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BORED
WITH YOUR LIFE? why not write for us?
Information that may Help you Construct a Classy Article
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A Love
Supreme is a fanzine. Fanzines differ from regular
magazines in that they mix material from a team of
regular contributors with articles from fans. In
fact, anybody at all can write in to either the magazine
or the website, and, if their piece is suitably punchy,
well-argued, informative or deeply felt, then it
will find its way onto our pages. That's really the
whole point.
When other Sunderland fans send us articles, what they say is usually pretty
spot on, but often, the piece might have been better if the contributor had been
aware of a few little guidelines - we've lost count of the number of times we
get a fantastic eight page article and have to butcher it down to two sides in
order to squeeze it into the magazine.
So, for anyone who has ever idly entertained the outside possibility of putting
pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, here are a few little bits and bobs that
might just help you to formulate that stunning masterpiece that will one day
shoot you to instant stardom around the drinking establishments of Sunderland.
The following guide is merely a suggestion of how you might like to approach
writing an article for the fanzine. It is by no means the only or best way, so
feel free to ignore it completely.
1. Length
You should decide before you start how long you want your article to be. Generally,
you have two choices:
a) One Page - 500-550 words.
b) Two Pages - 1000-1100 words.
In very exceptional circumstances, you may feel that you need more space for
your article. We normally reserve the larger slots for interviews or special
features, but if you do think that you need three to four pages, by all means
do.
In cases where your article relies heavily on statistics or visuals, the word
count may be less than stated above, but it may never be more (or people start
to ring up complaining about the size of the text). We work on the principle
that if you can get it down to 650 words, then you can get it down to 600. Giving
us a bit of space allows us to make your page look beautiful and inviting, encouraging
more people to read your wisdom.
2. Structure
Having decided on your length, you should think about the structure of your article.
There's nothing worse than a good idea ruined by a rambling introduction and
a rushed two-line conclusion. Be clear and concise, try to group your ideas into
logical sections, and give each section equal weight within the article.
For example: If I were to write a one-page (600-word) article entitled All Mags
Are Evil, I might split it into the following sections (word limits for each
section in brackets):
1. Introduction (100)
2. An example Showing that Mags Are Evil (100)
3. Another example Showing that Mags Are Evil (100)
4. Actually Mags Can be OK Sometimes (100)
5. Conclusion (100) Nah, sod it, they're definitely evil.
3. Impact
Two pages of solid text will put people off reading and needs to be of unbelievable
quality to maintain people's interest. Try to think about ways of making it more
interesting - box-offs, quotes, statistics, lists, pictures, maps, cartoons,
or anything else you can think of.
Bear in mind that mentioning current Sunderland players allows us to drop pictures
in easily. If you do have a particular way you want your page to look - for example,
if you want your text shaped into a giant 'ftm' - just let us know.
4. Accuracy
Aren't football books and websites brilliant! The range and depth of some of
the footy books and sites is quite staggering now and it's amazing what you pick
up from leafing through the latest Rothmans or glancing at a couple of pages
in All the Lads, or checking stats on sites such as www.soccerbase.com - having
accurate facts and figures at your fingertips can also help make a very persuasive
argument.
Everything you check is one less thing for us to worry about, and whilst getting
spellings and facts wrong is nothing more than slightly irritating, we really
appreciate it when people make our lives easier. One thing that is important,
though, don't write a single word that you can't prove is true, or that you wouldn't
stand by in court... please.
5. Save As
If you want to make us smile save your work as a word doc.
6. House Style
Some things in the English Language, like punctuation, for example, are neither
right nor wrong, but a matter of choice. For all you anal retentives out there,
here are a few brief ways that we like to present material, use them or ignore
it, no big deal:
1. Punctuation within inverted commas ("Sunderland's great." is correct, "Newcastle's
great". is wrong).
2) Exclamation marks are crap. Only people with no class use them. It's like
telling a joke and then saying, "That was a joke," when no one laughs.
3) The only words that we use in upper case are SOL, ALS and SAFC.
4) Apostrophes on words that end in "s" are tricky: If you pronounce
a second "s" add it on (St. James's Park is crap), if not, don't (Gareth
Hall was always the fans' favourite).
5) Hyphens should have a space before and after - like that.
6) No double spaces… anywhere.
7) If you don't know how to use semi-colons, don't bother, they're a bit of a
funny one to be honest; only flash bastards use them.
If in doubt, check back issues of the magazine, and copy what's in there.
7. Gerry's Final Thoughts
The above guide exists to make your writing better and our lives easier, but
it should never restrict you. You can't teach imagination - it's the single most
important thing an article needs. General rule - a minute of thought is worth
an hour of writing. Think inspiration, not perspiration. Now go and write us
something mint... please. |
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