Essay vs. Article: What is the Difference?

For the month of June, I am blogging about essays.  What is the difference between an article and an essay?  Here are some basic ways in which the two forms of writing differ.

1.  While articles are brief, about 500 to 1500 words in length, essays are long, up to 10,000 words in length.

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2.  Essays include citations and references, both not required of an article.

http://philippedelacourcelle.com/mla-citation-powerpoint/

3.  The purpose of an article is to give a factual account whereas the purpose of an essay is to focus on a central argument and its supporting arguments.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zw8sgk7/revision

4.  Articles focus on topics like business, weight loss, health and travel, whereas essays focus on subjects such as historical events, characters or science experiments.

https://essaybox.org/

5.  Articles are usually accompanied by photographs; however, essays usually do not require photographs.

http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/its-all-about-the-images-infographic/

6.  Essays are usually subjective in nature whereas articles should be objective.

7.  Articles are often written in a conversational tone, but essays take on an educational tone.

http://classroom.synonym.com/examples-tone-persuasive-writing-5886.html

8.  Essays, critical analyses, discuss the pros and cons of an argument, whereas articles, descriptive analyses, merely describe the topic.

https://toughsledding.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/dont-let-positive-thinking-impede-critical-analysis/

9.  Essays require a conclusion, but articles do not.

http://www.wikihow.com/End-an-Essay

10.  Articles require headings and subheadings to help the reader follow along whereas essays do not.

http://line25.com/articles/15-must-read-articles-for-css-beginners

For more information, visit http://www.projectguru.in/publications/difference-between-essay-article-and-journal/.

How to Finish Off Your Article with a Bang

"When you've found your concordant ending, you'll know." (Michelle Ruberg)

How do you finish off your article with a big bang?  Michelle Ruberg, author of Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, recommends that you end with a quote.  Do you have a statement that sums up the issue while adding a touch of pathos?

Despite resistance from the city's gaming commission, Dr. Ellen Parker and other ecologists continue to search for a safe home for the endangered birds because they believe each creature plays a vital role in our ecosystem.  'If this creature were to disappear, it would cause an explosion in the insect population and that could have a disastrous effect on local agriculture,' Parker said.  'Then it's not just about the birds.  The problem will affect all of us.'"

In order to pack an emotional punch, respond briefly to the end quote, ideally including the reader in the story.

Another way to end your article is to bring it full circle:  revisit a word, phrase or idea that you included in the introduction, often in a different or humorous way.  Lauren Mosko in the Louisville Eccentric Observer does this effectively.

Lead:
The Rudyard Kipling.  It's a restaurant, it's a bar, it's a playhouse, it's a musical venue...it's a garage. You're out of luck if you're looking for an oil change, but if it's garage rock you're seeking, you've come to the right place.

End:
Three bands, three chords, one night.  It may sound like a garage, but if you're not there by nine, don't expect to find a decent parking space.

Michelle Ruberg suggests reaching a higher ground by introducing a provocative statement or unexplored question at the end of your piece.  "Plant a seed of curiosity in the reader's mind."

Today, The New Yorker featured Sarah Larson's article "East Village Fire:  Love Saves the Day".  She ended it with this paragraph:

"The East Village has long intermingled love and loss:  signs of bygone eras and heroes are everywhere.  The loss of these buildings;  the places we loved, the relocation of the people who lived and worked there, the memories of what used to be, as of yesterday -- is painful.  Not knowing what happened to Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locon is unimaginably so."

Speak a common language.  Break one of the rules of writing by including a cliche at the end of your article, part of your reader's collective knowledge bank.  During the Gulf War, there was a national press blackout.  An article about the issue could have ended like this, according to Michelle Ruberg:

And so, for twenty four hours, the country received absolutely no news on the conflict.  Whoever said that's good news couldn't have been a journalist.  Or the parent of a soldier."

The reference, of course, is to the maxim "No news is good news".

Lastly, trust your gut; end your article at a logical place.  You've said what needed to be said; now it's time to end it.  As Michelle Ruberg says:  "When you've found your concordant ending, you'll know."

For more information, read Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing (Michelle Ruberg) at http://www.amazon.ca/Writers-Handbook-Magazine-Article-Writing/dp/1582973342.

gnovisjournal.org

How to Flavour Your Article with Anecdotes

"Anecdotes are like raisins in oatmeal cookies.  Sure, you can eat the cookies without them, but you'll miss out on the added flavour, contrasting texture and enhanced nutrition." 

(Michelle Ruberg in Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing)

Anecdotes don't just fall out of the sky onto your page like "manna", according to Michelle Ruberg. As a writer, you must search for them during your research and interviews.  While you are recording your names, dates and places, don't forget to include an anecdote or two.

