How to Get Into the Neopian Times (Articles) by glowing_dreamz |  |
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DEEP CATACOMBS - Ever had that frustration when your article doesn't get published
in The Neopian Times? Wonder what it takes to get your article published? Ever
since I sent my first Neopian Times article on January 5, 2003, I have had more
than half of my articles published. I have heard the some of the frustrations
and difficulties from my friends and other Neopians who Neomail me about their
articles, which haven't been published multiple times. That is why I have written
this article; to go through the steps to making a successful article, hope it
helps!
Steps to Making a Good Article:
Step 1 - Choosing a good article topic: Before you can even start to write your
article, you need a good topic to write about. An article isn't any good without
a good topic that people can actually relate to. Trying finding an article topic
that hasn't been done before, or relates to something that has just recently
happened. You can get ideas for article topics by asking friends, going to chat
rooms, looking at the New Features section, looking at your guild message board,
or by making up your own, original article topic.
Step 2 - Collect the information you need: Okay, now that you have chosen
your article topic, it is time to collect the information you need to write
your article. Depending on what type of article you are doing, you will have
to use different information sources. If you are doing a 100% opinionated article,
then you will need to collect opinions and thoughts from yourself or other Neopians.
If your article is based on 100% fact, then you will need to collect the information
by exploring the website and finding that part of the site that relates to your
article topic.
Step 3 - Sorting your information: Now that you have the appropriate information,
start sorting it according to the order of how you will include the info in
your article. Make sure to group the information that relate to each other in
one section. When you are writing your article, it will make it is easier to
write your paragraphs.
Step 4 - Writing your article: Time to write your article! When you start
to write an article, first work on a catchy title and an introductory paragraph.
After writing those, start working on writing paragraphs that include all of
the information you need. Make sure that your paragraphs are in a reasonable
order that people can understand. Finally, end your article with one or two
paragraphs that sum up what you have discussed in your article. I suggest that
a good length for an article is from 2500-8000 characters (without spaces).
Step 5 - Editing and revising your article: After you have written your article,
starting editing and revising it. I suggest that you reread your article at
LEAST two times, to check for any spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors.
Try to make your sentences easy to understand, and make sure that your article
isn't too repetitive. Try using different and descriptive words to help express
your ideas, instead of using the same words over and over again. (I would suggest
for you to use a thesaurus.)
Step 6 - Send in your article: After editing and revising your article, time
to send it to The Neopian Times. Send your articles to neopiantimes@neopets.com,
and put your article directly into the Neomail. Make sure to remember to write
your username in your e-mail, or else The Neopian Times can't credit you for
your article!
How exactly do you know if your article got into The Neopian Times? If you
see a Neopian Times trophy in your lookup, roughly about 1 week later after
you have sent your article, that means you made it to The Neopian Times! You
usually get your Neopian Times trophy at least a couple of hours (or even days)
before The Neopian Times is released. When The Neopian Times comes out, you
can also check the Articles section to see if your article made it.
What happens if your article didn't get in The Neopian Times? If your article
didn't make it in The Neopian Times, don't give up just yet. If you think that
your article needs improving, then improve it! Try getting fellow Neopians to
read your article and give you suggestions on how to improve it. If you think
that your article doesn't need improving, just re-send it. There were 2 cases
for me already, where my articles got rejected the first time I sent it. But
the 2nd time I sent these articles, they got into The Neopian Times!
I do hope that you use these techniques for writing an article; I can assure
you that they work if they are used properly. (These techniques sure worked
for me, since around 70% of my articles made it to The Neopian Times!) I hope
that this article helps fellow Neopians with their articles. Try your best,
and start writing!
Author's Note: When writing your article, don't rush it! One article takes
at least 2-5 hours for me to write. Don't expect to spend only 5 minutes on
your article, and have your article in The Neopian Times. Writing articles take
time and a lot of planning, and rushing on them will not help you publish an
article.
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