There's one thing your fantasy forgot to show your cute little brain. Honey, it won't be all about parties, booze, and all the ice cream you want. In the real world, besides the fun stuff, you would also need to spend on the boring but essential "adult" things in life like rent (boo!), electricity (boo!), and water (boo!), among many other things (bigger boo!). Sorry, guys.
In line with this, I'm looking to get Job #2. Why? I'm old and I have bills that need paying. Because Job #1 ensures that most of my day is filled up, what I'm really looking for is a sideline. One of the jobs I applied for required an entry with an article based on their given topic.
I know I'm not the best writer in town (my grammar's shitty) but I spent a good few hours putting my thoughts in writing. So for posterity's sake, here's what I spat out-
How To Write a Good Article
By me
Most people think that writing is a piece of cake. Some don’t even take it to be a proper job. Many assume they can do it but when they attempt to, they just end up with word spaghetti. Good writing takes some skill to execute effectively. To be able to write a good article, you must first have a clear understanding of the subject at hand. If you’re unfamiliar with the topic, the first thing that you should do is to take the time to do proper research. Research doesn’t just mean going to a search engine, typing in the subject, and then taking the first few results as law. Unfortunately, not everything in the Internet can be believed these days and proper research requires finding the gold from the garbage. You need to figure out what are good sources and what are not. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the topic, you’re ready to start writing.
A useful trick to get started is to list the important points that you want to discuss. Four or five is the ideal number- too many points might distract the reader from your main one, too few might leave the reader rather unconvinced. From there, start expounding on your subtopics, adding supporting statements and providing strong follow up information based on your research. It is also helpful to write with your target audience in mind; you’re writing the article for them, after all. It is imperative that they get the point that you want to drive at. To help achieve that, refrain from using big and flowery words that would leave your readers reaching for their dictionaries. You’re writing prose, not poetry. Simple words would do the job just fine. You don’t want your readers to stop reading before you even get to your point. Keep them wanting to read until the end of the article. As much as you can, keep your sentences short, well constructed and direct to the point. Avoid confusing your readers with convoluted and jumbled sentences. An article that is easy to read is an article that readers would want to read. End it conclusively; a story with no conclusion is just pointless. Leave your readers informed, enlightened and most especially entertained.
However, don’t just confine yourself inside the box. At this day and age, good writers are a dime a dozen and you’d want to differentiate yourself from the rest of them. While correct grammar is necessary, sentence construction is important, and content is king; a good way to keep ahead of the pack is to give your article a bit of a spin. Share an insight, personal or otherwise, that would give your readers something to think about and go- “Oh, that’s right!” and your article will be better for it. It might be easier said than done but with an ounce of creativity and a pinch of hard work, you’ll end up being a cut above the rest. What is important is to be clear, concise, believable, relevant, and different. That is how to write an article- not just a good one, but a great one.
