Writing Your Magazine Article: The Details

 
How do you write your magazine article? Let’s explore the details in this article. As a long-time journalist writing for different publications and a former magazine editor, I’m intimately acquainted with the elements for these articles.

If you've written a query letter, then you've already written the opening for your article. Share on X Otherwise, the first step in the writing is to create a motivating opening story. The key phrase is to make it motivating. The opening has to propel the reader into the rest of the article so they can’t stop reading.

Here’s one example from my own personal story: “I’ve gone to church most of my life but I lived off my parent’s faith until half way through my sophomore year in college.” How is that? Would it propel you to keep reading? Probably not.

Here’s the way my story began in a published article, “I slapped the snooze alarm for the third time and finally opened my eyes at Chi Phi, my fraternity house. Last night had been a late one. After covering an evening speech and interview for the school paper, I worked frantically on the story until just before midnight, when I dropped it into the hands of a waiting editor.”

Compare these two examples. Notice the detail in the second version. I am not telling you about the experience, I am showing you. Repeatedly the writing books and teachers say, “Show don’t tell.” They are saying to include dialogue and the type of detail for a story which will propel the reader into the article.

After writing the opening for the article, how do you continue? If you’ve done your research for the article, you will not write 2,000 words for a publication that only takes 500 word articles. Because you have a target length for your article, this word count helps give definition for your plan.

Also if you’ve done your research, you’ve thought about the article and focused it. Can you summarize the point of the article into a single sentence? Complete the sentence: My article is about _____. After you’ve written this sentence, never wander away from this goal. Sometimes in articles, I saw at Decision, the author would begin well then wander around and finally conclude. The articles lacked focus and the sentence statement will help you keep the article on track.

For each magazine piece, I write from an outline. Normally my article will have a number of points or illustrations. A standard outline would be: the problem, the possible solutions and your solution. If you’re writing about a person, your outline might include different aspects of the person’s life such as childhood, life before Christ and life after Christ. Write out the different points for your outline. When I write a short story, I use the same approach. What is the beginning, middle and ending? An outline keeps the writer focused on the goal of the article.

Also be realistic with yourself and your writing life. Share on X Can you only write for thirty minutes a day or maybe it is only ten minutes? Are you motivated to write the entire article in one session? Possibly you write only one point from your outline during aeach session. Whatever your writing goal, the point is to write consistently and keep moving the article toward completion.

After you’ve written the article, put it away for a period of time. If you are on a tight deadline, that might involve eating lunch and then returning to it. If you have the time, you might want several days or a week. When you return to your article, read it out loud. The ear is less forgiving than the eye. Reading it out loud, will point out areas for you to revise and rewrite.

The focus of your entire article will be that single sentence and keep your article in a tightly written story. It is just what the reader (and editor) needs.

________________________________________

1. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor, Whalin has written for more than 50 publications including Christianity Today and Writer’s Digest. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His latest book is Billy Graham, A Biography of America’s Greatest Evangelist and the book website is at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com Watch the short book trailer for Billy Graham at: http://bit.ly/BillyGrahamBT His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin