IntroductionWelcome| 00:00 | (music playing)
| | 00:04 | Hi! I am Tom Geller and this is Writing Articles.
| | 00:08 | No matter what your job is, articles are
a great way to meet business objectives
| | 00:12 | and promote yourself as a thought leader.
| | 00:14 | The article format is always in demand,
and readers find it especially credible.
| | 00:20 | This course shows you the different
kinds of articles you can write, where
| | 00:23 | they're published, and how
to get those assignments.
| | 00:26 | By working our way through a typical
article, we'll look at how to plan, where
| | 00:31 | to find research sources, and ways
to get past blank-page syndrome and
| | 00:35 | actually start writing.
| | 00:37 | Going further, you'll see how to fit
your article into a bigger project, how to
| | 00:41 | manage the revision process, and how
to deliver exactly what clients want so
| | 00:46 | they'll turn to you again and again.
| | 00:49 | This course assumes you
already have basic writing skills.
| | 00:53 | I won't talk about such
mechanics as grammar and punctuation.
| | 00:56 | But you will see ways to make your
articles easier to create, edit, and read.
| | 01:00 | I have been writing articles for over
fifteen years as both a staff writer and a
| | 01:05 | freelancer, and I just love the format.
| | 01:08 | It's long enough to explore a topic
in detail, yet short enough to let you
| | 01:12 | finish quickly and move on to the next one.
| | 01:15 | So, whether you write for fun, for
profit, or as part of your job, the article
| | 01:19 | format is one well worth learning.
| | 01:21 | Let's get started with Writing Articles.
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| Using the exercise files| 00:01 | All lynda.com members have access
to the exercise files in this course.
| | 00:05 | Here's a quick overview of what's included.
| | 00:07 | First is a collection of sample
pitches to match each of the seven types
| | 00:11 | of article discussed.
| | 00:13 | The second is a model letter you can use
to pitch your own articles to publications.
| | 00:18 | Third is a checklist to help you focus
your efforts when you take on an assignment.
| | 00:23 | Next is an email template
| | 00:25 | you can use when asking a subject
matter expert to give you an interview.
| | 00:29 | Finally, we've included a short
example article written specifically for this
| | 00:32 | course, in two versions: one is
submitted to the editor and the other with
| | 00:37 | revision marks that the editor added.
| | 00:39 | I'll refer to this article
several times during this course.
| | 00:42 | These files provide some points of
guidance, but none is as important as the
| | 00:47 | steps that you take to
complete a specific assignment.
| | 00:50 | I'll show you how to do that
throughout the rest of this course.
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1. Getting StartedPreparing to write articles| 00:01 | Certain attitudes and behaviors will be
a big help as you're writing articles.
| | 00:05 | Let's go over some ways to speed
up the writing process and help you
| | 00:08 | produce better results.
| | 00:10 | First, something you might find encouraging:
| | 00:12 | grammar, spelling, and
punctuation, aren't that important.
| | 00:16 | These are things that editors can and will fix.
| | 00:20 | Your attention is better spent on
matters that only you can take care of.
| | 00:24 | Most importantly,
you need a motivation to write.
| | 00:27 | Maybe that motivation comes when
someone assigns you an article, but you might
| | 00:31 | write for other reasons as well.
| | 00:33 | Maybe you want to become known as an
expert in your field, or you want to promote
| | 00:38 | a cause that you believe in.
| | 00:39 | Whatever the reason, be clear about it
from the beginning and let it drive you
| | 00:43 | to the article's completion.
| | 00:45 | Second, you need a topic.
and the more focused the better.
| | 00:49 | The topic is a bridge
between you and the reader.
| | 00:52 | It has to be something that engages both of you.
| | 00:55 | I found that when I have a topic that's
clear and compelling, the writing just
| | 00:59 | becomes much easier.
| | 01:00 | Once you have settled that, you will
need to define the article's structure.
| | 01:05 | Now, some of this will come from the assignment.
| | 01:07 | A feature article is a different
structure from a review for example.
| | 01:11 | But there's always room for your own
personal architecture within those constraints.
| | 01:16 | When you set up the structure ahead
of time, writing becomes almost as easy
| | 01:20 | as filling out a form.
| | 01:21 | Last of all, and most important, you
need a storyteller's touch, because every
| | 01:26 | article tells a story.
| | 01:28 | Even a simple how-to article leads the
reader from ignorance to enlightenment
| | 01:32 | through a certain path.
| | 01:34 | If one step of the path doesn't follow
the next, readers can get bored or lost.
| | 01:40 | The storyteller's touch is expressed in
sentences that are clear, direct, and well phrased.
| | 01:45 | This is actually where good
grammar and spelling make a difference.
| | 01:49 | If mistakes make readers aware of the
language rather than the point, they will
| | 01:53 | trip from one step to the next.
| | 01:56 | Overall, the point is to approach the
assignment so you're focused on things
| | 02:00 | that lead to a compelling article.
| | 02:01 | As an editor, I would much rather get a
piece that's well prepared than one it's
| | 02:06 | merely spelled and punctuated right.
| | 02:09 | So have your motivation, topic,
structure, and story in place before you write.
| | 02:15 | Knowing them in your heart will give
you confidence, and it will keep you in
| | 02:19 | touch with what's really
important in your article.
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| Adopting technical tools| 00:01 | Before you start writing, let's talk
about the computer tools you'll need.
| | 00:04 | These fall into three categories.
| | 00:07 | There are tools to handle your words;
media tools for graphics, audio, and video
| | 00:11 | editing; and an organizing system.
| | 00:14 | For words, the tools that most people
know best are word processors such as
| | 00:19 | Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, and Google Docs.
| | 00:22 | Word processors let you do such things
as make words bold or change paragraph
| | 00:26 | margins, but sometimes those
functions actually get in the way of writing.
| | 00:31 | That's why many writers, including me, prefer to
write their first drafts using a text editor.
| | 00:37 | It doesn't have as many formatting
options as a word processor, but in exchange,
| | 00:41 | it often has extra features, such as
a way to do complex text searches.
| | 00:46 | Simple text editors include
WordPad on Windows and Text Edit on Mac.
| | 00:50 | My own personal favorite is TextWrangler.
| | 00:53 | The third way to manage words is with a
layout program such as Adobe InDesign.
| | 00:57 | Now, you'll probably only need one if
you do work that requires you to design
| | 01:02 | pages as well as write,
| | 01:03 | so you'll probably want to wait
until you need one before you buy it.
| | 01:08 | So, those are the word tools.
| | 01:10 | Next come what I call media tools.
| | 01:12 | These are things that help you capture
and manipulate audio, graphics, and video.
| | 01:18 | I often need to interview
people for the articles I write,
| | 01:21 | so my two most important media tools are
a phone system in a way of recording calls.
| | 01:27 | I use Skype for calls and a Mac program
called WireTap Studio to record them, and
| | 01:31 | then I also use a headset from
Plantronics to leave my hands free to take notes.
| | 01:36 | But there are many other options,
including call recording apps for smartphones.
| | 01:40 | You might also need tools to handle
photos and video, for example to include
| | 01:45 | screenshots or edit graphics.
| | 01:48 | My own graphics toolbox includes Snapz
Pro for screen capture on the Mac and
| | 01:52 | Adobe Photoshop for image manipulation,
but again, there are many other options.
| | 01:59 | Finally, every writer
needs an organizing system.
| | 02:03 | I rely on my computer's built-in
calendar to track to-dos and deadlines, and a
| | 02:07 | folder system to store backups,
source materials, and assignment details.
| | 02:12 | I also rather like a program called Scrivener.
| | 02:14 | It's designed specifically to help
writers organize their materials. But really,
| | 02:19 | you can use any system as
long as it works for you.
| | 02:23 | That takes care of the technical tools, aside
from the usual stuff you'd need to run an office.
| | 02:28 | But the good news is that writing
is a fairly low-investment pursuit.
| | 02:32 | As long as you have a way to handle
your words in media, and a way to organize
| | 02:36 | them, you're all set to start writing.
