By Mac Arnold
MAHFS editor

With the advent of the Internet, online magazines and blogs have popped up everywhere and now it seems like everybody is a writer these days.

And why not, it's fun and an awesome craft to dabble in.

But then again, not everyone has the talent. Not that I'm an Ernest Hemingway or anything, but I do believe I can hold my own with most outdoor writers.

It's an endeavor I've dedicated 20 years of my life to and made my livelihood at four daily newspapers once I graduated from Michigan State University in 1990 with a B.A. in journalism.

What I've noticed while perusing different outdoor sites and articles is a tendency for these novices to tell their stories like police reports.

You lose me when you do that.

What I always try to do is add a little background of past hunts or blunders I've made and blend it into the story. Provide snapshots of life for lack of the appropriate word.

Oh, and don't forget descriptions of the weather and surrounding elements, for that's a Hemingway forte.

Writing is not for everybody, I mean some people I'm sure don't even know what a lead is.

And for any of you English teachers looking to gig me, I threw out all rules. I think that's a technique attributed to Mark Twain.

All I'm saying is tell the hunt like a writer, not a cop.

So there's my two cents on the subject. Next time I promise to keep my writing to the business of the great outdoors.