Whether you
are doing it for a website, teacher, newspaper, or magazine, writing a great
article is within your reach. Below are a few basic tips that can help you
improve your article writing skills
tremendously and come up with pieces that are not only informative but
interesting as well.
Step 1:
Coming up With Your Idea
It is
crucial that you start by identifying your audience before you start writing.
There are different types of audiences and each of them has different
requirements. For example the pre-teen audience requires a different type of
writing compared to the academic audience.
Upon
audience identification, you need to learn their needs. Look at your knowledge
levels and see how they match up with the information needs of your target
needs. This is probably the easiest way for you to find that topic you should
write about. Another great source for ideas is carrying out extensive research
into a topic that you do not have much information about.
An important
article writing skill you should
cultivate includes the capability to produce unique material. This is
especially pivotal if writing on a topic other people have also written about.
It is important that you add to the topic conversation and not merely exist
alongside. This helps draw in your readers, keeping them coming back later for
more. This can be easily achieved by:
·
Writing your topic from an angle that no one has
ever written before. This includes using a visual approach, different tone or
employing several methods of altering your material.
·
Adding new ideas to your topic. This includes offering
or suggesting information that is fresh in your niche industry.
It is also
crucial that you care about your topic. The enthusiasm you have will definitely
show and the article will become more engaging to your readers. You are also
likely to influence them into caring about something they never really gave a
thought to before, including historical concepts or current events.
Step 2:
Researching Your Ideas
Start with
learning the basic, general explanations of whatever niche topic you are
looking to write on. This provides you with a framework on what you should look
for as you carry out research. Sources of information include books, interviews
with knowledgeable persons in the field of interest, general information
websites, or even newspaper articles.
Once you
have an idea of what you are looking for, use the library, watch documentaries
or browse the internet to learn everything about your topic. In other words, be
an expert. Make use of various types of materials available, including charts
and photographs, to add depth to your articles.
Step 3:
Writing Your Article
Decide the
length of your article. Ask yourself what is more important, word count or
number of pages filled. The content type you are writing about, space to be
filled, as well as how much you should write to cover your topic adequately are
important elements that should be considered before writing the article.
As you
write, follow the basic steps below:
1.
Create an outline of your article breaking down
what information goes where.
2.
Determine the voice, structure and style you
would like to use in your writing.
3.
Write your article.
4.
Edit your piece before submitting it and if
possible wait a day or two before editing to help you better see the mistakes
and correct them.
5.
Make the article better using charts, pictures,
videos and other materials.
6.
Respect other writers by citing them at the
bottom of your article and not plagiarizing their work.
7.
Once you have completed your work, submit it in
the manner prescribed.
Article writing is likely to invite various
reactions from other people, the best way to get over this is to ignore it and
accept it as part of life.
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