Writing Articles
I used to write primarily articles and non-fiction, and had a reasonable amount of success, with articles published in Prima, Young Voices, Best of British. I wrote regularly for Cat World for a few years until payments became irregular. For the past few years, I've focused on writing fiction, which I think is a much tougher market.
Recently I've been going through the list of writing that I've done that isn't yet published (note the positive - rather than will never be published!) I dug out some articles I wrote for Christmas, dusted them off, edited them again, and low and behold, I have sold a piece on Advent to a paying market.
If Fiction isn't your thing, than many magazines accept freelance articles. A copy of a 'Writer's & Artist's yearbook' is essential here, as it allows you to identify those editors who will accept freelance work.
To sell your articles, they need to be - well researched (ensure your facts are accurate - avoid Wikipedia!)
- well written - the rules of spelling and grammar are essential to pitch your work.
- find an angle / hook which is appropriate for the journal you would like to publish your article. Do your homework, and study the magazine to work out the target audience, style of writing and type of material they publish.
- Make sure it is written for the target audience of the magazine. An article on diapers / nappies is unlikely to interest the readers of 'The Oldie'
- your pitch needs to catch the editor's attention, and explain why your article is relevant to their readers.
- if you are a new writer, it is best to write the article, and send it as proof that you can deliver on your promise. If you have samples of published work, you can use these, and pitch the article in idea form. This has the advantage of allowing the editor to ask for a particular angle to be emphasised - helpful to know before you write the article.
Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, make sure your work is professional and well presented, and write the best that you can!