The following article by Winson Yeung covers the subject of Writing Feature Articles for new writers fairly comprehensively. Many new writers blanch a bit when they are faced with their first tentative steps into the world of feature writing but it really is not that difficult if you just bear in mind some of the points outlined here. If you enjoy this article, please be sure to follow the links in the author’s ‘bio’ at the end.

Mike Alexander
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Feature Tips

Writing feature articles can be quite a bit more difficult then it sounds, or as easy as pie, depending on your attitude. Many individuals feel that they may have the writing skills necessary to produce a feature article but that they do not have the knowledge or experience to construct an article that is of feature quality. The following lays out some tips that can might help you better create feature articles in the future.

Focus

Each feature article should be written with a specific subject as the focus of the article. The more specialized the article, the more specific the topic and the more general publications will have articles that cover a wide range of topics without being overly complex. Professional journals such as medical publications have very specific guidelines and look for certain types of articles.

You should have a specific demography in mind before you begin writing and it is important to remember who your target audience is. If you are writing about a scientific subject but your audience does not have a particularly scientific background, you may have to change the type of language you use so that everyone can understand the scientific concepts.

Title

Possibly the most important part of your feature article will be the title as that is what draws the reader further into the article. A great article will spark a reader’s curiosity and they are then more likely to read the entire thing. A poor title will mean that your article will barely be read, even if the content is fantastic. The title should present information on the subject of your article without displaying your opinion or the opinion you are supporting in the article. You should write a few different titles before choosing one to make sure you create the best possible title.

Style

Developing your writing style is very important, as an engaging writing style tends to produce articles that many enjoy reading. A dry and boring writing style will put a reader to sleep no matter how informative the content. Even if your writing style is not the best, you can compensate by knowing every angle of your subject and writing about something controversial or having a very strong opinion.

Research

Once you have chosen the publication you should read up on your subject and the style of articles that the publication accepts. If you are writing about energy, then you should read up on the current trends in energy, controversy in that industry and other relating factors. Having a human-interest side or incorporating current affairs is always a plus.

When writing a feature article you should try to use many different types of information. Facts are always important but you should include expert’s opinions, the general public’s opinions, or even perhaps celebrity ideas. You can shed light on some different angles that many people may not have thought about even if they disagree. Audiences love controversy and you will never go far wrong if you add something controversial to your feature article.

Summary

Always remember to let your personality shine through, as this will set your article apart from the rest. You should be trying to improve your writing at every step by exposing yourself to different types of writing styles and reading many articles.

About The Author

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Foreword By The Author

This article is the second in a series on how to become a more effective writer. As mentioned in the first one (Preparing The Ground), a popular way to approach article writing, particularly if you suffer from ‘writer’s block’, is to launch a very clear two-pronged attack. First, prepare the ground and come up with a plan; second, put pen to paper and follow your plan until you come up with the final result. Below are a few suggestions that may be of assistance in putting your plan into effect.

Mike Alexander
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Using Titles

Put some thought into your article titles. People scan the contents of publications by reading titles and if you want your piece to be read then you need to make them as appealing as possible for the readership you are writing for. Many professional writers keep lists of article titles that caught their eye and adapt them later for their own use. Some get their inspiration for article content from working titles. The point about working titles is that they allow you to focus on the subject in hand knowing that your final choice of title might be very different. Very often you will find that your eventual choice of title becomes obvious to you from key words or phrases in the piece before you have finished writing it. Do bear in mind though, that if an editor is going to be involved in the process, she has the right to change the title to fit the style of the publication so your choice may not, in the end, be used. That possibility is very much lessened if you choose a strong title yourself.

The First Draft

The first paragraph is the article opener. This is where you announce what the text that follows is going to be about and perhaps why it’s important. A well-focused opener makes it much easier to stick to the point of the article in the main body. End your article with a summary of… well, basically, what you have already written. Draw a conclusion from the summary that emphasizes the main point, possibly by using an anecdote or a quotation. And finish off the piece with a straight statement about what lessons were illustrated or offer advice to show how to benefit from what was discussed. Some further tips are as follows:

• Keep your readership in mind as you write. This will enable you to write in a style that’s appropriate for them.
• Write as you would speak. Some find the whole process easier if they dictate a whole article first and then edit the transcript. Try using a tape recorder, dictaphone or a speech recognition program if you find that it promotes a better flow. But, most important of all, get it down.
• Don’t worry about grammar or spelling or even whether what you’ve written makes good sense. If it makes sense enough to you, that’s all that matters at this stage. Your first draft should be just that and will need to be edited or fine-tuned before publishing. Expect a third or even a fourth draft before completion.
• Allow sufficient time between completion of the final draft and proofing, preferably overnight. It is quite surprising how easy it can sometimes be to resolve a part that you previously struggled with, given the passage of a little time.

