Hint # 12 Favor fact checkers

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 10 When you write for top national magazines, your article will not only have to pass muster with a committee of editors, it will be combed over and vetted by someone called a fact checker. You’ll need to provide footnotes or endnotes (my favorite), preferably in a second [...]

Hint #11 Health writing risks

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 10 Many articles you’ll be asked to write prescribe some course of action. You may suggest readers  eat certain foods, practice certain exercises, or ask consider specific treatments or medications. I recommend not doing this lightly. Here’s why: When health risks are involved in a medical treatment or [...]

Hint #10 Great beginnings

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 10 Award-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez said one of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. “I have spent many months on a first paragraph and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily,” he explained. Of course, we’re not writing Marquez literary novels, [...]

Hint #9 Simplify structure

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 9 Some writers see an article’s ideal form the way Michelangelo saw art in a block of marble. “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away [...]

Hint #8 Ace expert interviews

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 8 Interviewing experts and using quotes to back up what you say will give your health article credibility with both editors and readers. You may hold strong opinions and know the subject you’re writing about, but good sources add depth and dimension to your piece. Even if  you’re [...]

Hint #7 Report responsibly

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 7 You’ve landed a plum writing assignment on a great health, fitness, nutrition or environmental health topic: Woo hoo! Now what? Let me take a moment to refer back to Hint #1 Start where you are. You have, haven’t you? That’s #1 not only to help you pitch [...]

Hint #6 Land your first gig

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 6 So you’ve found your starting point, networked with other writers to get the lay of the land, identified possible markets, developed article ideas, crafted killer queries, and emailed them to specific editors. When you didn’t hear back, you followed up. And when you still didn’t hear back, [...]

Hint #5 Don’t lose heart

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 5 Hear the phone not ringing? Hear your email not pinging? You hear nothing but crickets, you say?  Don’t lose heart; those are just the friendly freelance fairies whispering in your ear to try a little harder. This is a competitive business. Health, fitness, and nutrition editors at [...]

Hint #4 Write a killer query

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12 part – 4 Some people think they should just write their articles and send them out to publications who will say, “thank you very much,” and send a big check. That isn’t the way it usually works. First, you send a query letter, also known as a pitch letter, the [...]

Hint #3 Master your markets

MAGAZINE HEALTH WRITING BASIC 12  – part 3 Editors want to work with writers who get them and know why their publication is unique. If you think they’re all the same, look again. Whether you’re pitching an article idea or writing an article on assignment, you’ll stay on track by understanding the publication’s particular focus [...]

Next Page »