Writing Questions
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I am currently editing two essays I wrote. These essays are first person narratives, about my experiences. One is a particular fishing adventure, the other a commentary about a particular aspect of the fly fishing lifestyle.
I strive to write stories that bring out experiences others can identify with. My interest in writing is reflective and experiencial, not how-to’s or destinations. I want to write what I enjoy reading: Geirach, Hemingway, Gray’s Sporting Journal, etc.
My end goal, is to write essays which I can combine with my photography, to submit for publication in sporting magazines.
This brings me to several questions, as I am just starting out:
1) Am I shooting myself in the foot by writing first person narratives about my experiences?
2) There are too many I’s in my essays. How do I get rid of all the I’s when I am writing about my experiences and thoughts in a first person narrative?
John Michael –
From a publication perspective solely, yes, you are probably shooting yourself in the foot by writing first person essays. Assuming that you are a very good writer (and you probably are), let’s analyze the best-case scenario for first person essay-writing, as a career.
Say you get an article published in Gray’s, which is the high end of the game. You might get paid $500. Maybe. Go back through your last fifteen issues of Gray’s and count how many times authors get re-used. They don’t, or at least, not very often.
The few authors who do manage to secure columns in Gray’s are usually either specific sports editors, who absolutely got their start writing how-to articles, or the actual editor of the magazine (i.e. David Foster’s Journal/Jim Babb’s Journal).
People like Jim Babb and Dave Foster got their start in other parts of the publishing world. Dave was the editor of Atlanta magazine back in the 1980s. He later edited New Orleans magazine. I know a lot about his history because his son is sitting in the office right next to me (and was himself a columnist prior to becoming a lawyer).
Very, very few writers get their start writing first person essays. Those who do almost invariably write the essays in the form of books. They are very rarely as young as you or me. Gierach got his start with “Fly Fishing the High Country” (not “Trout Bum”) – which is really a how-to book. Ernest Hemingway got started in newspaper beat reporting in Kansas City if I recall my college seminar correctly. Ultimately he was a war reporter, from which we get novels like “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” George Orwell, the best essayist of the 20th century bar none, likewise was a reporter. He also lived a true deadbeat life at times in order to get material (see “Down and Out in Paris and London”).
William Faulkner wrote “The Sound and Fury” in the Ole Miss boiler room shoveling coal at night. A hell of a lot of writers got their start as professors or teachers (like Jim Harrison).
My point is, if you want to be a professional essay writer, oftentimes the only way to do it is to start out with a bang by writing a great book. And the people who have written great books were the rare few who truly had both exceptional talent and the will to conform their life to the needs of their art.
Very, very few writers you read in magazines will ever wind up with the stature of a Harrison or a Hemingway. Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger are the only two I can think of who currently would come close, in my estimation.
Writing is a wonderful thing; it lets you express yourself completely, in an unhurried manner. You get to close thoughts and anticipate objections and generally convince people that you are right, or convey a moment that feels more real than it ever would if caught on videotape. But writing as a profession is a hard-nosed animal. There are precious few shortcuts. You have to build a whole lot of groundwork.
If you want to write, and you know you have the talent, I promise you, you will get the opportunity to write the things you want one day. But, to be in a position to have the world pay attention, there are just hoops you have to jump through. If you’re desperate to give it a try now, one good option would be to start a blog. At least that way you can build a following and an archive of your abilities to show to editors. It might work.
Zach
Very, very few writers get their start writing first person essays. Those who do almost invariably write the essays in the form of books. They are very rarely as young as you or me. Gierach got his start with “Fly Fishing the High Country” (not “Trout Bum”) – which is really a how-to book. Ernest Hemingway got started in newspaper beat reporting in Kansas City if I recall my college seminar correctly. Ultimately he was a war reporter, from which we get novels like “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” George Orwell, the best essayist of the 20th century bar none, likewise was a reporter. He also lived a true deadbeat life at times in order to get material (see “Down and Out in Paris and London”).
Gierach did too.
Rich I don’t mean to argue with you but what book of poetry are you referring to? Amazon has “Fly-Fishing the High Country” as Gierach’s first, as does my copy of it somewhere on the jacket.