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| Gathering reference materials| 00:01 | I talked about the technical tools
that will help you write your articles.
| | 00:04 | Now let's move on to reference
materials that every writer needs.
| | 00:08 | These exist in both online and paper
forms, so you should use whichever you
| | 00:12 | find most convenient.
| | 00:14 | First are the old workhorses: a
dictionary, so you can be sure you're
| | 00:19 | using words correctly, and a
thesaurus, which gathers together words
| | 00:23 | that have similar meanings.
| | 00:24 | I'll tell you the thesaurus in
particular saves me on a daily basis, giving me
| | 00:30 | alternatives when I start
using the same word over and over.
| | 00:33 | Both the dictionary and the thesaurus
come built-in on some computers and word
| | 00:38 | processors, and they are
available for free on the web as well.
| | 00:42 | The next useful reference tool is a style guide.
| | 00:45 | Strunk & White and the famous AP Style
Guide used to be the most popular ones,
| | 00:50 | but nowadays the Chicago Manual of
Style is the one that I see used most often.
| | 00:55 | Now, they put out a new edition every few
years, so make sure you get the latest one.
| | 01:00 | Also, many publications have
their own internal style guides.
| | 01:04 | If you can get one from your editors,
you'll be able to write your article so
| | 01:08 | it'll need less work before getting published.
| | 01:11 | The last thing every writer needs is a
collection of tried-and-true research
| | 01:15 | sources, both online and offline.
| | 01:18 | I'll talk more about those in
the video on researching your work.
| | 01:22 | But the most important thing about
the tools you use is that they become
| | 01:25 | invisible to you, so you
can focus on your writing,
| | 01:29 | and the best way to do that, as with
so many things in life, is to practice.
| | 01:34 | So, gather your reference tools
early and get to know them well.
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2. Understanding the Article FormatDefining an article| 00:01 | Before really diving in, we should define our
terms better, starting with the word article.
| | 00:06 | Although the lines are blurry, here are a
few traits that are common to most articles.
| | 00:11 | First, an article is written down.
You'll sometime see things called video
| | 00:16 | articles or audio articles, but those are rare.
| | 00:19 | Also, articles are nonfiction; that is,
they are about the real world rather than
| | 00:24 | being pure products of imagination.
| | 00:27 | Now, that's not to say that an article
can be opinionated, but the point of an
| | 00:31 | article, by and large, is to
describe real-world phenomena.
| | 00:35 | Fictional pieces go by other
names, such as stories or poetry.
| | 00:40 | Articles tend to be part of a collection,
for example in magazines or journals.
| | 00:46 | In fact, the word article means that
it's part of something that all fits
| | 00:50 | together. Just as articles of clothing
comprise a wardrobe, written articles
| | 00:55 | comprise a larger work.
| | 00:58 | Articles are typically from 300 to
8,000 words long. A piece that shorter is
| | 01:03 | usually called a blurb. Any longer
and it starts to stand on its own.
| | 01:08 | In my own work, the wide majority
have been between 500 and 1,500 words.
| | 01:14 | Articles are usually a one-to-many
form of communication. That is, they're
| | 01:19 | created by one person to be consumed by many
people, for example the people who read a magazine.
| | 01:26 | Finally, for the purposes of this
course, I'm going to say that articles are
| | 01:30 | published pieces that fit all these criteria.
| | 01:33 | That makes them different from posts in
your personal journal in the sense that
| | 01:37 | articles go through a publishing
process that takes them out of your hands.
| | 01:42 | Now, these definitions satisfy me at
this particular moment in time, but the
| | 01:46 | definition of an article is always
changing, and we don't have to go back very
| | 01:51 | far to see its evolution.
| | 01:53 | In the '80s and early '90s messages
and online bulletin boards were called
| | 01:57 | articles as well and some people
still use the term for blog posts.
| | 02:02 | Now, blogs are an interesting crossover
area with articles, especially as print
| | 02:07 | media continues to move online.
| | 02:09 | Blog posts tend to be shorter though,
and less formal than articles, but the
| | 02:13 | two worlds are merging.
| | 02:16 | Most of what you see in this course also
applies to blog posts. But even if your
| | 02:21 | work ends up in blog form, I think it's
a good idea to be grounded in article
| | 02:25 | rating. It's a traditional and
precise art and the discipline you gain by
| | 02:30 | learning it will serve you
well in all other writing forms.
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| Examining different types of articles| 00:00 | The modern article was born with
newspaper printing about 400 years ago.
| | 00:06 | Since then, some article types had
become less popular or disappeared altogether
| | 00:10 | as industries and tastes
changed; others are just emerging.
| | 00:15 | Here are some categories that are
fairly common and that I think are going to
| | 00:19 | stick around for a while.
| | 00:20 | I've identified seven common article
types: features, news, reviews, commentary,
| | 00:29 | promotional, research, and how-to.
| | 00:34 | For each type you'll find an example
assignment in the exercise file that
| | 00:38 | goes with this video.
| | 00:40 | If you'd like, you could actually get
practice by writing these articles, or just
| | 00:44 | use them as inspiration for your own pitches.
| | 00:48 | First is the feature.
| | 00:49 | This is the kind of article that gets
promoted on magazine covers. It's sort of the
| | 00:54 | main course in a magazine.
| | 00:56 | A feature article covers a single topic
in depth, tends to be long, and can wander
| | 01:02 | a bit to provide unexpected
perspectives on the issue at hand. But above all,
| | 01:07 | features are thought provoking.
| | 01:09 | They're intended to expose readers
to ideas and juxtapositions that they
| | 01:13 | didn't consider before.
| | 01:15 | A feature article could be the history
of tablet computers or it could be a guide
| | 01:19 | to travel opportunities in Bhutan.
| | 01:23 | Next up is the bread and
butter of newspapers, news articles.
| | 01:27 | As the name implies, news articles are
about something new, and they're usually
| | 01:31 | spurred by a specific event. They're short,
direct, and written in a way that gets
| | 01:37 | the information across in a fast and
easy-to-digest way. News articles are also
| | 01:42 | called reports, and they're usually
written in a neutral tone. They can be about
| | 01:47 | anything: a power outage, a
business meeting, or a baseball game.
| | 01:51 | A third kind of article is the review,
| | 01:55 | in the consumer space you see these
for movies, restaurants, and the like.
| | 01:59 | But reviews are also popular in technical
publications, for example for computer hardware.
