There are some who think that writing skills are something that you're born with. Could be true to an extent. However, what's also true is that writing skills can always be cultivated. All you need is a mind that's brimming with ideas and an innate desire to express yourself in the form of words. Beyond that, you just need to let your thoughts take over and let them flow freely. Easier said than done, it only makes sense to follow a certain pattern to make the article an interesting read. Then again, there are all those types of articles that require different types of formats.
Enough said. Writing an article is not as arduous a task as it's made out to be. Formats, in fact, are there to make things easier for you; to assist you with arranging your ideas in a logical sequence. Now, we're all familiar with the run-of-the-mill formats that begin with an introduction, have a body in the middle, and end with a conclusion. But since there are different types of articles, they obviously need to be written in different ways to make them reader-friendly. Before we get to it, let's take a quick look at the basic parts of an article.
Title
An oft-ignored part of the article, the title is instrumental in bringing you readers. It should be catchy, yet self-explanatory. It should be different, yet easy to comprehend. A good title attracts the attention of the reader, and makes him want to read further. Having said that, articles that have a serious tone, or are scientific, medical, or research-oriented must have simple and specific titles. Articles on lifestyle and entertainment can have innovative and experimental titles.
Introduction
One can't really stress enough on the importance of having an impressive introduction. By that, it means that an introduction should be more like a tease - it should explain the topic at hand without revealing everything that's going to follow, and egg the reader to move ahead. On the other hand, introductions of news-based articles should do the opposite and follow the
Five Ws format, answering the
When, Where, Who, What, Why questions.
Body
The body of the article, as the name goes, is the most important section. This is the part where you need to put in all the details and explanations, along with your examples or illustrations. While there isn't a set way to draft the body, it is always advisable to begin with the most important fact/feature before moving on to the lesser ones. This is termed as the
inverted pyramid format, where points are addressed according to their priority. This automatically puts the body in a logical sequence. Short paragraphs make for easy reading. Also, avoid placing conflicting issues in the same paragraph.
Conclusion
It is easy for most writers to string up random sentences to make up a conclusion, which is indeed unfair on the article that has been written from the heart. Here, the only thing to be kept in mind is that any new idea or thought does not deserve a place in the conclusion. The conclusion is essentially a brief recap of the entire article, which signifies the end of the write-up.
Further, let us look at the approaches you need to take when writing different kinds of articles.
Do-It-Yourself Articles
DIY articles, mainly should be precise and to-the-point. You need not beat around the bush to explain the concept involved, as it can bore people away from your article. Your introduction should explain the concept in brief. Perhaps you could add a piece of trivia here to make it interesting. The body should include a step-by-step explanation of the procedure involved. Adding illustrations of the procedure halves the need to explain things in words. A separate and elaborate conclusion is unnecessary in DIY articles, as the reader's foremost concern is understanding the procedure. A couple of lines signifying the end of the article should suffice.
Recipe Articles
Adjectives, adjectives and more adjectives come to your rescue while writing recipe articles. The introduction can be used to describe the cuisine that the recipe is a part of, including some bits of its history as well. The body should begin with a list of ingredients along with their proportion as per the number of people it's meant to feed. Cooking instructions should follow in steps. If there are any tips that you wish to add with some steps, it should be highlighted alongside, so that the reader does not miss out on them. Mention precise instructions, and never go back and forth, as you'll only end up confusing the reader. You can end the article with some tips on how to present the dish.
Motivational Articles
Motivational articles are written with a purpose to inspire. A fitting quotation by a famous personality or a proverb sets the mood for the rest of the article and manages to create an impression. Ideally, these articles start with identifying the problem and describing its debilitating effects on the human psyche. Next, the body paragraphs should focus on ideas to release the worries, and restoring normalcy. You could make use of examples or snippets of poetry to explain, instead of sounding too highbrow or philosophical. It is extremely important to conclude these articles on a happy note, or else they wouldn't really be called motivational.
Descriptive Articles
Articles that require lengthy explanations, or are of the educational or scientific variety should be formally written. These articles typically follow the staid
introduction-body-conclusion format. Unless the article is specifically written on a light note, there is no need to move away from the formal format. It would be advisable to make use of subheads in order to enhance its reader-friendliness. It is easy to go on rambling in descriptive essays, so stop yourself if you think you're repeating points. The conclusion should be a brief review of the entire essay.
Reviews
Reviews needn't follow any specific format, as long as they are informative, and don't sound too affected. The focus should be on the analysis right away, or else it would send the reader packing. Explain the product specifics in the introduction, along with the most important features to watch out for. The body should include an analysis of the features - inserting a pros and cons section here is advisable. Conclude with your overall opinion, and make sure you do not make it prejudiced. Also, do not begin to discuss any new point while you're signing off.
Writing an article should, most importantly, be a fulfilling experience for the person writing it. Only then will the writer be able to do full justice to it. Insincerity is something that the reader spots almost immediately, and no formats can rescue such a write-up. Honest writing always manages to drive the point home, and automatically falls in line with the necessary format.
