WRITING AN ARTICLE
An article is a factual piece that a magazine editor might refer to as a feature. The purpose of an article is to convey information. An article may
contain semi-fictitious phrases or dialogue to illustrate a point.
You have only to consider the variety of magazines on display to realise there is a perpetual demand for new material. Many publications buy
from freelance writers. Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and The Writer's Handbook list newspapers and magazines giving details of their requirements. There are several hundred such publications.
CHOOSING A SUBJECT:
Successful articles usually fall under one of three headings:
1 A subject about which the writer has specialised knowledge (e.g.
Keeping Chickens, Teaching Dressmaking, The Vikings of Britain,
Low Fat Cooking, etc.)
2 An unusual slant on an ordinary subject. (A day trip to Blackpool is
not very exciting - but if you compare how the French spend their
holidays with how the English spend thier holidays you'd have more
chance of success.
3 Humour. If you can write a really funny article, almost any subject is
acceptable.
Still stuck for ideas?
Try a topical theme. You could interview a local celebrity and/or do some research pertaining to a topical issue.
Try a seasonal approach
If you watch the weekly/monthly magazines you will note that certain themes crop up year in year out. For instance, throughout the pre-Christmas period the mags are stuffed with items on How to Make a Pretty Decoration, Surviving Christmas With Your In-laws, How To Amuse The Children, Perfect Mince-pie Pastry. Same again at Easter and Midsummer. What to Put in Your Patio Pots, Children & Sunburn, In the autumn we see Knit A Winter Scarf and How to Make Heart-warming Soup. The subject matter is almost cliché.
NOTE: Magazines require material several months in advance - items with a Christmas or New Year theme should be ready for posting
around mid-summer.
HOUSE STYLE:
all publications have a house style – i.e. word count, certain subjects they will or will not cover. Correct language for their readership. Look at the advertisements – this will give you a clue as to the readership. Ads for comfortable shoes, gadgets for the infirm, corsets and suchlike indicate that the magazine is aimed at the elderly. Study the publication and read several issues to get the 'feel' of their style. In the case of teen mags – you will need to know the 'in' phrases – listen to young people to learn the buzz words.
A good magazine editor knows his/her readership very well indeed and will be looking for material to please his/her readers.
Remember, it's no good writing an article entitled Potting Up Your Pansies and trying to sell it to a Mother & Baby magazine. Study your target market before you write your article.
CHOOSE YOUR SUBJECT
SELECT YOUR POSSIBLE MARKET
CONSIDER THE ANGLES - MAKE A LIST OF POINTS TO INCLUDE
SORT OUT YOUR LIST AND DISCARD ANYTHING UNSUITABLE
DECIDE IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION - DO YOUR RESEARCH
Plan your article by noting down the order in which you will place your information. Ensure you maintain a logical sequence so that the paragraphs flow smoothly. If you include a final summary make sure it is very brief.
NOW: write your first draft.
HOOK: Ensure your opening paragraph has real impact. You could engage the reader with a question, thus encouraging him/her to read on.
TITLE: Make it short and snappy – attention grabbing. If you have written a humorous article your title could be a play on words, a pun.
Verify all your facts, make sure they are up to date. If you find
the facts for your article in an article written by someone else, don't
worry. There is no copyright on facts. Facts are facts and that's that!
Revise your work until you are satisfied with it. It is difficult to retain spontaneity when polishing your work but you will learn with experience how to do it. This is a heavy burden the writer has to bear, write, rewrite and rewrite again….. Share the work with your writing group members. You probably won't agree with all the comments but sometimes another person's response to your work is helpful. We all get so close to our work that occasionally we need a fresh opinion.
When you are sure your work is ready for submission to your target market, type it double-spaced on A4 paper. Margins: Left 1.5 ins, Top and Bottom 1 in, Right 1 in. Don't leave extra spaces between paragraphs. All paragraphs indented 5 spaces except the first one, or following a break.
STANDFAST: a short phrase that sometimes appears after the title and before the main body of text.
SIDEBARS: a list of information to accompany an article e.g. prices, dates, times, - useful data pertaining to the subject matter of an
article.
When submitting an article to a magazine establish what terms the journal will want. Ideally you should be granted‘first serial rights’ – which means the publisher has the right to be the first to publish the article (in paper and electronic form) but having done so, all further rights belong to you.
Do read for yourself the notes on copyright in Writers’ & Artists’Yearbook and The Writer’s Handbook.
Always make an extra copy for your own files.
Always number your pages
Don't use posh covers or complicated papers fasteners on your manuscript when submitting for possible publication. Editors get ratty with anything more than a simple paperclip.
Include a brief covering letter with your submission
Always include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your work.
A plain piece of paper at the back of your MS will help protect it and keep it clean.
In today's digital world many editors will accept submissions via e-mail. Ascertain whether your chosen target market prefers e-mail attachments or for the work to be in the body of the e-mail.
ALWAYS KEEP A NOTE OF POSTING DATE AND TO WHERE YOU HAVE SENT A MANUSCRIPT
It is unwise to hedge your bets by submitting the same piece of work to more than one publication at a time. In the event of both publications accepting the piece you would really blot your copy book by having to withdraw it from one of them. This comment also applies to work submitted to writing competitions. A writer can well do without black marks - word gets around!
FINAL NOTE
Study and learn from the content of magazines you enjoy reading. The articles in them met the editor's requirement and the writer was duly paid.
