Thompson, Neil - Write now!.pdf - pisarstwo - meeyka

Write Now!

Neil Thompson

Section One The Formats Of Writing

1. Magazine And Newspaper Articles

The most widely-read materials in the world today are the headlines, sporting results and

comic strips of daily newspapers.

Next in popularity come the thousands of various articles that appear in a variety of

publications. Many are submitted by professional, full-time journalists. At the same time,

however, there has never been a more wide-open, extensive and lucrative market for the

amateur free-lance writer who researches his market and has something original and

interesting to offer.

Magazine and newspaper articles vary greatly. They can be lengthy, brief, serious, or

comical, provided the contents deal with people, places, happenings, speculations, sports,

occupations and other interests that occupy people's lives in dreams or reality. Note the

term article does not include the short story or the poem.

For every interest known, there is a publication somewhere.

There is no limit to the market, as far as the range of published articles is concerned. The

obvious limitation comes in whether the work is fresh and original, and whether it suits

the particular format of the publication to which it is submitted.

Articles As A Training For Other Writing

Writers of all types of fiction can learn much from the journalist, particularly in matters

of planning, ideas grouping, simplified presentation, revealing conversation, and small

unobtrusive comments that quickly bring a character to life.

This does not mean that all stories and novels need to be written in short, terse sentences

and paragraphs. It does mean, however, that because many writers of fiction tend to

ramble through lack of planning and extreme wordiness, an understanding of some basic

principles of journalism can be most useful.

Ernest Hemingway, for instance, always credited his basic training with the Kansas City

Star for his later style in fiction.

How To Start A Feature Article

First, select a topic - but do not start writing. What is your interest? Is it in people, places,

sports, hobbies, entertainments, or occupations?

Next, research the range of magazines into which your intended article could possibly go.

Remember that although the country you live in will be your best market, many overseas

publishers actively seek material from abroad. In Australia alone there are over 230

magazines and newspapers, in United States some 1,800, and in England over 1,200.

Be thorough in your research. Understand that your article must be shaped to fit the

magazine; not the reverse.

Every publication maintains a unique sound and content that is different from that of any

other, and the writer must recognise what this is before he can begin. The way a character

is presented in Reader's Digest, for instance, can be seen to have a subtly different ring to

the way people are described in Cleo, National Geographic, T. V. Times, Women's

Weekly, or Blackwood's Magazine.

It therefore is necessary to read a range of any particular magazine's articles to note the

pattern that emerges concerning number of words required, usual length" of paragraphs,

formal or familiar expressions used, and the typical "sound" of the publication.

So - select your magazine. Study its format.

This done, the writing of the article can begin.

Examples Of Feature Articles

Use the following samples to note how widely article formats may vary.

1. Man In His Job

The "Man-Job" feature article, so common in newspapers and magazines, provides an

excellent starting-ground for the beginning writer. It can be written to a pattern, and is

popular because readers always are interested to find out how "the other half lives, be

they miners, students, pop stars, housewives, racing drivers, business men, local identities

or whatever.

Read the following article carefully. See if you can locate any particular structure or

planning within it.

The Lonely Light

1. Henry Bolton, lighthouse keeper, looks out at the far horizon. His eyes

slowly move along it, and he does not look down as he finishes tamping

the tobacco in his pipe and returns the pouch to his pocket. "Yes, I've been

in the game forty years. And they need us just as much now as they ever

did."

2. His eyes are still searching something as yet unseen in the far distance,

and it is not until the match has actually been lit that he looks down and

concentrates on getting the pipe drawing. Between puffs he adds, "They've

put some of the lights on automatic over the past few years. But they give

trouble, and one day they'll all be manned again."

3. Mr. Bolton is a senior lighthouse keeper on the Althorpe Islands in

Spencer Gulf, South Australia. He is 60 years old, and has been in the

Service for 30 years.

4. Althorpe Islands is a lonely posting. The wind blows almost constantly,

and one has to get used to the sound. In the winter the gales howl in from

the south and west.

5. The islands are separated from Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula and

Kangaroo Island by seas which, according to Lloyds, 'can be among the

roughest in the world'.

6. Supplies come in by boat, weather permitting, and by light aircraft drop

at other times. Bad weather can result in groceries, and the precious mail,

being weeks late.

7. "Food supplies are never really a problem," Mr. Bolton says. "Makes

you appreciate the fresh milk and vegetables all the more when they get

here. We've got refrigeration of course, these days, and there's always

plenty of fish.

8. "And it's a good life here. A comfortable one."

9. Mrs. Bolton speaks for the first time. "If it wasn't for the wind." She is a

small, motherly woman, given to few words.

10. "Well, that's true," Henry admits. "Last year we did record gusts of

over 200 kilometres an hour."

11. The Boltons live in a comfortable cottage that snuggles under the

backbone of the island, and thus gets some protection. There is electricity

from the island plant for cooking, heating and refrigeration, and a spare

bedroom which is used by the very, very rare visitor.

12. High above rears the great tower of the light. It is a land-mark by day

and its 400,000 candle-power lamp can be seen for thirty miles at night.

13. The light is almost automatic now, and switches itself on at sundown.

But the keepers must be on the station by day to keep the plant working,

the reflectors polished, the bearings lubricated and a host of minor things

maintained. They are also responsible for meteorological reports.

Thompson, Neil - Write now!.pdf

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