Outlining Magazine Articles

Whether you are a seasoned writer or a novice, all magazine articles should begin in the same way - with an outline. Experienced writers may use rough, written outlines or formulate them in their minds, but beginners are wise to continue using the formal, written method.

An outline is a valuable aid in magazine writing. It helps you organize and evaluate your information and it makes writing an article easier and faster. You should develop, thoroughly, the outline and include all the specific details, explanations and anecdotes that contribute directly to the article you are writing.

Once you prepare an outline, concentrate strictly on the actual writing of your article. You already will know what facts to include and where and how to use them. The basic magazine article outline may be divided into the following five parts:

1. Purpose. State the reason or reasons for writing the article and what you intend to accomplish. This sets a course to follow once you begin writing.

2. Market analysis. Study surveys that show which magazines are read by the population segment you wish to reach with your article.

3. Markets. List the magazines identified in your market analysis that are most likely to publish the article you are planning to write. Follow this up with queries to those publications. (Note: Parts 2 and 3 are performed by a NAVINFO when dealing with civilian magazines.)

4. Sources. List the people, reference books, magazines, and so forth, from whom or from which you expect to get the information needed for your article.

5. Plan of development. List pertinent facts, major areas of coverage, subtitles, anecdotes, and so forth, in the order you want to present them.

WRITING A MAGAZINE ARTICLE

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the fundamentals of writing a magazine article and evaluate its components.

Except for style, most of the rules and information concerning the fundamentals of newswriting presented in Chapter 2 of this TRAMAN also apply to magazine writing. You must be able to recognize the 10 news element categories examined there. The presence and intensity of any of those elements, other than immediacy, determine the newsworthiness of magazine articles as well as news stories. Furthermore, you must apply the "ABCs of Journalism" discussed in Chapter 2 - accuracy, attribution, brevity (to some degree), clarity, inherence, emphasis, objectivity and unity. You should also understand and follow the guidelines provided under the heading "The Language of Newswriting."

As the categories of magazine articles overlap, so do the methods of writing used in each. However, a common pattern can be found.

A major element of most articles, one that gives flesh and blood to the story, is the anecdote. An "anecdote" is defined as any specific, short, significant story or incident.

Generally, a magazine article can be divided into four basic components:

The title

The lead

The body

The conclusion

THE TITLE

The title of a magazine article should tell the readers the nature of the article. It usually features a short, terse statement designed to attract their attention or to arouse their curiosity. The title should entice the audience to read the article immediately.

A title, like the article itself, should be slanted or directed toward a particular market. Each magazine has its own title requirements for style, length and typographical arrangement. Some magazines prefer titles that summarize the information in the article. Others want descriptive titles. Still others prefer titles that maim striking statements. And some favor titles featuring questions, quotations, direct appeal or alliteration.

In developing titles for their articles, writers must be honest. They should not mislead the reader with facts not supported by the articles, and they should avoid exaggeration or sensationalism.

The title should convey the tone and spirit of the material featured in the article. Declarative sentences with concrete nouns and active verbs are best.

If you have not thought of a good title when you begin writing an article, do not worry about it. Few writers title their stories in advance. Usually, the facts will suggest something suitable as you write. Often a strong sentence in your copy will provide the exact title you need.