Post by Fearn on Jan 14, 2008 3:38:00 GMT -5
This is an article that I just wrote. It is a work in progress, I think that there is much more that I could add, but it is getting a little lengthy. I'm going to sticky it. Anyway...enjoy!
So now you've got all this knowledge, what do you do with it? Write articles of course! Any child can write, but it takes a bit of work to Write. Yes, that's right Write. Capitalized. People seem to have the oddest notions about what goes into an article, and especially how long it should be. That's why I'm writing this. Yes, you are reading an article on how to write an article.
How do you want your writing to feel? There are basically two forms of writing: serious and familiar. When deciding which one, think about what the article is for; if you are going to be writing a research paper, you want it to be serious, but if you are writing an article to teach, it can be either. I feel that the longer articles need some humour, because with out it the reader gets bored and leaves.
Before you actually get to write any of the words you'll need to fill in an outline. This will contain all of your ideas. Just brain-storm here, no need for complete sentences. No one else will see it...promise.
ARTICLE NAME:
INTRO:
WARNINGS:
TECHS:
TIPS:
Q/A:
CONCLUSION:
OTHER:
Your article MUST be in paragraph format. If it is one solid block of text, it will be impossible to read. There are two ways a paragraph format works: indentions, and skipping lines. The indentions are the best to use, however most websites stretch, or squish their articles when they actually get onto the site, so the indentions are useless. The one most commonly found in websites is line skipping, this is where you push the return button TWICE, and only twice. More than that, you are just trying to make your article look longer. Paragraphs make up the article, before you build a house you need to get the bricks and wood!
There are three basic pieces of writing. They are found in essays, paragraphs, and even sentences. They are introduction, details, and conclusion. Think of it as a hamburger: Top bun is the introduction, meat, cheese and vegetables are the details, and the bottom bun is the conclusion. Many people don't understand this, they just try to pour details out onto the page and call it a paragraph. For example, looking at my previous paragraph: I had one sentence telling them what would be inside the paragraph: Your article MUST be in paragraph form. Then I have four sentences of details, and a short little snippet of conclusion. You wouldn't put a hamburger patty, cheese, and a piece of lettuce on your plate and call it a hamburger would you? No you have to have buns! This means that each paragraph has to be at least 3 sentences long.
First comes the introduction. This is where you will explain what the skill is, why learn it, and how it works. You may also take this time to give a SHORT bio about you. Don't go over board, no offence but, no one really cares. They clicked on the link to this article so that they could learn about psionics, not you. Your introduction needs to have a catchy lead. Somehow you need to reel them in to read the rest of your article. The introduction is the first thing anyone will see when reading your article. You better make it good.
I'm going to skip ahead to the conclusion, because it and the introduction are very similar. You see, in the introduction you told them what you were going to tell them, now in the conclusion you are going to tell them what you told them. The conclusion is where you put final thoughts on the topic because, if you think about it, the conclusion is the last place for you to have your say. The conclusion is also a place to leave them with a word of wisdom. Quotes are always fun, and they add a nice touch to your article. My favourite site for this is Quote Garden.
The details are the most complicated, and most important part of the article. A quality article needs at least three detail paragraphs: First come warnings. There is something dangerous with every psionic skill, and the reader deserves to be told of the risks and other dangers. After that you have the techniques. This is the 'how-to' portion of the article, you'll be giving the reader various ways to practise your skill. Finally tips, or q and a; you give them practise tips, and/or you give them common questions and answers to those common questions. You get a choice over the third paragraph. The other two parts are equally necessary, however this last part has two options. I prefer to do both, but do whatever you want. Also keep in mind that what I have up there isn't all there is, this is just what is necessary.
You've poured all these words out into paragraphs, all with an introduction, details, and a conclusion. Time to publish right? WRONG!! You haven't edited yet! Editing is what you do at the end. Editing is what turns your article into a finished product. However, editing can be a scary process. Looking over your 700 words and scanning it for mistakes can take forever, so here is what I do: I write each paragraph then go back and read it, checking for spelling and grammatical errors, then make sure it has a conclusion, introduction, and details. After I have written (and edited) the whole article, I go back and read it again. Then I get someone else to read it. We both watch for sentence fluency, and then it gets posted onto a site.
