About My Poetry Your Submissions Teen Poetry Articles Griffons Ovations! Challenge Live!  Poetry Chat Writers' Books Send Postcards Web-Rings Awards Guestbook Links

Article 1: A quick listing of helpful beginner hints: Online articles are viewed differently than print articles. Consider the following tips for beginners, especially when writing and designing articles for paying web productions. Remember, though, that these are only guidelines. KNOW YOUR MARKET When you find a site, analyze its format.  Analyze it again before you submit your article.  The Web is a constantly changing medium. Format's change. Requirements vary. Some sites include submission guidelines or an "about us" section where you can determine their particular slant and desired audience. If not, you could request guidelines through a site e-mail address. ORGANIZE Break longer articles into sections. Remember the size of a computer screen. Think ease of reading for the eyes, brain, and fingers. Use headers for paragraphs. A quick scan can zero in on particular areas of interest. Eliminate endless scrolling. LINKS At the end of your article, provide three to five outside links to other related areas. Note: Do not provide outside links within the body of your article. You risk losing the reader to another site before they've finished your article. If you do, make sure the outside links open in a new window. Use internal links to take you to other spots within your article.

LENGTH Brief is ideal. People's time is as valuable as your own. Think of quick, snappy reading. Beware of long paragraphs! Paragraphs should fit within a screen. Try not to overflow. STYLE Single space. Double space between paragraphs. Relax. The medium is more informal than print. Underlined links: It confuses readers if underlined words or passages are *not* links. CLEAR WRITING IS THE KEY Use everyday language. The web is accessible to everybody. Beware of redundancies! (see examples) Never use two words when one will do. I.E. We both went to the store. It reads and means the same by eliminating the word "both." Use active voice. Eliminate boredom. Long sentences bore Long words aren't impressive. %%

Analyze Web Writing in  paying markets on your own:  Inkspot This is a listing of writers' classifieds. See if there is a place for your work! Please verify guidelines, payment, etc. with a market before submitting material. Writers Write A great one stop resource for professional writers. Huge searchable listing of both nonpaying and paying markets. Sympatico Netlife A quality Canadian Internet magazine. (links verified August 2000)

E-mail web-writing hints using the subject line: "Web Writing Hints"