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A Little Advice?!

edited December 2013 in Writing
Hi,

I'm after a little direction.

For a good portion of 2013 I have submitted articles to various magazines; wildlife, food, military history, philosophy - quite a bit of variety. None of them made the cut. My most positive response explained that they believed they would “definitely use it” (it being my article) but that correspondence fizzled out.

I am a regular contributor for a boxing website, am currently contributing to a strongman website and have a couple of wildlife pieces floating about – admittedly not much in the way of tangible credentials.

I am willing to write about number of things and take care with my prose but feel a bit stranded. Of course the goal is start earning a buck, eventually.
Does anyone have any key tips?

Regards,

Jamie

Comments

  • Welcome!

    You've come to the right place for advice and encouragement...
  • Hello.

    Not my field, but others will be along who can advise. :)
  • Hi, Jimmy.

    I mostly write fiction, but have done quite well with fillers - tips, letters to the editor, jokes etc. Although not as exciting or prestiguos as a proper article, these can bring in some money. It might be worth looking out for those sorts of opportunities when you're studying magazines.
  • Having written articles for animal, sailing, my professional magazine, I believe the same structure, as for a short story or the beginning of a novel, is essential. Your first line and paragraph MUST hook your reader, or they will skim (possibly) through the article. Indeed, if you take Writing Magazine, look at the 'star' letter and try and work out why it scored the prize over the others, and I do write from a very modest success rate myself. Read you article and try and put yourself in the place of your reader.....does it intrigue and make you want to read on. You have to be VERY self-critical. That's my input and hope it helps,, and good luck for the future.
  • Hi, Jamie
    Have you been submitting proposals to editors - or sending in completed articles? The reason I ask is because most magazine editors require a proposal first. They will then tell you if they're interested in looking at your article.
    It will save you a lot of time if you do it that way round. Good luck.
  • Thanks for the welcome!

    Phots Moll - You bring up a good point. I'm probably not studying magazines enough - there's obviously a few avenues besides full articles.

    toothlight - I don't think you can overemphasize the points you've made, cheers.

    claudia - I've been sending proposals/pitches before sending an article. I provided a military history magazine with two 2,500 word articles after they gave me the green (possibly amber) light but I think both are homeless. I could study the magazine more and do a third one for them; would it not say quite a lot if I'm willing to do so?
  • Those are long articles at 2,500 words. What sort of length is that magazine publishing at the moment?
  • edited December 2013
    Hi Jimmy - you say 'would it not say quite a lot if I'm willing to do so?'

    Sadly, your average editor won't see it that way. He or she will only be interested in receiving a useable article - your 'willingness' to keep submitting is irrelevant. Harsh, but true, and something you'll have to accept when dealing with editors. :rolleyes:

    Edited to add: good luck with your submissions. Do your homework regarding each magazine you submit to, and be sure to check their guidelines. If they prefer 1000 word articles, they won't even read your 2500 one. Don't make the mistake of thinking 'oh, they'll edit it down to their preferred length if it's good enough', because I'm afraid they won't.
  • Hi Jimmy,
    I'm not a writer of articles, so I'm afraid I can't offer much in the way of advice other than to echo Claudia.Whatever you submit should be relevant and 'ready', i.e. needing the bare minimum of tweaking from anyone else.

    Welcome to TB anyway. There's a lot of good advice here.
  • Hi JimmyP - pleased to meet you. Firstly, have faith in yourself and be persistent. Do take on board the 'how to' advice. Always study study study your target market before submitting to them. You have to write how and what the editor wants to buy. Good luck.
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