How to Be a Journalist- Top Freelance Tips
Structure of an Article - Follow a Logical Line of Thought
Apr 15, 2008
An article has four general parts. This is just a rough guide and you will probably come across articles that don't adhere to this format. But, overall, this is the structure of most articles and is a good format to follow when you are just starting out.
Journalism - Top Freelance Tips re Titles
Think of titles as headlines for your articles. Newspapers rely on good headlines to sell papers - magazines do the same - good titles will often appear on the front of the magazine.
- a good title should give an indication of what the article is about.
- a good title can also influence an editor's decision on whether or not to accept your article, especially in query letters.
- think about titles when waiting for the bus or in supermarket queues, etc. Sometimes titles can lead to article ideas.
- dig for buried titles in your manuscript - i.e. key phrases, snappy lines, etc.
- If you can't think of a title right away, write your piece and worry about the title later.
Types of Titles:
- Question - "Can You Really Trust your Lawyer?"
- Alliteration -- "Switzerland's Super Skiers."
- Use Good Sub titles: "Conscious Happiness - How to Get the Most Out of Living."
- Proverbs can be turned around: "The Mossy Rolling Stone."
- Simple labels are fine: "How to Survive Parent-Teacher Meetings."
Top Freelance Tips - Introduction:
The introduction continues the work of the title by holding the reader's attention. It should give a taste of what is to come and persuade the reader to continue reading. It establishes the writer's angle.. It should convince the reader that the article is worth reading.
Examples:
The Anecdote: A brief account that illustrates one of the points of the article, for example an article on shoplifting:
"Excuse me, but I think you have something in your pocket you haven't paid for. Will you come with me please?" Those words, and the hand on her shoulder meant that the game was up for Sandra."
The Quotation: an article entitled "Are Test-Tube Babies the Answer for the Childless?"
"Dear God, she's so lovely!" exclaimed Lesley brown, as she held her daughter, Louise, the first baby ever conceived outside a woman's body, "She's so beautiful." (Note: how much stronger it is to say "outside a woman's body" than "in a test tube."
A Question:
Title:"Love and Sex: The Ten Most Often Asked Questions."
Why is it so often true that the most intimate side of the relationship between a man and a woman is the one they talk about least? - How can they solve a problem they can't talk about?"
The Statement:
Ten children will die on the roads of Britain in the time it takes you to ....
(There are also many other ways of opening articles. You may find your own)
Middle
The middle section is where you deliver what you promised in your opening paragraph. Here you will develop your point of view in a logical manner; you will give facts, figures and statistics, quotes from experts, descriptions, or anything else that will back up your argument or point of view.
Having hooked the reader with your snappy title and intriguing opening paragraph you must maintain their interest throughout the body of the article.
A good tip is to write your angle on a piece of paper and stick it on the wall in front of you. Do not stray from this, however tempting it may be to do so.
Top Freelance Tips - The Ending of an Article
Remember that your article has to have a theme, an angle. Make a point of driving this toward a satisfactory conclusion. It should end with a strong sense of having arrived somewhere.
You can sometimes finish with the same kind of device you used for your opening - i.e. an anecdote, a quotation, a statement, etc.
To buy a copy of Cathy Smith’s best-selling book "How to Write and Sell Travel Articles". click here.
More articles on how to become a journalist.
