Paragraph 1: Your lead. Can be factual, humorous,
startling, colorful. Whatever will get someone’s attention. Articles
work better if they have a lead, but if you are out of ideas, go to…
Paragraph 2: State the problem. Describe it. But you can’t
assume the reader will agree that it is a problem. Maybe they aren’t
aware of it, don’t think it is that important, or don’t understand it.
Therefore you have to…
Paragraph 3: Sell the problem. Document that it exists, because
the reader may be skeptical and won’t necessarily take your word for it.
How have you become aware of the problem? Be specific with examples:
things you’ve seen, read, or heard about.
Paragraph 4: Why is the problem significant? Assume the reader
will be skeptical. They already have a lot of other problems. Why should
they put your issue toward the top of their priority list? In general,
they’ll do it because it is either very serious (i.e., there is a good
chance it will kill you) or because it is a nagging problem that is easy
to fix and it will be easier to make it go away than confront it or live
with it. Now comes the hard part…
Paragraph 5: Why does the problem exist? It isn’t just that
Sailors are ignorant, dumb or lazy. If those are the reasons why problems
exist, you aren’t going to be able to do much in one magazine article
unless it is a helluva an article. You have to understand the causes of a
problem before you can help solve it. People are already too busy. Getting
even busier is not much of an option.
Paragraph 6: Offer a realistic solution. Something that isn’t
too hard, something they haven’t heard a hundred times.
Writing 101
| What is a magazine article?
| Why articles get edited | Writing tips
| Writing process | Ten steps
| Basic Template
| How to shoot pictures | How to send your article |
