RESEARCHING AN IDEA FOR A MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Every person, place, event or thing is a possible source for a magazine article. What one person sees daily and takes for granted, another person with a well-developed eye for the interesting and unusual often can turn it into a successful article. The idea sources and material concerning feature writing discussed in Chapter 3 also apply to magazine writing.

The Navy is a fertile source for subjects and ideas you can develop into good magazine articles. All you have to do is look around you. Better yet, thumb through some of the current issues of the leading magazines. See what civilian professionals have written on the subject.

The sea, sailors and ships have fascinated readers for centuries. The modern saga of the sea and the men and women of the U.S. Navy is as thrilling as anything found in fiction. In many cases, the factual accounts of the modem Navy far surpass fiction material. Atomicpowered ships, supersonic aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles, earth satellites, probes into space and similar topics have stimulated the imagination of hundreds of writers. Yet, countless story ideas about those subjects are still available to you.

Opportunities in the magazine field for Navy journalists, or for that matter, any Navy manor woman with writing talent, are almost limitless. And to get started, one needs only to begin thinking.

Any magazine article, whether for a glamorous nationwide consumer magazine or for one of the Navy's internal publications, should begin with a good idea supported by a statement of purpose. An author without a purpose for an article easily loses sight of the intended goal. If an article would serve no purpose, the likely result would be wasted time and an unintelligible product.

Many beginning writers fail to narrow the subject to a workable idea. A sharp focus on a story idea is extremely important. The focus could be on an individual, an episode or theme, but it must be clearly defined.

The next step should take you, the writer, to the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. This guide is a cumulative index of published authors, subjects and titles that is current to within two weeks of its publication. When you use this reference, pay particular attention to the most recent coverage (by all publications) of your selected subject. 'Ibis will help you determine if your idea is still fresh. Also, take notes to help you when you research information for the article.

You may also need to use some specific indexes for research. The Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals, for example, References all items that have appeared in service-oriented publications. Other special indexes, including the library card catalogue, the Cumulative Book Index and the Book Review Index, address subjects covered in a variety of other periodicals. You can also consult biographical dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers and pamphlets to learn about a particular subject. It is not uncommon for a writer to spend days, weeks or even months collecting information before an interview or visit.

One writer, preparing to write a personality sketch on a famous composer, spent six months doing research before he felt ready to interview his subject. During those six months, the writer spent three months reading about symphonies. He spent another two months studying that particular composer's works and a final month talking to people who knew the composer.

Obviously, you will not spend six months researching every magazine article you write. However, in most cases, you will need to do some extensive research. The in-depth nature of most magazine articles requires that the writer thoroughly understand the subject he or she is presenting. Unless you are writing from personal experience, you must be prepared to conduct whatever research is necessary to give your article the degree of authority it requires.

Studying Magazine Styles

Knowing the markets for magazine articles is almost as important as knowing your subject. The best-written manuscript serves no purpose tucked away in a file cabinet or desk drawer. And the best-conceived idea for an article is of no value unless it is presented in an acceptable manuscript.

Studying magazines can solve both of these problems. Your research will tell you which magazine publishers are interested in your subject and the style in which they want articles to be written.

As you examine the magazines, you should be alert to the literary style or approach a magazine takes in presenting a subject. For instance, several magazines might handle a piece dealing with the DMI, but each would present it in an entirely different way. The Educational Review would probably want to know the concepts and techniques of instruction, the RCA Electronic Age might be interested in the use of radio and television equipment, All Hands would likely prefer a story about the faculty and students, and Parade might want emphasis on the educational angle and benefits to the individual.

Several publications dealing with the needs and requirements of magazines are available to assist you in your research. One such book is Writer's Market, published annually by Writer's Digest Books of Cincinnati, Ohio. Wtiter's Market contains a listing of nearly all consumer magazines and business journals published in the United States and Canada. Along with those listings is the following information:

Mailing address of publication.

Names(s) of editor(s).

Frequency of publication.

Circulation

Demography of readers.

Approximate number of manuscripts purchased per issue (if any).

