Writing an article

Many of us love to read fabulous articles in newspapers, magazines on a daily basis. I too follow Vikram Doctor's articles in Corporate Dossier, a supplement of  The Economic Times. The author has a column named "Little Luxuries" in the supplement, which comes on Friday. His style of writing is lucid and reader friendly.

How to write an article for a newspaper and  magazine? This is a common question asked by many people. The answer to this question is quite simple.You just need to have an idea which can be expanded in an article. One needs to have flair for writing. Some are born with  this flair while others have to work on it. An idea is the most important facet when it comes to article writing. Once you have an idea, you just need to work on how should one express it verbally.

Before writing an article, you need to keep following things in mind:

• Your target audience
• Needs of your reader
• Be unique in your expression
• Be passionate about the topic

If you consider these things seriously before writing then you article will be well-received. You need to adjust your style of writing according to print and electronic medium. Once you decide to write, you need to research  the topic  that you have chosen. You can use resources like websites, newspapers, research papers and so on. Good research will help you to  give various perspectives about a topic in your article. This will make your article multi-dimensional. 

Once you are through with research and you are ready with required information; you start to work on the actual process of writing. 

The process of writing involves following steps:

• Brainstorm
• Rough Draft
• Edit
• Review from peers/editor
• Final Draft

The basic framework of article should be kept simple, which will help reader in better understanding of your perspective that you have highlighted in your article. The organization of content is of utmost importance. The organization has to be systematic and has to prioritized. You article should have good opening, body and ending. The opening has to be striking and catchy, which will make the reader to sit back and read your article.The content should be organized in short paragraphs and bullets wherever necessary. That will make your article easy to read.

The length of the article depends on various factors like topic, medium you are writing for, type of article and so on. The language used in the article can be of two types like formal and informal. It again depends on the type of your article. Many of website articles use informal language while academic and newspaper articles use formal language. Your article should be free from grammatical, spelling and typographical error. You need to edit your article thoroughly before it goes for printing or publishing.

Being passionate and sincere in your efforts will help you to deliver your best and you will come out with a reader-friendly article.