Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Article Writing 101 (Part 1--Ideas & Research)

I've never been much of a nonfiction reader, preferring instead to submerge in a fictional world. But I took a course that introduced me to nonfiction writing, and I realized how much I loved diving in to all sorts of topics--known and unknown to me--and sharing them with readers. Most of my publishing credits have come from writing articles for teens and young children.

How do you write an article? As with all writing, the methods for writing nonfiction will likely vary from writer to writer. But this is the process that's worked for me. Part 1 focuses on prep work--ideas and research:

Step 1--Choose a topic

Nonfiction ideas are everywhere, and once our mind is open, we can quickly wear down pencil lead trying to keep up with them. Do you have a unique hobby or talent? My family loves Geocaching, and I wrote about it in Modern Day Treasure Hunt. Is there a quirky aspect to your hometown? Are there common misconceptions about your day job? Do you wonder about the origins of certain words, places, or monuments? Is there a little-known historical figure you've always been curious about?

As you can see, ideas for nonfiction are endless. I jot down oddball ideas on notebook paper and keep them in a 3" binder. There are enough ideas in there to keep me busy for a lifetime.

Step 2--Narrow your focus

Take a familiar topic and find something new and unfamiliar about it. Or choose a unknown topic and share it with readers.

Countless articles have been written about firefighters, but in my article Putting Out Fires (Scholastic Math--page 8), I narrowed the focus down to how firefighters use math when figuring out hose suction, water pressure, and even recipes in the kitchen.

Step 3--Research

Look for fun facts that take you by surprise. While doing research for my article A Spoonful of Laughter, I learned there was such a thing as a laughter epidemic. Who knew? Facts should be cross-checked by multiple sources.

I check out books from the library, and also search online. When taking notes from books, be sure to jot down the book's title, author, publishing house, publishing date, and the page number where you found each fact. You'll need those later for your bibliography.

For more research tips, check out 8 Tips for Slicing Through the Research Jungle.

In Part 2 I'll discuss organization and structure.

Even though I now write novels, I still like writing nonfiction. Sometimes I'll whip up an article in between novel drafts. It's nice to give my fiction brain a rest, while still writing about fun topics. There's a hungry nonfiction market out there, and if you give it a try, you might find that you also enjoy writing nonfiction.

Have you ever written an article or nonfiction book? If so, how does your idea and research method compare to mine?

Do you have detailed questions about the process? Feel free to ask in the comments, or email me directly at julie (at) juliemusil (dot) com.

25 comments:

  1. I think these steps are also helpful when crafting a blog post as well. :)

    Angela

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  2. Hi Julie,
    I have tried my hand at nonfiction, submitting to a few inspirational publications. But I never had success with any. I wrote a few nonfiction pieces when I wrote for educational publishers, basically using the Internet to do my research. Then I submitted to Chicken Soup for the Soul, on a whim, last year and got published. I have a second story coming out with them this year as well. As far as research, I am an avid Chicken Soup for the Soul reader. So basically, the "voice" of their stories are in my head when I write mine. And I pretty much look for stories in my own life that might encourage someone else.

    But writing articles for magazines and having to do the extensive research you do? I'm not so sure I can do that. My hat is off to you.

    :)

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    1. Linda, getting published in Chicken Soup is a major accomplishment!

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  3. Hi Julie, these points are great for all kinds of writing. Non-fiction requires a whole lot of research while in fiction its more imagination based.

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    1. Rachna, so true. And research for both types of writing can be addictive :/

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  4. Hubz and I had a 10 page Civil War article published last June. It was our first publication and quite exciting. Knowing your topic and research is a huge key. Then you must find the right fit for that key - which publication(s) to query the article.

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    1. Loree, with the work you and your husband do on a regular basis, I can see how you two were the perfect couple to write that article!

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  5. You make me want to try it! Thanks for laying out the process so clearly. I'm still afraid I wouldn't do well though. *shrugs* Unfamiliar territory. But maybe we ought to push ourselves to do just that!

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  6. Quite inspirational, and timely as I want to write magazine articles this year too. I'm bookmarking this post and will look forward to reading more. Thanks!

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  7. Non-fiction is one thing I've never even attempted to tackle, but I suppose those same tips can be applied to blogging (or editing college application & scholarship essays), so thank you for the advice. Awesome as always!

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  8. I've actually had an idea for a nonfiction book swirling around in my head for a while. I really need more hours in my day! :)

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  9. I have written many non-fiction articles on an aspect of flight training or safety. So the topic is a given... something that made a plane crash. But I like the way of narrowing the topic, and research. Thank you for the great link!

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  10. I wrote articles for newspapers and magazines for 13 years. Helped me hone my writing skills. Loved doing research. I've written two non-fiction books and it took a lot of effort. I doubt I'll ever get around to publishing them, though. I enjoy writing fiction more.

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  11. Fun fact: I used to read nothing but true crime (and it still fascinates me). Honestly, as hard as novel writing is, the meticulous gathering, fact checking, and organizing in non-fiction is mind blowing (to me). I could do an article on many things, but for a full length book, wow! I'd have to be in love with the topic. I agree, your tips are helpful for blog writing too!

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  12. I used to do technical writing - operating manuals for theatrical lighting systems. Real page turners. (Copies available upon request) I think those days killed any urge I might have to go non-fiction.

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  13. Interesting! I used to be a Reading textbook editor. As such, I wrote lots of nonfiction articles. They are fun to write as long as the topic is at least somewhat interesting.
    I'm looking forward to your follow up post.

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  14. It sounds a little like how i wrote my University essays :-)

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  15. I don't think of myself as a non-fiction writer but i guess my blog posts qualify. Cheers for the useful ideas.

    mood

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  16. I haven't tried non-fiction yet--except for blogs. Perhaps, I will...

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  17. Hi, Julie. Great post on article writing. I look forward to reading part 2. Have a great day!

    Susanne
    PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

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  18. Thanks--love to learn new things. And nope--I've never written a non-fiction article in my whole life! :D

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  19. Thanks for these tips! I have a couple of friends who write freelance articles and was thinking of trying it out, if I could find a way to get in the door! Looking forward to your other posts on this topic.

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