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How to write an article

By Kes Cross, Editor

The Internet has become most people’s primary source of information. As an interactive communication tool, it has also encouraged more people to contribute in the form of articles. While many of these are informative, interesting and well written, the real trouble is that the casual viewer has to spend a disproportionate amount of time scanning through the detritus to find the diamonds. So how do you make sure that your article is one of the diamonds?

Structure

Firstly, get the basics right. For professional journalists, writing articles is as natural as breathing, but for the uninitiated developing an article’s structure can be confusing. As with any ‘story’, a good article has to have a beginning, middle and end. So let’s break it down further:

• Beginning – the very first line of your article has to grab the reader’s attention. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘hook in’ or lead in. It forms the basis of your first paragraph, which should be short, comprehensive and give the reader the basics of the content. Think of the first paragraph you would see in a newspaper or magazine article and use this as your template. At this point, if you have an opinion you want to get across, hold back on stating that opinion until later. The purpose of your intro paragraph is to draw the reader in and encourage them to read on.

• Middle – once you’ve got your intro out of the way, you can move on to the body of the article. This is where you can present your argument, facts, statistics and counter arguments. If there are two sides to a particular subject, present both in equal measure so that your reader has the opportunity to make up their own mind. Articles are not ‘editorial comments’ – they should adopt a neutral tone that, unless your article is part of a campaign or has been briefed to be bias in one direction, does not force the reader to adopt a particular standpoint.

With a 500 word article (the average length), you should be aiming to make your middle section the largest of the three, making up approximately 60-70% of the article body

• End – the conclusion of the article allows you the opportunity to sum up briefly the main body of the piece and also to present your own opinion (if you have one) on the subject. Adding in a ‘call to action’ is also an option. For example, if you are planning a series of articles on one subject, you could at this point encourage your reader to do further research by reading the next in your series of pieces. This is a blog technique that translates easily over to article writing and can ensure that your readership remains loyal to you.

Do your research

Writing about a subject you are passionate about is easy – you already have an interest and probably a great deal of knowledge on the subject matter, but the old saying that ‘everything you know is wrong’ should never be far from your thoughts. Check your facts carefully. Nothing will ruin your reputation as an article writer more quickly than work that is filled with inaccuracies or facts that are just plain wrong. If you are called upon to write about a topic that you know little about, don’t just launch into the writing process in the misguided belief that you can ‘wing it’. Your readers are smart, intelligent people. They are reading your article because they have an interest in the subject. So it better be right factually or they are going to know instantly that someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about is writing it. Not only will this reflect badly on you as a writer, but if you are writing on behalf of a client it will also portray them in a less than positive light. There’s more than one reputation at stake here, so shoulder your responsibility and do your research.

Don’t just take one source at face value, either. Wikipedia is a wonderful resource but it’s a free access site, which means anyone can add pages without them being factually accurate. Wiki is currently considering an editorial process, but until this is in place cross-reference any information you get from this or any other site to make sure the facts are accurate.

Dos and don’ts

• Do – get your facts right.
• Don’t – rely on a single source for research
• Do – assume that your readers are intelligent, ‘clued up’ and quite capable of spotting errors
• Don’t ­– try ‘winging it’; you’ll get caught out every time
• Do – structure your article with a beginning, middle and end and ensure that the copy flows, presenting both sides of an argument and drawing conclusions from evidence, not conjecture
• Don’t  - ramble on. A ‘stream of consciousness’ style is difficult to read, boring and will lose you readers very quickly. Keep your article concise, to the point and don’t be afraid to use bullet points to lay out the fundamentals
• Do – use spellchecker! Nothing will destroy your article’s credibility quicker than if it is peppered with spelling or grammatical errors. But beware – spellchecker sometimes has some very odd ideas as to what is good grammar, so if you’re serious about article writing make sure you also have a good quality dictionary to hand and a thorough understanding of English grammar.
• Don’t – be tempted to ‘be funny’. Humour is a visceral thing – what is funny to you may be completely lost on someone else. Too much humour in an article can also damage its credibility for being an informative, trustworthy source of information. Don’t let your writing get too dry, but humorous asides should be kept to an absolute minimum to maintain your professional tone.
• Do – write about what you know or subjects that interests you. Your natural affinity with the subject will come across in the way you write.

Finally, do have fun. Writing is addictive – once you start and get a feel for the structure, flow and tone of article writing, it really does become as natural as breathing. The more you practice the better you become and the more satisfying the results.

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