SUCCESSFUL MAGAZINE WRITING DEPENDS ON ERROR FREE COPY
You would not expect your optician to present you with a pair of pliers to adjust your new specs after your eye test so when writing for magazines or any other publication for that matter, you should not expect editors to have to check your copy.
Amazingly, many writers seem to think that it is O.K. submit articles to magazine editors strewn with spelling and other mistakes in the belief that their job is to correct poorly presented copy!
These 10 top tips will help you keep your editor sweet!
1. Always leave enough time to put your work away for a few days before proof reading so you can view with a fresh eye.1. Fresh eyes are your best proof reading weapon. Leave your work for a few days before attempting to proof and you will spot errors much more easily.
2. Do an initial proof by running your word processing spell check. Remember it will not flag up all words that are not being used correctly! E.g. fowl and foul both have different meanings but will probably not trigger the spell checker.
3. Print out a hard copy and go through it marking errors in red pen.
4. Follow the text word by word and keep an eye for possibly wrongly used words. Check also the spelling, spacing, capital letter usage, punctuation.
5. Watch for wrongly used or missing punctuation. This can be quite common if you have hacked your article about.
6. Check layout. The first paragraph should be blocked whilst the rest are indented. Start your article a third of the way down the page.
7. Word breaks. If you need to break a word and are not sure if it is acceptable, consult a good dictionary.
8. If you have numbered the pages, (and you should have) use the header or footer to ensure you do not have any discrepancies.
9. Read your copy aloud and either record to play back later or better still, get someone to listen. They will soon point out awkward sentences or missing text.
10. Lastly, if your spelling and or grammar is weak, get someone who is more adapt in these skills to read through and explain your errors. It really is vital that all copy you submit for publication is well written and properly presented.
Look here for more advice on writing for magazines or you can signup for Mags & Rags, writing for magazines, a superb, free online workshop covering all the basics of writing for magazines.
As for magazines which accept freelance submissions, Writelink has a huge database of paying markets for magazine articles