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. This will help you especially if you are a newcomer to an area or, for example, you want to write for a publication in another region of the country that you might not live in or be familiar with its customs and history.However, a serious feature writer regardless of whether he or she is working for a newspaper or magazine, or is freelancing is organized about writing seasonal articles. There are many ways to keep up, but the most obvious method is to keep your own calendar for the current year, but also for the next 2 years. This helps you work ahead and in the present. You might be working a day or two or a week or two in advance on seasonal articles for a newspaper, or several months ahead for magazines, and you need to be tuned into needs far ahead, not today.Another good place to check for seasonal ideas is an almanac. Most general annual reference books such as The World Almanac and Information Please Almanac are quite thorough in listing public and religious dates of significance throughout the year. These books are annually updated and often run special events date listings for many years beyond the current year.Another good source category is theme appointment books. These books come readymade for persons who wish to specialize in certain subjects such as sculpture or personal computers. They are easy to find on sale in most bookstores. Inside these books, in addition to the Page 214regular listings, are special dates such as anniversaries unique to that theme or subject (e.g., when the first personal computer was placed on the market, or Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates' birthday). You might have to look a little to find these, but you can usually find them in specialty shops or advertised in specialty publications such as organizational newsletters.The key to getting the right idea for a seasonal article is anticipating, being able to successfully ''guess" what is going to be on your readers' minds when the season nears. You must be thinking about what people will want to know about a holiday or special event long before that event is on the general public's mind. You are trying to anticipate interests: What activities will be interesting? What foods will be tasty? What ceremonies are essential? You must be able to think about seasons that have not yet arrived. Also, you must be able to find a fresh approach to a story that has been told dozens of times before.Successful seasonal article ideas must be timely. You cannot write stories about Thanksgiving meals that require a week's preparation if they are written or published 2 days before Thanksgiving. You cannot jump the gun too much either because even good ideas are forgotten if they come along too far ahead of the big day. A strong idea draws readers into your story by making them think to themselves as they read your lead: "Yes! This would be fun. I want to find out more."Good seasonal features also have strong visual potential. Try to select topics that lend themselves to strong photographs or other forms of illustration to help tell the total story. Try to suggest to your editors that they use photographs with your story. Suggest potential photographic content, also. How about proposing a schematic diagram that shows how to make an object? How something happens? Perhaps a boxed set of instructions that include a recipe? For newspapers, magazines, and newsletters, packaging is important with seasonal features and, if you want maximum attention given the article you write, plan to propose strong graphics in addition to your wellwritten and reported article.Parker (1975) recommended developing a specialization as a seasonal feature writer. Become an expert on a certain season. Parker's specialization? He has been a pastor in Plymouth, Massachusetts, so he focuses on the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. "Much of the trick to selling seasonal material is to stick to a certain holiday or event, mining it for neglected angles," (p. 30). For feature writers, this means you should simply think about the regional activities that are occurring around you, and perhaps one or more of these will develop into a specialization for you that can be sold. He suggests looking not only Page 215at the regional calendar but thinking about annual local festivals and fairs for your prospects.Writing in Advance of the SeasonThere is no doubt that much of the seasonal feature article writing is produced in advance. This is particularly true for monthly and less frequently published magazines, but it is also true for newspapers. The major difference is that the leadtime varies [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]