Contributors' Guidelines
Quarterly, the Nastawgan editorial team produces a journal that is informative, entertaining, and of high quality. To ease this creative process and to assist contributors, we are providing the following guidelines. If you have any questions please contact the editor-in-chief at: journal@wildernesscanoe.ca.
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We accept anything that would be of interest to canoeists who enjoy wilderness trips as well other related outdoor adventures: articles, trip reports, diaries, personal reflections and experiences, environmental issues within the scope of canoeing concerns, news items, products-and-services information, letters to the editor, viewpoints, opinions, reviews of books and other publications, requests for trip partners or information, anecdotes, poetry, jokes, photographs, sketches, cartoons, etc. We are limited in the amount of space in Nastawgan in which to publish articles. We will publish all suitable material submitted by members of the WCA. However, when we have extra space we will make selections from pieces submitted by other sources in the interest of providing our readership with unique and informative material.
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ACCURACY
| Be sure that all facts such as names, dates, phone numbers, addresses, map information, photograph captions, etc., are correct. This is very important! Triple-check! |
| The maximum word count of major articles (which need up to 11 pages in Nastawgan, including illustrations) is approximately 5,000 words. Avoid anything longer than that, except in very special cases (but then, contact the editor first). Medium-length articles have about 2,000 words maximum. One full page of text in Nastawgan contains approximately 1,100 words.
One standard sheet of 8.5 x 11 manuscript paper contains about 250 typewritten (or computer print-out) words if the lines are double-spaced and the borders are one inch wide. |
| Photographs are very important in Nastawgan. They should be of reasonable-to-good quality, sharp and correctly exposed. Avoid dark and high- contrast images. Sub-standard photos will be considered only if there are no better ones available.
Drawings of relevant subjects are welcome to illustrate articles or to use as general fillers. They should preferably be done in pen and ink, but other media are also acceptable. |
Maps are required to explain the location of trips, especially in lesser-known areas. They should be sketched clearly with all the necessary information included, such as names, compass orientation, distance scale, direction of river current. If making a map poses too many problems, send the relevant information to the editor who will then produce the map. Any clear copies of existing maps can assist this or might be used.
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TEXT (see sample manuscript page below)
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Sample Manuscript Page
Joe Stern
123 Paddle Street
Canoetown, Province Approx. 1850 words
AlB 2C3
123-456-7890
jstern@serv-prov.ca
DOWN DANGEROUS DOODLE CREEK
Article: Joe Stern
Photos: Anna Bow
It was a dark and dreary day when the four of us packed all the gear plus the two canoes in and on top of the van. We’d much rather stay in bed and do what all sane people should do on a day like this, sleep. But alas, we had made arrangements with the fly-in airplane people and we had to be there on time. And besides, we really wanted to paddle that famous river.
Five hours of driving through the fog and misery of this terrible day brought us, pooped out, to the muddy airport in Uptheretown where the somber-faced pilot was busy refueling his ancient float plane.
“So, you’re the guys for Doodle Lake?” he mumbled without moving his lips. “Okay, jump in. Let’s go. That’ll be two flights because this old lady Beaver here can’t take more load than one canoe plus two people and gear. Got the money?” Nice, confidence-inspiring guy, this one.
We paid him. He loaded two of us plus equipment in and on the scruffy-looking flying machine. The take-out on the glassy-smooth lake was beautiful. That pilot knew what he was doing.
At last, the long-awaited expedition to Doodle Creek, that notorious canoe-eating collection of rapids, falls, and killer-souse holes, was on its way.
