WHAT IS AN ARTICLE?

HOW TO WRITE A MAGAZINE ARTICLE.

A magazine article is a piece of non-fiction writing targeted at a specific interest group. Writers who have magazine features or articles published in magazines enjoy the benefit of seeing their by-lines and (in most cases) receiving payment for their work. Magazine publishing is a business and it can be difficult to break in. The first step is learning how to write a magazine article that sells.

Writing you own magazine article

1) Formulate an idea. 

Many beginning writers adopt the well-known writer's premise to "write what you know."

While "writing what you know" is good advice, it is also possible to write a good magazine article through a strong interest and a willingness to learn through research and interviews.

Sometimes a freelance writer's background makes him or her an expert for a magazine article. For example, an accountant has an advantage when writing about "10 Ways to Save on Your Taxes."

 2) Give your ideas an angle: 

The angle of an article has to do with the way the topic is approached. For example, New Year's resolutions have been written about many, times, but give the idea a fresh angle - such as using social networking to succeed at keeping resolutions - and you might make a sale.

3) Identify your market

Read several issues of a magazine that is a potential market. Get a feel for the types of magazine features and the style. Can you slant your idea for a publication's audience?

An article idea can be slanted for different types of magazines based upon the audience and your approach.

Once you have identified markets, check the magazine's web site for writer's guidelines.

4) Query the editor of a targeted market:

 Most magazines prefer a proposal or query, where you spell out your idea in a one-page letter or email.

Think of the query as a sales letter from a freelance writer asking an editor for the assignment.

Remember to follow the publication's guidelines when submitting a query and/or a manuscript.

5) Research your article

.

Arrange for interviews with experts. Good quotes can make all the difference in a magazine feature.

6) Create an outline.

Freelance writers find that most nonfiction writing lends itself to sections. Go ahead and write catchy subheadings for these sections.

7) Grab the reader's attention with a dynamite opening paragraph.

Immediately after catching a reader's attention, make certain the point of the article or the theme is evident.

8) Proceed with writing the body of the text, with or without the lead. If you've tried unsuccessfully to come up with a fantastic lead, set it aside for a while and write the article. You might be surprised to find that your lead will come to you later.

Keep the theme in mind as you write the body of the article. Everything you write should support the theme.

9) Compose the conclusion.

You might return to your opening paragraph so that you come full circle.

Some conclusions summarize the main points or leave readers with an anecdote that illustrates the theme.

10) Revise your article until it's ready for submission. 

Is the point clear?

Does the article follow a logical sequence?

Have you chosen strong verbs and specific nouns?

If you're like most nonfiction writers, you can find ways to make your article stronger.

Here you are a video, this is an example which teaches how to write or create the perfect Magazine, I hope you like it. 

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Magazine-Article 

Link of the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAZB2PSm5UU)

The Massai and the lions.

There is no doubt that the relationship between African’s lions and people from Massai in Kenia never was the best due to lions were finishing off with their livestock. For this, people opted for killing those carnivores in order to stop with that tragedy they had to face almost twice or there times per week.

Auspiciously this has changed for the benefit of the habitants and of the lions too. Nowadays, the community share their properties, defend and protect the animal’s rights. There, nobody hunts lions, nobody can do it because in case someone does it will be penalized. But, why do they do this? This is an answer which can be answered easily given that they realised that wild animals are significant in the human life.

Lion’s guardians keep working constantly on this issue in the interest of educating people, especially children about the wildlife considering that they are the future generation. But, the most catching aspect is that most of those guardians were in the past hunters of lions and nowadays they live for assuring and safeguarding the lion’s rights.

Those guardians have been also benefited given that they are considered heroes in that region, they are highly respected and everybody listen to them carefully given that they explain to them the importance of lions not only to culture but also to tourism. Each summer families and travellers decide to travel to Massai as a result of knowing somewhat more about lions and Massai’s customs and if there are not wild animals they won’t go never again.

These changes have contributed to the improvement in Massai, now there exist communication between the citizens, the oldest talk to youngest in order to instruct them not to kill carnivores. On the other hand, the culture is taking another perspective, things are advancing, children receive lion’s names what makes their culture be more interesting and fascinating.

There is too much for learning about this story, especially about respect because sometimes people think they cannot live surrounded by wild animals, most of human beings have a bad perspective about them and it has to change. These situations can be managed and the citizens can adapt their culture to the different changes that life offers everyday without forgetting their identity and their origin.

ENRIQUE NIETO SIERRA

WHAT IS COMPETITION ENTRY?

When you write a competition entry, your readers will be a judge or panel of judges. You will usually have to nominate somebody for something or propose yourself for selection for something (e.g. a grant to study). You will have to try to persuade the judges and give reason(s) why your choice is best.