Michelle Ruberg suggests that you draw them out of your subject by asking open-ended questions ex. "Tell me what happened when..." or "Describe what you saw when..."  Ideally, a face to face interview is the most productive.  Much of what we say is non-verbal, conveyed by our gestures and facial expressions; these are thing you can't pick up in a telephone conversation.  Don't forget to look for cultural distinctions and nuances as well.

As part of your research, documents can be a good source for anecdotes.  Eric Freedman, author of Pioneering Michigan, used a letter written by Jefferson Gage Thurber to his New England family to illustrate the panic following the 1832 cholera epidemic in Detroit.

"The panic at the time exceeded anything I ever imagined.  The timidity of our border settlers from sudden incursions of the Indians forms but a faint comparison.  I have no doubt from what little experience and observation I have had that fear has killed as many as the cholera." 

Where does an anecdote go in the article?  According to Michelle Ruberg, anywhere that it fits.  Steve Wilson's Folio magazine profile started with an Evel Knievel anecdote.

"One evening in 1973...Bob Bitchin pulled his chopper up to a stoplight on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.  He made eye contact with a man in a fur coat behind the wheel of a Ferrari.  When the light turned green, they raced.  The driver (who won) turned out to be Evel Knievel, and their late night of partying and entanglement with the law later made it into a Rolling Stone article."

Immediately upon reading this anecdote, your interest is piqued.  It pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading.

You can also put an anecdote at the heart of your piece as William Goldman did in his New York magazine article about wrestler turned film star Andre the Giant.  After being treated to several meals by Andre the Giant, Arnold Schwarznegger invited him out to dinner.

"...late in the meal, he snuck into the kitchen to give his credit card to the maitre d'.  As he was about to do this, he felt himself being lifted up into the air.  'When he had me up in the air, he turned me so I was facing him and he said:  'I pay.'  Then he carried me back to the table and set me down like a little boy.'  Oh yes, Andre was very strong."

The image I have of Andre the Giant lifting up former body builder Arnold Schwarznegger like a little boy is a powerful one.

An article can also end with an anecdote to drive a point home.  Douglas Preston included one in his National Geographic article about Cambodia.  He touched an ancestor stone, then:

"ran my finger through the cool grove of a lotus tree.  Here, broken soldiers from an Angkor temple had been put in the service of an even more ancient religion.  One of our soldiers, a skinny, barefoot teenager with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, stopped at the shrine,placed his hands together and bowed deeply in an act of veneration.  A gecko called twice, and then the forest fell silent in the stifling noon day heat.  Life went on in this strange, timeless land."

Note the sharp words and vivid imagery Mr. Preston uses, just as you would see in a fiction piece.

Michelle Ruberg reminds you to write tightly when including anecdotes.  "An overly long and wordy anecdote detours readers".  If your word count is 1000, and you include an anecdote of 350 words, that only leaves you 750 words for the rest of your article.  However, if your word count is double that, you might have room for such an anecdote.

Think like a fiction writer.  Use devices like plot, dialogue, characterization, sharp words and description when writing an anecdote.  Remember, your anecdote should bolster your point; it should be more than just "window dressing".  If you have too many to fit in your piece, save the remaining anecdotes for future writing assignments.

Note:  For more information, visit http://resources.writersonlineworkshops.com/resources/using-anecdotes-to-flavor-your-articles/.

https://www.andertoons.com/speech/cartoon/3419/before-we-get-right-to-food-for-thought-id-like-to-begin-with-an-anecdote-appetizer

The Interview: Being Allowed to Have a Seat at the Table

My husband used to say that when Larry King interviewed guests, he would rhyme off the questions, not waiting for the responses.  However, blogger Wendy Thomas says that:  "Some of my best interviews have happened not because of asking but because of listening." (https://nhwn.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/tips-for-writing-a-feature-or-inteview-article/).

Wendy Thomas compares an interview to "being allowed to have a seat at the table".  Pull up a chair and listen. Yes, it's important to have a list of questions ready and waiting.  It's important to research your subject and to be aware of what's already been written on the topic.  But remember to be flexible. Sometimes the best material comes from an unasked question.

Freelance writing expert Allena Tapia recommends that you let the interviewee's words, ideas and actions set the agenda.  Zero in on ideas that are mentioned twice or with great passion.  Wait for what she calls the "bottom line" quote from the interviewee and highlight it.  Use the bottom line quote as the centre of your article, making your other facts, quotes and information lead back to that quote.  For Allena's full article, visit
http://freelancewrite.about.com/od/mechanicsofwriting/ht/WriteInterview.htm.

Allena suggests finding three to five broad subjects within the interview.  Then re-read your original assignment from your editor.  did he or she ask for a certain slant on the subject's childhood?  Does the interview promote a certain service?  Is there something remarkable about the interviewee's story? Compare your research to the editor's original wishes.

