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Old 17-06-2010, 03:00 PM
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Default Advice on writing a fishing article

I would like to write an article on a local club to help promote it in the hope of increasing day tickets and letting everyone know about our great wee river. The objective is to get it published in one of the big four magazines, however my literary genius stops at higher english and eloquent i am not, innit. Does anyone have any tips for writing such an article? I was looking to highlight the strengths of the new club and its efforts in producing some great fishing, the challenges we have to surmount and also focus on a couple of the good beats and the productive methods. Any help at all is appreciated.JB
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Old 17-06-2010, 03:06 PM
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Contact Steve Cullen, Peepingcaddis on here. He is always looking for innovative content and I am sure he could help you with the editing of it if he felt the content were good.

Even speaks your language

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Old 17-06-2010, 03:09 PM
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1. Find an angle: probably forget the fishing techniques, kit, flies etc., you can come back to them later and thread them through.

2. Say it: forget the introduction.

3. Find some fishing writing you like: plagiarise with pride.

4. Say it with a picture: and ALWAYS put a caption on your pix.

5. Get everything checked for grammar spelling and punctuation: people may not care, but they'll certainly notice.

6. Write no more than 30 words to the sentence, one sentence per paragraph.

7. Avoid long words.

8. Finish with a pay-off: a wry comment on your angle perhaps.
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Old 17-06-2010, 04:35 PM
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Write what is in your head when it appears. Don't wait and think you will remember it when the time comes. Keep writing until you run out of things to say then read it all through. Move the bits that should be together next to each other so that the narrative isn't bouncing from one subject to another.

Wait a few days and read it all again adding bits that jump into your head that you think should be there and removing or moving the bits that aren't reading right.

Print it out and give it to someone else to read, I use my wife. They don't have to know the subject but they will be able to tell you if it is interesting and reads well.

Always use the spell checker
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Old 17-06-2010, 05:04 PM
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If the goal is to get it published in a print magazine, do NOT write the article in advance.

These are called "spec articles" and it's very difficult to get them into print because magazines tend work around themes and edition plans that the articles have to fit into. If you do manage to get a spec article placed, it'll almost always involve an extensive re-write, so the bottom line is that writing the full article in advance is usually a waste of time.

Instead, here's what I'd suggest before you start writing:

1. Put together tight outline of your concept for the article. Make sure your outline correlates with your expected finished article length.

2. Contact the editors at the magazines you're targeting and discuss the concept and ask for feedback. Some mags are very formal about this process, most fishing mags are not. Make sure you mention that you will also include photos.

It's likely that any interested editor will tell you that he "Loves the idea, but here's the direction I'd like you to take it. . ." Take good notes and confirm the next step, ie what does the ed want to see next, is it a revised outline, a partial draft, or a full article.

3. Now you're in a position to start writing. All the advice above is good.

Overall, the biggest tip I can give to a writer in your position is be focused and stick to your outline. Most in your position worry about being able to write enough, but what they end up with is 5000 words of unfocused drivel with no cohesion. You want to produce a focused article that brings across a few (about 3) carefully chosen main points. Quality not quantity.

4. Mechanics like spelling and grammar are important, but these aspects are really the last small step even though people tend to think they're the biggest hurdle.


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Old 17-06-2010, 06:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marmalade View Post
1. Find an angle: probably forget the fishing techniques, kit, flies etc., you can come back to them later and thread them through.

2. Say it: forget the introduction.

3. Find some fishing writing you like: plagiarise with pride.

4. Say it with a picture: and ALWAYS put a caption on your pix.

5. Get everything checked for grammar spelling and punctuation: people may not care, but they'll certainly notice.

6. Write no more than 30 words to the sentence, one sentence per paragraph.

7. Avoid long words.

8. Finish with a pay-off: a wry comment on your angle perhaps.
Good stuff.

Except one sentence per para .

It will look very odd indeed
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Old 17-06-2010, 06:23 PM
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My advice regarding rivers in Scotland is not to draw attention to yourselves if the fishing is any good. It's not always a 'more the merrier' situation. Also others locals will not appreciate kiss and tells articles about their favorite haunts.
If said river is the one I think it is then you firstly need to try and fight the terrible levels of abstraction by those 'custodians of the land' ie farmers.
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Old 17-06-2010, 08:20 PM
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Hi guys thank you for taking your time to point me in the right direction. Your input is greatly appreciated and i will bear these thoughts in mind and try to follow your principles. Marmalade i wasn't to sure about point three but if Mr Aston himself says its ok then who am i to argue!
LDO my angle is more to do with the difficulties this river has had in the past due to industry in the recent past and in years gone by, which have left a legacy for us to overcome. This club is in its infancy and has a lot of willing members who want to restore its glory. I want to summarise whats being done, what the objectives are and show off a little bit of our river. A little extra revenue would help us out with our goals and more members hands on tools wouldn't go amiss. I understand thats it's a carefull balancing act, regards numbers. It will never become a place of pilgramage for anglers but it would nice to see local anglers who pass it by and those on their holidays sample whats on offer.There are probably lots of rivers around the country which have endured a similar past and are returning to a much healthier state. We don't all fish the Tay, Test and Shannon so i think people would enjoy reading about a real river, warts and all if you like.

Last edited by ticklematackle; 17-06-2010 at 08:30 PM.
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Old 17-06-2010, 08:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grayson View Post
Good stuff.

Except one sentence per para .

It will look very odd indeed
Pretty much every newspaper does it though.. They can always be run-on if it doesn't look pretty on the page or website.
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Old 17-06-2010, 10:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ticklematackle View Post
Any help at all is appreciated.JB
Write it as it is!!
You have already said it is for any fishing mag, and if for tourist board/local rag, the editors will correct the mistakes!!
TELL IT AS IT IS!! (With Photos)
REGARDS
BERT
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