year things changed at the magazine, and I took home about half that amount. The following year the magazine changed editors completely and I was out, making exactly zero. That’s how quickly things can change in the outdoor-communications business, so prepare for it,” Huggler concluded. ◊

Reported by W.H. “Chip” Gross

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Conference corridor conversations were dominated by melancholy buzz about layoffs and austerity. Many publications have evaporated. Others are shrinking. The recession and rise of Internet communications are blamed, but another significant factor is declining numbers of young people engaging in the outdoors – and purchasing magazines and books.

“How do we get more young people involved in the outdoors?” is the frequently asked question.

Grand Rapids has an innovative answer. About 60 fortunate sixth-graders from the Grand Rapids School District spend their academic year in a small school at the Blandford Nature Center. Students complete normal academic requirements but with a nature focus. “The kids are outdoors every day. They learn science and math by operating our maple-syruping operation and tend chickens and sell eggs,” said Lyndsay Lenoir, education coordinator. They do much more. By being outside over nine months kids develop outdoor confidence and comfort not possible in a traditional school. Nature centers traditionally involve children in outdoor activities, but normally contact is a brief field trip. A growing trend is the establishment of preschools at nature centers to enable young kids to spend many hours outdoors.

I may be the only nature center director who is an active OWAA member. My staff and volunteers host nearly 20,000 kids each year. Many have no mentor to introduce them to the outdoors, and a visit to the nature center to enjoy fishing, camping, beekeeping, hiking, or simply rambling is a life-changing experience.

The Blandford Nature Center takes it a big step further by enabling sixth-graders to have an in-depth outdoor experience while at school. Check out www.blandfordnaturecenter.org or www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org. ◊

By Rich Patterson, OWAA former president and director of the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.















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