1.0               Writing for Publication

Writing for publication involves writing essays that could be published in newspapers, journals, magazines or the web.  Such essays may have target audiences but not a definite audience.

3.1          Techniques of Writing for Publication

Subject: The subject of an article is selected based the purpose for writing and the audience’s interest.   

Audience Analysis:  Audience analysis is done so as to determine what the target audience needs, the channel to reach them and the language suitable to them.  Audience is characterised by age, profession, religion, gender, socio-economic background, education, etc.

Channel:  Channel is the medium of reaching the audience.  There are many media platforms that transmit written essays to the public.  Such platforms include newspapers, magazines, journals, web posts, etc.  The choice of one over others depends on the subject of the articles and the audiences’ preferences.

 Language:          The language of choice for a given article is also based on the subject and the audience.  Language and style of articles are tailored to suit the level of the audiences and still remain appropriate to the subject of the essay.

Development of Ideas in Articles

Below are some of the ways to develop ideas in articles:

Ø  Illustrations and Examples: Use notable examples and illustrations to explain a concept in a paragraph. This includes objects, events, personal and collective experiences and so on.

Ø  Comparison and Contrast: This involves showing similarities and differences between or among ideas or objects explained. It is the paragraph that explains shared traits, attributes or qualities and where the compared objects or events differ.

Ø  Deduction Inference: A logical reasoning that starts with general concepts and gradually moves to specific ones.

Ø  Inductive Inference:  A logical reasoning that moves from specific to general.

Ø  Chronological Order: This involves sequential arrangement of events. Discussing events in the order they occurred.

Ø  Problem-Solution:  The body examines and explains problems associated with the topic and also explains possible ways of solving the problems.

Ø  Description:  The use of descriptors to explain a phenomenon, event, person or objects.

Ø  Cause and Effect:  A paragraph development method that traces causes of an event or existence and the effect on the environment, life and property of the people around the event.

Ø  Statistical Information:  The use of research outcome, experiment, etc. to explain ideas in a paragraph.