| | 02:05 | They're about things that are already
in the market or that soon will be.
| | 02:09 | They range from a 100 to 2,000 words, with
the reviewer giving opinions based on
| | 02:14 | experience with the product.
| | 02:17 | Some reviews are comparative, where
writer looks at several objects of the same
| | 02:21 | class and then ranks them against each other.
| | 02:24 | So reviews are matters of opinion.
| | 02:27 | The commentary is another type of
opinionated article, but instead of being
| | 02:31 | about a product, it's written in
response to a news event or a social situation.
| | 02:37 | Like news articles, commentaries tend
to be punchy and short, and of course
| | 02:42 | they're written to persuade you
to agree with a point of view.
| | 02:46 | Commentaries are usually set aside
from news items to clearly delineate
| | 02:50 | facts from opinions.
| | 02:52 | In a newspaper, you find commentary on
the opinions and editorials page or what's
| | 02:57 | often called the op-ed page.
| | 02:59 | A plea to vote for or against a
certain law would be an example of a
| | 03:04 | commentary article.
| | 03:06 | The most opinionated type of article is
written to promote a product, event, or idea.
| | 03:12 | Such articles vary in how much they
admit to their own bias. Some will openly
| | 03:17 | gush about the item in question, while
others will use neutral-sounding language
| | 03:21 | in order to hide their bias.
| | 03:24 | The most important thing about
promotional articles is that they have to be easy
| | 03:28 | to read, because you want the
promotional message to go straight from your page
| | 03:32 | to the reader's minds.
| | 03:34 | An example of a promotional article
might be one written for a free magazine
| | 03:38 | that's given out at a trade show.
| | 03:40 | On the other end of the
spectrum are research articles.
| | 03:44 | These typically appear in academic
and technical journals and as such, they
| | 03:49 | expose a very specific audience to a
single topic, in depth, and describing
| | 03:54 | original discoveries. They tend to
be quite long, and they follow a very
| | 03:58 | well-defined format.
| | 04:01 | Research articles are almost always
written by subject matter experts, or SMEs as
| | 04:06 | they're sometimes called.
| | 04:08 | An example would be a piece about how
to apply mathematical equation to reduce
| | 04:13 | electricity consumption.
| | 04:15 | Lastly, we come to how-to articles
which are very popular in magazines. Their
| | 04:21 | purpose is to teach the
reader how to do a specific task.
| | 04:24 | They're usually written as a series of
steps, and they're addressed directly to
| | 04:28 | the reader. Examples would be things
like seven ways to speed up your website or
| | 04:33 | how to turn your bathroom into a sauna.
| | 04:36 | Now, although you probably won't write
articles of all these varieties, it's a
| | 04:40 | good idea to become familiar with them.
Having a sense of standard formats will
| | 04:45 | help you adapt your writing to what
clients and readers expect, and can help you
| | 04:50 | find new opportunities for your writing.
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| Exploring where articles are published| 00:00 | The market for articles is much
bigger than people think, because most
| | 00:04 | publications that carry them have small
audiences. But those little publications
| | 00:09 | can pay just as well as the big ones,
so it's worth knowing about the whole
| | 00:13 | range of opportunities.
| | 00:15 | One hidden market for articles is in
publications produced by organizations
| | 00:19 | and read only by their members.
Most such publications are small, but some are
| | 00:24 | astonishingly huge.
| | 00:26 | In fact the magazine with the largest
circulation in the United States is AARP
| | 00:31 | the Magazine, which is sent to 22
million members of the American Association of
| | 00:36 | Retired Persons. That's bigger than
Reader's Digest, People, Time, Sports
| | 00:41 | Illustrated, and TV Guide put together.
| | 00:46 | Another market is limited-
circulation publications.
| | 00:49 | These are the ones distributed to
specific audiences but not sold directly
| | 00:53 | to the general public.
| | 00:55 | Airline magazines fall into this
category and again, their circulations can
| | 00:59 | be really impressive.
| | 01:01 | The monthly magazine for Southwest Airlines
has a circulation of about half a million.
| | 01:07 | One market where I have personally
done well is with corporations who need
| | 01:10 | articles to promote their ideas and products.
| | 01:13 | Your article might appear on their
website and in other company publications, or
| | 01:18 | it's possible that the company's PR
department might arrange for it to appear in
| | 01:21 | a mainstream publication.
| | 01:23 | That's what's sometimes called a
contributed article, and that's the type of
| | 01:27 | article you'll find is
the example for this course.
| | 01:30 | Another market for articles is
found in internal publications, such as
| | 01:34 | employee newsletters.
| | 01:36 | Again, it's a big market.
| | 01:38 | There are about a thousand
companies in the United States with over
| | 01:42 | 10,000 employees each.
| | 01:44 | If you have connections within the
big enterprise, consider talking to your
| | 01:47 | contacts there to learn about, or
even create, opportunities for writing.
| | 01:53 | Finally, there are the mainstream
publications, the ones you see on newsstand
| | 01:57 | shelves. But the competition is fierce
and in my experience the pay often isn't
| | 02:01 | as good as for the less famous outlets.
| | 02:04 | Fame versus money is generally the
trade-off you'll make when writing articles.
| | 02:08 | I found that some of the best paying
gigs have been for pieces that didn't even
| | 02:12 | have my name on them or that
were read only by a small audience.
| | 02:16 | Now, some writers are afraid that they
lack of specialized knowledge to write for
| | 02:20 | those nonmainstream publications,
but the important thing is that you can
| | 02:24 | collect and convey information in the
way that they need it. You really don't
| | 02:29 | need to be an expert.
| | 02:30 | I'll talk more about how to research
unfamiliar subjects later in this course.
| | 02:35 | Now that you know where the markets are,
I'll tell you how to connect with them
| | 02:38 | and how to get started on your first assignment.
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3. Taking the AssignmentFinding article-writing assignments| 00:01 | There are several ways to find
assignments, but they boil down to two very
| | 00:04 | different methods: personal
connections and direct pitches.
| | 00:08 | The first method is where you talk to
people you already know and find out if
| | 00:12 | you can write an article for them.
That's how I got my first freelance article
| | 00:16 | writing jobs way back in 1995.
| | 00:19 | I had a job writing short product
summaries for the online department of
| | 00:23 | a publishing company.
| | 00:25 | When that job ended I just walked across
the hall to the magazine department and
| | 00:29 | pitched my full-length articles to the
editors I had already gotten to know there.
| | 00:34 | In my case I was already working at
a publisher, so my path was pretty
| | 00:38 | obvious, but again, a lot of the market for
article writing is in companies and organizations.
| | 00:45 | The best situation is when your
colleagues already have a need for articles; you
| | 00:49 | just need to let them know
that you're ready to do the job.
| | 00:52 | Now, if you know any editors or
publishers, certainly you should tell them that
| | 00:56 | you're available as well. Even if they
don't have work for you right away, it's
| | 01:00 | a small community and their good word could
lead to work with one of their colleagues.
| | 01:06 | On that note, don't be shy about putting the
word out to your entire network of contacts.
| | 01:12 | If you're writing as a freelancer, I
suggest you take a look at my course
| | 01:15 | Freelancing Fundamentals for a
little bit more on this topic.
