Cats and Dogs †and Horses, Oh My!

Cats and Dogs – and Horses, Oh My! The passions and activities in our lives, including our pets, offer writing opportunities. Our friend jokes and calls us Cat Whisperers because of feral cats abandoning kittens on our doorstep. Through the years, we’ve learned many lessons about rescuing feral kittens, and that experience turned into articles, children’s stories and an ebook. A member of my writing group argued that she couldn’t write about animals, because she wasn’t a veterinarian. A degree isn’t necessary to write about furry – or nonfurry critters. Being an animal lover, or an animal parent, gives you knowledge to turn into articles. These publications are for lovers of cats and dogs: CATSTER and DOGSTER magazines (used to be Cat Fancy and Dog Fancy): catster.com/ and dogster.com/ Email Catster: confess@catster.com and Dogster: vicky@dogster.com Length: 800-1,000 words. Payment varies. CATS USA MAGAZINE: catchannel.com/magazines/catsusa/writers-guidelines.aspx Length: 1,800-2,400 words. Payment varies. Cats and dogs are not the only pets. I met Mea Stone, owner of Stonywoods Farm and became enchanted with her angora goats. The story of how she started her small hob For animals of the more agricultural type, try these publications: HOB hob Feature articles: 2,000-2,500 words. Payments: $300 and up. News-oriented articles: 500 words maximum. Payment varies. BACK HOME: http://backhomemagazine.com/guidlines.htm Word count varies. Payment $35 per printed page. COUNTRY MAGAZINE: country-magazine.com/contributor-guidelines/ Material considered on speculation. Pays $250 for stories one page or longer. (A page is 400-500 words.) For horse stories, I visit an author friend who owns a horse. She’s a romance writer, and her stories are western themed, complete with cowboys and horses. Try one of these publications for equine articles: APPALOOSA JOURNAL: appaloosajournal.com/editorial-submissions/ Features: 1,500-1,800 words. Articles: 600-800 words. Pays $200 $400. THE HORSE: thehorse.com/pages/freelance Articles: 250-1,800 words. Payment varies depending on article length. HORSE ILLUSTRATED: Magazine: horsechannel.com/horse-magazines/horse-illustrated/submission-guidelines.aspx Print articles: 1,000-2,000 words. Pays $200-$475. Online articles: 500-1,200 words. Pays $25 for news items, $50 for 500-1,000 words (tips, personal columns), $75 for 750-1,200 words including quotes and photos/videos. Broaden your horizons. Who are your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers? Do they have exotic pets or fascinating stories to share? Try these publications for exotic animals: REPTILE MAGAZINE: reptilesmagazine.com/Submit-A-Picture-or-Story-to-Reptile-Magazine/Writers-Guidelines/ Feature articles: 2,000-2,500 words with good photos. Generally pays $500. Shorter articles with fewer photos pays $350. Rates can vary. AQUARIUM FISH INTERNATIONAL: fishchannel.com/writers-guidelines.aspx Pays generally 15 cents per word. Offers a package deal for useable photos. Younger readers enjoy stories with and about animals. Try your hand at children’s stories. Highlights pays on acceptance for fiction and non-fiction pieces. HIGHLIGHTS https://www.highlights.com/contributor-guidelines Fiction and nonfiction: 800 words maximum. Pays $150 up. Rebus stories: 120 words maximum. Pays $100 up. Do your neighbors have unusual pets? Ferrets? Potbellied pigs? Back yard chickens? Have your coworkers mentioned humorous stories about their animals? Horror stories? Experiences they tell around the water cooler? Do they foster abandoned opossums? Raise turtles to sell to reptile shops? Have a boa that escaped one day? Are story ideas blossoming that you can submit to any of these publications? What experiences can turn into money? Whether you clean up after cats and dogs, even horses or goats, or listen to tales from those who do, animals can become stories that add to your revenue.

How to Encourage Your Child on Test Days

How to Encourage Your Child on Test Days As the About.com test prep expert, I often get emails from parents asking for help with things like studying with their children, test prep techniques, easing test anxiety and more. Recently, I received an email from a mom who wanted nothing more than to encourage her daughter on test days. She could perceive - although nothing was said - that something wasnt quite right with her child on days when she had a presentation or test to take. She wanted to support her daughter in the kindest way possible.   Read the email she sent to me and the response I offered her to help her child feel the best she possibly could on test days.   Hi Kelly, How can I be more encouraging to my daughter on test days? She hasnt said that shes worried or anything, but I can just tell that something is up with her when she has a quiz or exam. Is there an activity we could do in the morning on the way to school? Kind regards, ~~~~~~~ Dear ~~~~~~~, If your daughter needs encouragement on test days, perhaps shes experiencing some test-taking anxiety, which can stem from different emotional places. To find out whats bothering her, start a conversation on the way to school since you drive her there every morning. Its a great time to have a conversation since the pressure is low - you have to watch the road and she can look out the window if she doesnt want to make eye contact.    Use a statement like, I can tell youre feeling discouraged about something. Is it the test? Would you like to tell me your feelings about it? This kind of conversation starter gives her some wiggle room if shes not up to chatting, but more than likely, shell open up about her worries if theyre test-related because you may have a solution for her. So probe a bit. Does she have a fear of failure? Is she worried about disappointing you or her teacher? Does she feel like shes not prepared? Once you know the root of the discouragement, you can encourage her by sharing your own experiences and boosting her self-esteem. Start by discussing moments in your life when youve been similarly discouraged. (Fear of failure during a new job? That time you felt unprepared for your finals in grad school?) Talk about the ways you overcame it to go on to complete the task you needed to do. Or, tell her about your failure. Its good for a kid to see that her parent is always perfect. Tell her what you learned from failing.   Then, boost her confidence with heartfelt praise. Describe one of her strengths; maybe shes a great shot in basketball or a creative writer. Show her how she can use those skills on test day. Scoring two points in hoops requires concentration, and since shes already good at that, she can use her powerful focusing skills to zoom in on the right answers. Being a creative writer means she can think outside the box. Confidence in one area can cross into others, especially if you help build the bridge. Most importantly, let her know that her score will never impact your love for her. Youll love her just as much whether she bombs the test or aces it. Even if she knows it already, hearing you say that she has your devotion regardless of her actions may help calm her anxiety if shes been telling herself something different. All my best to you, Kelly