Do you know why the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series is so popular? Aside from terrific marketing and unequaled publicity, readers love the stories and personal essays. They are short, personal and teach a lesson or moral. If you would like to be a better writer of the personal essay, opinion pieces, reports and letters to the editor just follow the suggestions listed below:
1. Be brief. Many written reports or stories are 500 words or less. However, there is a general rule that an essay is between two and twenty typed, double-spaced pages. The most important criteria to remember is that a good piece needs to be an unbroken reading experience. The reader will lose interest if it is too long or wordy.
2. Tell a story. A personal essay is a story that has happened to you or that you know about firsthand. The reader assumes that it is nonfiction and that it will contain details and descriptions with which we are familiar. Structure your story around examples, using a pencil as your paintbrush to evoke images and paint a picture in the reader's mind.
3. Make a point. You will want to illustrate your point, teach a lesson, explain a specific topic, or even support or criticize an idea. Your goal is to win sympathy or agreement. Do not turn it into a sermon or a soapbox to present the superiority of your ideas by including "shoulds" or "musts" aimed at the reader.
4. Use your senses. Enliven your essay with sensuous detail like how it smelled, tasted, sounded or felt. Make the reader feel like they are seeing and experiencing it through your body.
5. Tell about the ordinary. Personal essays are often best when they describe a common but freely shared experience. It doesn't have to be about being a survivor of the Twin Towers. Talk about your reaction to 911. Or tell us about watching a sunset or baking bread. When you talk about walking your dog, take us along.
6. Make it engaging. An essay should arouse curiosity about life. Instead of preaching, invite us to consider your point of view by sharing the particular experience that brought you there, describe what happened, how you reacted, and why you interpret your experiences the way you do.
Think about your own interests and areas of special knowledge, activities, skills, attitudes, problems as well as typical obstacles faced in life. Teach us what you gained or lost in your life lesson. It is much easier to be convincing when you can draw from personal and firsthand information. Write it today. Submit it to Chicken Soup for the Soul or your local newspaper and become a published author. There are readers out there who want to share your slice of life.
© 2005 Judy H. Wright
This article has been prepared for your use by Judy H. Wright, author and life educator. You have permission to reprint it in your ezine or newsletter as long as the author and her web address is included http://www.ArtichokePress.com; 406-549-9813. Check out the website for upcoming workshops, tele-classes and books. You will also find FREE articles and be able to subscribe to the ezine The Artichoke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life.
Advertisements are one of the biggest indicators of a magazine's... Read More
Writing and submitting articles to article banks is a well-known... Read More
There are two primary factors in creating a successful reference... Read More
If you are going to be writing articles to promote... Read More
Writers talk about rejection all the time ? just part... Read More
Increase your ezine subscribers by submitting articles once or twice... Read More
Not writing articles yet? You really should try it, if... Read More
You want your business to be noticed by thousands daily.... Read More
Original quotes, when used at the beginning or at the... Read More
Writing a letter to your newspaper's editor is a privilege... Read More
Find definitions from A to G! A About... Read More
Some six weeks ago, I began writing and submitting articles... Read More
It's not enough to scatter your articles across the internet... Read More
Being an Internet Article Author is far and away the... Read More
Knowing exactly what an editor wants.Unfortunately, many new writers struggle... Read More
Publicity?you're business can survive without it, but it certainly won't... Read More
A large portion of your business relies on your ability... Read More
Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to... Read More
A few years ago as a webmaster with no money,... Read More
Okay, I admit it: I'm a keen people-watcher. (Most writers... Read More
Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for... Read More
I've been able to distinguish 3 main categories that people... Read More
Earlier, I published part 1 of this series, which contained... Read More
All of us, the authors, know that to enhance our... Read More
One of the most effective (and free!) ways to get... Read More
Here's a really simple way... to promote your online business... Read More
A ghostwriter, as one may think is not a writer... Read More
Proven and Exceptional Click-Through ResultsTesting has proven again and again... Read More
People who have an idea for a website sometimes require... Read More
Everyone that publishes a newsletter or ezine knows that the... Read More
It doesn't really matter who you are; you definitely know... Read More
The goal of free publicity is to get your name... Read More
This is the "real" Money Maker in the Mail Order... Read More
Every webmaster knows that to gain ranking positions in search... Read More
Every day thousands of people join affiliate programs and yet... Read More
If you've spent any time online trying to promote your... Read More
In today's busy world, whether your business is large or... Read More
We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More
Recently I interviewed Kevin Bidwell of All-In-One-Business.com on some of... Read More
How to write an informative article?The following tips can help... Read More
As you write the outline for your next article, there... Read More
By default, Microsoft Word automatically changes straight quotation marks (... Read More
Article marketing has become very popular of late, especially with... Read More
Sharing knowledge on the web can be a very powerful... Read More
One of the best ways to build credibility and promote... Read More
1. Choose A Topic.You need to choose either a hot... Read More
A lot of great ideas happen when two or more... Read More
Writing a letter to your newspaper's editor is a privilege... Read More
Submitting articles once or twice a week can yield 15... Read More
Recycling your work is a lot like doing your part... Read More
Lets face it people use articles to send traffic to... Read More
If you are going to be writing articles to promote... Read More
Online publishers, ezine subscribers, and Web visitors want short, useful... Read More
Writing articles has proven time and time again to be... Read More
What's the most powerful marketing technique on the Web? Search... Read More
Marketing on a budget is tough. This is a universal... Read More
Writing articles is by far the most effective online promotion... Read More
Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles... Read More
A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their... Read More
The goal of free publicity is to get your name... Read More
Evaluation of a Home-Run ArticleI've been writing articles and posting... Read More
Online readers love information, but be sure your information is... Read More
Congratulations! You've written your first article (or possibly your 10th... Read More
Yesterday I met a 13-year old boy with a devilish... Read More
Writing articles for your site and for the use of... Read More
Anxiety, apprehension, cold feet, consternation, dismay, distress, dread, fear, fright,... Read More
Article Writing |