Doesn't that feel wonderful? You've written your first article! It is wonderful, or at least it should be...with me as your teacher! Writing an article, CAN be a fun experience, and the real fun comes from having people read it and learn from it. " There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith.
So now you've got all this knowledge, what do you do with it? Write articles of course! Any child can write, but it takes a bit of work to Write. Yes, that's right Write. Capitalized. People seem to have the oddest notions about what goes into an article, and especially how long it should be. That's why I'm writing this. Yes, you are reading an article on how to write an article.
How do you want your writing to feel? There are basically two forms of writing: serious and familiar. When deciding which one, think about what the article is for; if you are going to be writing a research paper, you want it to be serious, but if you are writing an article to teach, it can be either. I feel that the longer articles need some humour, because with out it the reader gets bored and leaves.
Before you actually get to write any of the words you'll need to fill in an outline. This will contain all of your ideas. Just brain-storm here, no need for complete sentences. No one else will see it...promise.
ARTICLE NAME:
INTRO:
WARNINGS:
TECHS:
TIPS:
Q/A:
CONCLUSION:
OTHER:
Your article MUST be in paragraph format. If it is one solid block of text, it will be impossible to read. There are two ways a paragraph format works: indentions, and skipping lines. The indentions are the best to use, however most websites stretch, or squish their articles when they actually get onto the site, so the indentions are useless. The one most commonly found in websites is line skipping, this is where you push the return button TWICE, and only twice. More than that, you are just trying to make your article look longer. Paragraphs make up the article, before you build a house you need to get the bricks and wood!
There are three basic pieces of writing. They are found in essays, paragraphs, and even sentences. They are introduction, details, and conclusion. Think of it as a hamburger: Top bun is the introduction, meat, cheese and vegetables are the details, and the bottom bun is the conclusion. Many people don't understand this, they just try to pour details out onto the page and call it a paragraph. For example, looking at my previous paragraph: I had one sentence telling them what would be inside the paragraph: Your article MUST be in paragraph form. Then I have four sentences of details, and a short little snippet of conclusion. You wouldn't put a hamburger patty, cheese, and a piece of lettuce on your plate and call it a hamburger would you? No you have to have buns! This means that each paragraph has to be at least 3 sentences long.
First comes the introduction. This is where you will explain what the skill is, why learn it, and how it works. You may also take this time to give a SHORT bio about you. Don't go over board, no offence but, no one really cares. They clicked on the link to this article so that they could learn about psionics, not you. Your introduction needs to have a catchy lead. Somehow you need to reel them in to read the rest of your article. The introduction is the first thing anyone will see when reading your article. You better make it good.
I'm going to skip ahead to the conclusion, because it and the introduction are very similar. You see, in the introduction you told them what you were going to tell them, now in the conclusion you are going to tell them what you told them. The conclusion is where you put final thoughts on the topic because, if you think about it, the conclusion is the last place for you to have your say. The conclusion is also a place to leave them with a word of wisdom. Quotes are always fun, and they add a nice touch to your article. My favourite site for this is Quote Garden.
The details are the most complicated, and most important part of the article. A quality article needs at least three detail paragraphs: First come warnings. There is something dangerous with every psionic skill, and the reader deserves to be told of the risks and other dangers. After that you have the techniques. This is the 'how-to' portion of the article, you'll be giving the reader various ways to practise your skill. Finally tips, or q and a; you give them practise tips, and/or you give them common questions and answers to those common questions. You get a choice over the third paragraph. The other two parts are equally necessary, however this last part has two options. I prefer to do both, but do whatever you want. Also keep in mind that what I have up there isn't all there is, this is just what is necessary.
You've poured all these words out into paragraphs, all with an introduction, details, and a conclusion. Time to publish right? WRONG!! You haven't edited yet! Editing is what you do at the end. Editing is what turns your article into a finished product. However, editing can be a scary process. Looking over your 700 words and scanning it for mistakes can take forever, so here is what I do: I write each paragraph then go back and read it, checking for spelling and grammatical errors, then make sure it has a conclusion, introduction, and details. After I have written (and edited) the whole article, I go back and read it again. Then I get someone else to read it. We both watch for sentence fluency, and then it gets posted onto a site.
Doesn't that feel wonderful? You've written your first article! It is wonderful, or at least it should be...with me as your teacher! Writing an article, CAN be a fun experience, and the real fun comes from having people read it and learn from it. " There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith.