| Writing
A Statement
by Barb Clews
You have decided on a great idea and
researched a publication, what's next?
Before you write any part of your article you should
write a statement. This will keep you focused and makes
the writing process much easier and quicker.
A statement should be concise and have between one
and three sentences. Here are a few examples:
How to buy a good second-hand motor vehicle Changing
jobs and finding your ideal position Moving house with
little or no stress Five secrets of a healthy mind and
body
The next step is to write between three and six essentials
you would like to cover in the article. For example:
"How to buy a good second-hand motor vehicle"
- Where to obtain finance
- Who can check the vehicle for roadworthiness?
- Will a trade-in be required?
- Decide on the vehicle make and year
You can write them down in any order and then simply
renumber them in the order you want each one to appear
in the article.
Now you know exactly what you are going to write about.
Research will be effective and less time consuming.
Anything that slips into your article that is not one
of the essentials or directly relates to the statement
doesn't belong and should be removed.
A statement keeps you focused during the research,
writing and editing processes. You have a clear direction.
The content of your article will be meaningful.
Editors will love your work and keep asking you for
more.
Barb Clews (http://www.bcacommunications.com.au)is
an award winning journalist with nearly 1,000 published
articles to her credit. She has been a writer and editor
for 15 years and is the author of "Article Writing
for Freelancers" and "20 Tips to Increase
Writing Skills"
Visit BCA Books (
http://www.bcabooks.com) to subscribe to "Words
that Work", Barb's monthly ezine packed with tips
for writers.
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