Animal lovers..Short stories about domestic animals

Okay, don't groan and shake your collective heads. I has NOT all been done before. What about the adage write what you know or write from the heart, etc.,etc.
I want to pour my heart out about people abusing/neglecting/abandoning their dogs or cats whom the promised to be responsible for but at the same time I would like to make myself a little :money too.
I feel that through experience I have it in me to do these stories.
I have my first essay coming out in the September issue of a well read magazine and I also freelance as a greeting card verse writer.
I really want some input as to where I should send my heartfelt animal stories. Who should mu audience be? Young, old, male, female.
I have been tossing this idea around in my head :head and due to some recent actions of some friends (?) and neighbors I feel I need to express and teach and preach to people about this topic.
Sorry this is long and drawn out but I really want some help on this .
Thanks!
Susan

The first thing you need to do Susan is study markets to see which of them run stories like you're considering. Their guidelines will determine which audience you're aiming the stories at - child, youth, adult. I'm not familiar with publications associated with animal rights groups but that might be one area to check out.

If all your stories have the same, or similar theme though you may have a difficult time placing them.

Study the markets, choose your best story that seems suitable to that market and send it on its way. Good luck.

sounds to me like they'll all be horror stories, susan... the trouble is, you want to reach the people who commit the crimes, but the only places i can imagine that will publish the stories are the pet-liking venues...

you'll have the best chance to reach those you want to preach to, by making these examples letters to the editor... but those, of course, are not paid for... if you have a local small town newspaper where you live, they might take it on as an op-ed piece, for which you can get a few bucks...

beyond that, i just don't have a clue how you can do what you want about this subject... your motives are great, but telling people how to behave is never a popular theme... eraser's suggestions are good ones... but i have to agree with him that it won't be easy to find paying venues for this work...

best of luck with it... love and hugs, maia

Thanks!

Thank you so much eraser and maia.
I feel better knowing that someone is out there reading this stuff and caring enough to respond. Now don't get me wrong. I have many happy animal stories in my head too but the upsetting ones seem to dominate, unfortunately.
S.:kiss

Re: Thanks!

Who should mu audience be? Young, old, male, female.

The way you describe it, looks like your stories are probably a little in the vein of James Herriot (and I found a lot of his stuff very disturbing as he writes it with so much passion and sympathy to animals and doesn't spare the reader's feelings) and his stories seem to target a very wide audience. Or on the contrary, you can research a market first that might be interested in the subject (see the guys' postings above) and then write to their particular readership. Whatever suits you. But as for "upsetting" the reader, it's probably the right thing to do in this kind of stories. Herriot does it very well, very realistically but without offending the readers themselves. His goal is to make them sympathise and protest, to make the readers feel they're the "good guys" who would defend the animal had they been at the scene themselves.

Re: Thanks!

Fresie,
You made some excellent points and I appreciate them very much.
I think all of you know what I mean when I say that I have these stories inside me. They eat at me, take up a lot of my thought processes and I need to get them out...Out damn thoughts out!

How does one include a quote when responding? Can you tell I am technically impaired ?
Susan

Animal Stuff

Take a look at ASPCA: Animal Watch, it's a large circulation (330,000) paying mag, and, of course, features many animal cruelty stories. It's not on the newstands. You can write them for a sample copy.

I had a piece in there some two years ago, but it wasn't the usual fare for that magazine--it sold because it made the editor laugh. It gives a byline and a bio. blurb as well.

If you want to read that piece go to "Prose" on my website and click on "Appointed Hounds."

www.marinosward.com/

(sneaky way to get you to see my site, eh?)

stories

Such animal stories generally are not aimed at the people who commit such crimes, but at the general public who can do something to prevent and report such crimes. For this you need mainstream magazines with a very wide circulation. Most non-technical magazines are open to such articles, if they're well-written enough.

Re: Animal Stuff

Rich,
Bravo my man! You lured me, I took the bait and enjoyed every minute of it. I also read Sharing and First Love and think that you are a wonderful word-smith:clap
Have a great day.
Susan
PS I do receive the ASPCA mag in the mail but usually end up depressed and tossing it aside. The Best Friends mag(out of Utah) is usually on the upbeat side and shows that good things can happen despite bad people.

Re: Animal Stuff

"Such animal stories generally are not aimed at the people who commit such crimes, but at the general public who can do something to prevent and report such crimes. For this you need mainstream magazines with a very wide circulation. Most non-technical magazines are open to such articles, if they're well-written enough"

James, Amen! You all are wonderful. That is exactly what I need to do, educate the average person by letting them know that bad things do happen to good dogs and good cats and that they must report and/or stop this cruelty.
Do y'all suggest I write a query letter to a well read magazine-other than an animal oriented one?
Susan

Re: Animal Stuff

Thanks for the praise.

However, remember that seldom will other folk see things your way. You can't ever assume that. The job is to convince them not so much by your passion but by your words.