“Book Description
Flyfishing in scenic and remote mountain waters is a special kind of fishing, explored in depth by veteran fly fisher John Gierach. Along with Fly Fishing Small Streams (0811722902), this guide, Gierach’s first book, now in print with Stackpole Books, explains how to find the best waters and how to fish them to the best advantage.”http://www.amazon.com/Flyfishing-High-Country-John-Gierach/dp/0811731723
Did he self-publish one or something?
Zach
Zach
It was a small press run and not a lot of people know about it. Signs of Life is the title (1976-77). It is really hard to find. It usually runs in the hundreds if you can find it. Alibris has one listed at $250. It says it was published by Cherry Valley Editions. ISBN:0916156265
High Country came in ’84 and Trout Bum in ’86 (via Amazon).
As an interesting side note, I see on Mike Clark’s (South Creek Limited) store page he lists Motel Thoughts In the 70’s by Gierach. I found only one other reference to it as a book of poetry published in 1976 by Lodestar Press, so maybe High Country was actually his third. He has mentioned Signs of Life in interviews before, but never this last book (maybe for good reason 🙂 ).
–Rich
Signs of Life is the title and it is an interesting read if you did not know that it existed. It is not quite what you would expect. He mentions it in one of his books as well but I cannot remember which book for sure. (it might have been this last book but the stories kind of blend together) Motel Thoughts is also an interesting read, it really shows the start of his style.
I used to own the books in question – They were gifts from my wife. At one point in my life, I had all the Geirach first editions in hard back. I will not do that again but that is another story altogether that you all have heard.
and “Fly-Fishing the High Country” and “Fly-Fishing Small Streams” are still my all around favorites. Instruction with humor is a great thing.
There may need to be a little more of this style of writing in the magazines. It is fun to read, easy to learn from and remember. It is also the only articles that I tend to discuss with people… That may say a little something about a shunned style of writing.
I have a different take. If writing first-person essays is in your heart, and you feel you have something to say, go for it, but be aware that the print magazine market is limited, and you might have to settle to publish in online magazines that don’t pay.
(IMHO, a memoir should be about the writer experiencing a value change, so if at the start of my story, for example, I have resentment toward a person, by the end of my story I should see the person in a more sympathetic light. Also. from a technique standpoint, writing in the first person is the easiest way to go.)
My first national publication was a first-person essay in The FlyFisher.
I don’t think there’s any formula for becoming a book writer. Some start out by writing and publishing a book, others start out by writing shorter pieces and building up a resume.
(Who knows: one of your essays might turn into an idea for a book.)
As to the many I’s in your story: Once you’ve established you’re writing in the first person you can eliminate many of them. For example: If you have a sentence like, I saw the sunlight crash, then shimmer on the water -forgive my cliche – change the sentence to, the sunlight crashed then shimmered on the water.
Randy Kadish
This is all excellent advice, and I appreciate all of the replies. Please keep them coming.
I enjoy writing and photography, and would like to see if I can get work published. However, I don’t have grand aspirations to make a living as a writer/photographer. I also have a day job, as it seems most do, so this will be more of a side interest for me.
I would love to make money at writing and photography, but this brings me to question my motives. Do I want people to know who I am? Do I want to make money? Or, do I want to develope my talents and share them for others to enjoy? The more I have considered these questions, the more I believe in the latter answer. If any monetary profit comes to me as well, then that is a bonus.
I have always wanted to write something, initialy a book. About a year ago, I started writing a book. To date, I have the first three chapters written. Then I seemed to hit a block, and wanted to focus more on photography, so the book project went to the back burner. As I concentrated on photography, I continued to hear that it was easier to get photos published if they were accompanying an article. This renewed my interest in writing. I liked the idea of working on esssays, which are shorter and easier in scope and could someday possibly be incorporated into the book.
It has been said over and over: “Write about what you know”. This is what pointed me to the style of writing I have chosen. I am a thoughtful and reflective person. Therefore, I enjoy creative essays and books that bring out the passion and experience of a particular subject. This is what I strive to tap into.
I love A River Runs Through It, and honestly, Norman McClean has been a huge inspiration for me. If he could write that book at 70 some odd years old, then I figure I still have time, Lord willing.
