In a magazine article it’s a good idea to hook the reader in the first 2 sentences.  Make them want to read on by enticing them.  The tabloids do a great job with their attention getting headlines, “Alien Love Child Born to Rock Star” is going to make the reader curious. So, the opening should introduce the reader to the subject and what makes it worth reading about.

Mix up quotes with the exposition.  In other words, don’t do a data dump.  Give the facts that are new and different from articles written about this subject before.  (This may take a little research, but it’s worth it.) Make the focus of the article pertinent to the publication and the reader demographic.  You can rewrite articles to a specific magazine and then use your research more than once. Be careful to keep these articles unique.

It’s a story, just like any other, the meat is in the middle and the falling tension is at the end – there should be an arch.  Wrap up the story or conclude with information that will leave the reader satisfied.

WRITER’S RIGHTS: Find out what rights the magazine owns, for example, if you are a writer for hire, all rights to the article belong to the magazine.  You cannot resell it.  However, if they have 1st publication rights only, then you can resell the article to other magazines, but attribution may be required.  Make sure you have e-publishing rights before you post on your web site. If you do a PDF or JPG of the article, the magazine and date will be visible so you should be fine.  Find out if there is a kill fee for articles you are asked to write, but don’t get published.  You can also request the rights back on an article that has not been published.

MARKETING: Be involved in writing, media, and professional organizations.  Have a web site with samples. Business cards are a must.  Watch job postings for freelance writing positions.  Utilize the social media (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.).  Develop unique ideas that haven’t been done before and query multiple magazines.

RESOURCES: freelancesuccess.com; writersmarket.com; worldwidefreelance.com; writersweekly.com; fundsforwriters.com; Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Writer Magazine

GOOD LUCK!  (again please comment)