Method of payment (flat rate for manuscript, pays per line of copy, pays per word, pays percent of magazine royalties, pays in magazine copies, pays nothing).

Rights purchased (all rights; first North American serial rights; simultaneous, second serial (reprint) rights; one-time rights; etc.).

Whether by-line is given.

Description of material desired.

Description of material not desired.

Whether photos are desired, and if so, payment rates.

Minimum and maximum lengths of manuscripts.

Lead time for submission of season and holiday material.

Whether unsolicited manuscripts are accepted.

Whether previously published submissions are accepted.

Whether simultaneous submissions are accepted. (Some magazines, especially regional ones, will consider such submissions if the offered manuscripts are not being sent to other publications in their state or geographical area.)

Additional tips considered appropriate by various magazine editors.

You should keep in mind that most magazine editors have very specific ideas about material for their product. Any deviation from their expressed standards is almost certain to result in a manuscript's rejection.

The editors, especially those of the major, nationwide publications, can also be very selective in accepting material. Some will reject, out of hand, any offer of material from unpublished writers. However, the editors of many other publications encourage submissions by "new" writers. This is particularly true of newly created, special interest magazines and many of the literary publications, or 'little magazines," as they are sometimes called.

For Navy journalists this preliminary research is made much easier by the valuable assistance of the six regional Navy Offices of Information (NAVINFOs). NAVINFOs are field activities of CHINFO.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Manuscripts written as part of your official duties for civilian magazines must be marketed by a NAVINFO. You may send your manuscripts to Navy-produced magazines (such as All Hands) without NAVINFO. involvement, but the aforementioned research rules apply.

Before sending your manuscript to a NAVINFO, you should call or write that activity, explain your story idea, then follow the guidance you receive. The NAVINFO will contact those publications most likely to use a particular story and notify you when and if a market is found.

If the idea has been accepted, you will be notified by the NAVINFO. They will then provide you information similar to that contained in the Writer's Market, mentioned earlier. Your NAVINFO will provide tips on the writing style preferred, advise you on when to submit your material and make suggestions for the length of your manuscript. The NAVINFO will also tell you if a commitment has been made by a magazine's editor to publish your story or if it is to be submitted on speculation.

The NAVINFO deals with the various magazines through correspondence called queries. In this context, a query is a letter from the writer, or in this case, the NAVINFO, to a magazine's editor. The query briefly describes a proposed article, and if required, contains up to three clips of the writer's previously published articles.

A favorable response to the query most likely will contain specific style tips - a list of do's and don's - on writing for that magazine. A large number of publications have their own styleguide booklets that are sent to potential writers. Early in your research of magazines or from the information provided by your NAVINFO, you gained a general insight into the style and editorial content of the magazine ultimately selected. Now you need to begin studying that magazine in earnest. If possible, get three or four different issues and read them thoroughly. Also, study the tips or styleguide supplied by the magazine's editor through your NAVINFO. Observe the character of the language.

Note whether it is scholarly or adventurous, technical or general, personal or formal, humorous or serious. You must also look for taboos on subject matter and content. Some magazines will not print slang, for example, and some will not mention their competitors.

When your research is completed, your story idea firmly fixed in your mind and your market clearly identified, you are ready to begin writing.

After having a few articles published by the same magazine, you will have developed a feel, or sense, for what that publication wants. Then you will be in a position to work leisurely on manuscripts whenever story ideas occur and you will be able to contact your NAVINFO about ready-to-publish material.

You should also give internal magazines, such as All Hands, the same intense study you give commercial publications. Navy internal magazines, like their civilian counterparts, have their own styles. Therefore, contributors, especially Navy journalists, should be aware of them and prepare their manuscripts accordingly.

While the editors of internal publications are more inclined to edit weak or unstylized copy than their civilian counterparts, you should refrain from making it necessary. You are expected to be a professional, and anything other than your best effort reflects poorly on you and your command.

As mentioned earlier, you are authorized to submit articles directly to Navy internal publications in the same manner your command makes routine news releases. You may also deal directly with those publications while you are developing a story idea. Although a formal query is unnecessary before submitting your manuscript, it never hurts to let the editors know what you are planning.