Beginning freelance article writers often set out to establish a niche. They believe that they must choose a topic or area of interest and stick within those bounds. Most of them focus on the things they enjoy, the things they are involved in, the things they know. And this isn’t a bad place to start. But it can be so limiting.
It is also typical for a new writer to get stuck in her own world. She can’t see a story beyond what she has experienced or what she knows. And if her world is rather small—if she lacks imagination—she won’t be able to produce many articles of any real interest or merit.
For example, let’s say that you love to run and you just ran a marathon. You decide that’s what you want to write about. Good start. Only who is going to be interested in your story? What is the appeal? What makes this a good story? This is the place where most writers get stuck. Here are a few ideas:
• Maybe this is your first marathon. Write from the perspective of a beginner. Everyone was a beginner once and this might be a refreshing point of view for a magazine that uses essays or, perhaps, humor pieces on running or sports/fitness in general.
• If you learned a lot on that first competitive run, create a how-to article for new runners.
• Maybe you are in your 50s or 60s or you have a disability—a piece featuring running tips for the older runner or those with handicaps might appeal to an editor.
• What were some of the special challenges of this marathon? Did it take place in a much higher altitude than you’re used to? Was the terrain particularly rugged? Maybe the weather was extreme. Do some additional research and present an editor with a piece on preparing for altitude changes, preventing altitude sickness, training for uneven terrain or dealing with weather changes, for example.
Now this is just a start. What will you write about next? Here’s a hint. Since you’ve done the research on altitude sickness, for example, glom onto this topic and start molding it to fit other types of magazines—parenting (how to help children deal with altitude changes), travel (preparing for altitude change), health (symptoms of and how to treat altitude sickness), horse and rider (caring for a horse in higher altitudes), pet (what about dogs and altitude?) and so forth.
Take your first-time runner piece, slice and dice it to fit other activities—how to develop a competitor’s mindset, tips for shutting out the competition and concentrating just on your personal best, the joy of good sportsmanship, how to make friends with competitors, the psychology of competing…
By taking your topic in new directions like this, you will more readily develop the skill for recognizing article ideas even outside your realm of expertise or interest. In fact, article ideas may occur to you while conducting research for an article and while observing others. The sportsmanship piece might evolve into one for a youth sports magazine, for example. And that might lead to a piece on preventing sports injuries in kids, how to determine when your kids are ready for competitive sports, tips for making youth sports a good experience for your child, etc.
Certainly, write about what you know and what you’ve experienced. But open your mind to article possibilities beyond the obvious. As a freelance article writer, you should:
• Look at an event or circumstance from a variety of angles.
• Stretch your mind and imagination.
• Reach out for additional facts and other information.
• Be highly observant.
• Use creative thought rather than staying stuck in total reality.
• Develop the ability to see beyond what is.
• Know what the reader wants/needs.
I’d like to hear how you used this lesson in your freelance article work. PLFry620@yahoo.com
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