I love to write; articles, short stories, poems, book reviews, novels or news reports. It’s great fun to see your own work in print and always a bonus if you can get some income from it.
In this short note I want to think about some key points that should be included if you want your article to be noticed.
Love it!
I believe this is an essential – have passion for what you’re writing. There are two reasons for this. Firstly is that it is so much easier to write when you’re writing abut something you enjoy. Do you have a blog? Is it filled with things that keep you happy? Second is that readers can generally tell if you’re writing from the heart – passion comes across! I believe that this is the core to all writing – love it and enjoy it. Even when you have an assigned piece of writing – remember you promised your friend you’d do a piece for him – do it from a point of enjoyment. This can mean putting humour into the article which can be successful if you know how to tell a joke; if you don’t then forget it!
Grab a snappy title.
Keep it short and have a biof mystery in it. Make people want to read it. When I was a research Physicist I had to read so many scientific papers that it made my eyes bleed! The content was often excellent but the titles… Having this experience led me to a fun way to get school students to write Science papers; I would get them to write up their report as though they were a sensationalist journalist! Great stuff – and it inspired them to study Science further.
Lists.
Everybody loves a list. How often do you click the link on a website when it says ’10 ways to see if you have the right partner’ or ‘7 ways to boost your sales’ or ‘5 ways to meet more girls/boys’; or ’50 ways to leave your lover’ as Paul Simon said. (Who is singing this in their head right now?)
What is hot?
Articles on current topics will get noticed. It could be about the latest fad in Food, Fashion, Music or Science! Be careful though as these articles generally have a short shelf life.
Paragraphs.
Keep it short – people skim read and it’s easier!
There are some ideas to work on.
Did I follow my own guidelines?
Let me know.
Write some more but enjoy it first!
Phoenix Education 