| | 01:19 | But let's say you've exhausted those
venues or are trying to write in an area
| | 01:25 | where you don't have any contacts yet.
| | 01:27 | That means you're going to have to
pitch the publications out of the blue, what
| | 01:31 | sales people call cold calling.
| | 01:33 | If there's a specific publication
you want to write for, you first have to
| | 01:38 | understand its needs.
| | 01:40 | For that there's no substitute for
looking at the publication itself.
| | 01:44 | I talk more about how to do that in
the video "Taking on an assignment."
| | 01:48 | If you don't have a specific
publication in mind, check out Writer's Market.
| | 01:53 | You'll have to pay to access it,
but that could save you a lot of time.
| | 01:58 | If you don't want to pay, there's a good
chance your local library has the print version.
| | 02:02 | Now, some publications will actually tell
you how they want you to send them your
| | 02:06 | proposals. Just search their websites
for the phrase "writers' guidelines" or
| | 02:10 | "submission guidelines."
| | 02:12 | There are also some databases of
writers guidelines online, for example the
| | 02:16 | ones at writerswrite.com
and freelancewriting.com.
| | 02:21 | Once you've identified the publication,
you'll need to find the right person to pitch.
| | 02:26 | If it's not in any of the sources I
just mentioned, check the publication's
| | 02:29 | masthead--that is its list of writers
and editors. mastheads.org reposts that
| | 02:35 | information for some of the biggest
publications. Then you have to write a
| | 02:40 | really great query letter.
| | 02:42 | Now, that's a big subject in itself,
but it breaks down to just three points:
| | 02:47 | first write a meaningful subject line;
second get to the point in the first
| | 02:52 | sentence, because editors are busy people;
third, say what the article is and why
| | 02:58 | it fits their publication--the
more specific you can be the better.
| | 03:03 | I've written a sample pitch for the example
article we are using throughout this course.
| | 03:06 | You'll find it in the exercise files.
| | 03:09 | So, there are other two very
different ways of getting assignments.
| | 03:14 | When you talk to your colleagues
you'll start out vague and then feel out
| | 03:17 | where there's a match between your
writing and their needs. But when you pitch a
| | 03:21 | publication directly you
should be very specific.
| | 03:25 | As you get better known, these two
worlds will ideally grow together.
| | 03:29 | The hope is that colleagues will get
to know your specific strengths and
| | 03:32 | publications will start to
pitch you with their ideas.
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| Taking on an assignment| 00:00 | This video is where you gather details
on how the article will be produced.
| | 00:05 | Give this process the attention it deserves.
| | 00:07 | A little time invested now will help
you write the article confidently, and it's
| | 00:11 | more likely that the
results will satisfy your client.
| | 00:13 | While every assignment is different, I
put together a list of questions that are
| | 00:18 | common to most articles;
| | 00:20 | it's in this video's exercise file.
| | 00:23 | We'll fill it out now for the fictional
assignments I'll work on throughout the
| | 00:26 | rest of this course.
| | 00:28 | Here's the scenario.
| | 00:29 | Roux Academy is a 150-year-old degree-
granting art school in New York City.
| | 00:35 | One way it reaches prospective
students is through the high schools, for
| | 00:38 | example with posters in high
school music and arts departments.
| | 00:43 | Research by the Academy's public
relations staff found that many high school
| | 00:46 | students will choose an art school
based on their teacher's recommendations,
| | 00:51 | so now they're trying to get the academy's
name in front of those teachers even more.
| | 00:56 | The magazine Arts Teacher International
accepted their proposal for an article
| | 01:00 | on the benefits of a music education.
| | 01:03 | The article can mention Roux Academy by
name, but you can't sell the Academy in
| | 01:07 | any really direct way.
| | 01:09 | The article will carry your byline, and
it'll include quotes from Marion Swart,
| | 01:14 | the Academy's Education Director.
| | 01:16 | So that gives us plenty of information.
| | 01:19 | Now, let's go down the list.
| | 01:21 | First is the basic stuff.
| | 01:23 | You already know where it'll be
published, in the magazine Arts
| | 01:27 | Teacher International.
| | 01:28 | Your main contact is Ali, the women in
the Academy's PR department who hired you.
| | 01:34 | She's put you in touch with Marion
your interview subject, but otherwise,
| | 01:38 | you're on your own.
| | 01:39 | The deadline for your first
thousand-word draft is in one week.
| | 01:44 | The procedure after you
turn in your draft is this.
| | 01:47 | Ali will review it, and you'll have
time to implement her revisions before the
| | 01:51 | magazine's deadline, which is a week later.
| | 01:53 | Ali will then submit it to the magazine itself.
| | 01:57 | The goal is to encourage readers of
Arts Teacher International to remember the
| | 02:01 | name Roux Academy in a positive way
when they talk with their students.
| | 02:07 | The next step is to dive deeper into
the publication, because a contributed
| | 02:11 | article like this one really has two
masters: there's your client, which in this
| | 02:16 | case is Roux Academy, and the publication itself.
| | 02:20 | Your article should fit in with what
they already publish, and you'll only find
| | 02:24 | that out through an examination of past issues.
| | 02:28 | So the next step is to take a good
hard look at the magazine itself.
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| Dissecting the publication| 00:01 | When you write for a publication its
previous issues can give you a guidance on
| | 00:05 | tone, style, and all the other matters
that will help you create your article.
| | 00:10 | Your job is a little harder if you're
writing for a one-off publication, or for
| | 00:14 | one that's just about to
publish its first issue.
| | 00:16 | I'll talk about that later in the video.
| | 00:19 | But first, here are some things to
look at when a previous issue does exist.
| | 00:23 | First, there are the publication's
demographics. Who's reading it? Why are they
| | 00:29 | reading it? As they read, what kinds of
ads do they see? You can actually tell a
| | 00:34 | lot about a publication just from its ads.
| | 00:37 | Next, look for articles like the one
that you're going to write, with an eye
| | 00:40 | toward their style and form.
| | 00:42 | Are they broken into sections?
How many paragraphs are in each section?
| | 00:47 | How many words are in a typical sentence?
How often are sentences interrupted with
| | 00:52 | such things as commas or colons or
dashes? These questions are tangential to
| | 00:57 | those of voice and style.
| | 01:00 | Are sentences given from the I point
of view--that is the first person--or do
| | 01:04 | they appeal to you and they.
Look at how formal the writing is as well as.
| | 01:09 | Does it use a lot of long or unusual
words? Is their industry jargon?
| | 01:14 | Once again, your goal is to
match the publication's style.
| | 01:19 | Now, if there's no previous issue,
you'll have to answer the same questions of
| | 01:22 | demographics, form, and voice, only the
source of your answers will be different.
| | 01:29 | In that case, talk to whoever is
managing the publication: the editor, the
| | 01:33 | department manager, a webmaster, or
whoever it is that order the peace.
| | 01:38 | In those situations it's a good
idea to stay in touch with that person
| | 01:41 | while you're working on the article, just to
make sure that you stay on the right track.
| | 01:45 | But regardless of whether it's a new
or an existing publication, you'll have
| | 01:49 | to find just one more thing to make
your article really relevant to its
| | 01:53 | readers: an underlying theme.
| | 01:56 | For an example, let's take our
article about music education.
| | 02:00 | We might notice that the magazine
often covers issues of funding, perhaps
| | 02:04 | because arts teachers have to justify
their place in the budget. That is our hook.
| | 02:10 | Studying a publication's demographics,
style, and tone will tell us how to write,
| | 02:14 | but finding their underlying
theme tells us what to write.
| | 02:19 | Together they give us the keys to
writing an article that both fits the
| | 02:22 | publication and compels people to read it.
