WRITER’S GUIDELINES for Der Gasser
Write an exciting lead. The lead is the first paragraph of an article that is supposed to hook and entice the reader. It should be interesting, and catch the reader’s attention so h/she goes on and reads the entire article.
Compose subtitles. Break up your article with subtitles. No one likes to see or read column after column anymore. Several subtitles per feature makes it easier on the eyes, and they work to clue in the reader as to what is coming next in the article.
Stick to one topic. Don’t go off on tangents that can get the reader confused. The main topic of your article should be apparent in every paragraph. A good test for this is to go back and read your article when it’s done. If you can pick out any paragraph, and tell what the main topic is just by reading that one paragraph, you’ve written a good article.
Paint a picture. Be sure to include some describing details in your piece. Use your five senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. A few adjectives and adverbs can really make an article come to life.
Mind the details. Try to think about any unclear areas, or questions the reader might have when reading your article. When I wrote about when Cass Whitehead spoke at Knopf, I had to call him back and interview him over the phone because I felt the first draft I wrote was unclear, and lacked technical details about the types of P-cars he was describing.
Check your ego at the door. In order to maintain a quality publication, all articles are subject to editing for length, clarity, and brevity. If you cannot tolerate editing, please submit your articles elsewhere.
Stick to word counts. Most features run about 700 words (including image on the page) to about 900 words (no image). Specs for images include: 300 DPI or high resolution; Grayscale; black/white; .jpg format.