Outdoor Magazine Articles

NPO_Aaron

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Last week I was in a doctors office and picked up an outdoors magazine. As I paged through it I realized that I didn't like or relate to anything in the dang thing. Well, I've been taught that a complaint without a possible solution is useless. So, I decided to try my hand at writing and submitting a few articles to some outdoor magazines.

I was wondering if any of you had any experience or advice on how to get started.

Thanks!
 


Kurtr

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Last week I was in a doctors office and picked up an outdoors magazine. As I paged through it I realized that I didn't like or relate to anything in the dang thing. Well, I've been taught that a complaint without a possible solution is useless. So, I decided to try my hand at writing and submitting a few articles to some outdoor magazines.

I was wondering if any of you had any experience or advice on how to get started.

Thanks!

Aron Snyder was just asked that and his advice was write some interesting shit and submit it. Then keep doing that till some publisher likes it
 

Fritz the Cat

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Most outdoor magazines send their writers to the big annual conference for the Outdoor Writers Association of America. They all attend the same seminars and regurgitate the very same shit.



https://owaa.org/2020conference/schedule/
[h=1]Schedule[/h]The following schedule is subject to change (as of February 21, 2020). Click the tabs below to view details about each day of conference.
All conference sessions will take place at Jay Peak Resort unless otherwise noted.

[h=3]FRIDAY[/h]Timing TBD Pre-Conference Trips (View Options & Details)
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. OWAA Board Meeting #1
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Spouse Trip: Haskell Opera House & Old Stone House Museum (Learn More)
1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Silent Auction
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Landscape Photography
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Women’s Summit on Outdoor Communication

  • Natalie Krebs, Christine Dell’Amore, Christine Peterson
8:30 p.m. – TBD President’s Hospitality Suite



[h=3]SATURDAY[/h]7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Breakfast
8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Keynote Address “Nature, People, Place: Creating a Culture of Stewardship” by Doug Ladd
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • Disaster Preparation: Helping You, Your Family and Your Audience Prepare for a: Hurricane, Wildfire, Tornado, Flood, Earthquake, Widespread Loss of Power, EMP
    • Speakers: Emily Harris, Vermont Emergency Management
  • Keeping the Journal in Journalism
    • Speakers: Steve Griffin
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Spouse Welcome

  • Speakers: Linda Moore
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • What’s Happening in our Oceans?
    • Speakers: David Helvarg
  • How to be Somebody on the Web…and Make it Pay
    • Speakers: Gary Arndt
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • Dam Removal; Different Perspectives, Different Determinations
    • Speakers: Jacob van de Sande, Maine Coast Heritage Trust; Matthew Bernier, NOAA Restoration Center; Derene McLain from American Rivers
  • Artists in Residence Program; Is it Right for You?
    • Speakers: Colleen Miniuk and Matthew Dickerson
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • Are We Loving Nature to Death? If So, What Can We Do About It?
    • This session can vary from simple overcrowding to Geotagging and a wide variety of other impactful activities sparked by social media activities.
    • Speakers: ‘Steve’ (AKA Public Lands Hate You); Dr. Brandon Fisher, University of Vermont; Susy Alkaitis, Deputy Director, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
  • Working on Company Publications with Words and Photos
    • Many large companies produce slick advertising publications and pay very well for copy and photos. This session will explore the possibilities for you as an outdoor communicator.
    • Speakers: TBD
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • Native Fish Restoration
    • Speakers: Brian Henkel, Wild Acadia; Bill McKibben; Dwayne Shaw, Downeast Salmon Federation
  • Taking Video and Editing it on Your Cell Phone
    • Speakers: Broadcast Section Speaker: Karen Loke
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Supporting Group Business Meeting
4:45 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Membership Meeting
6:20 p.m. Silent Auction closes
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner
9:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Hospitality Suites


[h=3]SUNDAY[/h]6:00 a.m. Roll ‘n Run
6:00 a.m. Nature Walk with the ‘Bird Diva’ Bridget Butler
7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Guns in America

  • Speakers: Steve Sanetti, former President and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation; David Yamane, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest University
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Outdoor Skills Quick Check

