Magazine Writing

Lesson 3: How to Research your Article and Write an Outline

Writing Your Article

Now we come to the hard part! However, it is also the part that you are likely to enjoy the most if you like words and writing. Once you have prepared your outline it is a good idea to start writing –don’t procrastinate. Also once you have written your article leave it for a few days and then read and revise it.

Some tips:

1. Give your article a snappy title. Editors like short and catchy titles. You could use a pun, or alliteration, or a part of a quote which is included in your article. An example of a good title of a piece asking whether President Bush had sufficient knowledge of a likely attack before September 11 is ‘BushWhacked’. This uses his name and is also an old, albeit Australian, expression. 2. Include one idea per sentence and one topic per paragraph.

3. Make sure transitions between paragraphs run smoothly. Try to make each paragraph lead to the next.

4. Many editors, especially American editors, like positive verbs and the use of the present tense. I often find the use of the present tense annoying, however, and I prefer to read writers who don’t use it. In Australia it is not used as often.

The style of your article will depend to a large extent on the style of the magazine for which it is intended. Many magazines have ‘Style Guides’ – read and use these carefully. If you are writing for a women’s magazine, for example, a chatty, gossipy style is often preferred. How-to articles are usually written in a straightforward, factual style. You may need to use a ‘heavier’ style for a serious, news feature, while a human interest story will have a lighter style.

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