Paragraph Headings

For much the same reason that a degree of careful thought needs to be put into article titles, as mentioned above, it is a good idea to put a similar amount of consideration into paragraph headings. They help to divide the article into a logical sequence of ideas and break up the text into more manageable segments. For the reader, they can also make article scanning easier in the same way that titles allow for easier scanning of a publication. As a bonus, they also make the article more aesthetically pleasing by dividing it up and by incorporating white space between areas of text. A mass of text that is not divided and delineated by white space can be visually displeasing.

Summary

Casual article writing can be a chore or a surprisingly satisfying undertaking. For the non-professional writer, it’s all a matter of preparation, planning and following the plan. Take heed of the guidelines above and those that appeared in the first article of this series (Preparing The Ground) and you will be giving yourself a much better chance of a more pleasing and satisfying result.

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Foreword By The Author

Anybody who is not an expert article writer but who sometimes gets given the task of creating content for a newsletter or web page, has most likely encountered the experience, at one time or another, of looking at a blank page and wondering “what now?”. And then trying frantically to come up with ideas on what to write about. Welcome to the wonderful world of writing; believe me, you are not alone! Part Two of this series is called Putting Pen To Paper, which concentrates on the practical aspect of actually writing and following a plan.

Mike Alexander
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Writer’s Block

This problem, commonly referred to as ‘writer’s block’, is encountered even by a few of the best-known professional writers and has most probably been around since the very first hieroglyphics. Nonetheless, that is hardly any consolation for all those attempting to conquer it, particularly when there’s a deadline drawing near. The trick, if you can call it that, is actually two-fold: first, prepare and plan your article; second, follow your plan. Below are some recommendations that could be of assistance in the area of preparation and planning of an article.

Researching For Information

Methodical investigation might include public libraries, indices like the Writer’s Market index and the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature (these are two of many in the United States but comparable indices can be found in other countries), the web and various other online services, encyclopedias, dictionaries and yearbooks, etc. Many commercial as well as non-profit associations and similar organizations maintain their own individual directories too, some of which are searchable for a fee but many of which happen to be free to anybody who would like to use them.

Expertise And Authority

Naturally, it can help enormously if you’re an expert, or at least a reasonably accomplished authority, on the topic concerned—but it’s not essential. A working knowledge is usually quite enough if you’re prepared to put a little effort into research. A lot of writers don’t relish this part of their calling but realise the value of it and integrate it into their everyday lives. They make notes of interesting things that take place around them, things they see, things they hear, and so forth. You can do exactly the same simply by always having a small notepad and pencil with you at all times. These people read avidly and soon become skilled at recognizing a well-turned phrase or a fascinating new viewpoint. They embrace the practice of clipping things out of magazines and newspapers any time something catches their eye that might be of use some time later on.

Clipping and Archiving

Cuttings can generate ideas for articles or blog posts, supply material that can be used within a piece, or sometimes get archived for years until their time all of a sudden arrives. Quite a few authors preserve a huge selection of clippings in files and folders, all classified by topic and indexed by source as well as date stamped. A word of caution should you take up this practice though: always double-check any pieces of information which are derived from clippings, particularly if you discovered them on the Internet.

Time For Development

An obvious point would be to always allow oneself the maximum amount of time for creative concepts to develop little by little. That way they can take on structure prior to you committing them to paper. For everybody who is among that rare breed, a born article writer, and who arranges their schedule to allow a lead-in period for concept development, the creative impulses might function perfectly normally in the period appointed for sitting down and composing the final piece. This does not happen however if, like the majority of us, you are not a natural writer (meaning that it may be a thing you like doing, quite possibly a thing you’re regarded as being very good at, but you need to labor over to get it right). Then it can often be really hard if you’re not necessarily ‘in the mood’ at the appointed time. Much better if you permit yourself sufficient time to think about what exactly you’ll write and then go about the assignment as soon as you feel ready and with plenty of time for revisions, proofing etc.

Formulating A Plan

The majority of articles are comprised of a title, meant to command attention; an opener, being the first paragraph and designed to excite further interest; the main body text or the ‘meat’ of the article; plus the closing paragraph, which usually takes the form of a summary, though is not necessarily headed at such. Bearing this in mind, collect all of your clippings, key idea notes, interview transcripts etc. and juggle them around until you decide on an order of inclusion that follows a logical structure. Sketch out the finalized sequence on a sheet of paper. This is your plan and will be the fundamental framework of your article.

