Amanda Vogel, author of How to Write Winning Queries and Anatomy of an Article
http://www.ActiveVoice.ca [website] http://www.FitnessTestDrive.com [blog]
http://www.Facebook.com/FitnessWriter http://www.Twitter.com/amandavogel3You Got an Assignment! Now What?
How to Work Well with Editors
A simple email technique that helps create relationships with editors ...
A simple social-media technique that helps create relationships with editors ...
Two important details you MUST know before you start to write (not all
editors volunteer this info)
Citing research or stats? Do this ...
“Complete the service”
Meet your deadline because ...
If you get revisions or an author checking copy, don’t do this ...
Why word count mattersShow Me the Money
What you can expect to be paid $$$
Why you want to retain rights to your articles whenever possible
Payment on acceptance versus on publication
Do you really want to write for free?Common Article-Writing Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Weak lead
Hook the reader: ask a question, cite a statistic, appeal to readers’ interests,
promise a solution, use an anecdote, surprise the reader
Look for “buried leads”
Writing that’s boring or unclear
Identify the tone and voice of the magazine
Define scientific terms; avoid overly technical jargon
What makes writing lively?
Use “you” and “your”
Vivid descriptions/specifics, word choices (especially verbs)
Casual, conversational tone
A mix of sentence structures
Punctuation choices
Too text-heavy (no segues, subheadings or sidebars)
A good article is easy to read and naturally flows from one point to the next
Long chunks of text with no breaks can be overwhelming for both the editor
and readers
Fitness Writing Resources Available at ActiveVoice.ca
How to Write Winning Queries: Sell your article ideas for profit and promotion
as a health/fitness expert
Anatomy of an Article: How to quickly write compelling articles that get the
results you want