We had the good fortune of connecting with Jim Mize and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jim, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first started writing about the outdoors, it seemed like a logical progression from my fishing, hiking, and photography hobbies. Once I started getting published, I began to study markets and try to improve my writing skills. Early in my career, I wrote a few humor pieces that editors liked and this became the next step in the progression. I studied humor writing and stand-up comics to see what techniques would lend themselves to outdoor magazines. At this point in my career, I have published hundreds of humorous stories, plus quite a few nostalgic ones, and five award-winning books of humor. The most recent, The Jon Boat Years, was selected for an Excellence in Craft award by the South Carolina Outdoor Press Association. Looking at my freelancing career from a business viewpoint, it worked along with my day job because I could back off from writing when I got busy with other things and then pick it back up when time permitted. Now, I’m able to write full-time. Last year, I wrote fifty outdoor stories and humor pieces well as a book.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Withing the outdoor media industry, few of us write humor. Once I started down this path, I discovered that writing humor in volume and on deadline was no easy thing. So, I had to develop a process that involved finding good topics, writing jokes, and putting these jokes together in a way that read like a story. Joke writing is a skill that can be learned, but it’s not as easy as it sometimes appears. I studied the techniques of humor writers for comics as well as some of the outdoor writers from years past to develop tools that worked for me.
As for my own writing, I like to tell stories that make the reader have an emotional response, whether it’s laughter or nostalgia. As one of my friends used to say, “If they are not laughing or crying, I’m not doing my job.” Preferably, I’ll have them laughing.
Readers can order autographed copies of my books at http://www.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being an outdoor writer, my favorite spots are outside the city. So my friend and I would pick up fly rods, head to a mountain stream and fish for trout. On the way back, we would stop for barbecue and debate whether ketchup, mustard, or vinegar was the preferred sauce. After that, we might pass by a local brewery and support a local business.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would credit some good editors over the years, particularly the ones at South Carolina Wildlife Magazine, for helping develop my writing skills. Mentoring from and networking with other outdoor writers has been important as well and a lot of this occurred as a member of the South Carolina Outdoor Press Association.
Website: www.acreektricklesthroughit.com
Facebook: Jim Mize – Outdoor Humor
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