An article is a factual piece that a magazine editor might refer to as a feature. The purpose of an article is to convey information. An article may
contain semi-fictitious phrases or dialogue to illustrate a point.
You have only to consider the variety of magazines on display to realise there is a perpetual demand for new material. Many publications buy
from freelance writers. Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and The Writer's Handbook list newspapers and magazines giving details of their requirements. There are several hundred such publications.
CHOOSING A SUBJECT:
Successful articles usually fall under one of three headings:
1 A subject about which the writer has specialised knowledge (e.g.
Keeping Chickens, Teaching Dressmaking, The Vikings of Britain,
Low Fat Cooking, etc.)
2 An unusual slant on an ordinary subject. (A day trip to Blackpool is
not very exciting - but if you compare how the French spend their
holidays with how the English spend thier holidays you'd have more
chance of success.
3 Humour. If you can write a really funny article, almost any subject is
acceptable.
Still stuck for ideas?
Try a topical theme. You could interview a local celebrity and/or do some research pertaining to a topical issue.
Try a seasonal approach
If you watch the weekly/monthly magazines you will note that certain themes crop up year in year out. For instance, throughout the pre-Christmas period the mags are stuffed with items on How to Make a Pretty Decoration, Surviving Christmas With Your In-laws, How To Amuse The Children, Perfect Mince-pie Pastry. Same again at Easter and Midsummer. What to Put in Your Patio Pots, Children & Sunburn, In the autumn we see Knit A Winter Scarf and How to Make Heart-warming Soup. The subject matter is almost cliché.
NOTE: Magazines require material several months in advance - items with a Christmas or New Year theme should be ready for posting
around mid-summer.
HOUSE STYLE:
all publications have a house style – i.e. word count, certain subjects they will or will not cover. Correct language for their readership. Look at the advertisements – this will give you a clue as to the readership. Ads for comfortable shoes, gadgets for the infirm, corsets and suchlike indicate that the magazine is aimed at the elderly. Study the publication and read several issues to get the 'feel' of their style. In the case of teen mags – you will need to know the 'in' phrases – listen to young people to learn the buzz words.
A good magazine editor knows his/her readership very well indeed and will be looking for material to please his/her readers.
Remember, it's no good writing an article entitled Potting Up Your Pansies and trying to sell it to a Mother & Baby magazine. Study your target market before you write your article.
CHOOSE YOUR SUBJECT
SELECT YOUR POSSIBLE MARKET
CONSIDER THE ANGLES - MAKE A LIST OF POINTS TO INCLUDE
SORT OUT YOUR LIST AND DISCARD ANYTHING UNSUITABLE
DECIDE IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION - DO YOUR RESEARCH
Plan your article by noting down the order in which you will place your information. Ensure you maintain a logical sequence so that the paragraphs flow smoothly. If you include a final summary make sure it is very brief.
NOW: write your first draft.
HOOK: Ensure your opening paragraph has real impact. You could engage the reader with a question, thus encouraging him/her to read on.
TITLE: Make it short and snappy – attention grabbing. If you have written a humorous article your title could be a play on words, a pun.
Verify all your facts, make sure they are up to date. If you find
the facts for your article in an article written by someone else, don't
worry. There is no copyright on facts. Facts are facts and that's that!
Revise your work until you are satisfied with it. It is difficult to retain spontaneity when polishing your work but you will learn with experience how to do it. This is a heavy burden the writer has to bear, write, rewrite and rewrite again….. Share the work with your writing group members. You probably won't agree with all the comments but sometimes another person's response to your work is helpful. We all get so close to our work that occasionally we need a fresh opinion.
When you are sure your work is ready for submission to your target market, type it double-spaced on A4 paper. Margins: Left 1.5 ins, Top and Bottom 1 in, Right 1 in. Don't leave extra spaces between paragraphs. All paragraphs indented 5 spaces except the first one, or following a break.
STANDFAST: a short phrase that sometimes appears after the title and before the main body of text.
SIDEBARS: a list of information to accompany an article e.g. prices, dates, times, - useful data pertaining to the subject matter of an
article.
When submitting an article to a magazine establish what terms the journal will want. Ideally you should be granted‘first serial rights’ – which means the publisher has the right to be the first to publish the article (in paper and electronic form) but having done so, all further rights belong to you.
Do read for yourself the notes on copyright in Writers’ & Artists’Yearbook and The Writer’s Handbook.
Always make an extra copy for your own files.
Always number your pages
Don't use posh covers or complicated papers fasteners on your manuscript when submitting for possible publication. Editors get ratty with anything more than a simple paperclip.
Include a brief covering letter with your submission
Always include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your work.
A plain piece of paper at the back of your MS will help protect it and keep it clean.
In today's digital world many editors will accept submissions via e-mail. Ascertain whether your chosen target market prefers e-mail attachments or for the work to be in the body of the e-mail.
ALWAYS KEEP A NOTE OF POSTING DATE AND TO WHERE YOU HAVE SENT A MANUSCRIPT
It is unwise to hedge your bets by submitting the same piece of work to more than one publication at a time. In the event of both publications accepting the piece you would really blot your copy book by having to withdraw it from one of them. This comment also applies to work submitted to writing competitions. A writer can well do without black marks - word gets around!
FINAL NOTE
Study and learn from the content of magazines you enjoy reading. The articles in them met the editor's requirement and the writer was duly paid.