You have seen the following announcement on your college notice board:

                         

Cambridge Study Competition

We are offering a prize to students of a two-week English course in Cambridge next summer. Entrants should explain why they should be chosen and say:

• what they find most enjoyable about studying English
• what things they do outside class to improve their English and
• how they expect to use English in the future.

how they expect to use English in the future

TAKEN FROM: http://campus.belgrano.ort.edu.ar/ingles/articulo/496974/how-to-write-competition-entries-and-reviews

WIN AN ALL EXPENSES PAID TRIP AROUND THE WORLD.

Since I became aware of the most beautiful things in this world, I have dreamed being a lucky person that might win all expenses paid trip around the world and give me the best and long holidays while I have memory.  Having the good fortune to win this amazing trip around the world I could present my three deepest longings in my life.

Firstly I would travel to China, one of the most intelligent and advanced country around the world, I would like to go there, to know how Chinese culture is developed and to learn what sort of technologies they have been developing.

Secondly, I would have a trip in an airplane that have everything such as cruise, where I could go to a swimming pool, to a beach and many others resorts. I hope that will generate spaces to relish beverage and other sort of foreign foods.

And finally, I would go to the United Kingdom, where I could know  

many interesting places. And learn more about English language and culture.  

With this three wishes I would be deeply satisfied and gratified to be able to enjoy this astounding experience.

By: Raúl Eduardo Salgado Araujo 

WHAT IS A CRITICAL THINKING?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the following :

·         understand the logical connections between ideas

·         identify, construct and evaluate arguments

·         detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning

·         solve problems systematically

·         identify the relevance and importance of ideas

·         reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of information to inform himself.

Critical thinking should not be confused with being argumentative or being critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing fallacies and bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge, improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. We can use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social institutions.

Some people believe that critical thinking hinders creativity because it requires following the rules of logic and rationality, but creativity might require breaking rules. This is a misconception. Critical thinking is quite compatible with thinking "out-of-the-box", challenging consensus and purusing less popular approaches. If anything, critical thinking is an essential part of creativity because we need critical thinking to evaluate and improve our creative ideas.

ANOTHER DEFINITION 

Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.

To Analyze Thinking

Identify its purpose, and question at issue, as well as its information, inferences(s), assumptions, implications, main concept(s), and point of view.

To Assess Thinking 

Check it for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, logic, and fairness.

The Result

A well-cultivated critical thinker:

·         Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely

·         Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively

·         Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.

·         Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences

·         Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems

Taken from:

http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ct.php

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/our-concept-of-critical-thinking/411

http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-critical-thinking-definition-skills-meaning.html SLIDES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=78&v=6OLPL5p0fMg VIDEO

WHAT IS A REPORT?

WHAT IS A REPORT?

A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience. Specific information and evidence are presented, analyzed and applied to a particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a clearly structured format making use of sections and headings so that the information is easy to locate and follow.

When you are asked to write a report you will usually be given a report brief which provides you with instructions and guidelines. The report brief may outline the purpose, audience and problem or issue that your report must address, together with any specific requirements for format or structure. This guide offers a general introduction to report writing; be sure also to take account of specific instructions provided by your department.

A report is a systematic, well organized document which defines and analyses a subject or problem, and which may include:

·         the record of a sequence of events

·         interpretation of the significance of these events or facts

·         evaluation of the facts or results of research presented

·         discussion of the outcomes of a decision or course of action
conclusions

·         recommendations

Reports must always be:

-          Accurate

-          Concise

-          Clear

-          well structured

Various courses require you to write reports (as opposed to essays), notably business and scientific or technical subjects. There are, however, different interpretations of what a report should look like, so it is important that you check with your course tutors and course documentation as to the report format and content expected. In addition, there is at times some blurring between what “essays”, “reports” and “assignments” are, so again check within your department. Much of the advice given in Guide 1.01, How to write an essay, also applies to reports.

Initial preparation

Always analyses you’re brief carefully, making sure that you fully understand the topic, question or case, that you know what the purpose of the report is, and who it is being written for. The clearer these things are in your mind, the easier the report will be to write and the more effective it will be.

When you are researching, planning and eventually writing, continually ask yourself what the main purpose of the report is, what your objective is in writing it: is it to inform; to argue; to persuade; to evaluate? What does your reader want to see in the report and what will they do with it?

Planning and research

You first need to decide your basic framework. With your main topic or question as a central focus, jot down your initial thoughts and start to group these together. You may find the Mind Mapping technique useful: see Guide 2.11. Start to divide key ideas from subsidiary information, and continually ask yourself if everything is relevant; if it isn’t, then delete it.

From your prior knowledge (from reading and lectures), you should be able to put together a fairly basic structure.

You will now be able to plan your research. Ask yourself what you need to find out, maybe in the form of questions that need to be answered, then approach your reading from this starting point. If you have specific information to look for, it will make your reading easier and less time consuming. (See Guide 2.02 Reading techniques).

Try not to gather too much information. Again, keeping your topic or question in mind, reject anything which is not 100% relevant. When you’re making notes, always try to summarize the main points as concisely as possible. Remember to make a comprehensive record of any sources consulted in order to be able to correctly reference these.

Make a record of the research methods you used.

