It’s always a wonderful feeling when an article nears publication. I’ve been sent a .pdf of my most recent magazine article to review and to submit corrections. The article is on the Yolo Bypass which is near Sacramento. Entitled High Water Legacy, it chronicles the role the bypass plays in providing wildlife habitat and flood control. The magazine is hard copy only, so I can’t point you to any online presence. The photograph below isn’t the issue I am appearing in, it’s just a typical cover. What’s the magazine about? As they put it,
Outdoor California Magazine
The Official California Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Magazine
Each issue offers California at its best—compelling stories on the state’s native species and habitat, presented with page after page of beautiful photographs. All of this plus the Thin Green Line, which chronicles California’s war against poachers!
How did I get my bypass article query letter accepted? Although some of it is luck, because you never know what an editor needs at any given moment, some it is not luck.
I had previously written on the bypass for the West Sacramento News-Ledger. I became an occasional reporter for that paper by doing my first two articles for free. After that, I did a number of stories, all for $25 an article. But the money wasn’t really the issue. I got paid, something, I got a byline, and I got published. Look at my story titles below.
Can you see yourself working for a weekly or a community newspaper? Query the editor with pitches and see where it leads. The idea is that one door leads to another. Years ago, writing about telecom on the web lead me to be accepted by several magazines and then I eventually landed an appearance on the History Channel. Can you think how the articles below might lead me to other articles? Keep writing!
The Outdoors Next Door: Exploring the Yolo Bypass
The Port of West Sacramento is on a Path to Profitability
West Sacramento’s CERT: Educate, Prepare and Assist
The TBD Fest: West Sacramento Hosts the Area’s Largest Music Festival
The West Sacramento Historical Society: Looking Forward and Back
The Yolo Education Center: Helping Students Achieve Success
Retired Assistant City Manager Carol Richardson Looks Back
West Sacramento Waterfront Stories
Chando’s Tacos Expands to West Sacramento
