Write a good article

Christian Heinen - Write a good article

1. Templates

- Questionnaire article Uk/Fr

- Questionnaire interview Uk/Fr

2. Format of the articles

- An eye-catching title 
- A short introduction
- 3 titled paragraphs (140 words each)
- A quotation
- Total: 450 words

3. Writing an article in one hour: 

- 1st step - 20 minutes: preparation. Define:
o keywords
o the message to be conveyed
o the raw history (no details)
o some anecdotes and links to additional information.

- 2nd step - 30 minutes: writing the draft:
o define the title and subtitles
o write the 3 short paragraphs
o At the end, write the introduction (you can use a standard introduction if necessary)

- Step 3: - 10 minutes: editing:
o remove all unnecessary information (any phrase that can be removed without affecting the text must be removed)
o enrich vocabulary, remove repetitions
o check that the style is fluid, especially from one paragraph to another

4. Triple check procedure (it allows us to obtain less than 3% errors):

A.    Writing
B.    Autocorrection:
switch it to the text
C.    Double check: Read it carefully one last time before sending. The triple check will be performed by 360Crossmedia

5. Writing rules

  • Short - remove parts that do not add value to a the sentence

  • Direct - no complex constructions 

  • Avoid repetitions

  • Transitions: look for transitions between sentences and paragraphs. A good editor navigates between two extremes: on one side, the telegraphic style (too many short sentences) and on the other, the confused style (long and incomprehensible sentences) 

  • Ban propaganda (example: "the exceptional quality of this product") 

  • Parentheses are allowed only for the use of the editorial note "(...., Ed)" OR in the case of abbreviation "Private Equity (PE) is ..."

  • Punctuation: Exclamation mark, question mark and two dots: with space in French, without space in English

  • Be careful with the spelling of proper noun (to be checked systematically)

  • All figures/numbers must be written in full spelling up to 16.