Refine your original broad subjects and use them as subheadings for your article.  Pull your best quotes and examples from your interview, and put them under the appropriate subheadings.
Introduce your subject, the history of the topic and your research.  Mention why each idea is important.

Focus now on the introduction which should reflect the article and frame the interviewee.  I like to include a central quote in my introduction as a foretaste of what is to come.  Turn now to your conclusion which should refer back to the introduction, making the article come full circle.  You may also refer to the subject's future plans here.

With your first draft complete, double check your spelling of names.  Double check your dates.  Reread your quotes.  Go on to a second draft (and third if necessary), editing what you have written.  Finally, submit your article to the editor.

Note:  Here is my feature interview article "Joel & Hayley Hensen:  Bringing Christ to the Congo" which appeared in the Feb. 10, 2014 edition of the Christian Courier at http://www.christiancourier.ca/images/uploads/past-issues/14Feb10.pdf.

http://thewritepractice.com/resources/interviewing/

You Had Me at the Hook

Remember the movie Jerry McGuire starring Tom Cruise and Renee Zellwegger?  They had dated for a few months, but broke up.  Afterwards, Tom's character experienced success as a football player's agent, but realized it was empty if he had no one to share it with.  So he went back to Renee's character with a humble heart, begging her to come back to him.  Tom's character delivered a long drawn out speech to which Renee's character responded:  "You had me at hello."  When you write, try to have the same effect on your readers.  Give them a hook that is powerful enough to reel them in.

While your hook is found at the beginning of your newspaper article, Dawn Copeman recommends that you write it at the end.  After your first draft, you will have a better idea of the focus of your piece.  Dawn Copeman recommends that your write both a hook and a lead for your article.  The lead introduces the story.

"When my daughter Eleanor was eight months old, I gave her some scrambled eggs to eat.  Within minutes she was screaming, her eyes and nose were running, she had a rash all over and was having difficulty breathing.  This was my introduction to food allergy."

The hook, on the other hand, answers the reader's question:  "Why should I keep reading?"   Here is Dawn Copeman's hook for her food allergy article:

"What neither of us knew then was that egg is the most common form of food allergy in babies...It is considered so dangerous that doctors recommend that you don't give eggs to babies until they are one year old.  While you might think this is an over reaction, the fact is that food allergies are on the increase.  Approximately 8% of all children under five have a food allergy; twenty five years ago, it was only 4%."

Dawn Copeman recommends that at the end of your article, you either answer the question posed or resolve the issue presented in the hook.

ex.  "Yes, food allergies are on the rise.  Statistics show that they have doubled in the past ten years and scientists fear that this increase shows no signs of abating.  But now you know how to reduce the risk of your child developping a food allergy; hopefully your child will not be one of the statistics."

Below are some strategies to hook the reader.

1.  Use the news

ex.  "The Star's Wednesday editorial by Juliet Guichon and Dr. Rupert Kaul calls the Gardasil story troubling and disappointing, and the editorial's headline 'Science shows HPV vaccine has no dark side' challenges the original article's suggestion that Gardasil is linked to complications in young women." Visit http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/the-gardasil-girls-how-toronto-star-story-on-young-women-hurt-public-trust-in-vaccine-1.2957524 for the full article.

2.  Tell a dramatic anecdote

"The first sign of trouble was powder in the baby's urine.  Then there was blood.  By the time the parents took their son to the hospital, he had no urine at all."  For the article in its entirety, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/world/asia/17milk.html?em.

3.  Reference popular culture

ex.  "My 14 year old niece Jennie just got her first smart phone in December...But you'll never see Jennie and her BFFs on Facebook.  They don't even have accounts.  They'd rather swap silly pictures and texts using smart phone apps like Instagram and Snapchat." Read the remainder of the article here http://michellerafter.com/2014/07/14/writing-basics-the-lead/.

4.  Paint a picture

ex. "They young Egyptian professional could pass for any New York bachelor.  Dressed in a crisp polo shirt and swathed in cologne, he races his Nissan Maxima through the rain slicked streets of Manhattan, late for a date with a tall brunette." For the rest of the Pulitzer prize winning article, see
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/7140.

5.  Use wit and irony to point out a contradiction

"Environmentalists Drive Gas Guzzler from Protest Site" (http://www.freedomworks.org/content/environmentalists-drive-gas-guzzler-protest-site).

6.  Commemorate an anniversary

ex. "On the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march that erupted in police violence on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge, President Barack Obama praised the figures of a civil rights era he was too young to know." See the full article at http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/03/07/obama-to-join-in-50th-anniversary-of-bloody-sunday-in-selma.html.

