Lesson 3: How to Research your Article and Write an Outline
In this lesson you'll learn about the secrets of research and how to outline your articles.
Lesson Introduction and Objectives
Once you receive your first assignment you’re ready to research and write the article. The editor’s acceptance letter should be read very carefully. Some are quite detailed, outlining the style, the required length, the deadline and the proposed fee. There might also be some discussion of the angle of the article. Other letters can be very vague, however.
Many editors will only accept articles from unknown writers on spec; i.e. they will only publish the article if it is acceptable for the magazine. Sometimes they require changes in style, or more details about the facts before they will publish the article. Unfortunately, many magazines only pay on publication, so if the piece is not published, no cheque will arrive in the mail!
Sometimes a kill fee is paid. This is intended to provide some compensation for the time, research and writing of the article, even though it is not accepted for publication. Many American magazine editors will pay kill fees.
Michael Perry gives good advice about how to maximize your money from writing. He states that: “When I’m pitching a story idea, I begin by creating a list of magazines for which the topic is appropriate. I then order that list based on the mercenary principle of who pays the most! Then I work my way down from the top, submitting proposals to high-paying markets first.”
Research can be so fascinating that it can be difficult to leave it and actually write the article! It is also much easier these days because of the Internet. Researching on the Internet saves time and can usually be done from the comfort of your own home. However, it is not often possible to do all the required research on the Internet. Encyclopedias, reference books, interviews with experts, brochures – all of these are useful. In this lesson, I hope to give you some tips to make your research faster and easier.
It is a good idea to have a plan or outline for your article before you begin to write. Some editors require outlines for suggested stories while others may ask for summaries of the theme. A plan helps you to know where to start, and can help to make the article smoother. It is true that some writers like to write their articles without a plan, but beginners, especially, tend to find them helpful. You don’t have to stick to the outline absolutely, but can change it around while writing. In this lesson I will show you how to prepare a plan for your article.
The article itself is the most important part of the process. It should be informative and interesting and keep the reader’s attention. I would suggest that more time should be spent on writing and editing the actual article than on the research. It can be easy to include too many facts and fall into the trap of ‘not seeing the wood for the trees’.
In this lesson I will use the two books which are recommended and the web sites listed in the Research section of the links.
