The Martialist: The Magazine For Those Who Fight Unfairly

So You Want to be a Writer?

By Tony Manifold

I have been writing for about a year now. I started with my personal website and now am a “featured contributor” for The Martialist. One of the things I could have used when I started was a primer on writing articles that was geared to self-defense publications. This article will try to explain some of the steps you can take to help yourself enter the prestigious (HA!) world of the self-defense writer.

So why do you want to write?

If you are going to write, you need to have a good reason (or you won’t stay with it long enough to go anywhere). For example, I started my website and my writing career because I was dismayed at the lack of substantive but free self-defense information available to contemporary students. That got me going initially. The support of a great publisher helped keep me motivated.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I didn't even have to threaten Tony with changing his title to something derogatory to get him to write this. - Phil

Find the right motivation and you will continue to write even though it often takes 4 or 5 horrible attempts to produce each good article. Depend on the wrong motivation and you will quit when you face your first obstacle. Some of the wrong reasons for writing include these:

Becoming Famous – This is the worst motivation ever. While becoming known in your field often is a byproduct of good writing, few people ever become truly famous. Also, very few people will work as hard as is needed to become a good writer for the slim chance of becoming "known." It just isn't a good motivator and speaks to the wrong areas of your character.

To Make Money – I hate to break it to you, but this business doesn’t pay well – at least not at first. If I had to rely on my writing to support my family right now, we would be living in a refrigerator box. In the long term there is the potential for profit (directly or indirectly), but don’t expect it right away.

The best reasons to write about self-defense are because you are passionate about it and because you want to share your views with others.

Finding A Topic

Now that you know why you want to write, you need to find a topic. There are hundreds of ways to select one, but I will share two of my favorites. One of these is online self-defense discussion sites like Pax Baculum. There are a lot of opinions being shared on online forums, some good – and many bad. However, the most important thing being traded is ideas. These ideas can give you a place to start.

The second way to find ideas is simply to keep on doing what you're doing – training. Your training can lead you to ideas. Publisher Phil Elmore, for example, regularly writes about various drills he does in class. Any time you do something new in your training, you've got a potential article.

It may be helpful to examine the different reasons other people write to help you find a way to use these ideas. In my view, there are four main reasons: to opine, to question, to teach, and to rebut. To opine simply means to state an opinion of something. To question is to use the article as a means to ask a question while letting the readers experience your journey to the answer. To teach is to show the readers something they may not have known before. To rebut is to present an opposing viewpoint to something you may have seen elsewhere and with which you disagreed.

What to Do When You Have a Topic

This may seem like an easy one. It is simple, right? Just write. Unfortunately, this is the point at which most people get hung up. They have this great idea and they sit in front of the computer and just stare at the monitor. They don’t know how to start. A little pre-planning can help with that. Start by jotting down some key ideas beforehand. This can be done in an ordered fashion, in which you map out your article in point by point form. It can also be done freeform (which is the way I prefer). Just jot down ideas and let them lead to new ideas or new connections. The important thing is to take your idea, which could probably be expressed in a sentence (or a paragraph at most) and really develop it. Longer is better. You can always edit an article that is too long, but it is hard to pad an article that is too short.

Another problem some people experience is that they'll have a full, fleshed out idea, but when they put it to paper none of their careful thought shows through in the reading. A great idea poorly communicated is not so great after all. You do not need advanced degrees to learn how to write properly, nor do you need any special talent. All you need to do is immerse yourself in your art form. (It also helps to have a good editor.)

You need to read, read, and read some more. Read everything from novels to newspapers and magazines. The more you read, the easier it is to learn how people communicate in writing. Pay particular attention to self-defense publications and especially the publication for which you wish to write. That publication may have a certain style unique to it. Tailor your writing for your audience and for the potential client.

Now That You've Written Something

Once you have written something, you need to find someone to publish it. The first thing you need to do is make sure all the spelling and grammar is correct. Make it look professional. Nothing turns an editor off like an article that looks as if it was written by a third-grader. If you are not sure, have someone else proofread it for you. Spell-check is a wonderful thing, but it is not infallible.

After you have double- and triple-checked it, you are ready to send it away. I suggest you target one magazine first and work from there. Check out the magazine's website to see what its submission guidelines might be. Some magazines will allow you just to send the article in, whereas others prefer you to send an outline first. When in doubt, ask. It can’t hurt.

Don’t Be Discouraged

The one thing writing takes more than anything else is courage. You may be turned down many times before (and after) you see print. Even if you have great luck in getting your work published (and I must admit that I have been one of those people so far), you have to deal with people who will ridicule your position and claim you have no idea what you are talking about.

This is the life of a writer, one who puts his viewpoint into the public eye.

The Martialist welcomes submissions from unpublished writers and will gladly look at (and edit) anything that is sent to us. Send your inquiries or full-length articles via e-mail to Publisher Phil Elmore. Submissions can be in plain text or Microsoft Word format. Photos help very much if you can supply them in JPG or GIF format. Go ahead – go out on that limb. You won't regret it.