The most important part of learning how to write an article for a magazine, periodical, or newspaper is recognizing good story ideas. No matter how skillfully you write, an editor… Read More »How to Test a Story Idea Before Querying an Editor
Here’s the query letter that landed me my first article in Reader’s Digest – it’s a sample of a successful query letter that you can use to win your own writing assignments. In The Renegade Writer’s… Read More »Example of a Successful Query Letter to Reader’s Digest
What is the “confession formula” that writers need to know? How are confession stories different, and what do readers (and editors) want? Here are four steps to writing confessional articles… Read More »How to Write Confession Stories for Magazines Such as “True Story”
How do you write an essay, article or blog post when you have no ideas and nothing to write about? When I taught Language Arts and Journalism, I often watched… Read More »7 Ideas for Writers Who Have No Idea What to Write About
These 10 steps will help you break down the freelance writing business into small chunks. If you want to start or revive your career as a writer, you’ll find helpful… Read More »How Do You Start Making Money as a Freelance Writer?
Want to write your own regular column for a magazine like Reader’s Digest? Here’s the idea I pitched to my editor, and why I turned down their offer of a regular column.
A good article ends with a conclusion that surprises the reader, yet makes sense. Writing an ending that summarizes your ideas is difficult, but not impossible.
My Reader’s Digest editor taught me more about writing magazine articles and query letters than any other editor I’ve worked with. These are the ten most important things I learned… Read More »10 Things You Need to Know About Writing for Reader’s Digest
It’s every aspiring writer’s conundrum: you can’t write for magazines because you haven’t been published yet, and you can’t get published because you haven’t sold any articles yet. Fear not;… Read More »How Do You Write an Author Bio When You’ve Never Been Published?
Writers interview experts, witnesses and other sources for information. Interviews also make articles, books and blog posts more interesting. Direct quotations and real-life experiences are exactly what writers need to… Read More »How Writers Interview Experts and Witnesses for Magazine Articles
Whether you’re looking for a magazine writing job or pitching an article idea, you’ll find this list of editors and writers helpful. Magazine editorial staff ranges from the editor-in-chief to… Read More »A List of Different Types of Writing and Editing Jobs at Magazines
Payment on publication means writers are paid when an article is published. Payment on acceptance is payment when an article is submitted. What is the difference between “payment upon publication”… Read More »“Payment on Publication” versus “Payment on Acceptance”
What new topic can you write about on Valentine’s Day? You need good ideas for an article or blog post, and you don’t want to rewrite the same old Valentine’s Day stuff that always gets published in magazines, e-zines and blogs. My tips will help you go beyond the traditional, tired “romantic gift ideas” and “how we met” articles on February 14.