There is something about being published in a magazine that just feels like validation. I don’t know why since there are much more important outlets for information, but seeing my work in a hard copy magazine always makes me feel like I have something to show people that they can easily connect with.
A white paper, or web content, or a blog are each a great place to showcase your writing skills, but the subject matter may not be something that interests everyone. Or it may be written on a topic that few people understand. When you are hired to write for a specific person or company you may be creating very specialized content. That’s fine, and is obviously necessary and important work. But handing someone a simple, glossy cover copy of a boating magazine with your own article in it is just, well, just kind of cool.
I love boats. If I could spend all day every day driving big boats for a living, I would. If I can’t do that, then writing about them gives me a great deal of pleasure and helps to fill that void. I recently wrote two articles for Lakeland Boating Magazine and both were a blast to put together. The first one was a write-up on the new Tiara Yachts C53 Coupe which came out in the November/December issue of Lakeland Boating. I was even lucky enough to have my story grace the cover.
The second article is out now, which is a discussion on the owner’s reasons for purchasing a boat built in Finland – the Sargo 31 All Weather Boat. I included links to both below.
http://www.lakelandboating.com/boat-tests/iara-yachts-c53-coupe
http://www.lakelandboating.com/boat-tests/sargo-31
Something about working with a magazine, and ultimately being published in one is very gratifying to me. I feel like I’m still the 12-year-old kid who swore he would get there some day, would get his writing into Time, or Newsweek, or National Geographic. These two articles may not be about world events or some miracle product, but they will hopefully give someone insight into a product they were considering for themselves. Or, they may just provide a few minutes of escape for the reader and the enjoyment of dreaming about a summer day out on the open water.
No matter what the reader gets, the article writing process provides me with a challenge, some enjoyable work, and ultimately a fun result. I love doing it and would write about any subject, product review, or travel destination. But, boating is my first love and hopefully that shows through in the two examples above.
Thanks for reading!