Your Article Here (?)
A lot of people in the Magic the Gathering community want to write articles. Magic is filled with unbelievably creative people who all have something to contribute. We have all read good articles, bad articles, and (for those interested in writing) articles on writing articles. In the past, Abe Sargent and The Ferrett have both written solid articles on how to create an article for submission to specific websites. This article differs slightly from what Sargent and Ferrett are trying to do, so I suggest you read their articles as well.
The Ferrett’s 2009 “How to Write a Magic Article That I (Or Anyone) Will Publish
Abe Sargent’s 2011 “How to Write a Magic Article by Abe Sargent”
So if this article is not about writing a Magic article, then what is it about, and why should you care? First, this is my first article for any Magic site, ever. I hope this allows me to bring a fresh perspective.
I work with college students in my day job, so much of this article is based on the advice I give them. Instead of telling you how to write specifically for an MTG site, this article is about writing in general. I hope to help you find a topic, research your subject, and develop a well-structured article. Because Magic is our common language, I will be using it as a means to convey my ideas. I hope that you use this advice for whatever you want or need to write regardless of the topic.
Selecting Your Topic
If you spend time reviewing content on Magic websites, then you know that the community is full of very talented people. It is my honest belief that you are one of these talented people and have something to offer. The trick is determining what that “something” is. Start by making a list of what interests you, for example:
Interest List
- Deck building
- Podcasting
- Pestering Magic personalities on Twitter
- Helping others with their writing
- Duels of the Planeswalkers
- Deeply moving, insightful, articles on the role Magic plays in your personal life
- Football
Once you have a list, determine what your target audience is, or who you want to read your work. Clearly if I want to write about football, a Magic website is the wrong venue. Then determine what others might want to read (so long world’s greatest Duels of the Planeswalkers article) and what you are capable of writing. Finally, ask the following questions: Do I have the experience to write about this? Can I provide better insights than what already exists? and Is someone in the community already doing an effective job at providing this content?
I have podcasted in the past but never on Magic, so it is highly unlikely that people want to read my article on podcasting. Let’s leave that to the creators of The Eh Team, Heavy Meta, Tap N Sac, Brainstorm Brewery, MTG Brainstorm, and The Deck Tease. They have more experience, so it’s something that I should refrain from writing about.
No matter how many decks I have built it is unlikely that you will ever read them. Brian Kibler, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, and Travis Woo (to name a few) provide better insight than I can and are already doing an effective job of disseminating this information. Similarly others are better at pestering Magic personalities on Twitter than I will ever be, and I know myself well enough to know that I will never be able to write an emotional piece that holds a candle to Heather Lafferty’s work. This leaves helping others with their writing as my most viable option and what I believe I have to offer the larger Magic community.
The Obligatory “Compulsive Research”
While I alluded to this above, it is essential to know what has already been written on your chosen topic before you begin writing. Before I began to write this article, I read and dissected the articles that Sargent and Ferrett had already posted. This helped me determine what insight I could provide and what had already been provided. In fact I took some notes.
Doing your homework goes a long way! There isn’t a need to unnecessarily duplicate work.
I learned from Ferrett and Sargent that all three of us share a common belief that anyone is capable of writing a publishable article. For me, this also means that I believe that everyone has the ability to contribute something of value to the Magic community. Situations change. Websites go in and out of popularity. Read Ferrett’s article and you will see what I mean.
Structuring Your Article
Once you have finished your research and have a lead on what you want to write, I recommend that you take some time to think about what it is you want to say and organize your thoughts. Everyone has different ways of doing this. Most people I know create a standard outline using numbers and letters. I tend to use a series of circles and lines that I call a web, which looks a little like this:
No matter what you do, be sure you have a plan, a relatable idea that will run throughout your entire article. We could call this your thesis, but that feels a little too much like schoolwork, so lets call it your theme. Your theme should be present in every paragraph of your article. That doesn’t mean that you have to smash the reader over the face with it, but it should be there somewhere. If you started your article discussing the state of standard play and end it talking about barbecue or another unrelated topic, you have a problem. If you have not lost your audience, you have weakened your article.
Another common problem in writing is failing to connect each paragraph to the one above it. Effective transitions help the reader move from one paragraph to the next. If you write something too choppy, people will be unable to understand what you are saying, which in turn limits your theme and dilutes the effectiveness of your overall article.
Having come this far you should have little problem determining what you can contribute and the best way to structure your article, but there are a few more things that I think will help you in your writing process.
Tips and Tricks
If I may slightly break my own rule about relating paragraphs to the preceding one, the following are some tips to follow as you put your writing together:
Stick to your style. Many articles create links to their associated store or to Gatherer. I find this amusing in some cases and very distracting in others. It’s a matter of personal choice, but I think that if you find yourself changing the words in your article just to provide a link to a card, you are hurting your writing and distorting your voice.
Grab your reader. Many people think that the conclusion of your article should be the strongest part of your work. I think this is outdated thinking. Sometimes frontloading your best writing gives the reader a stronger desire to read what you have. It also leaves them wanting more, which is critical if you want people to read the next article you write.
Use an editor. Always have someone read over what you have written before you submit it to a website. Period. End of story. No exceptions! If you are reading this now, it is because my wife was gracious enough to proofread it. Don’t tell me you don’t have anyone who can read over it; find someone at your local game store or email it to a friend or relative.
Avoid slang. I still have no idea what going X-2 in a Pro Tour Qualifier means. If you look back through my article you will see that I have deliberately chosen terms that more people will understand. For example, I used the term pestering instead of trolling earlier in the article. If you are not on blogs, don’t listen to podcasts, and don’t watch live coverage, you might not know what trolling means. Using fancy words is useless if people don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Read a book! There is no shortage of guidebooks to make you a better writer. Everyone hints at writing guides, but these are my suggestions for legitimate books that have been suggested to me by some of the best writers I know (one of whom has been published in The New Yorker).
- They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein.
- Style: Lessons In Clarity and Grace by Joseph W. Williams and Gregory G. Colomb
Also, if you get writers block, stop, take a moment, and read something by a poet or highly respected author. Some writers read whatever they have at hand, but for me it’s always Dylan Thomas or Robert Frost.
Finally, I would like to offer a few examples of writing that I enjoy from members of the Magic community (though as you will see not always on the topic of Magic).
Jay Boosh – Ante League 101 – Not suitable for most work places, but one of the funniest things I have ever read. Jay has a clear passion for Ante League and, though he did not create the format, this article defines it.
The Cardboard Witch – The Sportsball Chic Blog – I know that Nina has written some fantastic Magic-related content, and I have a deep abiding respect for her 2012 article “Just A Girl.” Sportsball Chic, her current project, reveals the depth of her writing skill. Nina embodies everything I have suggested here and more. Even if you are not into Detroit sports you can learn a lot about writing from Nina.
Heather Lafferty – The Night a Magic Podcast Saved My Life – Heather is an exceptional writer who is willing to expose a side of her that most of us are unwilling or unable to do. Her work is brave, bold, and inspirational. If you are not reading her work you should be.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to reading your article in the near future.
Brian