Are You Making This Idea Generation Mistake That’s Costing You Assignments?
In my Write for Magazines e-course, I once had a student who was in a wheelchair, and one of the ideas she generated was about how people should treat the disabled: the common mistakes people make, why they shouldn’t make them, and what to do instead.
Her second idea was about the subway commuter who saved an epileptic man a few years ago by hauling him off a subway track in front of an oncoming train. Her premise was that this man shouldn’t be treated as a hero because he didn’t know how to help someone with epilepsy and stuck his wallet in the man’s mouth to keep him from swallowing his tongue, which everyone should know you’re not supposed to do. In fact, she said, the real hero is the person who lives with epilepsy every day.
Another writer, who worked in retail, wanted to pitch an article on how people can be better customers…for example, they should put the items they’re looking at back neatly on the shelves, and not enter the store when it’s about to close.
I had to tell these writers that their ideas would not fly.
Why? Well, would you want to read an article that was basically telling you “Hey, you’re annoying me, and here’s how not to?”
No one wants to be lectured to. When people pick up a magazine, they want to read information that will help them improve heir lives, that they can put into action right away. These two ideas don’t meet those requirements.
In fact, they’re more vents than articles.
We all have things that piss us off, and the temptation is to turn them into articles. But a common mistake is to think you can make people change their evil ways and make your life easier through your writing.
There’s a right way and a wrong way to turn a vent into an article idea. The wrong way is to take your vent wholesale and plop it onto paper. The right way is to consider how your idea will improve people’s lives. This opens up all different types of markets you may not have thought of.
For example, my student who was in a wheelchair could pitch a parenting magazine with an article about how to handle difficult social situations with your kid. One of those situations could be that your child points at someone in a wheelchair and loudly asks why the person can’t walk. You could also include, say, how to react when your child announces he doesn’t like a gift someone gave him, what to do when you’re having dinner at someone’s house and your kid refuses to eat the food, and so on.
See what I mean? Now you’re still informing people how to treat the disabled, but without the lecture.
As for the idea about how to be a better customer: How about an article for a retail trade magazine on how to “train” your customers to pick up after themselves, leave when the store is closing, etc.? Or on how to handle 10 common types of difficult customers? Now, you’re pursuing your own agenda while helping others. Win-win!
Thinking about your problems can help you generate article ideas, because chances are if you have a problem, other people have it too. But you need to make sure the idea you pitch offers helpful service to your readers, and is not just a rant about how much they suck.
How about you…have you ever taken what could have been a vent and turned it into an article idea that sold? How did you do it? [lf]
This is such a good piece of advice. People often forget the need to appeal to the wider reader.
I’ve turned a few vents into articles, usually by turning a negative into a positive. My hatred of going on holiday with friends became a piece on the joys of holidaying alone, for example.
Love how you turned a vent into a successful article!
Great post, Linda! I’ve been guilty of this offense. I’m going to look at ways to respin those ideas as positive service articles. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks, Leila!
I recently wrote an article (a freebie for my mom’s networking group magazine) that started as a rant on how much Graphic Designer clients are “clients from hell”. After revisions it ran as a “how to write a Creative Brief” informing potential Graphic Designer clients on how to make their objectives known BEFORE constant revisions lead to higher invoicing and stiffing the artist.
Now that’s a great idea!
The change came based on a reco my mom received from a career coach on what “her” article should be about. His advice was a bit cheesy but in essence, pertinent.
His advice:
Everybody likes to listen to “WII fm” radio (What’s In It For Me?). People read articles to learn something that interests them or can help them, otherwise why bother?
WII fm radio…That’s neat, I’ll have to remember that!
Oh, these are great examples!
When I was an on-staff editor, I had to wade through similar story pitches. Because it was a trade magazine, the pitches were more of the “Here’s why our company rocks” variety – little content, all cheerleading. I’d go back to them and say “Generalize your idea so that you’re giving us a how-to that is NOT product- or company-specific.” Most times they complied, but there were always those companies that just sent back a regurgitated version of what I’d already said we didn’t print.
As for vents that I’ve sold, guilty.
I wrote an article on the entrenchment of CEOs in financial corporations, one about the mafia-like behavior of credit ratings agencies, and I’m currently working on one about green building and how some buildings are being touted as green when they’re really not. Luckily, none of these situations has affected me directly, but I do get a little ticked off when I read about injustices. 
Oh yeah, cheerleading articles…yuck.
Oh, there is definitely a market for negative news stories! The ones I’m talking about are service pieces where the writer hopes to educate people on how to stop pissing her off. “How to Be a Better Customer,” “How to Treat the Disabled,” “Things to Never Say to a Pregnant Woman,” etc.
Guilty! Thanks for the knuckle-rapping. A good reminder that we can find positives in our negatives.
You’re so right, and yet, British papers love a good moan! Those that I’ve sold include one about how tech companies are neglecting disabled people in their rush to innovate, which had a good response (perhaps because I suggested some simple improvements?) and one about how hard it is to fill in a university application when you’re no longer a teenager and none of the questions apply to you. I’ve also written as a child of multiple divorces about what stepmothers do wrong and although that didn’t run, the kill fee was generous. Just before Christmas, I wrote about hating those charity Christmas gift catalogues (making some readers believe I was the devil).
I guess what it really comes down to is knowing your market…
And recognising that if nowhere had bought these ideas, I could have spun them into something positive and repitched elsewhere. Good to bear that in mind!
Yes! As I just replied to Lori above, I’m not talking about news pieces but service pieces (if you can even call them service), not essays, news pieces, etc.
Well, I’m definitely going to try spinning my negative pieces into helpful service pieces in future
You go, girl!
Oh, this is so good. Great distinction and well-written.
I had an article that I wrote and realized it was a rant. I still believe in it but it sits in the unpublished stacks.
Now I have a specific way to make it not a rant – your point about helping improve others’ lives will help me take this piece from something about me to something about them.
Thanks for the excellent advice.
Let us know how it goes, Cynthia!