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| Determining your approach| 00:01 | The article format is similar to
the five-paragraph essay format you
| | 00:04 | might've learned in school.
| | 00:06 | In short, it starts with an
introduction that states a thesis, follows it
| | 00:10 | with three paragraphs that support that
thesis, and then wraps it all up with a conclusion.
| | 00:16 | You can often write good articles
that follow this format strictly, but the
| | 00:19 | article structure is much
more flexible than that.
| | 00:23 | First, the number of body paragraphs
will vary depending on the length of
| | 00:27 | the article itself.
| | 00:28 | In factm if it's really short, there
might not be any middle paragraphs at all.
| | 00:33 | Second, those paragraphs don't have to
follow that thesis-support-conclusion recipe.
| | 00:39 | Connections between article
paragraphs also tend to be more conversational
| | 00:43 | than in a formal essay.
| | 00:44 | They should lead the reader
gracefully from one steppingstone to the next.
| | 00:49 | Third, you might break longer
articles into sections, which are separated by
| | 00:54 | subheads. Each section is sort of like
an article in itself, and all of them tie
| | 00:59 | together under the main articles theme.
| | 01:02 | Finally, articles can diverge
completely from the essay format.
| | 01:07 | One that's increasingly popular
structures the article in a list in
| | 01:10 | what's called a listical.
| | 01:12 | You know it from articles like 10
Ways to Eat Better This Year or Five Tips
| | 01:17 | Every Graphic Designer Should Know.
| | 01:19 | The body paragraphs simply spell out the
tips that the headline promises, one by one.
| | 01:25 | The example article in this course is on
the theme The Benefits of a Music Education.
| | 01:29 | Now to me that sounds like a good
candidate for the listical approach, with an
| | 01:34 | introduction on the front
and a conclusion on the end.
| | 01:37 | Each paragraph in between
will simply list another benefit.
| | 01:41 | As always, your best source for
inspiration is the publication itself. Look at
| | 01:46 | how its existing articles are
structured and then write yours to match it.
| | 01:50 | Now that leads us to a question:
Should you write an outline before writing
| | 01:55 | the article itself?
| | 01:56 | That depends on several factors such
as how long the article is going to be,
| | 02:01 | your comfort with the subject,
and your level of experience.
| | 02:05 | But if you do decide to write an
outline, I recommend that you integrate it
| | 02:09 | with the article itself.
| | 02:11 | In other words, don't put it in one
document and then write your article in another.
| | 02:15 | Instead, use points in the outline as
paragraph openers or section headers in
| | 02:21 | the article itself.
| | 02:23 | And whatever you do, be flexible with your plans.
| | 02:26 | Some unexpected aspect of your story
might pop out during research, while other
| | 02:31 | parts become less important. But a little
planning before you start writing goes
| | 02:35 | a long way.
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|
|
4. Putting the Article TogetherResearching your work| 00:01 | Solid research brings an expert voice to
your article, even if you're not already
| | 00:05 | an expert in the subject.
| | 00:07 | Research methods fall into a few categories.
| | 00:10 | The first is one that most
people know well: web searches.
| | 00:13 | This is a good place to start, especially
if you don't know much about a subject.
| | 00:18 | Along the way browse
Wikipedia for background information.
| | 00:21 | Although some writers criticize it,
I still think it's one of the best ways to
| | 00:25 | get a broad overview of most subjects.
| | 00:29 | Going a little deeper, consider searching
for papers published in academic journals.
| | 00:33 | You can find such sources through
Google Scholar, at scholar.google.com.
| | 00:38 | Although you'll get some good links in
return, you'll probably not have access to
| | 00:42 | the actual sources
themselves, which require payment.
| | 00:46 | Google Scholar is an example of a
specialized search, but it's not the only one.
| | 00:50 | You might also benefit from patent
searches, geographical searches, and the like.
| | 00:56 | Now, it's time to take a trip to the library.
| | 00:58 | There's a good chance your local
public, college, or specialty library is a
| | 01:02 | subscriber to online
databases of specialized information.
| | 01:07 | Talk to the reference librarian for details.
| | 01:10 | Most of that stuff isn't available on
the free Internet, and it can give your
| | 01:13 | pieces unexpected depth. But all
online research is weak if your article is
| | 01:19 | about anything that predates the Internet,
| | 01:22 | and that's where physical books come in.
| | 01:25 | Again, reference librarians are there to help.
| | 01:28 | Whatever research method I use, I make
it a point to save useful information
| | 01:32 | right away when I find it, but be
careful. In some subjects there's a lot of
| | 01:37 | misinformation, and errors tend to get
repeated over and over, especially online.
| | 01:43 | So, weigh your sources carefully and
wherever appropriate, attribute them properly.
| | 01:48 | For example, you might start one
sentence, "According to a source at such and such
| | 01:53 | foundation," and then tell
the fact that you found there.
| | 01:57 | As a last research method consider
using person-to-person interviews to
| | 02:01 | gather information.
| | 02:03 | Direct quotes are a great way to liven
up an article, adding both personality and
| | 02:07 | a current outlook that you
won't get in any other way.
| | 02:11 | All of these methods serve to bolster
what you personally bring to the article.
| | 02:16 | A mixture of hard facts and your unique
voice is the value that you provide to
| | 02:21 | a publication.
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| Conducting interviews| 00:01 | Interviews are a great way to get
information from the people who know it best.
| | 00:05 | Nearly every article I write ends up
including quotes from an interview subject,
| | 00:09 | because quotes can give an article
credibility, personality, and focus.
| | 00:14 | Sometimes when I've struggled with
finding an article's hook just talking with
| | 00:18 | someone at the center of the
subject gives me exactly what I need.
| | 00:22 | Your first step is to find
appropriate people to interview.
| | 00:26 | One way is to contact people who
are quoted in similar articles.
| | 00:30 | On one hand, you know that you'll get
someone who's willing to talk with the
| | 00:33 | press, but on the other, that could
make your article seem a little like a
| | 00:37 | rehash. Going a little deeper, you might
find an expert who's mentioned in other
| | 00:42 | articles but not quoted. Or maybe
you'll find people who have established
| | 00:46 | themselves as experts in other ways.
| | 00:48 | However you identify the right
people, track them down and send emails to
| | 00:52 | ask for interviews.
| | 00:54 | I've included a template of such an
email in the exercise file for this video.
| | 00:59 | Sometimes you'll be given an interview subject.
| | 01:01 | That's the case in our example article,
where we're expected to include a quote
| | 01:05 | from a specific person.
| | 01:07 | I still recommend you treat that
interview subject like all the others, by
| | 01:10 | nailing down the details early.
| | 01:13 | Now, some subjects will want to see the
interview questions beforehand, or they'll
| | 01:17 | prefer to answer them by
email rather than in a phone call.
| | 01:21 | It's really your decision whether to do this.
| | 01:23 | In my experience an impromptu live
conversation gives me better quotes,
| | 01:28 | and sometimes it's rambling nature
leaves me to delve into areas that I
| | 01:32 | hadn't considered before.
| | 01:33 | But on the other hand, an email
interview lets those subject do background
| | 01:37 | research, and some interview subjects
may need to run there answers by other
| | 01:41 | people in their organization.
| | 01:43 | So an email interview might
be the only way to reach them.
| | 01:47 | But let's say that you
succeed in getting a voice interview.
| | 01:50 | Be ready to take notes, and if possible,
to record the call for accuracy.
| | 01:55 | It's polite, and in some cases legally
required, to let your interview subject know
| | 02:00 | that you're recording the call.
| | 02:02 | Here are a few ways to do it.
| | 02:04 | Just so you know, I'll be taking notes
well we talk, so sorry if there's a bit of
| | 02:08 | a gap from time to time.
