Over time, quite a few magazines have come and gone. And, with the internet gaining so much attention from readers, the magazine industry has had to adjust to that format in order to offer readers the best of both. I'm sure more than a few people have predicted the demise of paper magazines because of the popularity of the internet, but many of the magazines that have been available are a valued mainstay to their subscribers, and those aren't going anywhere soon. Why? Because there's something about the feel of turning a paper page that cannot be matched by a scroll down a monitor screen. Besides, what would a visit to a doctor's office be without a magazine to take your mind off the minutes ticking by as you wait seemingly forever?
"Magazine Writing" has 4 lessons in which it discusses what to write about, determining if it is marketable and how to submit it. The course starts out by suggesting methods of finding good ideas to write about. It offers advice for researching markets in order to find the best, most appropriate one to send your article to or to inquire if they would be interested in such an article. There's an entire section on "query letters" - that often-dreaded correspondence to an editor or publisher that can possibly help or hinder a writer's success.
Included also, are several exercises and reading assignments throughout the course which help to reinforce what is being taught, as well as suggested topics to help get conversations going in the discussion area. (NOTE: Open group discussion is not available for the "Quick Course".) The instructor, Lisa-Anne Sanderson, also explains the various research venues that can be utilized to help with writing your article.
In some of my attempts at writing pieces, I've found that organizing an outline keeps a story or article focused. However, it's the part of the writing process that I like least. Somehow, I think it seems to take away some of the free-flowing creativity. But it does keep your piece from ending up being ten times longer than what you had intended and way off focus from where you had begun. Lisa-Anne's course reaffirms the importance of an outline.
Finally, when your article is ready for submission, you will be rereading it with an editing check list in mind that is provided in the course. Then, when you're satisfied with the content and sentence structure and it meets the check list criteria, there's advice as to how to submit it to an editor.
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