WF 11/20 Thread Reference

How to Write an Article That Accomplishes a Purpose written by: angus koolbreeze Introduction

Writing an article that does something can be challenging at times. You need to understand your topic clearly so that you can explain to others how to do it; otherwise you'll sound academic and not convincing. Even given that the task you are trying to teach is easy for you to do and explain, you will need to prepare adequately for the article you want to write. You must research the topic, then come up with a plan to write the article. For this, an outline is necessary, and then your research. If you follow these steps your article will have focus, as opposed to what my seventh-grade teacher once called "the kitchen sink approach"--merely tossing ideas in in a sloppy manner, as one would throw dishes in a sink after he or she is done eating.

First Step: Freewriting

At this stage, you are allowed to have an unorganized blob of ideas. They do not have to make much sense. You are just freewriting as you are experimenting with possible topic ideas. Write these ideas down as they come to mind. Don't worry about proper grammar, or about logical sequencing. You are just jotting down ideas. You may use them later on--or not. Freewriting is just that--freewriting.

Second Step: Reviewing Your Freewriting Notes

Once you have finished the freewriting process, you're ready to go on to doing the research. Before you do this, study your freewriting notes, asking yourself what stood out to you, and what you think that you and others might be interested in learning more about. Take those thoughts from your freewriting session and further develop them.

Third Step: Research

Put a strong research plan in place. Start this early--far ahead of the deadline for the project to be completed. This is the best way to avoid turning in an article that has no real point, that looks to your teacher, editor, or reader, that it was finished at the last minute. Give yourself time to find strong, reliable sources. If you find that your article will be strengthened by interviewing people, do that. Have a tape recorder on hand so that you can take notes later, and transcribe the notes as you're listening to your interviewees in private. List your sources. If they are Internet sources, use the website URL when you are listing it as your source. If a book, list the author, publisher, date, page number(s). The way you do this depends on your editor's (or customer's) preferences. Find out what system they want used--whether it's the Chicago, MLA, or APA approach, and use it.

Fourth Step: Postresearch

Now it's time to form a strong thesis statement. At this stage, ask yourself what conclusions did your research of your topic lead to? This is the point in your article that will form the body of your content. This is what you will set out to prove. It should be at some point in your first paragraph. This tells your intended audience what your article is setting out to discuss. For example, if you come to the conclusion that the United States should send ground troops in to fight ISIS, have strong facts to back up your point. Otherwise, it's like saying that Mars is made of cheddar cheese, without facts to back it up.

Fourth Step: Body

This is where you present all the facts that you have accumulated during the course of your research to prove the point of your thesis. Here, a word of caution is in order. Don't present this part of the paper in such a way that you end up being dry, especially if your goal is to entertain and educate. Look at an author such as Mark Twain. Why do we still care about Twain in the 2010s, even though he's been dead over 100 years now? His writing is entertaining. He engages us--he makes us laugh--while trying to teach us. Even if your goal is to persuade, you can still do it in such a way to keep people wanting to read more.

How long should your body be? It depends on how many examples you've decided that you've needed to use to complete your article. For example, if your article contains seven items to be discussed, seven paragraphs should be enough. Make sure they are well-structured paragraphs, that are of a reasonable length, yet to the point. There is no need to be too wordy, for the clients you work for would rather you use three very powerful words that make a point, than seven or eight words that are redundant and/or there to "pad" your article, so you can get to the 500 or 700-word minimum that the client has indicated that they are seeking.

Fifth Step: Conclusion

Many think that the conclusion is not an important part of your piece of work. They are wrong. Far from just being an ending that merely summarizes the paper by repeating the main points thereof--your conclusion should contain a call for action. For example, if your topic is about how to successfully land a recording contract, you may want to present information on how to acquire inexpensive recording equipment to make a high-quality demo, and places where this equipment is sold or rented. This gives people a chance to see that the tips you've pointed out in your article are indeed actionable.


Final Step: Proofreading/Checking for Plagiarism

Checking for grammatical and/or spelling errors is essential for getting your work accepted. How many writers have experienced failure as professional writers because they've failed to proofread their papers? To do this, using your eyes is important, but so is using the "grammar check" function on your computer. Using both is paramount, for one will catch the mistakes the other may overlook.

In addition, plagiarism--the taking of someone else's ideas and using them as your own--is a no-no. Countless careers--including the late one-time author and New Yorker journalist Penelope Gilliatt--have been sunk for not being original. It is a deal breaker at many get-paid to write website. So make sure that you've cited every source you have used in your work. Give credit where credit is due.


References

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/1/

http://www.isitebuild.com/article-writing-2.html

http://online-filemu.rhcloud.com/how-to-write-a-great-feature-article-pbworks/