I'll just be catching up.
| | 02:12 | Also, I'm recording this to make sure
I quote you correctly. Is that okay?
| | 02:16 | I want to make sure I get your quotes right.
Do you mind if I record this?
| | 02:19 | I will also be taking notes, but
the recording will speed things up.
| | 02:23 | I'll be typing while we talk, but I'll
also record the call, just be sure I get
| | 02:27 | your quotes right. Is that okay?
| | 02:30 | As you can see, it's not really that hard,
and it's even easier if you prepare the
| | 02:35 | interview subject ahead of
time with a friendly email.
| | 02:38 | Now, a lot of people freeze up at
the idea of talking to the media.
| | 02:42 | I think that's because reporters in
the movies are always shown shoving
| | 02:45 | microphones at people as they're
being hustled away from a courtroom.
| | 02:49 | But in reality, most interviews
with people who want to talk with you.
| | 02:53 | They might still be nervous about it,
but they'll open up if you treat the
| | 02:57 | interview like what it really is: a
conversation between two people just trying
| | 03:02 | to make a story more
interesting, thoughtful, and accurate.
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| Writing the article| 00:01 | The thing that many people find
hard about writing is something called
| | 00:04 | blank-page syndrome.
| | 00:06 | That's where you sit down to write but
then get intimidated by the enormity of
| | 00:10 | the task before you. But if you've been
following this course from the beginning,
| | 00:14 | you probably have a pretty good idea by
now of what your article will look like.
| | 00:17 | You might have even written some of it
while doing research. But you do have to
| | 00:22 | actually finish writing the thing.
| | 00:24 | Here are a few tips to help you get
the words out as strongly as possible.
| | 00:29 | The introduction, and the lead
sentence in particular, is by far the most
| | 00:33 | important part of the article.
| | 00:35 | It's where readers decide whether to
invest time reading the whole thing.
| | 00:39 | It has to encapsulate the article's
entire message and yet be concise and engaging.
| | 00:44 | Now that's a tall order, and often you
won't really know what you go into that
| | 00:49 | sentence until you're done
writing the rest of the thing.
| | 00:52 | So my advice is to just give it your
best shot and then keep writing. Don't let
| | 00:57 | the introduction stand
between you and the task at hand.
| | 01:01 | Then it's just a matter of writing more.
| | 01:03 | Even for the easiest stories though,
give yourself more time to write than you
| | 01:07 | think you'll need. Very often I'll be
in the middle of a paragraph and will
| | 01:11 | think of just one additional fact that
would make the whole thing more real, so
| | 01:15 | I have to stop writing and
find it. And that all takes time.
| | 01:19 | But you won't know your own work
patterns until you've published a few
| | 01:22 | articles. Until you get that experience, the
important thing is to get that first draft done.
| | 01:29 | Then at the end give extra attention
to the conclusion. Like the introduction,
| | 01:34 | readers will remember a conclusion
more than all that stuff in the middle,
| | 01:38 | especially if it's strong.
| | 01:40 | Then after everything else is done, go
back and revisit that first paragraph to
| | 01:44 | make it even stronger.
| | 01:46 | One common trick is to simply delete
that first sentence and then see if
| | 01:51 | it's reads any better.
| | 01:52 | A lot of writers, including me, need a
sentence or two to get into the swing of
| | 01:56 | things, and you really want that first
sentence to be as strong as possible. It's funny,
| | 02:02 | this course is about writing articles,
but this is the only video with writing
| | 02:07 | in its title. But I'll tell you
something: all of these videos are about writing.
| | 02:13 | The typing bit, the bit that most
people think of as writing, is really just
| | 02:17 | a small part of it.
| | 02:19 | Doing research, defining a structure,
interviewing people, they all pay off when
| | 02:24 | you sit down to actually write the words.
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| Meeting technical requirements| 00:01 | It's such a relief to finish a first
draft, but before you send it off to the
| | 00:05 | editor to celebrate, reviewing some
technical points will make your article more
| | 00:09 | professional and editor-friendly.
| | 00:11 | I have marked up the example article for
this video to demonstrate these points.
| | 00:16 | First, revisit the
contract or assignment letter.
| | 00:19 | Did you fulfill all its requirements.
| | 00:21 | Is your article the right length?
| | 00:23 | Generally speaking, your word count
should be between 90 and 120% of the target.
| | 00:29 | More is not necessarily better.
| | 00:31 | Are you supposed to turn in
anything besides the main text?
| | 00:35 | Editors might ask for graphics,
captions, sidebar text, footnotes, links for
| | 00:40 | further reading, an the author bio, or
even a brief summary of the article.
| | 00:44 | Did the contract say what
program the text should be in?
| | 00:49 | Some publications prefer a Microsoft
Word document, while others want text simply
| | 00:53 | pasted into the body of an email.
| | 00:56 | By the way, don't trust your word
processor's formatting to survive when you cut
| | 01:00 | and paste text. Give indicators for
bold and italics using plain text, and
| | 01:06 | describe your system in a note to the editor.
| | 01:09 | Unless they tell you to, don't use
angled brackets or HTML to indicate
| | 01:13 | formatting. It might disappear
when it passes through the publisher's
| | 01:17 | content management system.
| | 01:18 | And while you're at it, label the
inline elements--the title, sub headlines,
| | 01:24 | captions, and so on--and then finish it off
with three pound signs. That's a traditional
| | 01:29 | signal for the end of an article.
| | 01:32 | If your editors don't say otherwise,
reduce all 8-bit characters, such as curly
| | 01:37 | quotes and em dashes, to 7-bit ones.
| | 01:40 | 8-bit characters usually show up when you
press the Alt+Ctrl or Option keys while typing.
| | 01:46 | Also, Microsoft Word's default settings
will change straight quotes into curly
| | 01:50 | quotes and double dashes to em dashes.
| | 01:52 | Now, this is a problem because curly
quotes and em dashes and similar
| | 01:56 | characters often get messed up when sent
through email or moved from one type of
| | 02:01 | computer to another.
| | 02:03 | The same is true for Unicode
characters, which most often appear as non-Roman
| | 02:07 | type such as Chinese or Arabic.
| | 02:10 | Now the set of 7-bit characters--now,
these are the ones you want--includes only
| | 02:14 | letters, numbers, and simple punctuation.
