Hopefully you enjoy reading the Northlander each month as much as I do. Whether it as a story about someone’s beloved Porsche, recent participation in a car event or a travelogue, they all help us connect with our fellow NCRers and share our experiences.
Perhaps you have had an experience you would like to share but are hesitant to put fingers to keyboard. Or you have some photos which you consider just not good enough to publish. Well, I hope to encourage you to put those concerns aside and “just do it”.
I certainly can appreciate your hesitancy. I too experience all the typical angst every time I write an article. Is it worthwhile? Did I use proper grammar? Can the reader understand what I am writing? Will I be criticized for what I wrote and the way I wrote it? Will readers find it interesting? Is the picture clear enough? Has someone else written about this subject? Plus all the other uncertainties one can conjure up.
Let me share a few thoughts on how I approach this which may help you get started. First I pick a topic or experience which I really enjoyed and which I believe others will enjoy reading about. I trust that they will, and if they don’t well there is no harm. So write about what you know best. Mostly these are car related for sure but that’s because I am a “car guy” from way back so I gravitate there.
Second, I write about what I felt, thought, saw and heard. Not too analytical, not necessarily perfectly accurate either. For example, I may not know every aspect of what took place at an event, but I know what I experienced. (If I were writing a technical article, I would be more diligent regarding accuracy for sure.)
Third, I don’t worry about the article’s length because when I don’t have more to share, it’s done.
Fourth, I always let the first draft sit for a day or two then revisit it before I send it to Northlander.
Fifth, with smart phones and a spouse who loves to take pictures, I often have plenty of pictures from which to choose. But I don’t worry about having to include a picture.
Lastly I don’t worry about perfect grammar or spelling because the Northlander staff will edit it, proof read it, etc. to “fix” it before print.
So how about it? Willing to help us by writing about your experiences and or taking some pictures for a Northlander article ithis year? Hopefully yes, because I for one would like to read about and share your experience.
To help you get started, here are a few “style” recommendations which will make it easier for you and the Northlander staff to get you published.
- You don’t have to be a professional photographer. Let your smart phone or smart camera do the work. Send the pictures in at least a resolution of 1000 by 1500 pixels. JPG format if you can. Most phone cameras and Photoshop type software will let you do that easily. Northlander staff can Photoshop it too. Please be sure to send a one line description and name of persons in the photo. Photos should be sent separately from the text. Photos can be sent to Northlander@ncr-pca.org
- Write your article in Microsoft Word or similar word processing software and submit in simple .RTF format (rich text format). This is the editors' first choice but you can use .doc or .docx. You do not have to create .PDFs etc. Email the article to: Northlander@ncr-pca.org To get into the next month’s Northlander the article needs to be submitted on or before the 15th of the prior month.
Rich