Magazine Writing

Lesson 4: Writing and Submitting Your Article

Editing Your Article

Your article should be easy to read, clear, direct and smooth. It is a good idea to write the article and leave it for a few days. Then you are ready to read it more objectively. Imagine that you are the editor of the magazine. Would you accept it? Here are some guidelines for editing your article:

1. Does it meet the required word length? It is likely to be much too long and you will probably have to ‘cut’ it.

2 Read it aloud. Note how it reads. Can you understand it? Does it read smoothly?:

3. Check for any grammatical and spelling errors. This is much easier now with wordprocessing programs.

4. Notice any unnecessary phrases or adjectives. There may even be unnecessary Sentences. Prune these. Some writers advise to prune any phrases that especially please you, but there are no hard and fast rules.

5. Does each paragraph deal with one topic? Does each sentence express one idea?

6. Is the transition between paragraphs clear?

7. Are there any long words which are difficult to understand? Cut these.

8. Are the sentences varied? A mixture of long and short sentences makes articles easier to read.

9. Finally, try to use active verbs, rather than passive.

If you decide that the article is not acceptable the way it is, you may have to re-write it altogether. The re-writing process and editing process are definitely worth it, however.

Read Michael Perry’s story about the editor of the Saturday Review on p.163.

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