| | 02:18 | You can read more about this in the
Wikipedia article on ASCII--that's A-S-C-I-I--
| | 02:23 | especially the section on ASCII's variants.
| | 02:26 | Finally, there are two more
things to do before sending it off.
| | 02:30 | If you quote people in an interview,
send them the portion of the article that
| | 02:33 | contains their quotes, just to make
sure you got them right, and especially if
| | 02:37 | you had to reword them, as is often the case.
| | 02:41 | Second, check people's titles and
the spelling of all proper names.
| | 02:45 | In particular, watch out for capitals
and spaces in the middle of company names.
| | 02:51 | Editors can tell when writers check the
draft before sending it in, because the
| | 02:54 | flaws in an unchecked draft are so
obvious. So taking the time to polish your
| | 03:00 | draft can really make you
stand out in a positive way.
| | 03:04 | Now you're ready to send it off.
| | 03:06 | The first time I work with an editor
I include the sentence "Please confirm
| | 03:10 | receipt." when I email my draft.
| | 03:12 | Then I put something in my calendar
reminding me to write or call a few days
| | 03:17 | later if they don't. But assuming they
receive everything okay, the article then
| | 03:21 | moves on to the editing and revision stage.
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|
|
5. Editing, Publishing, and Following UpManaging the revision process| 00:01 | After you hand in your article, there's
usually some back and forth among you,
| | 00:05 | editors, and maybe some other folks.
| | 00:07 | Some publications will just skip this
step and run your article as it is without
| | 00:12 | any revision process.
| | 00:13 | That's one more reason to
double-check your draft.
| | 00:16 | It might be exactly what
represents you in print.
| | 00:20 | Before talking about the kinds of edits
you're likely to see, let's review some
| | 00:23 | of the jargon that editors might throw at you.
| | 00:26 | At the top of your story is the hed,
or headline. There might be a secondary
| | 00:30 | headline as well, known as the dek.
| | 00:33 | Then comes the lede, that
all-important leading sentence.
| | 00:37 | It usually launches the nut graf,
which summarizes the article's main point.
| | 00:41 | The nut graf could also come later,
as is the case in our example article.
| | 00:46 | Longer articles will be broken up
with subheads, a term that sometimes used
| | 00:50 | for the dek as well.
| | 00:52 | Finally, stories end
with a kicker or a conclusion.
| | 00:55 | If any information is missing, you mark
its place with TK, which stands for to come.
| | 01:02 | Now, the funny thing about these terms is
that almost all of them are misspelled.
| | 01:06 | It's just a little editor's humor
that's passed down through the generations.
| | 01:10 | Now that we've got that out of the way,
let's move on to common types of edits you'll get.
| | 01:15 | I have included examples of all of
these in the exercise file. But the simplest
| | 01:20 | is copy editing, where editors change such
things as punctuation and word usages to
| | 01:24 | bring your writing in
line with their expectations.
| | 01:27 | It's comparatively minor stuff and
editors often won't think it's necessary to
| | 01:31 | let you approve or even see their copy edits.
| | 01:35 | Slightly more serious are the rephrasings, where
editors change sentences to make them clearer.
| | 01:41 | Restructuring edits happen when editors
move or cut entire sentences and paragraphs.
| | 01:47 | Now, at this point, the editors should
check with you to make sure that these
| | 01:50 | changes don't destroy the cloth that the
article's made from. But ultimately, once
| | 01:55 | the article is out of your
hands, it's out of your control.
| | 01:59 | You can only protect your article in
two ways. Check it as much as possible
| | 02:03 | before sending it in and establish good
communication with the editors so they
| | 02:08 | feel free to contact you
during the revision process.
| | 02:12 | Finally, we come to the most serious
kinds of edits. A redirection happens when
| | 02:16 | the editor comes back and says
something like, "This article should also cover
| | 02:20 | such and such," or "This should be written
with a more neutral tone." Redirections,
| | 02:26 | whether to cover new material or to
change your article's tone, mean you'll have
| | 02:30 | to do some heavy rewriting.
| | 02:32 | Again, dialogue with the editors to
help you get it right the second time.
| | 02:37 | If they asked for more than two rounds
of revisions, there might be a problem
| | 02:41 | that requires either some
negotiation or an agreement to simply disagree.
| | 02:46 | You might find that you just can't
deliver what an editor is looking for and you
| | 02:49 | may need to part ways.
| | 02:51 | It's a painful process and it's
something I've had to do before. It happens.
| | 02:56 | Some assignment contracts include a
provision for partial payment if an
| | 03:00 | article gets killed.
| | 03:01 | In fact, it's called a kill fee.
But I try not to worry about such things.
| | 03:06 | I prefer to trust editors to know what
they want, and then I make a good-faith
| | 03:10 | effort to give it to them.
| | 03:12 | Experience and the advice of other
writers can guide you in deciding what
| | 03:16 | revisions are fair and reasonable.
| | 03:19 | And indeed, most editors I have
worked with have been both thoughtful and
| | 03:22 | judicious with their requests. Even
when I disagreed with them, I've been happy
| | 03:26 | to do their revisions, because to me,
requests for revisions are a sign that I'm
| | 03:31 | working with a professional
organization that takes my writing seriously.
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| Integrating your article with a complex project| 00:01 | Most of this course assumes that
you'll get the assignment, write it, turn
| | 00:04 | it in, revise a bit, and then just move on,
but the real world is not always so simple.
| | 00:10 | Things can get complicated when your
article is part of a bigger project,
| | 00:14 | especially if it's a new kind of
project for you or the publisher.
| | 00:18 | So let's pretend that our example
article isn't for an established magazine;
| | 00:22 | instead, it's for the
first issue of a newsletter.
| | 00:25 | Now, earlier, I said that you should
make your article's style, tone, and format
| | 00:30 | match those of articles that have
already been published, but with a new
| | 00:33 | publication or one that's lacked
consistency, you don't have such guidelines.
| | 00:38 | Now, I personally see that as an
opportunity to put my stamp on a new
| | 00:42 | publication. But it is extra work.
| | 00:45 | For example, the print layout might
not be finalized, so they won't know how
| | 00:50 | much space your article has to fill.
