City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94460
My Favorite Writing Resources • The Chicago Manual of Style • On Writing Well by William Zinzer • The Elements of Style by Strunk and White • Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg • The Elephants of Style and Lapsing into a Comma by Bill Walsh Editors want to see that you have familiarity with their publication. fied to write the piece. Refer to the high-quality photos you presumably have to go with the story. Be brief. Did I mention be brief? A lengthy query is less likely to be considered than one that is one tight paragraph. When you query concisely, you demonstrate your ability to write concisely. Also, ask for and read their Writers' Guidelines before you query. About the writing process and subject matter: a member of our editorial committee, SavATree Consulting Group Director Mike Galvin, makes a helpful analogy. He says, "If you want to build a house, you don't start at one corner and construct everything as you move from one end to the other; you build the structure first and then add items that can be supported from coarser to finer until you're done. It's better to pick a few main points to communicate and tie together logically than to start with a thought and follow the thread wherever it leads you." When you get more experienced at crafting pieces, the outline of a story may take shape in your head or emerge as you write. But for now, lean hard on that structure. Be like a woodpecker in your persistence, but also be prepared for your fair share of rejection. Sometimes your article really is a gem, but it just hasn't yet found its right home. I've seldom had luck getting into national gardening magazines, but I have had lucky breaks with regional publications. In the most recent case, I submit- ted an artist's profile of my friend Larry Decker, who I find to be The Most Interesting Man in the World. I was (naively) sure they'd scoop it right up. The editor said, "We love artists, but the Hudson Valley has so many good ones, we are backlogged." I said, "Ok, thanks for considering. By the way, I'm a horticulturist, so would you keep me in mind if you have any agriculture/horticulture pieces you need written?" The editor replies, "Oh, funny you should mention that; we are reviving our Home and Garden section. Want to do a test feature?" I've logged 16 stories with them since. So stay open and don't get discouraged—opportunities will present themselves in unexpected ways. Lastly a note about money: Don't get into freelance writing for financial gain. It takes a long time before you get paid anything significant—and but for a lucky few, it's never going to be a living. I suggest looking instead for other rewards to motivate you. For instance, getting published in City Trees, which has no budget for authors, affords you a chance to practice your writing and self-promotion skills, toot your UF program's horn to the world (and to your city leadership), and find new perspectives through the reflective process of writing. Have high-quality, relevant photos in hand before you submit a story or query. www.urban-forestry.com In a future issue, Editorial Committee Chair Jeff Shimonski will address his experience writing a regular newspaper column. You can see examples of my work at www.michellejudysutton.com. 17