7.  Cite a major new study

ex. New evidence puts into doubt the long standing belief that a deficiency in seratonin -- a chemical messenger in the brain -- plays a central role in depression.  For the entire article, visit http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2014/acs-presspac-august-27-2014/new-study-throws-into-question-long-held-belief-about-depression.html.

8.  Use a personal example

ex. "The day had come.  I'd lasted as long as I could in my marriage.  Once my husband, Bill, left for work, I packed a bag for myself and my fourteen month old son and left our home." For more, read
http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2008/september/list-that-saved-my-marriage.html.

9.  Include a famous quote

ex. "In a coffee shop not long ago I saw a mug with an inspiration from Henry David Thoreau:  'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you've imagined.'" See
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/opinion/falser-words-were-never-spoken.html.

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Twenty Tips to Find Inspiration for a Newspaper or Magazine Article

"The feature writer who doesn't have two or three projects bubbling on his own stove is doing only half the job." (William Blundell)

So you want to write a newspaper or magazine article.  Where do you find your ideas?   Here are twenty tried and true tips to finding inspiration for your article.  Before you know it, your fingers will be tapping a mile a minute on the keyboard.

1.  Hop in the shower

It's in the shower that many people are hit with a sudden brainstorm.  The warm relaxing water helps to calm and focus the mind.

2.  Put your subconscious to work

Napoleon Hill went to bed one night, asking his subconscious for an appropriate title for the book he was writing.  At 2 am, he suddenly awoke, with a title -- Think and Grow Rich -- the book that sold 20 million copies.  For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_and_Grow_Rich.

3.  Visit the local library

Visit the library which is constantly receiving new material.  Here is a link to the Brantford Library at http://brantford.bibliocommons.com/.

4.  Visit the bookstore

Jot down book titles which you can look up at the library to save yourself money.

5.  Peruse the newsstand or magazine rack

The New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/ and Reader's Digest http://www.readersdigest.ca/ are two good magazines for inspiration.

6.  Read online newspaper or magazine articles.  Newspapers will often offer a few articles to read free of charge.  You can also peruse their archives.

7.  Read junk mail

Learn about new products, stores, annual events or human interest subjects.

8.  Use all five senses to observe

Practise the art of good listening.  But don't neglect the other four senses.  A good story incorporates noises, smells, tastes, etc. to draw the reader in.  Read about employing the five sense at https://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/unforgettable-writing-all-5-senses-add-emotion/.

9.  Tap into your own experience

Write about delivering your new baby, changing jobs, your recent divorce, your exotic trip or your rare disease.  Steve Fishman turned his brain hemorrhage into an award winning article as well as a book A Bomb in the Brain (http://www.amazon.ca/Bomb-Brain-Steve-Fishman/dp/0380708981).

10.  Ask PR people for ideas

PR people can be full of ideas.  However, they usually have an agenda.  They can give you access, however, to key experts and the can provide important background information about a topic.

11.  Keep your notebook handy

You may come up with the perfect idea when lying in bed, or while playing with your toddler at the park, or while riding on the train.  Have your notebook with you to write it down.  By the way, buy a good solid notebook small enough to fit in your pocket or purse.

12.  Attend a lecture

You don't have to be a college or university student to do this.  Sometimes local libraries have speakers.  It's a great way to get an expert's point of view on a topic.  Here is an inspirational lecture by Randy Pausch which turned into a book The Last Lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo.

13.  Read press releases

Apparently www.eureka.com is a great site for science topics.

14.  Write morning pages

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, recommends that all artists write morning pages each day to clear the cobwebs out of their brain.  You can do it manually or online at http://750words.com/.

15.  Read blog sites

Read the top ten blogs on the topic in question.  Read what comments people have written in response to the posts.

16.  Debunk myths

Read a 2005 Popular Mechanics article which debunks the myths of 9/11 at http://web.archive.org/web/20050210033600/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/defense/1227842.html.

17.  Conduct an interview

Writer Patricia Fry attended her grandson's Little League game where she got a lucrative topic for an article.  The person sitting beside her was a storyteller.  Their conversation sparked "The Healing Power of Storytelling".  Visit http://www.writing-world.com/basics/where.shtml

18.  Write about your hobby

Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy turned his love of travel into a second career as a travel writer.  Visit http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/29/andrew-mccarthy-heart-throb-writer.

19.  Follow trends

Writer Patricia Fry wrote an article about how to help children with the grieving process.  A magazine held on to her pitch for months.  Then the Oklahoma Bombing happened in 1995 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing).  All of a sudden, her idea was marketable.

20  People watch

Visit the park or a cafe. Observe people in their everyday routines.  There are stories everywhere, just waiting to be discovered.  See my post "Underneath the Ordinary Lies the Extraordinary" at https://www.pinterest.com/lindajonasson50/on-history-home-writing/.

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