That will affect how many words you need
| | 00:54 | to write, the number of illustrations,
whether you should include captions, and so forth.
| | 00:58 | A different issue arises when the
publisher hasn't really settled their procedures.
| | 01:04 | For example, some publications
internally handle articles using an online
| | 01:08 | content management system, but it
takes a while to work out the bugs, both
| | 01:13 | human and technical.
| | 01:15 | Finally, you might come across
communication problems caused by a bad corporate
| | 01:19 | structure or maybe by an
individual persons who's holding things up.
| | 01:24 | That's a lot of challenges, but one
thing to remember is that it's not your job
| | 01:28 | as a writer to solve them all.
| | 01:30 | You just have to get pass the obstacles
that prevent you from delivering your article.
| | 01:36 | The key is to change things so you're
not depending on some other person or
| | 01:39 | event to do your job.
| | 01:41 | So let's look at those.
| | 01:43 | Questions of style, tone, and format are
best answered by whoever's in charge of
| | 01:47 | the project's vision.
| | 01:49 | Figure out who you ultimately have to
satisfy; then have a chat with that person
| | 01:53 | to work out such details.
| | 01:56 | For a new publication, I would see if
they would be willing to look at my work
| | 02:00 | while it's in progress, just to make
sure I'm going in the right direction.
| | 02:04 | For missing assets and elements, first
talk to the project manager to confirm
| | 02:08 | that those items really
are needed for your article.
| | 02:11 | If you still have doubts, you could have
placeholder text such as "A short list of
| | 02:16 | links in the sidebar would
go well here; please advise."
| | 02:19 | Doing that does two things:
| | 02:22 | it gives them ideas to help them
solve the problem, and it shows that you're
| | 02:26 | ready to deliver when everything settles down.
| | 02:29 | If procedures are weak and nonexistent,
your work can get buried or forgotten.
| | 02:35 | My solution is to tell them what I'm going to
do, then do it, then tell them what I just did.
| | 02:40 | Be loud but polite, and be ready to
adapt to new procedures as they develop.
| | 02:46 | You might have to make policy decisions,
you know the sorts of things that would
| | 02:49 | normally be spelled out at a
more established publication.
| | 02:53 | If so, make them as best as you can
with two goals in mind: to complete the
| | 02:57 | project and to protect your own interests.
| | 03:02 | As with so many things in life,
communication will solve a lot of problems.
| | 03:06 | That will ideally be two-way communications.
But even if you're not getting prompt or
| | 03:11 | satisfying responses, a stream of
outgoing communication shows that you're
| | 03:16 | fulfilling your part of the project.
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| Following up| 00:01 | There are a few things I like to do
after handing in an article's final revision.
| | 00:05 | They aren't really about writing per se,
but following through will help you
| | 00:08 | keep track of clients, build your
business, and improve your writing processes.
| | 00:13 | Now, not all will be relevant to you,
especially if you wrote the article as a part
| | 00:17 | of the steady job and you don't
plan to build a writing business.
| | 00:21 | Still, these steps don't take much
time, and they could help you out later.
| | 00:25 | I have broken them into three categories:
Record, Plan, and Communicate. First, Record.
| | 00:33 | You should already be keeping track of
business contacts in an address book.
| | 00:37 | Now, add to it everyone who is
involved with your article: the person who
| | 00:42 | assigned it, its editors, and everyone
you interviewed for it. Be sure to say
| | 00:46 | who each person is, or you're likely to
forget after you've collected a few hundred names.
| | 00:52 | Also, file your materials in a systematic way.
| | 00:55 | I separate my writing by client, and each
client section on my computer there are
| | 01:00 | folders labeled Current and Completed.
| | 01:02 | When a pieces done it's a simple
matter of checking everything over and then
| | 01:06 | moving it into the
Completed folder. Next, Plan.
| | 01:11 | If your publisher told you when the
article is going to appear, make a note in
| | 01:14 | your calendar to check for
it a few days after that date.
| | 01:18 | Then when it does appear, grab a digital
copy for your online portfolio and ask
| | 01:23 | for a paper copy if there's a printed version.
| | 01:26 | If you're getting paid for the article,
note expected payment date as well, and be
| | 01:30 | prepared to follow up if you
haven't gotten your money by then.
| | 01:34 | By the way, the publication might expect
you to send them an invoice. Check with
| | 01:38 | your contact there if you're not sure.
| | 01:41 | I also record the payment amount
in my accounting program so I can
| | 01:45 | plan upcoming cash flow.
| | 01:47 | Finally, Communicate.
| | 01:50 | Make sure that nobody is expecting
anything else from you, such as that
| | 01:54 | invoice that I mentioned.
| | 01:56 | Also, get back in touch with your
interview sources when the article comes out.
| | 02:00 | They'll really appreciate it,
especially if you can send them a link to
| | 02:03 | the published piece.
| | 02:04 | While we are at it, also send notes to
others who have shown an interest in the article.
| | 02:09 | For example, let's say you just
published an article about how to learn a
| | 02:13 | foreign language quickly. Why not
give a copy to the linguistics professor
| | 02:17 | you've gotten to know at the local coffee shop?
| | 02:20 | You never know what that contact might lead.
| | 02:23 | Along the same lines, be prepared to
use your newly published article as a
| | 02:27 | calling card to show potential
clients or your boss the kind of quality
| | 02:32 | writing that you can do.
| | 02:34 | One other thing might be
necessary after your article appears.
| | 02:37 | You might have to respond to reader
comments, both on the publisher's site and
| | 02:41 | in your private email.
| | 02:43 | But be careful about this. People can
be incredibly rude in online comments, and
| | 02:49 | you'll have to avoid the
temptation to respond in kind.
| | 02:52 | Check with the publisher if
you're not sure what to do.
| | 02:54 | After you've wrapped up the
project, you are truly done.
| | 02:59 | This after-the-article work
doesn't take long, and I find it
| | 03:02 | personally satisfying.
| | 03:04 | It gives me the closure that I need
to congratulate myself and move on to
| | 03:08 | the next article.
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ConclusionNext steps| 00:01 | I hope this course helps you bring your
article from concept to publication and
| | 00:05 | that you're ready to take on any
other assignments that come your way.
| | 00:08 | If you would like to go further, here
are some resources that could help you.
| | 00:12 | The best way to find out about the
industry is to be active in it. Start
| | 00:17 | by checking out the journalism
organizations listed by the American
| | 00:19 | Journalism Review at ajr.org.
| | 00:22 | You'll probably also get a lot of views
from other links under their Resources menu.
| | 00:27 | I found a nicely annotated list of
groups in an article by Jeremy Porter: 30
| | 00:32 | Organizations Dedicated to
Keeping Journalism Great.
| | 00:35 | It's on journalistics.com, which has
lots of great posts about both journalism
| | 00:40 | and public relations.
| | 00:42 | As you move forward, you will want
to educate yourself about legalities
| | 00:46 | surrounding journalism.
| | 00:47 | A good place read up on that is the
Citizen Media Law Project's Legal Guide.
| | 00:53 | For a concise overview, scroll to the
bottom of that page and click Risks
| | 00:57 | Associated with Publication.
| | 01:00 | Finally, there are several lynda.com
courses to get you better at both using
| | 01:04 | writers' tools and running a writer's business.
| | 01:07 | It's hard to say which of the business
courses you'll find most useful, as that
| | 01:10 | depends on your specific situation,
but five that I think are universally
| | 01:14 | relevant are Time Management
Fundamentals, Negotiation Fundamentals, Managing
| | 01:20 | Your Career, Building Your
Professional Network, and Freelancing Fundamentals.
| | 01:27 | As for tools, lynda.com has courses that
cover many of the ones you'll use. Among
| | 01:32 | them are courses on Microsoft Word,
Google Drive, and calendar programs such as
| | 01:36 | Outlook and Google Calendar.
| | 01:38 | Also check out the lynda.com course on
Evernote, a tool which is popular among writers.
| | 01:44 | Above all, keep reading articles
wherever you find them, and keep an eye out for
| | 01:49 | changes in the market that could lead
to better opportunities or a chance to
| | 01:52 | improve your skills.
| | 01:54 | Thanks for watching Writing Articles.
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