Show--Don't tell!
Use action verbs. Describe
feelings, emotions,
smells, tastes, colors, places, etc. Use adjectives and adverbs as
needed with lots of descriptive nouns and verbs. Let the reader see and
feel what is happening.
Use Informal Conversation.
Pretend
the reader is sitting across the table from you. You are having a cup
of coffee with a friend and telling them this story. How would you
talk? Write the same way. Write conversational but with good grammar,
flow and style. Be very careful with slang terms. If in doubt, don't
use them.
Write! Rewrite! Polish!
Send your very best
work to editors. Don't expect the editor to polish your work for you.
The less the editor has to do to your article, the more likely it will
be accepted. Learn to edit your own work.
Use Strong
Beginnings to Hook the Reader.
Anecdotes are great for
beginnings.
Quotes often work. Sometimes you need to jump right in the middle of
the story with lots of action to hook the reader, then go back and tell
what has happened.
Read several beginning paragraphs of books and
articles to get ideas on good hooks. If it hooked you, it will probably
work for others. Give the reader something that will make them want to
keep reading.
Middle With A Message
This is
the bulk of
your writing. Stay focused and write tight!
Endings
Usually Compliment Beginnings.
No matter what type of
article you are
writing there should be a strong ending. If you are doing an
informational piece, with several points then make the ending a good
"wrap-up."
A Personal Experience Story needs a "take away" message
at the end. You come full circle from the beginning. Start with a
problem. As you solve it, this causes a "change" (preferably spiritual)
in you, which in turn gives the reader a way to apply this to her own
unique situation without preaching.
Read Through Your Story
Aloud.
Reading aloud will help you feel the flow of the
article. Is
the pace good? Does it get bogged down in too much detail in places?
Is your thought pattern broken in any one place? Do you have good
sentence structure? Is it smooth? Do you stumble over particular
words? Do you use lots of short sentences to move the piece along, but
vary them with longer ones so it doesn't get choppy? Make any changes
necessary then reread.
Use a Mixture of Narrative and
Dialogue.
If you have a problem using dialogue read a good
novel.
Using fiction techniques with non-fiction articles makes them more
personable and even more "salable." The reader likes the flow and
natural breaks that automatically come with conversation.
Focus
on Getting One Main Point Across To Your Reader.
Always
keep
your main point in mind when you write. What is the story about? Do I
need all these details? Do they enhance the story or distract from it?
Obviously, you need some detail, but don't smother your focal point
with trivial things. Don't try to cram twenty years of experience into
one article. Pick and choose details carefully so they compliment the
piece, and try to focus the story on only one or two people.
Outline
Your Article.
Outlining will help you put your information
in order before starting on the article itself. It also helps you
focus on the main point of your piece. An outline will even help in
writing a query letter to an editor since you need to let him/her know
the overall content of your proposed story.
Research
Markets.
Send for writer's guidelines and sample copies of
the
magazine. Study the magazine--stories, sentence structure, length of
articles, target audience (look at advertising and types of stories),
style of writing, tone, etc. Study guidelines and follow them
carefully. What tips do they offer? What type of writing do they want?
How much is written by free-lance writers? What do they pay? What
word count do they want?
Tell A Good Story!
Never
forget
to tell a good story when doing Personal Experience Articles. Editors
are looking for something unique. Make it so captivating the reader (or
editor) can't put it down. Make him laugh, cry and feel good. In this
market a good story will outshine your manuscript. Always write in
first person. It's your story! If it's someone else's story, it must
be ghost written in first person with the storyteller having the byline.