  • This event will involve six tables with different subjects and presented by different people. Attendees will join groups of their choice for 15-minute sessions. After 15 minutes they will proceed to another table. Topics likely to include:
    • How to tie four knots that can save your life.
    • Developing your Go-Bag to prepare for disaster.
    • How to pack for an extended backpacking trip.
    • How to respond to an attack by cougars, bears, rabid skunks and mean humans.
    • Determining your dominant eye/How to ensure different firearms are safe.
    • Tricks for cold and wet weather camping.
  • Speakers: TBD
11:45 a.m. Buses to Breakout Day
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch at Breakout Day
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Breakout Day

  • We will be offering a variety of skill demonstrations and individual hands-on opportunities in:
    • Shooting rifles, pistols and shotguns
    • Calling elk, deer, moose, varmints.
    • How to start a fire.
    • Gutless field dressing.
    • How to set snares and rescue your dog if caught in one.
    • Shooting longbows, recurves, compounds and crossbows.
    • How to ensure you have safe drinking water
    • How to deal with human excrement at your campsite
    • How to use smartphone applications that will help you identify plants and animals in the wild.
    • How to make coffee in the backcountry.
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Past Presidents Meeting
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EIC Awards Party


[h=3]MONDAY[/h]6:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. Photo Walk
7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.OWAA Board Meeting #2
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Keynote Address by Bill McKibben
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Concurrent Workshops

  • Controlling Invasive Species
    • Speakers: Chad Tokowicz, American Sportfishing Association; Shane Mahoney, Conservation Visions, Inc.
  • Writing for Kids
    • Speakers: Ken Keffer; Michael Furtman; Tom Huggler
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Meet the Editors

  • Speakers: Christine Dell’Amore, National Geographic; Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life; Janice Stillman, The Old Farmers Almanac; Amy Kapp, Rails to Trails Magazine.
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Spouse Trip: Boat Cruise on Lake Memphremagog & Visit to Eden Ice Cider and Kingdom Brewing Microbrewery (Learn More)
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Concurrent Workshops – These will be 3-hour workshops, which include a sack lunch.

  • Layer Cake Approach to Understanding Landscapes
    • Leader: Alicia Daniel
  • Overnight Survival and Wilderness Medicine
    • Leader: Dr. William Forgey
  • OWAA: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We Want to Go
    • Leaders: Tom Huggler, Glenn Sapir, Kris Millgate
  • Smaller, lighter cameras: a whole new world. Noah Buchanan, Hunt’s Photo. 4/3s Cameras and their Use
    • Leader: Joe McDonald
  • How to improve your casting technique
    • Leader: TBD
  • How to play in the water…using canoes, paddleboards, kayaks, float tubes
    • Leader: TBD
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Photo Scavenger Hunt Critique

  • Judges: Joe and MaryAnn McDonald
6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Circle of Chiefs Meeting
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Honorary Awards Banquet
9:30 p.m. – TBD Last Chance Luau and the 1st Annual OWAA Storytime

Hey Kurt. Our trip to the Wyoming Big Horns was great. Four foot plus snow and it snowed while we were there. Over a foot of powder. Stayed at Elk View west of Dayton. At the lodge they said the elevation was 8300 feet. I can't know but can tell you when a machine was stuck and a fellow had to start working, it was the first time I had a little trouble getting enough air.

The Polaris 800 RMK is amazing. I did get too close to a big pine tree once and it had a well waiting for me.

A couple miles from Elk View Lodge there is a small down hill ski slope (Antelope something). Only $78 bucks for lift tickets and rental gear. Not bad.
 

Duckslayer100

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Last week I was in a doctors office and picked up an outdoors magazine. As I paged through it I realized that I didn't like or relate to anything in the dang thing. Well, I've been taught that a complaint without a possible solution is useless. So, I decided to try my hand at writing and submitting a few articles to some outdoor magazines.

I was wondering if any of you had any experience or advice on how to get started.

Thanks!

