A screen grab of the My Hemmings page.
In this era of social media and websites for just about anything auto related, we all have the opportunity to tell the story of our own cars for thousands of like-minded people to read and appreciate. Even Hemmings.com offers an area for reader submissions, where you can post photos, videos and stories about your ride.
Though many people post narratives that are entertaining and inspiring to others, there are many more who also have an interesting car and a compelling story, yet they haven’t shared it. If you are a reserved person who prefers to keep your cars private, then of course, that’s your prerogative.
However, if you would like share the story of your marvelous machine, but are hesitant because you wonder if it is worthy, assess it again. Even if you have a halfway decent driver, it’s fine for just about any site except for those specifically geared toward concours restorations. Project cars are also welcomed on most sites. People love to hear about a project in progress, so use its current condition to provide a captivating story of how far it has come, what you are doing with it now, and what your goals are for finishing it.
If you’re still apprehensive about posting photos and a write-up regarding your favorite coveted carriage because you don’t know where to begin and how to organize the elements of the story, however, you’re not alone and help is on the way. Magazine writers go through it occasionally when we write stories, too. Feature car owners sometimes experience it when trying to complete the tech sheet. You feel like you can’t collect your thoughts and arrange them in a logical order, you lament not getting better grades in English class and you’re concerned that you’ll make some embarrassing factual or grammatical error that you will never live down.
If that all sounds familiar to you, then welcome to my world. I have those concerns every time I write anything, yet I’ve been doing it since 1993. The good news is over that time, I’ve picked up a few tips, which I’ll provide here, so that you can get past your literary anxiety, choose some photos of your car that you like (front 3/4, rear 3/4, engine and interior are usually best) and post a story that you can be proud of, or at least comfortable with.
Content
1) Use a strong lead sentence that grabs attention. It will be the hook to get people interested and keep them that way. Leads can be drawn from a unique characteristic of the vehicle, its rarity, its historical significance, a great story about it, its color, why you like it so much, wordplay on its name, or wordplay on your name, occupation, or hobbies.
2) Provide the year, make and model. I know, it sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many people omit one or more of them. They must assume that readers will know from the photos, but remember, not everyone who reads your write-up will know as much about your type of car as you do.
3) Explain why you wanted the car in first place. Tell the story of what got you interested in this type of car (muscle, luxury, sports, classic, etc.) and also why you like this particular make and model.
4) Describe when, where and how you found it. Sometimes the story of tracking down your pride and joy and buying it is just as interesting as the car itself.
5) Tell about your first impression when you saw it. What condition was it in? Was it complete? Was it drivable? Did it appear to be better or worse than you had imagined?
6) List the exterior and interior colors and mechanical information, including: engine size and description, transmission type, rear end type and rear gear ratio (if you know it). Include anything you feel is noteworthy about the chassis, as well.
7) Discuss any options that you feel are interesting or particularly rare.
8) Describe what you did with the vehicle once you bought it—restored it, modified it, drove it, raced it, or simply admired it parked in the garage.
9) Discuss how you enjoy your car and how you feel now when you drive it, show it, or race it.
10) If you believe that you don’t have an enthralling story about why you wanted the car, or how you found it, or restored it, or modified it then instead share the most interesting, satisfying, funny or downright weird moment you had with it.
11) If it has won at shows or races, talk about that, as well.
12) Offer insight regarding future plans you have for your car.
13) If you are having a difficult time trying to put your discussion points in a practical order, here are three ways to ease the process and make the story flow.
- Use the order provided in my listing of these tips above.
- List what was done to the car in chronological order from when you purchased it to now.
- List items from front to back on the car. For example, for the powertrain, discuss the engine followed by the transmission and rear. For body work, begin at the nose and work your way back when describing what was done. Suspension? Front first, then the rear—same with the interior.
Other Considerations
1) Your name, age, occupation, and the town and state you live in are all optional, yet important. I know that many people prefer not to give too much personal info online for privacy and safety reasons; however, providing at least some basic information helps ground the story and puts it into context. Think of it as the establishing shot at the beginning of a movie or TV show. Perhaps provide, just your first name instead of your full name if you prefer. Say that you live in the Midwest instead of specifically in Gary, Indiana. Describe yourself as a “retired grandfather of four” instead of “I’m 68 years old.” Those examples provide enough information to give perspective to the story without getting too personal.
2) Try not to overuse the word “car,” as there are many ways to describe your vehicle. Instead, use lots of adjectives and other nouns when possible—Firebird; F-body; F-car; Bird; Pontiac, etc.
3) If you mention other people in the story, be sure to include their relationship to you.
4) Avoid beginning consecutive sentences with the same word.
5) Avoid beginning consecutive paragraphs with the same word.
6) Be aware of how often you begin sentences with “The” and “A.”
7) Have fun with this process, as that’s the point. It should be a no-stress activity that you can take pride in once it’s completed.
from Hemmings Daily - News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1ywV6LE
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