Writing an Interesting Article
The first thing you will need to write an interesting article is information. These days, just about anything you might be interested in finding out can be found on the Internet. It is as simple as using a search engine to research your topic. Of course, depending on your subject, you may have to turn to more traditional sources of information such as libraries. There is a wealth of resources in just about any library, and immense libraries can be found on almost any college campus. Get a backpack and some notebooks and head out to the library if you can’t find what you’re looking for online.
Chances are you will find more than you need to know to write any article from online sources. Check out the Internet libraries like UPenn Digital Library if you want public domain books to quote from or research in. Often times old sources of information will provide a simpler explanation of some phenomenon. Always check old sources out for accuracy though, as science has a tendency to progress. For history or literature, even some old books can be just as good as new.
Once you have read over your sources and taken notes on the information you will need for your article, it is time to start writing. If you are working on a long article it will be helpful to make an outline. Gather up the important information and the point you are trying to make and write an introductory paragraph. The introduction of an article should get across all the important things you are trying to say. Often times people will just read the first few sentences of an article and no more. You want to make your purpose known as soon as possible in writing an article.
When you did your reading or other research, you will have written down some of the facts or observations that you will use in writing your article. This is the main part of the information you will be trying to communicate to your readers. People want to learn something when they take the time to read. The facts will also give your article credibility and authority. Make sure you have your information correct. Writing is not only a process of communicating to a reader, but it also informs the writer, who may be learning something new when they work up an article.
It is better to have a more conversational tone when you are writing something than to be correct and proper and authoritative. Official sounding language can be very boring to read. Use an active voice. Avoid too many adverbs and qualifying words that limit the impact of what you write. Present your information as simply as possible and do not try to obscure your points with extra words. An article is something people read to get information. It is not a work of fiction that is meant to entertain. Still, if you use a good tone of voice and are crisp and understandable, an article can be very enjoyable to read.
If you want to write an interesting article, you will have to have an interesting subject. Not many people are interested in some little-known arcane fact about some aspect of a game that went out of vogue twenty years ago. A lot of people are interested in celebrities. This does not mean that you can not write a very interesting article about ancient Greek pottery. It just means not as many people will want to read such an article. For your writing to attract an audience it has to be about something that draws people’s attention. Do some research online into what people are interested in and pick your subjects accordingly.
An article is not just a list of facts. You should relate your subject to the broader experiences in life and explain why you think it is important to be concerned with this material. All subjects are in some way part of human experience. Even such strange and distant objects as black holes and neutron stars have some appeal to some people. Anything that has been studied by human beings is possible subject matter for an article. You might write an article about your visit to the park. You might write about your own experiences in school or on the job. You do not have to base your writing on the work of other people. If you do your own scientific research, you are expected to write about your own work and relate it to the work of others. The same process of gathering information and arranging it into an understandable piece applies.
Good research, an interesting subject, clear and entertaining style, and relevance to life are all ingredients in any good article. Prepare your material and read over your work before you publish in whatever medium you use. There are many things a person might be interested in reading about. It is the job of the writer to identify and expound on a subject so that readers might be informed.
