Anyone interested in being paid to write articles for DG?

It is a great message and I love the picture of it!

I need to get some more photo paper as I really want this great saying!

Since it has come up, might I suggest a "Tutorials" forum? And, I'd like the first tutorial to be "How to Build a String Trellis System For Your Tomatoes."

I have actually been writing a piece that might be suitable for an article but hesitate to commit to doing others in the future. Have you considered opening up a section for "freelance" work for those of us that are on the edge?

Dave has said that he is not requiring a specific commitment (eg, "X number of articles per year") from additional authors at this time. That means that freelance pieces are welcome! :-)

I love the idea of a tutorial forum! That is the best idea yet. Then, those of us who have been asked by others to show them "how to" will have an avenue to share.

That is the best idea yet!

Tutorial articles are great!
Most often the difference between people doing something rewarding, and not doing anything at all, lies in their fear of simply not knowing how. A fulfilled world makes a better place for my kids and gkids to grow up, lol.

Plus the articles are right there behind the teaser and the "read more..."

Most excellent!

debnes



This message was edited Nov 15, 2007 1:30 PM

debnes, I can do a great tutorial but can't write an article. That is why i thought it was such a good idea for a forum. You are so right in saying that fear of not knowing how keeps many a person from trying something new with plants.

Tutorials are also easy to find if you post them as a thread and then link them to a the resource sticky in the appropriate forum. :-)

No, Critter, they are not made for everything already. I know because I have looked for them. Keyring made some good ones and so did Begoniacrazii but there are new topics for which a tutorial has not been made.

I am laughing with you.......not AT you!! You always have one more better idea when someone suggests a good idea (LOL)

I'm not saying there are already tutorials made for everything. Where did I say that? I'd love to see some more tutorials! (I've done some, too.)

But I don't think I'd find them as easily if they were tucked away in their own forum.

The reason I think it is a good idea is that many of us grow all different kinds of plants and could find information readily on a tutorial forum. It would be far easier to find them there than under the stickys of every forum.

Maybe we've got two good ideas here. :-) Links to threads are easy to cross post! When somebody's got a good tutorial or "teaching" thread, you almost can't post a link to it in too many places.

Why don't you start a new thread in the DG forum and see if there's interest in starting up a Tutorials Forum? Then we can get this thread back to its topic of recruiting new authors for the DG articles. :-)

I have now written an article............... now what do i do with it???????????????

You need to dmail Dave for details--I think there's a special program that you need to use in order to publish the article here (I'm sure you can cut and paste most of it from whatever program you used). I think he's not around much this week so it may be a few days before you hear back though so don't panic if he doesn't write back right away.

I wrote it on a word doc............... so should be easy to cut and paste!!

Thanks for the info ecrane............ I will await a reply from dave!

Mark

Yes, Dave will have to give you access to the publishing area of DG. He'll be back in a day or two, so hang tight.

I compose my articles in my laptop and then copy and paste to the publishing area. It gives me a copy of my article in my files for future reference, and it's just easer for me somehow. I wait to upload my images until I get it in the publisher though. What I'm using isn't as image friendly as Dave's program.

Can't wait to see your article!

We do have a pet forum, has anyone ever written something about a pet?

There's a whole new pet website that Dave's working on and we're planning an article feature on there once the site gets up and running. I think Dave was sticking to gardening topics for these articles.

So far, subjects have loosely pertained to gardening, but with this expansion, we may branch out some.

I think an article about gardening with pets could be good. There are a lot of plants to make pets happy, like catmint for cats. There are also plants that can be dangerous poisons for pets. So an article about that would probably be a good thing for DG or for the new pet site when it is up and running.

Melody........................ you have D-Mail...............!!!!!!!

I agree, gardening for pets or addressing safety issues with plants and pets could be a good subject for these articles here on DG (and then maybe link to them on the pet site too). But things that are strictly about pets, like training, feeding, etc are probably better saved for the new site once it gets going.

Why don't YOU start a thread on tutorials since it was your idea, Critter. I won't be posting on here anymore.

*****edited to say I am sorry to the rest of the DGers for my 'public squabble'...........please keep posting and volunteering. That was very rude of me to say publicly what i could have said in a private dmail...please don't stop the thread.