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Writing readable articles might seem to some experts to be a case of unnecessary advice but the fact is that many authors overestimate the readability of their own copy. Yet there are a number of free writing aids that can help any writer to produce quality, easily understandable text. Coupled with the other tips here, there is no reason now to ever produce copy that doesn’t say exactly what you want it to say.

Mike Alexander
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Introduction

Readability should be a primary concern for any writer of articles. After all, if what you write cannot immediately be understood, then there is not much point in writing it. It’s not about precisely correct words or grammar or precisely correct punctuation (though all of these things are important) but about writing in such a way as to be clearly understood. In order to be properly understood you need to be precise in some important areas.

Planning

Keep notes and snippets of information somewhere convenient so that they are always easy to add to and easy to find. Plan ahead and arrange the data you want to impart in a logical and easy-to-understand manner. Arranging your material under temporary and concise headings can help you to do this.

Putting It On ‘Paper’

My preferred method of operation is to write a draft without taking account of paragraph layout, using correct words etc. In other words, using my notes, I write it as I would speak it. This allows me to put my thoughts down without too much regard to punctuation, grammar etc. Once the draft is complete, then the editing process can commence. If you find that you tend to wander off topic sometimes, then during the editing process you can decide whether you want to incorporate your wanderings into the article or whether you should use that diversion as the genesis of new article under a different title.

Writing Aids

Spellcheckers are the most commonly used writing aids and are included in most writing applications (such as word processors etc) although I am constantly amazed at the number of people who don’t make use of them. Finding the right word for what you want to say, on the other hand, can be a little more difficult.

Words

The use of incorrect words, or malapropisms, is extremely common nowadays, especially on the Internet. Often, the problem wouldn’t arise at all if only short, popular words were used in preference to longer, less well known ones. On the other hand, if you know the word you want to use will precisely convey what you want to say, then by all means use it, provided you are reasonably sure your readers will also know it. A very valuable tool that can be an enormous help in this area is WordWeb. It is a University of Princeton project and serves as a dictionary, thesaurus and word finder extraordinaire. On top of all else, it is free (although there is a superior version available for sale).

Punctuation And Grammar

These can sometimes be a bit tricky, though they are by no means insurmountable problems. Several of the better class of word processors have built in grammar checkers which also manage to correct punctuation where necessary. Another way of solving many punctuation and grammar problems is to always use short sentences. Apart from that, stick to simple punctuation such as commas (wherever natural pauses occur) and full stops.

Editing

Re-read the completed work after a reasonable break (like overnight). It is surprising how much easier a proper appraisal can be when seen through ‘fresh eyes’. Avoid anything that unnecessarily distracts the reader’s attention from your message. If readers have to keep re-reading a section of an article in order to work out what it means they are being distracted from the message.

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As I’ve said before, ClipCopy Content Solutions is all about content, particularly written content. Therefore, this article by Barry Walls is appropriate for all those who wish to legitimately make an income online by utilizing their writing talents but retaining their independence. Many thanks Barry, for your contribution. If you would like to find out more about Barry and his work, please take note of the links he provides in the last paragraph.

Mike Alexander
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Earning Potential

Once the earning potential of freelance writers becomes apparent, many people will ask themselves “How do I become a freelance writer?” The process can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it. Like any process, you have to have a reasonable idea of what the final product is and the ingredients or steps along the way to achieving it.

Types Of Writers

If you give some thought to how many different types of writers there are, you will see that you have discovered the first step along the way to becoming one. This is by far one of the most important steps that you can take to become a freelance writer. If you’re not honest with yourself during this step you probably won’t be able to reach your goal, or will waste a lot of unnecessary time getting there.

So, how many sorts of writers are there? Even a cursory glance will expose quite a list: reporters, poets, story tellers, reviewers, advertising copy writers, article writers, to mention but a few. The secret is to look at your own writing style and the work that you have already produced and compare it with what has been published by other writers.

Showcase Your Work

A great way for you to showcase your writing abilities if you are serious about becoming a freelance writer is to maintain a blog of your own work. Also, many people who wish to become a freelance writer join a writing group where everyone submits work and receives feedback about their own. Do you generally receive favorable feedback from such a group?

Whatever sort of writer you want to be, you must already have produced an amount of work that would justify your choice. There is no point at all, for example, in setting out to be a poet if you have never written a poem before and let someone else judge it. You may think that you are the best poet in the world but if nobody else who sees your work agrees with you . . . well, I’m sure you see the point.

If you already have many pieces and have received favorable feedback, you should then put your best work together in a portfolio so that you can present it to get work. The problem isn’t finding people who are looking for freelance writers, because thanks to the internet this has become quite simple, the problem is getting people to actually read your samples.