Reports may contain some or all of the following elements:

·         A description of a sequence of events or a situation;

·         Some interpretation of the significance of these events or situation, whether solely your own analysis or informed by the views of others, always carefully referenced of course (see our page on Academic Referencing for more information);

·         An evaluation of the facts or the results of your research;

·         Discussion of the likely outcomes of future courses of action;

·         Your recommendations as to a course of action; and

·         Conclusions.

Taken From:

http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/writing%20Skills%20Leicester/page_74.htm

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/write/report-writing.html

Slide about how to write a report:

http://es.slideshare.net/sergeiG/how-to-write-a-report

WHAT IS A PROPOSAL?

A proposal typically is a tool designed to persuade a customer to purchase a product, or to receive funding and backing for a new project or program. Used in a majority of industries from corporate America to academia, proposals come in many forms. There are informal and formal proposals, as well as solicited and unsolicited proposals. No matter what type, a proposal usually is meant to inform the reader of a problem or need, offer a solution, and give a broad overview of how the proposed solution will work and how much it will cost.

Informal proposals can be quite brief and be used as a follow-up to a business or staff meeting. They usually reiterate what was learned or uncovered in the meeting and list an overview of pricing or a detailed outline of the solution. Formal proposals typically have cover letters, research and numbers or charts, outlined details of all the major phases, schedules, organizational duties, and a cost breakdown of all components. They also typically have a description of the proposing company's or person’s services, a resume, list of past projects, and anything else that would prove qualifications

STEPS FOR WRITING A PROPOSAL

Formal proposals are often requested by companies when they are planning to outsource projects. A formal proposal includes many essential pieces of information, including project objectives, budget and cost breakdowns, time lines and job qualifications. Use these tips to write a formal proposal.

Steps

1)      Create a cover page. The cover page that lets a prospective client know who you are and what the purpose of your proposal is. Include your name, company name and logo, contact information and a title for the proposal. The title may be simple and refer directly to the proposal request, or it may reveal more about your company's plan in respect to meeting the proposal's goal.

2)      Provide an introduction for your formal proposal. The introduction needs to include basic company information and qualifications, along with a summary about the comprehension of client issues.

• Write about the company's mission and objectives, history and background and role in the current industry. Basic qualifications and experience should be highlighted.
• Create a summary that lets the client know you fully comprehend the mission of the project and any issues that may arise as a result. This summary should be short and to the point.

3)      Address the purpose of the proposal. Discuss the project parameters as described by the client in a section that focuses on the purpose of the proposal. Briefly address the method you will use to meet the project's needs.

4)      Describe your solution. Provide your proposed method of addressing the project and implementing your plans in detail.

a.       Write a detailed description about all phases and tasks that must take place in order to enact your solution. Tell the client how and why the solution you propose is the correct one using prospective scenarios and statistical projections.

b.      Create a time line for the project's implementation from start to finish. Provide this in a textual format or a graphic chart.

c.       Tell the client about any other individuals or company you will enlist to provide services for the implementation of the project. Include their basic qualifications.

d.      Establish a budget and break down the costs for the project. Clients like to know how their money will be spent.

5)      Provide a list of your qualifications and experience. Include a resume or other description as it applies to the particular tasks of the project. List other projects that you've worked on or assisted with that are similar in scope to the proposed project.

6)      Include appendices. Include several additional documents as appendices, if necessary, to prove qualifications or enhance the proposal. For instance, charts are helpful to demonstrate statistics and facts. Other similar project profiles are often used in proposals.

7)      Prepare a table of contents. After the proposal is completed, fill in the page numbers for corresponding sections of the proposal, including the introduction, proposal emphasis, project plans and other parts describing different aspects of the proposal.

taken from: 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-proposal.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Formal-Proposal

Dear Carlos Arturo Bustos Cortes  

Mayor of Pamplona City;

First of all, I am very glad to have the opportunity of writing to you, and the reason why I am doing it is because I want you to know something that is going on in our city, Pamplona. During the last five months the security in Pamplona has decreased tremendously, students, children and even adults are terrified of going out after 9 pm given that there are too much thief.

.Three weeks ago a gran was attacked and stolen by a thief in the Carmen neighborhood, she tried to defend herself but it was impossible and unfortunately she was stabbed in three occasions. The neighbors called the police but they arrived 40 minutes later, when the thief had gone. 

The community is worried, we suggest you to increase the presence of police officers given that a patrol by night is not enough. There should be more police or at least watchmen in each neighbor, especially at nights since that most of robberies are at that time. 

You should also install security camera in the most dangerous neighbors, such as: El Carmen, los Treces, Santa Marta, and Chapinero. Thus, the situation would change and there would not exist more fear when going out

This proposal has been written in order to keep our community safe, we don’t want those thief to continue stealing our people. On the contrary, we want everybody to feel quiet when walking, when going out and so on. In case you have any doubt or any comment about this, we can discuss it. 

Best regards; Residents of Carmen’s neighborhood.