How to write an article

Hi friends, recently I wrote an item about how easy it is to blog. “I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I won’t let something like proper English keep me from tapping away” I wrote. Well, apparently there are rules. Like…don’t write too many words… and make a point! Right? And don’t go on forever rambling without structure.

I could just tap away aimlessly all day (and I have) or I could make a point. I choose the latter. The following post will tell you what my blog is about. Bonus! You can apply it to your own writings.

How did I do it? By sitting down to write Editorial Guidelines. This will save us so much trouble and keep us on-point.

1. Write an introduction. Sum up the problem/solution. Personalize the article for yourself. You write for you and your readers. For example:

A few years ago, my employer sent me to New York to attend a design thinking conference… After a week of listening, learning, and participating, I came back to Chicago fully energized. Unfortunately several years later, design thinking still remains a mystery to many of my friends. Why? Obviously I’m not doing something…

Make a mission statement, the following editorial guidelines will serve as…

2. Content Goal

Leaning upon my New Media Studies graduate studies for content and organization of ideas, the main goal is to structure an argument by providing information for design thinking and design concepts. In a thoughtful and creative manner, I will…

I’d like to reader to take away a sense of… (be brutally honest and upfront in how you want the reader to feel).

3. Content Objective

1. Design Awareness. …Design thinking is a way for people to realize that they can be creative in ways that don’t involve being artistic. …The main objective of this blog is to remind people that sometimes wonderful and often humorous outcomes happen when…
2. Professionalism. …The second goal of this blog is to make it easy for both sides to recognize that design affects all of us… So, whether we’re creating it or talking about it, we all live in a world designed by us…

I’d like to reader to act this way… (be brutally honest and upfront in what you want the reader to do).

4. Audience. Who are they?

When explaining design to business people, you often feel the urge to start from the very beginning. However, the best way to talk to my audience is …

Businesspeople. Marketers, Salespeople, Financers, Designers, Colleagues, Friends, and Future Associates, will be my readers.

Identify the types of readers… Because the audience is so broad… Practically every design presentation I’ve ever listened to, seems afraid of humor… if the content is available within the posts, then people will agree with the message. As Marshall McLuhan, would say, “the content of any medium is always another medium” – so, the content in this blog is actually about another medium!

People who don’t think they are designers… wait everyone is creative! …any subject that can be satirized; politics, religion, world events —we can also have fun through design… design is everyday and encompasses everyday…

5. Linking

For goodness sakes, cite references. Everyone knows that knowledge comes from information. It’s how you put it together that is unique. Utilize hyper text; How many Links (two)? Photo’s, articles, video’s etc. But don’t use any of these if not authorized. Pay attention to formatting and style sheets.

Be sure to find out how much your audience will read. Example; keep word count to 500 words. People on the Internet prefer much shorter stories.

6. Persona

Create your own voice… a good way to do this is by creating 3-4 personas of the people you think will read your article. Not only is this recommended, but it is one thing that you absolutely should do. Draw up a one page sheet of who the reader might be. For example:

___________________________________

Reader #1 (photo included)

Who: (have them write one paragraph about themself)

• Name: Meghan
• …60 y/o, retired art director, married 34 years, middle income, 4 grandchildren…
• “I’ve been working in the design industry as an art director for 37 years. I recently retired to spend time with my grandchildren. My husband has been retired now for 3 years… he sleeps all day and watches espn at night… I love sketching with my Ipad, enjoy reading robert’s blog, … like to travel,…”

Demographics:

• Live in the burbs… own their home outright… good sense of security, one car…

Typical web tasks:

• Both use email, but not social media, like to visit sports pages and she likes to read design blogs… 
• Take ipad on their vacations, use computers to book travel, use smartphones to check emails…

What do you think?
Are you like me, that you think asking a question at the end of a blog is annoying as hell?