While still keeping in mind fresh, imaginative writing, as addressed in my recent post, let’s look this time at a particular forum for your writing—print and online magazines.
Writing an article is a great way for you to share your unique angle to coaching and working with clients as well as to receive exposure for your coaching service. Where will you begin?
Practice Writing a Stronger Article
Start where you are and take the next steps to learn, brush up on, or strengthen the art of writing a strong article. A few focus areas to keep in mind:
- know the structure of your article generally as well as specific to a magazine
- research a magazine’s needs and demographic
- create good leads and endings
- incorporate the human element through anecdotal stories
- write clearly, concisely, and creatively
- design good flow and sections
Learn these well. A great writer is always willing to better their skills, and the article writer is no exception.
Take courses, attend conferences, borrow or buy resources. Keep layering in new learning so that you can offer increasingly stronger and more compelling articles. This will widen your reach and possibly begin to bring in supplemental income.
Stock Your Writer’s Shelf
There are many possible resources you can gather. A few to have on your shelf at all times are a dictionary, thesaurus, grammar guide, and an industry-recognized stylebook, such as The Associated Press Stylebook.
A few other helpful resources include:
- The Proofreader’s Easy Guide to Grammar, by Daniel Kline
- Getting the Words Right—39 Ways to Improve Your Writing, by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
- Usage and Abusage—How to Pick the Right Words and Avoid the Wrong Ones in Speech and in Writing, by Eric Partridge
- Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, by Writer’s Digest
- The Magazine Article—How to Think It, Plan It, Write It, by Peter P. Jacobi
- Writing Articles from the Heart—How to Write and Sell Your Life Experiences, by Marjorie Holmes
Don’t feel you have to buy every resource you hear about. Pick a few and begin. Buy used books, borrow from your library, or share among other writers. Then once you’ve dug your toes into learning, practicing, and writing great articles, don’t stop there.
Publish Your Articles
I’ve always considered any sharing of our writing a form of publishing—even the front of a refrigerator. But I’m guessing you’ll want more than your spouse, children, or family dog to benefit from what you’ve written. So where will you share your writing?
How about:
- on your own website
- on a coaching network website
- in your local newspaper
- in a coaching magazine
- in a regional or national publication that wants your topic
So . . .
How about writing an article for the Christian Coach Magazine, or Coaching World Magazine, or a magazine—online or print—that reaches out to the readership of your specific coaching niche?
What comes to mind? Where will you begin?
Jan Kern
Author, Writing Mentor
Life, Leadership, and Creativity Coach, ACC
CCN Professional Member
www.jankern.com
www.courageousmoves.com