I've worked professionally for outdoor industry mags, and now freelance. Here's what they're looking for:

1) Clean, clear, concise copy: If you're a no-name with no following in the outdoor world, putting your best foot forward means making sure your copy is clear, clean and concise. Run-on sentences, typos, poor grammar and spelling -- all snafus that the big dogs can get away with because they have clout to carry them through the muck (and editors willing to fix things for them), but make submitted works by newbies DOA. If you're not confident in your writing, take some classes or get insight from someone with a lot more writing prowess. If you can submit queries to magazines that read well and look good with minimal editing, you might edge out some folks who are sloppy or lack basic understanding of the English language ;)

2) Truly New and Unique story lines: Part of the problem with writing is it's damn hard to come up with a truly new or unique story that hasn't been rehashed a dozen times already. I used to write a monthly column in Wildfowl about retriever health, and after almost three years I was plum burned out and stepped away. Now the guy who replaced me appears to be rehashing some old story lines I used in my time, which to be honest most likely had been written in some way before I was filling the void. Tips, tricks and how-to's may be an outdoor mag's bread and butter, but finding new hacks for centuries-old traditions can really rack a guy's brain. Good luck on you for trying!

3) Photos, videos and digital: I used to be able to just submit stories and have a good shot and getting something published. Now, unless you're on an industry hunt with photographers, or line up your own photographer, many publications EXPECT accompanying pictures to go with your writing. This can not be understated. Photos cost money. A magazine pays you (the writer) for the rights to publish a story, and then also has to pay a photographer (often per photo, which can average 2-5 per piece) to fill in the gaps. If you submit your own professional/edited photos with the copy, you'll automatically jump to the top of the pile. If you have little experience with photography, get a decent camera, take some classes, and learn the basics of cropping, editing and brushing up pictures. And now, more and more publications may ask for digital add-ons, such as small video clips to run online with the story, or social media-ready posts to promote a story. All of this, as a package, will take a lot of extra time and effort, but will get editors to realize you're serious and someone worth giving a shot.

4) Get used to constructive criticism: The biggest gripe I've heard from editors and publishers about writers these days is almost nobody new can take constructive criticism. Get used to being told your stuff isn't good enough. Because unless you're the next Gene Hill or William Faulkner, you're stuff needs work. Period. Listen to these people. They're probably not wrong. Learn to get better (go back to my first point No. 1 in this list). Improve your writing style. Heck, get your own style! The more you work on improving your writing and listening to those with decades of experience to back them, the better you'll be.

5) References, references, references: You may think you're king shit on turd island about whatever topic you're discussing, but unless you've literally invented some sort of outdoor activity, there's bound to be someone out there who knows more than you do. Find these people! They are great resources. Interview them and use their insight as reference-backed quotes in your stories. After all, who the heck are you exactly? But if you're able to shed some insight or tell a story backed by a professional in the field, then your article has clout. Some folks you interview may want to read the story before it's published. As long as you have nothing to hide, that's totally fine. I'd rather they felt their words were accurately and appropriately portrayed in print, than to get a tongue lashing after the fact and effectively "black listed" going forward.

6) Ask what they want to ready: Sometimes the best way to get in the door is to offer up an example of your best writing (ideally a short published piece that shows your professionalism and writing style) and then ask what a publication may want to fill their issues in the coming year. Typically, every publication out there has a theme each quarter or month, and are looking for articles to fill the void. Sometimes these are already filled by regular contributors, but they may still be looking for something small to fill extra pages. Don't be afraid to offer a few unique ideas when you do query a publication, as it shows you have your own thoughts and may be an asset to the magazine.

That's probably enough for now. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask or even PM me.

-Tyler
 


luvcatchingbass

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All I have to add is around 10-11yr ago o would collaborate with a guy that I met on the road that did a lot of writing and had a few things published with some of my info, basically what Duck said on interviews. It was mostly WT deer and him being from central'ish ND and me eastern we just compared notes and I stayed out of the writing and not didn't want my name out there. I am guessing he knew and did what Duck is talking about but I never learned that side after he passed from a freak car crash. I'm trying to write now and again if nothing else just for myself and/or friends. Good luck to ya
 

Meelosh

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What’s your goal with it OP? I used to write for a humor website. It was fun but didn’t exactly pay the bills. If you just enjoy writing, a blog is way easier to get your stuff published.
 

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