"I can't tie salmon flies as well as some members of The Group. What can I write that they don't already know?"

"I'm not a professional writer. How can I produce a manuscript for publication?"

If your reaction to having to write an article for this newsletter is anything like either of those, then this article should help get you started.

First of all, the premise behind asking each member to submit an article is that everyone in The Group has useful information to share. That can be how-to tying instruction, or essays on salmon fly history, or collecting, or even a report on attempts and failures to solve a fly tying problem. Your salmon fly interests and activities are what we want you to write about.

The next question is the ability to communicate. Someone once said that reading is just thinking with notes. Writing is the corollary: just thinking and making notes. I met many members of The Group at Eugene, Oregon this summer, and everyone I spoke with easily expressed themselves well enough to be able to jot down their thoughts on paper and create a readable article.

One of the things a writer should do before beginning is identify who the audience is. Writing for The Group makes that easy. You will be addressing a very small, specialized group of people who are quite well informed about both salmon flies and fly tying techniques. That means you don't have to explain things like who Pryce-Tannatt is, or what a limerick hook looks like, or what "marrying" feathers means. Without spending much space on introductory material, you can get right to the new information.

You should also begin with a reasonable idea of both the amount of material you plan to cover and the degree of detail you plan to provide. The best way to do this is by making an outline. It doesn't have to be formally structured, complete with Roman numerals and indentations, but can simply be a list of your topics. Nay outline for this article, for example, was as brief as this:

introduction -- questions & answers
prerequisites -- audience, organization
the lead -- example
clarity -- repetition, pronouns revisions
guidelines

Writers tend to spend a disproportionate amount of time on the very beginning, or lead, of their articles on the theory that if the few first words don't capture the reader's attention, the rest of the words won't be read at all.

One technique for deciding what to say in you lead is to imagine you are seated a long dinner table with the very people you are writing to. You have something interesting to tell them, but first you have to get their attention. You clear your throat because you will have to speak in a voice slightly louder than normal, and you say something like . . .

"Throw away your gloves and hand cream, everybody, I discovered absolutely the best way to handle silk floss!"

If you can imagine all head turning toward you, all conversation stopping, and everyone waiting to hear what you are going to say next, then you have a good lead.

Once you have got them listening - or in your case reading - continue giving your information as you listed it in your outline. Say exactly what you mean and say it directly, as though you were writing a letter to a friend. In fact, one national magazine says that when a book review is submitted along with an accompanying letter, the review itself is invariable stiff and formal while the letter explaining the review is bright and vibrant. The magazine discards the review and prints the letter.

Your article will be more readable if you write in short sentences and use the simplest words that convey your meaning. This is expository writing, not fiction; prose not poetry. The object here is not to be "literary," but to get information across as clearly as possible.

For example, don't worry about the verbal inelegance of repeating words if that makes the meaning clearer:

"Double the thread over your finger. Take two turns counterclockwise on the hook shank while still holding the loop."

. . . is not as good a descriptive passage as . . .

"Double the thread over your finger. Take two turns of the thread counterclockwise on the hook shank while still holding the tying thread loop with your finger."

The overuse of pronouns can also result in imprecise writing, as in:

"Place the feathers in the trays and mark them with a magic marker."

Do we mark the feathers, or the trays? Better is:

"Place the feathers in the trays and mark the feathers with a magic marker."

Go on to complete your article, saying what you want to say in the clearest manner possible. Check spelling and grammar. Then put your completed article away and don't even think about it for 24 hours. Take it out and look at it again. Make any changes you feel are necessary. Then - and this is important - mail it.

Remember, no piece of writing has ever been perfect. Yours won't be either. Although editors can do amazing things with manuscripts that are in their hands, they can't do anything with the ones that are sitting on your desk waiting to become masterpieces.

Writer's guidelines are available from The Salmon Flyer's editor that give specific information about things like length, style, and deadlines. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your request.

The Group is eager to learn from you. So start writing!