Feature and Magazine Writing

1
Feature and Magazine Writing

• Chapter 3
• The Magazine article and article idea

2
Similar Magazine Newspaper

• Gripping leads
• Carefully organized with facts and ideas
• End strongly
• Based on solid reporting
• Commonly use quotations and descriptions
• Range in length from a few hundred to several
  thousand words (newspaper breaks if gt5000)

3
Different Magazine /Newspaper

• Magazine has
• Leisurely approach to subject material, more
  research
• Writers often take a subjective stand on what
  they are writing
• More opinion than newspapers
• Longer leads (anecdotal 300-600 words)
• More teasing leads
• Use vivid graphic devices

4
Staff writer versus freelancer

• Most newspaper features are generated, assigned,
  and written by staff members magazines rely
  heavily on freelance writers
• Staff writers have editors and peers to help
  them, whereas freelancers learn at their own
  pace, usually alone
• Freelancers Article checked for accuracy (simple
  or exhaustive checking)

5
Three necessary skills to master

• Come up with good story ideas
• Know the magazines and what they want
• Must be able to write a cogent, well-organized
  article

6
Stalking the elusive article idea

• Some seek idea first, then look for a suitable
  market
• Some seek markets that interest them, and then
  think about suitable ideas to offer the markets
• Some work with clip files develop ideas slowly
  over a period of time

7
Matching ideas to markets

• Magazine writer must narrow story to a workable
  focus, just like newspaper writer.
• Difference Newspaper writer is working for one
  publication, with same audience, style, and
  interests. Focus is easier. Magazine writer has
  several magazines, each with its own audience,
  writing style, special interests.
• Many approaches to same material, focus on which
  market/ audience

8
Finding your market

• Writers Market, a 1,000-page annual publication
  that lists thousands of magazines interested in
  buying freelance articles
• Standard Rate Data Service directories
• Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast
  Media
• Annual Bacon publications

9
Study magazine to know market

• Subject requirements, treatment, length of
  articles, paragraphs
• Use of anecdotes? Direct quotes? Third-person
  with direct address to involve the reader?
  First-person use? Light/ serious tone of writing?
  
• Analyze structure, check length, count anecdotes,
  look for transitional devices,
• Check writers names to scout freelance opps.

10
Checking for duplication

• Check that your target magazine hasnt recently
  published an article too similar. You cant
  afford to buy every magazine, so conduct a
  library search
• Readers Guide to Periodical Literature indexes
  only articles appearing in popular consumer
  magazines
• Too many articles on same idea suggests youre to
  late with your idea. No articles can mean youre
  ahead of the trend, or that few people are
  interested

11
Getting ready to query

• Contact magazines for specific writers
  guidelines to help formulate query letter
• Information about readers, appropriate subject
  matter, article lengths, treatments, photographic
  needs, payments for articles/photos (some info in
  Writers Market)
• Editor knows readers better, probably spent money
  on demographic studies for ads
• Will accept material with which readers agree

12
Reading/ analyzing

• Technique and structure
• Form and technique