This message was edited Nov 15, 2007 8:33 PM

If anyone is interested, I have a couple articles on pets in the garden and their safety already written. I wrote them for the master gardeners but I'm no longer involved in that program and they have no problem with me republishing the articles. I'm sure there are better writers on the forum than me but maybe my articles could save some time...

Dunno if the poisonous plants only pertain to pets.. It also pertains to toddlers cuz they will chomp on anything.. Personal experience with my cousin when he was young.. Chomped on some exotic plant at my parent's place and ended up with a tummy ache and "more". Don't remember what doc gave my cousin but needless to say, my parents made sure that the poisonous plant was out of reach the next time my cousin came over.. Guess I can write about that.. Hum..

Dave, I sent you a "novel", it was supposed to be a query letter requesting permission to write as a volunteer. When I sent it I had only read the request to send the email. I didn't understand I could send a one sentence statement. Actually, I'm not sure I'm even capable of writing a one sentence statement. I can keep an article below a thousand words.

To the forum: Y'all sound like such fun people! I would love to be a part of this team. Perhaps as a team we can help each other by proof reading one another's articles and ghost writing in a sense for those folks who have horticultural knowledge to share but prefer not to write. I'm sure there are other things we can do for one another as well. We can build a cohesive team, rather than a cut throat competitive team. Some competition is innate and inevitable but if we can focus ourselves on working in a cohesive manner, we can build a complete collection of information where the individual articles enhance one another. If we work as a team and help one another I think we will likely inspire one another to perform at previously unreachable levels.

I think I can speak for many when I say the words each of you have written on this and other forums have been very inspirational at those times when inspiration was the only option that would help the original poster. Personally,gardening literally saved my life and the collective membership here was an integral part of my frequent resolutions to keep trying. I know I would have given up gardening if not for the words and inspiration of the kind folks here at Dave’s Garden. I shudder to think about what my life would be like today if I had not had Dave’s Garden for answers. The frustrations of a new gardener are many, the frustrations of a seasoned are generally fewer but they tend to be more potent. As individual posters on the forums many of you have mentored and coached and been mentored and coached past these frustrations. If we work as a team, helping, coaching and inspiring one another, imagine what our efforts as team can do for gardening.

Here I go again, writing another unsolicited novel! Honestly, I don’t know who keeps leaving me unsupervised with this laptop… Thank you for the time spent reading this verbose post. I'll work on making future posts shorter. I'll end with the following Babe Ruth quote: “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

I said I wouldn't post, but YOUR post reaches to my inner soul! Thank you so much for giving me the desire to be more than I am. Thanks again,
gessiegail

dito "verbose" rose... I hope you get on the team!! lol


debnes

Meant to add: ecrane, the new site and all sounds wonderful!! You have some great ideas!


This message was edited Nov 16, 2007 3:05 PM

I think I might like to give it try, Dave. If it doesn't work out, I can back out like you said.

Fortune favors the brave!

Kwanjin

Dmail sent, look forward to jumping in the fray if I am asked. :)

Adding samples of my writing style - in my blog..

http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/m/LarissaH/

This message was edited Nov 17, 2007 8:42 AM

Rose, if you just substitute "life" everytime you have "garden" you have the essence of DG. Gardening is what keeps me sane. The people on DG are what keep me going.

debnes,

From a native Arkansan - home of the Arkansas Razorbacks - I'll have to say you educated me about the 'Piney-woods Rooter'. That's the first I've ever heard the term. Thanks for the bit of trivia I can pass along to others in Razorback land!

Debra

Well said, LouC!!

I am interested - I have always enjoyed writing. I don't consider myself an expert on anything, but have ideas, i.e. with crafts that you can do with garden material.

I got an email from a DGer who says she thinks she is a good editor and writer but she doesn't have anything to write about. She was wondering if the two of us could team up together. I don't need my name on anything but I have the gardening knowledge. I just can't write an article.

Maybe this could be a possibility?

I'd dmail Dave and ask him about it. Personally I don't see why that would be a problem--if you've got the knowledge and she's got the writing talent that sounds like a good combo to me!

I will think on this for a while, ecrane, and thank you for your response.

I just got home and I have 53 new dmails to respond to. I'll be busy tomorrow morning and everyone will hear from me then.

dave

Welcome Home Dave! We missed you! :-)

Good to be missed! :)