Feature Writing – questions to ask before you begin

freelance articles freelance writing Writing Tips

You’ve chosen your topic, but before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) ask yourself some key questions:-

• what do I want to say about my chosen topic?
• have I gathered all the information I need?
• am I clear about the type of story I am working on?
• am I clear on the angle I am exploring and the style in which I am writing?
• do I have a sense of who my readers will be?
• am I sure I have all the facts or do I need to verify them?
• have I allocated enough time to write (and edit) the article?

You may already be familiar with your subject matter, or have written a similar article before, but you still need to research to ensure you’ve got your facts right and identify any gaps in your knowledge.  As you start writing, you’ll become more aware of what it is you need to find out through research.  And as you research, you’ll accumulate more information that you can include in your story.

Follow this process when researching for an article:

• write down what you already know about your chosen subject
• check out gaps in your knowledge
• identify resources that will help you fill those gaps
• access the resources you have identified
• sort through information you have gathered

The next step is to construct the first draft of your article.  I’ll take you through this in my next blog post.  Until then, happy researching and happy writing!