Category «Research»

“These markets just aren’t me!” (Mistake #22)

Know the magazine I’d like to write for? Pick’n’Mix Magazine – the monthly for lovers of all forms of confectionary, sweets and chocolate bars. It has 100-odd pages of editorial and the editor actively seeks contributors to write about their favourite candy and review the latest launches from Lindt. Pick’n’Mix pays above NUJ recommended rates, …

Writing to demonstrate knowledge (Mistake #21)

This is an interesting one, which I tend to see in younger writers, perhaps just out of school or college or uni, and therefore maybe fresh from writing essays. Articles are not essays, clearly. One of the key differences – there are many – is that in an essay you are typically writing to show …

Not investing in your career (Mistake #17)

I want to say upfront that in my experience British people are not cheap. They are quite happy to spend money on holidays, on home improvements, on clothes, on gadgets, on cars, on … pretty much anything. And they don’t only treat themselves. Brits are notoriously generous when it comes to, say, Christmas gifts and …

Admitting ignorance (Mistake #16)

A weird one this, but I’ve seen it a fair bit, so thought it deserved a few lines. As a writer, you must be authoritative. You might not be an expert in the subject about which you are writing, but for the duration of those 800 or 1,200 words, you need to act as if …

Mentioning your research (Mistake #10)

This will be obvious and second nature to many of you, but I see it often enough to justify an entry. Let’s take this extract from a fictitious article intended for a health magazine: When I spoke to dietitian Victoria Plum on the telephone, and asked her what she thought of the study into the …

Thinking Writing is All Writing (Mistake #2)

Yes, writers write. But writers do a lot, lot more. You have to feed your writing. From where do writers obtain that fuel? Writers read. I’ll be returning to this subject, as it’s so important, but it’s a huge mistake to not read. Often I’m amazed when people tell me they want to write for …