WRITE BEA FOR WRIT REAL! ER

Have you got something to say about your old bike? Would you like to see your name in lights, your photos in print and your P&J perfectly presented for all to admire? Yes? Now’s the moment to put pen to paper or get the keyboard clattering and write for RealClassic…

>> WE WANT TO PUBLISH more stories about real life classic bikes. You don’t need to be an inspired writer to see your story published in RealClassic, but you do need to have something relevant to say. We like profiles about a single model (or maybe two very similar ones; a pair of Triumph twins, for example), which should be at least 1000 words in length. Most features we run are between 1000 and 2500 words. If your story is longer than that then it’s heading towards being a series (or a book…). If your thoughts run to 500 words or less then they’re most likely to appear in the letters section. >> TO SEE WHAT WE MEAN look at the AJS article in RC130, or the TR7T and Vindec tales in RC127/Nov. These are just what RC readers are keen to read. >> NO NEED TO WORRY about your writing style, grammar or punctuation; we’ll make sure that your article reads the right way. Just concentrate on telling a good story and we’ll do the rest. RC readers are more interested in what you have to say than how you may be saying it (but any budding authors are always welcome, of course) >> INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO as you can. Tell your fellow readers exactly which model your classic bike is, when it was built, and as much of its history as you can. There’s no such thing as too much information! We want to know about what condition your bike was in when you bought it, any modifications you’ve made, and how well it has performed. Did you rebuild it from a box of bits? Has it won an award? Have you ridden it across the country? Does it sit in your shed and gleam quietly and make you very, very happy? What’s it like to ride? How does it compare to other, similar classics you’ve ridden? Whatever your classic bike means to you, it’ll be of interest to other old bike enthusiasts. >> NOW’S YOUR CHANCE to share your experiences with other owners and prospective purchasers. Have you discovered a secret supplier of exactly the right bolt, nut, washer, rivet, fastener, screw, pin, plug, spacer, shim, bearing, bush or cog? Can you make your Triumph oil-tight? Does your Commando start on the button? Or did you make a ghastly mistake, and can you save someone else from a similar experience by admitting all? >> DON’T FORGET to mention top suppliers and any unsung heroes who have helped you. >> WHAT WE NEED is your story as a Word document or in plain text form, plus a bunch of photos so that everyone can see what you’re talking about. We need a dozen or more photos, taken against a clean background, and showing the bike from several different angles. Make sure the bike is in the light, and not in the shadows. We can use old-fashioned photos, or digital jpgs. For the magazine we need pics as big as you can manage – anything from 500kb to 5MB. Generally, the bigger they are then the better your bike looks in print. It’s probably better to send pics on a disc or use an online sharing site. >>WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR EFFORTS: we can’t promise a fortune, more’s the pity, but we will reward your efforts with complimentary copies of the magazine, an extended subscription, and an extra ‘something special’ to say thanks. Plus, of course, you have your fifteen minutes of fame…