Monday was a much better day for me than I have had in a week or so. I feel again like I am heading in the right direction. I honestly believe that I am a writer who just needs to write. I know that my family does not believe that I can make a living at this. So, I just have to start doing the job and see how much money I can make in the next few months. I think in the meantime, I am going to have to find a job just to make sure that I can pay the bills. But at least now, I think I have a plan.
So, I think that I will be looking for a job where I can work evenings and nights so that I can get up in the morning and write since that seems to be the time I have become accustomed to writing. Maybe I am a little more creative in the morning than in the evening. I have been reading a couple of books on getting freelance writing published. I think I am ready to send some queries to publishers in the next week or so. I have several ideas. In fact, I might start asking you guys for some feedback as far as topics are concerned in the next few days. I have several ideas for topics and I know what questions I would want answered in magazine articles that I might read on the topics. But I don't know if I my questions are the same as everyone else's... you know?
One of the first topics I would like to cover is wild animals that are seen and people are concerned about seeing in cities. My neighborhood has a bobcat in it and I know that a lot of other local Dallas area neighborhoods have coyote problems. I have questions about our bobcat.... but I think that a lot of other people have totally different questions about their wildlife. The questions people have might vary depending on the sort of wildlife in your area. I know that in some parts of Texas there are panthers or bears roaming around. I want to query Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine regarding this topic. My dad and brothers are hunters and fishermen and as such, I know that their concern is almost as heavily centered on conservation as on the possibility of hunting the animals because after all, if you don't conserve the species, you can never hunt the species. I, on the other hand, just love animals and since I'm a girl, I sit here in front of my computer and cry when I think the animal might be scared because it can't find any other bobcats in the area. (Don't worry, I already understand that I am weird!)
The thing is, when the animal is living in a major metropolitan area, it can't be hunted. It can only survive, be captured and moved into another area or worst of all simply be destroyed if it poses a threat. So then the question becomes how do you deal with the animal in your neighborhood. In the last few weeks, as I have researched the topic, I have viewed You Tube videos of bobcats in Dallas. Some of them are very sad because you can visibly see that the animal is starving. Others are reassuring because the animal seems to be thriving although sometimes, possibly, at the expense of someones bird feeder or more to the point, the birds and squirrels who live off of the bird feeder. There is a videographer who lives near White Rock and has posted multiple videos of bobcats on line. I am reasonably sure that I could interview him for an article if I were to get a positive response to my query. If I were to talk to him, I guess my questioning would center around what you do about this wildlife living in your backyard? Responses to his posts range from comments on the video and the beauty of the animals to anger over the fact that he isn't feeding the animal. I really don't comprehend why anyone would think feeding a wild animal would be wise. These are probably the same people who go to Yellowstone and leave food out for the bears. (Morons!)
I know that since I first saw a bobcat walking down the sidewalk in my condos, I now always turn a light on and make noise before I let the cats go out on the patio in the evening or early morning. I assume that others do the same sort of thing. But there are probably other precautions I could be and should be taking. It would be nice to be able to address that. In one of the videos I watched on line of a bobcat in a backyard, the photographer's cat was on the back porch facing off with the bobcat. The cat understood that it couldn't turn it's back on the bobcat and it was backed into a corner. The man finally distracted the bobcat and the cat was able to run into the house. Yikes!!!!
When I was in high school, my family subscribed to Texas Parks and Wildlife. I always thought the photography in the magazine was magnificent. It appealed to me as an aspiring photographer. I think it also appeals to people in Texas who enjoy hunting and fishing the wildlife. I believe it is not only an informative magazine but also a very visually appealing one. Their entry in The Writer's Market states that they are seeking articles on non-hunting related topics concerning Texas wildlife. I think this topic could fit nicely into the magazine.
I'll be writing my query in the next few days. If you have thoughts or questions you would like to have answered, please feel free to send me a message or email me.
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