Writing Articles

Tips to Making Your Articles Great
Figure Out the Publication
Tips to Making Your Articles Great
Article Writing Resources on the Web
Page 2: Extreme Makeover - Article Edition

Tips to Making Your Articles Great

The 2008 Christian Writers' Market Guide lists 675 periodicals. Every year some drop off and others are added. If you are serious about writing and submitting articles, you need a current guide, whether it is the Christian Writers' Market Guide, the Writer's Market or a subscription to the Web site WritersMarket.com.

"Start where you are. Write articles on topics on which you're passionate. Find your niche and stay with it. As your body of work builds, others recognize you as the authority." Cecil ("Cec") Murphey

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Figure Out the Publication

Before querying any publication, review past issues to become familiar with the format and style of the articles, length, the use of quotes and sidebars, titles, etc. Look at how the articles open. Do they use anecdotes, quotes, dramatic scenes, statistics, or questions? Do most articles contain quotes? If so, how many?

Editors appreciate writers who have taken the time to study their magazines before pitching a query. Knowing what types of articles they run, their length, style, and whether they use sidebars is important. Additionally, know what they have run over the past year so you don't pitch a similar article.

"I don't want to lay down rules on writing for magazines, because we're all different. Some are intuitive and pick up the tone of a magazine within seven seconds. They can't tell you how they know, but they do. I tend to be that way. (I later go back and try to analyze so I can explain to others.)
  Others analyze each magazine carefully. One of my friends analyzed Guideposts. Because he has that kind of mind, he did his prep work, wrote his first article and they bought it. A few months later he did it again. He knows Guideposts.
  The biggest problem I see is laziness. They want someone to hand them the five things they must do and they'll follow them. Okay, they might jump over step 3 because it's tedious, but they'll do most of it. Or they say, "I don't have time." Really? Why not save yourself a lot of time? Don't write anything. Ever.
  Writing is a business. Knowing and understanding magazines is part of our training. In blunt terms: If you're not willing to work to understand a magazine before you submit, maybe you need to sell Mary Kay or Tupperware (no offense intended).
  My advice: Do whatever it takes to figure out a magazine. Target one of two publications. Do whatever you need to do until you understand the targets. If you understand the magazine and can write on even an average level, you can probably get your foot inside the door." - Cecil ("Cec") Murphey

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Tips to Making Your Articles Great

The adage, write what you know, can be a great help in getting published. Write about topics and stories that interest you, or in which you have expertise. What's important is finding a story that hasn't been told and finding a new way to write it that has impact. For every story, find a new slant, a new angle or a new approach, that makes the story come alive to the readers of that publication.

It costs you nothing to query a bigger market as long as you have the expertise, a killer query, and a drop dead, right-on article, perfect for that publication.

Have more than one idea for a publication, especially when meeting with editors. That way, if the editor passes on one, you have others just as great.

The lead of your article is important. When readers open a magazine they have many different articles to choose from. Your first few lines must capture their attention and convince them to read on and not turn to another article.

Sally Stuart (Christian Writers' Market Guide) says, “I critique a lot of manuscripts. Some of the most common mistakes I see are:

• Writing when they don't know what publication they are writing for. 
• Writing when they have never read similar material in the same genre-so they don't know what is typical.
• Writing without reviewing punctuation rules first. Meaning that they consistently misuse punctuation--either using the wrong punctuation or even putting it in the wrong place.
• Ignoring length requirements-such as writing 4,000 word articles.
• Starting an article by telling the reader what they are going to tell them--rather than jumping right into the material."

“Take a surprising approach to a predictable topic, and you can hook an editor.” - Chelan David, The Writer, October 2005

"What are the first three topics that come to immediately to mind when you think of an article for a writers' magazine? Now, throw those out and think of something more original. Now, apply this to any article submission to any magazine." - Marcia Preston, editor of ByLine.

Become familiar with The Associated Press Stylebook. Many newspapers and magazines follow this book. When you write your article, watch for errors and mistakes, that conflict with this stylebook.

Learn to use experts to give your article the voice of authority. Use experts web sites like allexperts.com, www.about.com, and www.refdesk.com/expert.html to find experts.

Learn how to write sidebars. Study your target publications to determine what types of sidebars they use and their length. Sidebars can take many forms: how to, quizzes, tips, questions to ask, an interview, step-by-step instructions, personal information on your article's subject, a glossary, and what to do if it happens to you.

"Writing spin-offs [from your book] is a way to expose my book's message to more reader, drive traffic to my web site, increase sales and service, and establish my credibility as a child behavior / parenting expert, which boosts writing and speaking contacts." - Brenda Nixon

Lynne Thompson has written for Focus on the Family publications. She says, "Once I've started an article for publication, I go through 10 steps on the journey toward the finished product." Lynne shares her 10 steps in the following article:
Preparing an Article 

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Article Writing Resources on the Web

Sally Stuart (the Christian Writers' Market Guide) offers The Top 50+ Christian Magazine Marketing Packet that includes a list of the top 70 markets that are 'writer-friendly'. The list also includes their current writers' guidelines, a detailed analysis sheet of each of the top 50 publishers, and a blank analysis sheet for you to use as a master in analyzing your own favorite markets. The cost is approximately $25.00 and it can be ordered from Sally at StuartMarket.com.

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Page 2: Extreme Makeover - Article Edition