Write me a story

Dave Richey invites readers to submit a story for possible publication.

C'mon. Admit it. You've always had a hankering to write an outdoor story. One on fishing or hunting, and have it published.

Well, boys and girls, this is your golden opportunity. Here's the chance you've been waiting for. Let's get a bit of business out of the way first before I fill you in on what I need.

Right up front comes the bad news. I am not willing to pay anything for your masterpiece. No one pays me so I'm not going to pay you. However, I won't accept just any story. I want you to write me a query letter first, and send it to me, dave@daverichey.com. The query should be no more than 500 words, and it should tell me exactly what your story is about. If you have good, high quality color photos, tell me what you have.

Follow the explicit directions. I've mentored many great writers.

 

The story itself:

• should run 750 words
• I'll give you 50 words to work with
• send it in a .doc format document
• end it with a brief cover letter
• NAME
• ADDRESS
• CITY, STATE, ZIP
• PHONE NUMBER [ (area code) xxx-xxxx ]

Do not send a story until you've sent me the query letter, and I have returned your note with permission to send the story. Unsolicited stories will be rejected out of hand. People who write for magazines have all these hoops to jump through so I'm treating my space on my blog like they treat their magazine space.


I am soliciting your query letter on a topic of your choice, and hopefully with good photos. if your query letter is accepted, and I assign you the story, you have a month (30 days) deadline to write and send the story. I retain the right to accept or reject any story for any reason.


Stories must be

• in good taste
• feature no profanity
• and not be filled with "fluff" words to build up the word count
• stories of libelous nature will not be returned

I've edited four magazines during my career, and it's up to you to do it right the first time.


The story must be

• typed,
• double-spaced, and
• written in 14-point bold (Geneva, Times or a similar font)

My vision is bad, and whatever you can do to help me read your manuscript is a point in your favor. It often pays off when trying to convince an editor to look at your story.

 

Some helpful hints for any beginning writer.

• Write on a topic that you know very well. Only typed stories will be considered.
• Write on things I write about. Search the archives of my site to gain a better idea of what I want. For example: stories on bear hunting, deer hunting, grouse hunting, turkey hunting, steelhead fishing, salmon fishing, catching bedded bluegills, bass fishing, etc. Treat fish and game with respect.
• In your query letter, define exactly what the story will contain. A story needs a lead, a middle and an end. The lead is the first two paragraphs of the story. Use them wisely to capture my attention, and make me want to read the entire story rather than write a short rejection note.
• If you don't know how to spell, use a dictionary or spell-check feature on your computer.
• The two most overworked words are "the" and "that". Avoid them whenever possible.
• Paragraphs should be no more than two or three sentences. Don't send me sentences that take up half a page. Plan your story with the lead, and then transition into the body of the story, and when you are done, stop writing. Most first-time writers fill a story with nonsense or b.s., and I've been at this business for 44 years. Write the truth in as few words as possible. Go back and read some stories I've written on your choice of topics and see how I handled it. Do not copy what I have written because to use something very similar to my copy is to copy me. Plagiarism is an ugly word among writers, and it tends to upset people. Be you, not me.
• I retain the right to edit at will, and I will edit. I don't edit just to change things; I edit to make your story better. That's why they call people like me editors.

 

This is my challenge to you -- write a 750-word fishing-hunting story for me.

So pull yourself away from the television set, give it two or three days of thought,, and tell me a story that you think me and my many thousands of readers will want to read. I don't expect a Pulitzer piece for your first story, but I'd like to see a nice story on a fishing or hunting topic that pleases you, and I'd like to see you work hard on it.

Write it from beginning to end, set it aside for a day or two, go back through and read it again. One of the best editing tools is to read it aloud. Do this, and you'll stumble over a poorly written sentence. Figure out what needs to be done to avoid that bump in the road.

Your reward will find your story published on my website. It ain't much, but who knows, perhaps this is the kick in the pants you need to get started. One day you might find your name on a story in a big magazine that will reward you with a hefty check.

This is your chance. Let's see how many gutsy people we have out there.