Submit Your Portfolio

If you want people to take you and your work seriously you have to ensure you send your portfolio to the right people. Don’t get lazy. It is very easy to find out the right person’s name and email address so make sure you do this first. The next step is to make sure that your email is professional and courteous; introduce yourself and invite them to have a look at your work and ask them to kindly consider you as a freelance writer for them.

The best case scenario is to make sure your work is relevant to the publication you would like to become a freelance writer of and that it is the best you can do. You may be asked to attend an interview and if it goes well you may get a writing assignment as a test. If you are asked to write them a piece, you will still not necessarily in the clear. Freelance writers are not usually paid unless their content is actually published. Therefore, you have to make sure that you do some of the best writing of your life if you are asked to turn in an assignment.

About The Author

Barry Walls freelance writing course is quickly generating full time incomes for virtually all who sign up. If you want to quickly quit or replace a full time job with a dream work from home solution, try his oneline writing course.

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This article by Ada Ho contains some good ideas for writing on subjects about which you are, let’s say, less than an expert. Be bold and tackle it regardless (but be prepared to learn along the way), seems to be the main message. Hey, this premise for Writing For Better Understanding makes sense to me!

Mike Alexander
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Put It Down

Putting down in black and white what you are thinking gives you a clearer picture of your train of thoughts. Take out a piece of paper, or simply turn on your laptop. You’ll find that as you write or type, new ideas will come rushing in.

Have you ever had the problem of clarifying your thoughts? It is hard at times to come clear with what we are thinking and what we have experienced. Try to talk to someone, make them listen and question you as you speak. Do not worry if you are struggling to find the right words as this is a sign that you are rationalizing and bridging your thoughts. You will only understand if you get your thoughts out there.

Thinking On Paper

Many people decide not to write unless they have completely understood their thoughts. This actually stops them from advancing. Just scribble whatever comes into you mind on a piece of paper and you will see how the ideas gradually come together. This is called ‘thinking on paper’. You would not want to risk losing any of your brilliant ideas by keeping them in your head. Record them on paper!

While you are transforming your ideas into words, you are also understanding the logic behind them. That is to say, your explaining power stimulates your brainpower. You are comprehending the idea as you explain it.

Keep A Journal

If you want to learn something better, you can write down all your ideas and notes in a journal. For instance, when you need to solve a problem, you can write down what you can do to tackle it. You don’t need to worry when you have no idea because you can just write down anything you think of  and make an explanation. Thinking on paper is really workable.

Writers don’t always write as they already understand something. Hence, if you want to understand a topic, you can write a book about it! We usually write something just because we don’t understand it, and want to have a better understanding.

Writing is a great tool to better thinking. For me, I really have a much better understanding of this thinking method after I finished writing this article.

Summary

If you are not exactly the writing type of person, a journal or a book will be torturous. Better start off with a letter explaining to your friend what kind of new knowledge or skills you are acquiring at the moment. This will help to consolidate your learning. Great inventors are people who spot a problem and try to solve it. You can also be one of them. Just start writing, whether you are sure of not. It will all happen along the way.

About The Author

If you want to read more information on this article, you can learn more by visiting the website on free birthday cards. Pencake Ecard is an online Ecard drawing platform that allows illustrators to create greeting cards.

The following short article by Tom Binns is about a subject that most people who write have experienced from time to time (or perhaps more frequently?). Creativity sometimes seems to flow unbidden from brain to the hand and onto paper or the screen. At other times it stubbornly refuses to co-operate and leaves us frustrated. Has Tom Binns found the answer? You be the judge!
Mike Alexander

Searching For Your Muse

Do you have writers block? Are you staring at that piece of paper, pen in hand, but nothing is getting written down? Or sitting by your computer all ready to type up a storm, yet your brain isn’t giving you the words you’re searching for?

Well, it’s a problem that you will most likely experience more than just once if you write for a living. Even if you simply write for fun, it will come up from time to time. There isn’t really much you can do about it. Search for the muse in you and hope that they come back to help you out quickly.

Using Prompts

So what can you do to help out with this problem? Well one thing is to use writing prompts, and write every day of the week. It doesn’t matter if what you’re putting down isn’t making any sense, you are writing. If you want to try and force yourself on those days to try and do a prompt, have a go at it. But it can possibly make the problem even worse. So what to do?

Take A Break

At times it just may do you a bit of good to just take a little time away from the computer in order to get rejuvenated. How you do that best is to find something fun and relaxing, something that will not have your problems at the forefront of your mind.

Listen to music, read, watch a movie, go out and head to the beach. It won’t matter but just get away from sitting and staring as nothing comes to you. It will only frustrate you more than that you already are at this point.

In closing, think positive. That way it shouldn’t last for that long.

About the Author

Tom Binns is an expert in creativity coaching from the webpage The Creativity Practice.

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