Hi, I signed up for the months trial about 10 days ago and have finally got around to introducing myself.

I haven't done any writing for just over a year and really want to get back into doing some, but don't really know how to go about it which is why I did some searches and found this website. The type of writing I want to do is Article Writing so it seemed a bit spooky when I logged on tonight or should I say this morning, and saw the thread below this one.

I got into writing by accident, I'd always thought that figures were my strength not writing, although I did manage to get my English O Level as a school girl many moons ago. I'd become an avid fan of Grays Athletic FC a year before, and the chap who was managing their website had gone off travelling for 9 months. It was frustrating to access their site and find virtually nothing new on it, so in trying to establish what experience/skills were needed in a bid to find someone suitable to do the job I contacted the Club Secretary. He then rang me thinking I wanted to do the job and after some persuasion on his part that is exactly what I ended up doing, managing their official website. This he explained to me involved writing the match reports. Daunting was an understatement, but there I was two weeks later notepad and pencil in hand. My first reports were to say the least..........basic, but as time went on they improved. Two and a half years and numerous reports later it was a different story, and as a result of a bit of a problem with the football club (won't bore you all with that) I resigned, but before doing so I'd contacted one of the bigger local rags aware that they were a staff member down and the Sports Editor offered me work covering mainly Grays Athletic away matches and also sickness and holidays. This I did until they had recruited another full-time sports writer.

The funny thing was two months before I'd taken on the Official Website I had just started buying the Non-League Paper and was telling a fellow fan about this, and then jokingly said 'well as long as I don't start bringing a notepad and pencil along because then you'll know I've become a real anorak.'

I'd never had dreamt 2 1/2 years before that my reports would end up in print, and that I'd be getting paid for writing them.

I've got a few books about Article Writing and writing for magazines, but I'm still trying to come up with ideas of what to write and how to go about it. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Carol and welcome to WriteWords.

Sorry I have absolutely no idea about article writing but I just wanted to make you welcome and say I hope you find the site useful. You have had a very interesting entry to the writing world .

This is a very friendly place and I'm sure you'll find your way around soon enough.

It's usually better to join in with a group where you band together with people interested in the same kind of writing as you. Then you crit each other's work and discuss subjects in the group forums.

Feel free to join in discussions and get involved - the Lounge is where we chat about all sorts of things but you have to be a full member to get in there. That's maybe worth considering if you're going to stay on after your trial.

Dee and Nik are our Site Hosts and you can find their contacts on the left hand side of the screen. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Welcome!

Hi Carol, and welcome to WriteWords. Eve's said everything that I would, so jump in, and if in doubt, post a query!

Emma

Carol, welcome.

Like Eve, I have no idea about article writing, but I just wanted to say hello.

I would suggest you join a group. There’s a general non-fiction (which is a very new group so would no doubt welcome more members), or possibly the journalism group might suit you. Get involved, post a piece of your work, give feedback on others… before you know it you’ll be just as addicted as the rest of us

If there’s anything you're not sure of, feel free to ask. Either post a question in a forum, or ask Nik or myself via WWmail, whichever you prefer.

Best wishes,

Dee

Hi again, would just like to say thanks for the warm welcome you have given me and it's highly likely that I will sign up as a full member.

Yes, it was quite an interesting way to get into writing, and being female I used to get lots of double takes or quizzical looks by male fans of away teams. In the whole time I was writing match reports for Grays Athletic/The Romford Recorder I only ever came accross one other female writer.

This getting into writing thing has been on my mind for months now, but I've not known how to go about it, and I don't know why this hadn't come to me before but I'm glad it did today.

I've not had the best of days and at tea time I phoned my nan, and she suggested I did some reading or writing to concentrate my mind. This is when it slapped me in the face like a frying pan and I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it earlier. I'd been thinking of writing an article on Scientology, but thought do I write the article first or put the idea to a potential publisher, and if so who??

I promptly dug out my old address book and phoned a chap who used to be a full-time journalist for The Thurrock Gazette. I'd got to know him as he wrote all their Grays Athletic match reports - he'd be sat their doing Pitman Teeline whilst I'd be doing Pitman New Era.

It proved to be a very useful conversation. Ryan suggested that I think of the ideas first, and then write to magazines, papers etc giving them the bare bones to find out if they are interested. He agreed with what I'd read in one of the books I have that submitting a finished article is not a good idea, and that it has been known for unscrupulous editors to then publish the article under a different name. He also felt it was better to write about something that really interests you or that you are passionate about or a personal experience. His reasons?? Whereas many articles have been written on Scientology a personal experience is unique. He's currently a News Editor but really wants to get back to sports writing because this is what he is really interested in. I can see where he is coming from on that one, because that's why I used to enjoy writing about Grays so much because I was passionate about the team and as a result I gave everything I'd got in writing the report. Fans who weren't there used to comment that when they read the report they felt like they had been.

My last question was well say for instance I've found my idea for an article what's the best way of finding a possible outlet for it?? Ryan suggested that I do a google search for magazines or publications that might be suitable.

I mentioned to Ryan that it had crossed my mind to write about my time in The Priory (had fallen into black hole, revisit it some times - the black hole that is not The Priory). Only problem with that one is that any article I'm sure I am right in believing that any article I wrote would have to be sanctioned by them before it could be published which means I may not be able to tell it as it really was.

Whilst talking to Ryan I told him that I'd found this site and he sounded quite interested so I think he might sign up.


<Added>

Don't know how I could forget this one; Ryan mentioned that you would probably get many knocks backs but to persist. I anticipated that this would be the case. I'm sure Colonel Sanders must have felt like giving up when he was peddling his recipe to the 1000+ companies/organizations but look at him now!

Hi Carol,

welcome to WW.

I'd suggest this:

buy some mags that publish the kind of thing you'd like write about and study them for tone, article length etc. Have a look as well at who writes the articles/features (a lot will just use their own staff; no room for freelancers).

Then when you've decided what you want to write about and for whom, you need to pitch it to the editor (the journo group bods'll be able to tell you how to do this), just like your friend said. If (s)he likes it then you write it.

Sorry to be brief - hope that's helped.

Nik.

PS You can see magazine details (ie hot to submit, to who, what they publish et al) in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.

Hi, thanks for the advice Nik.

I will definitely be purchasing some magazines in the near future, but first I'm waiting for the copy of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook to arrive which I have purchased from ebay. As I don't know the RRP I'm not sure whether I got it any cheaper by buying it on ebay.

I have a few ideas about what I could write about.

I visited my nan today (she's nearly 88), and she was telling me another of her fascinating tales which are mainly about life during world war II. I asked her if she could come up with a few more incidents as I was looking for writing material. However, she informs me that a lot of it would not be suitable for publication!!