Got a question. Where do they get the Railroad Reading stories in the magazines? Are there certain people they have write their stories? Or are they subscribers who just write in and they pick the best ones?
I’m pretty sure anyone can submit stories to them; and they just pick the best ones. There is probably something near the end of that feature telling people how to submit stuff.
One can submit an article. Be ready for rejection. That is the rule for any writing/photography, etc. An email to Kathy Kube would generate a return with an idea of what they are looking for and how it should be written. Read the stories monthly and learn from the writers. Our own Ed Blysard has had several published, including this months story. Ed not only writes well for the magazine, but also for this forum, with very concise and informative commentary.
ed
…Yes, Ed’s article for TRAINS was a good one…and the funny part {to me}, was when Ed’s felt hat…finally got company with the “grip”…!
This was one of the funniest stories I’ve read in a while.
Okay, I’ll probably send Kathy an email and find out. I have been reading the stories, and it looks like they’re looking for some serious writing.
Here is the only advice I can offer you.
While my published items are somewhat humorous, the main thrust of them is simply the interaction of men…between the railroad and the machines we work with, and the situations we find ourselves in, and the interaction between the men themselves.
In my instances, I have often experienced odd humor in those circumstances…others might not, but my world view is a little more relaxed than others.
For the Railroad Reading section, they are not looking for technical writing, or a description of the inner workings of an SD40-2…they have lots of that already.
What they are looking for is the human side of railroading, the why part of “why do you do this work”, and what makes it so compelling that you keep coming back everyday, even when the job is horrible…
Make your submission real, make it human, and most important, make it personal…write about what you know and have experienced, not about what you think others might want to read.
If it happens to be funny, that’s great, and if it happens to be serious or sad, that’s OK also; some of the things that happen out here are pretty saddening.
Don’t swamp them with detail, but make sure you write clearly enough that a novice would understand what you are saying.
Good luck with it, hope to read your stuff soon,
Ed
Dear fafnir242,
Mr. Blysard answered your question exquisitely. I am the Railroad Reading editor for Trains and would be happy to answer any more specific questions. My e-mail address is apusztai@trains.com.
The bulk of my purchases will be about railroading as told by railroaders. If they don’t fit that mold, they have to be quite spectacular. We limit our purchases of railfan stories mainly because according to our surveys, that is not what people want to read. Most of our readers want to live vicariously through railroaders’ experiences.
I certainly appreciate any photos you can provide, though we do have an extensive historical collection of photos and access to a great lot of photographers.
Please try to keep the stories less than 1,500 words. However, more importantly, make sure the story evokes some sort of emotion or action from the reader. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them gasp, make them something. Be sure to paint a picture. What were you wearing? Who did you talk to? What was the weather like? What time of year was it? Who did you work with that day? The list goes on and on. The reader should be able to take away something from reading your story. A lesson should be learned in most cases.
Submissions may be mailed with a disk containing a Word doc, or e-mailed to me directly or as an attachment.
Finally, we take up to 12 weeks to review manuscripts. We receive an abundance of submissions and magazine deadlines intervene.
Thanks for your interest!
Thanks. This gives me some great info on where to start. Now I just have to think if anything I’ve experienced fits this…lol…Oh…I’ve got an idea already pumping…lol