Credit: Google Images/https://www.youngwriters.co.uk

You’ve finished your query for an article you’d like to write and you’re looking for a magazine (or several magazines) to buy it. What next? Here are several tips for turning out a great article that stands a good chance of getting published in a magazine — if you do your homework.

Get All Your Ducks in a Row

Creating an outline for your article idea is an effective writing tool. It helps you organize your thoughts on the topic and break it down into workable pieces (e.g., the introduction, the body, the conclusion). I assume you’ve done some research or made some notes on your article idea. Take that information and use whatever is most relevant to the article. These can become your guides, or main headings, to the layout of the article. If necessary, create subheadings to ensure you have enough content for each section of the article. 

Make It Strong, Make It Flow

I’ve touched on this in several previous blog posts – it’s vital that you use strong verbs (not passive tense), tight writing (say what you mean with as few words as possible) and use specific language (in other words, no fillers and crutch words).

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences. – Strunk and White, from The Elements of Style

An article that flows well will allow the reader to move seamlessly through the information. Pay attention to your paragraphs. Does the beginning of each new paragraph herald new information, a new and related topic? With reader attention spans even shorter, keep each paragraph to an easily digestible length.

Editors appreciate writers who turn in succinct articles. If you write 1000 words, cut it down to 500. Then cut it down to 250, maintaining the heart of the article. Your article may contain lots of great information but whittling it down to its salient points will grab the editor’s attention (as well as readers). Choose words carefully. Write only what is relevant.

Vague words dilute your writing and weaken the points and information you are conveying. William Zinsser in his book On Writing Well states, “Don’t say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be confused. Be tired. Be depressed. Be annoyed. Don’t hedge your prose with timidities. Good writing is lean and confident.” – Kerrie Flanagan in Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing (2018)

Remember, be specific and use strong verbs:

Credit: strong verbs from Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing (2018)

Fact-Checking Isn’t Always Fun But It’s Necessary

Nowadays, almost everyone relies on Google and Bing search engines to find information. Problem is, too many people assume that what is found online is true and fact-based. This is a fallacy and can doom your article. Be thorough in your research, especially in fact-checking any nonfiction information in your article.

One great source is public libraries; librarians can help you find and verify the information or steer you in the proper direction. There are a multitude of online clearing houses that provide factual information, such as the Library of Congress/National Archives. It’s probably one of the most complete library systems in the world, where you can find millions of bits of information based in fact.

In Conclusion

Now that you have a good idea of where to start, there’s nothing stopping you from getting that article published. There are thousands of magazines out there and I’m sure somebody wants to print your work (I think I’m saying this more to myself than to you, dear readers).

A new year is headed our way — a tabula rosa, if you will (look, I used a Latin phrase, wink wink). A clean slate. A fresh start. Get writing and you have a better chance of getting published than if you don’t write. Right? 🙂 

Credit: Google Images

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