The outlets for publication do seem quite limited, as far as magazines go. The online magazine idea has crossed my mind, as well as Zach’s idea of a blog. These avenuse might generate some exposure, and would give me valued practice.
If I was to submit essays to an online magazine or mainstream magazine, and they were published, would this bar me from using them in a book at a later date? What about if I put my essays on a personal blog?
As far as I know, and I’ve published many memoirs in print and online magazines, you still own them and can publish them in a book.
(If a magazine wants to own all rights to your story they will let you know and ask you to sign a contract. They will then probably let you buy the rights back down the road.)
In fact, many online magazines will publish stories that appeared in print and online.
Randy
(Who knows: one of your essays might turn into an idea for a book.)
As to the many I’s in your story: Once you’ve established you’re writing in the first person you can eliminate many of them. For example: If you have a sentence like, I saw the sunlight crash, then shimmer on the water -forgive my cliche – change the sentence to, the sunlight crashed then shimmered on the water.
Randy Kadish
Sound advice here.
The writing and submissions process is all new to me. So far, I have learned quite a lot. However, it has also raised a few more questions.
I have been reading some books on writing, and as a result I have revised the two essays I have written. Unfortunately, I had already submitted these essays three months ago, before I heard about this book. Consequently, I thought the essays were good when I submitted them, but know I see how much better the revised versions are as a result of what I have learned.
Is it ever o.k. to resubmit a manuscript that you feel is much better than the origional submission, or will this get you blackballed?
Second, let’s say your essay is 600 words, and the magazine you want to submit it too says submissions should be 750 – 1000 words. Should I not submit the essay to this magazine because it is not 750 words? I don’t think adding 150 words to meet the minimum would help the essay. It is concise and was origionaly written for different word requirements of 600 words.
As far as I know you can resubmit. It won’t get you blackballed.
The First Five Pages is an excellent book.
There are many great writing books out there. What I did is highlight everything I didn’t know, that way I could quickly go over the material.
To me writing is like golf: I have to keep practicing techniques, and though I’ll never reach a perfect swing, I’ll keep trying.I would leave the photoshop work to the editors, but I don’t know much about that. I used slides.
Randy
If 1st person is the correct voice, then you have no other options if you want it to be real.
Here is my take on it….
No matter what voice you use, if it is honest, I mean totally honest, and the words are not laborious. If you paint a picture that will take anyone who reads it into the scene, then you as a writer have done your job. The greatest of writers are not those who just place the words on the page, they are the ones who offer insight into everyone who is involved in the story. Wendell Berry (my favorite Author), can write a short story about a day spent in the tobacco patch and when you are finished reading, it is as if your back were sore and sunburned. Real honest assessment of the human condition regardless of the situation is what draws in the reader and leaves that lasting impression.
~marc~
Following along with that….
The choice of voice isn’t as important as sticking WITH that voice through the whole piece.
Structuring Your Novel by Robert C. Meredith and John D. Fitzgerald has an excellent chapter on viewpoint.
Randy
John
While I agree with nearly everything said above — and Zach and I have had these conversations in the past — just a few notes I’d like to pass along.I’ve never been published in a major magazine. Gray’s accepted one piece from me, 3 years ago, and hasn’t published it yet, it’s still in the “can.” They accepted another a year or so ago, but then declined it because I had made the stupid mistake of submitting them something I had previously published online, not realizing that was the same as pre-published in print to them.
I’m doing the first person, introspective stuff too. There is, however, something to be said for publishing in non-paying venues, and for self-publishing.
I started “Far & Away,” an e-zine, along with two other gentlemen, just for that reason: An outlet to publish our own work and give the same opportunity to others. We’re non paying, but the market just isn’t there for the type of writing we do…which is odd, because so many people seem to enjoy them.
Also, there’s something to be said for self-publishing books. I’ve done this with two, and while all I did was make a little more money than what it cost me to print them, I have the satisfaction of putting my words into print and receiving the great feedback from those who have read them. Self-publishing means you have to do all the publicity work, the publisher doesn’t do it for you, and that’s tough if you hold down a job and have a family…but even if you do none of that, the rewards can be good.
Just my thoughts. Good luck with your writing. Persistence does pay off!
Roger Stouff
Louisiana
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