Most SWA members have the habit of independent thinking, so each reader almost certainly has thought, "I could write an article for Lone Warrior." There are lots of reasons not to write the article, but they are mostly bogus. Writing can become another dimension of enjoying the hobby. We each enjoy the different parts of the hobby: painting figures, making scenery, developing rules, researching the period, collecting board game, even operating computers. Writing can become a way of reflecting on what you have been doing. By writing, you preserve a record of what you have done and pass on your experiences to others. This is valuable to others in the hobby. Think of the hours you have enjoyed reading the works of H.G. Wells, Peter Young, Charles Grant, Robert Louis Stevenson , Joe Morschauser, and Donald Featherstone. These are just a few of the pioneers of wargaming. I've probably skipped your favorite author. For naval wargamers lets add Fred T. Jane, Fletcher Pratt and Tom Clancy. These wargamers wrote about their wargame experiences and we all get to enjoy the result. But you don't have to produce a wargaming classic to break into print on the pages of Lone Warrior. There are two things you must do. First you must write the article. Second you must send it in. Without those two you will never get into print. I talk to a lot of people who say, "I'm thinking about writing." But of course "thinking about" is not writing. You have to put the words on paper. Writing can be a little awkward at first, but after a little practice it gets familiar and comfortable. After rewriting a bit and cleaning up the copy, you need to send it to the editor. Editors don't usually write you and say, "I want to publish the article you have laying on your desk, the one I have never seen." Send the article in. Don't think about it; do it. Yes, there is the problem of "Is it good enough? Will it be rejected?" These are real questions but they can only be answered by sending the article in. In my experience Lone Warrior editors are very kind and encouraging to contributors. They need material to fill the magazine. They are pleased to find a new contributor. When an editor has rejected an article of mine it has been done in a gentle way, and after a little thinking I have seen it was better for my image that the piece never ran. It would have been embarrassing to look back on it. Most of the time the editor is glad to receive and use material. Even if you have some doubts it may be worthwhile to send in the article and let the editor decide if it is worthy. I had an experience that illustrates this perfectly. I had visited Northwood, Minnesota, site of a famous attempted bank robbery by the James Gang. I paced off the building sizes and street widths and followed up by reading historical accounts. The resulting article was pretty long and hard to write. Getting the story clear and easy to follow was tough. The finished article looked long and dull to me. After some hesitation I sent it in. Soon after, a Lone Warrior arrived at my door. The cover featured a David Barnes drawing of a Western bank robbery and shoot-out. On the cover were words like "Inside: a bank robbery by Marvin Scott." Wow! The story I had almost kept to myself was the cover story! Need I say that was my moment of greatest glory in writing for Lone Warrior? I'm not one of those who can turn out bullseyes every time. But getting an article in print is very satisfying. Anyone who can write clear English can do it, but you have to write it and send it in. Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #126 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com