I'm a publisher for numerous sites. I HATE many of your
articles. Here's why I hate the body of your article and what
you can do about it.
You're Giving Me A Headache
Let's cut to the chase on this issue. I really don't care what
you write about. As long as it isn't an overt sales pitch, knock
yourself out. I am more interested in the format of the article,
not your view or take on the subject matter. The readers on my
sites may not like what you write, but that is your problem.
I do care about the flow and format of the body of your article.
I strongly encourage you to have a point and stick to it. If
another idea comes to mind half way through writing an article,
turn it into a separate article. Don't try to cram it all into
one article.
One Sentence Paragraphs
Don't. For the love of God, just don't write these. The only
time you should write a one sentence paragraph is if it is a
narrative. Occasionally, you can write one for dramatic impact,
but try to stay away from these.
Loooonggg Sentences
Even in our capitalist society, punctuation is free. This "." is
a period. The period is your friend. For some of you, it is a
long lost friend.
Sentences should be relatively short. If you write articles
through the stream of consciousness method, good for you. When
the masterpiece is done, read it out loud to yourself. How does
it sound? Perhaps you should do something with the 10-line
sentence?
Linking In The Body
Why, why, why do you do this? I absolutely refuse to publish any
article with links in the body. In truth, I don't have anything
against such links. My bitch is that you're making me take extra
steps to hyperlink the damn things when I publish them on sites.
If you think I am going to spend extra time on your article,
you're wrong. Chant with me, "I will put all links in the
byline."
Spelling
Contrary to popular opinion, I don't care if you misspell words.
I can't spell worth a damn and assume you can't either. I will
run your article through spell check programs. In fact, I'll run
them through two spell check programs. Spelling is not a big
issue with me.
Body Headlines
Using headlines in the body of your article is a very good idea.
I love them and will view you in a more favorable light. The
only thing I ask is that you CAPITALIZE the first letter of each
word. Remember, I am lazy.
The Last Paragraph
The last paragraph should summarize the point you made in the
article. The last paragraph is not a place to put links, hints
about your site or your biography. I will not publish your
article if you do such things. You can cover all of these items
in your byline.
When it comes to the body of your article, knock yourself out.
Just keep in mind these pet peeves.
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