- Writing articles requires clarity of thought, depth of ideas and creative use of language on the part of the writer.
- The purpose may be to inform, entertain or stimulate the reader.
- The intellectual, emotional and linguistic level of the reader has to be kept in mind.
- The language should be crisp and lucid.
- It should not be too technical.
- Slang, archaisms and clichés are to be avoided.
- A style suitable to the theme is to be chosen.
- The presentation should be lively and sustain the readers’ interests.
- The article is to be divided into paragraphs and it must have unity, coherence and cohesion.
- Each sentence should contribute to the topic ensuring unity.
- There should be proper sequential development of ideas resulting in coherence.
- The sentences are to be linked through suitable cohesive devices or linkers.
- A well-written article has proper organisation.
- It contains an introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs and a concluding paragraph.
In the initial stage of writing an article, there may be a starting trouble. To overcome this difficulty, just start writing whatever you think about the topic without worrying about the order, grouping or sequence. Just jot down in brief phrases. This technique is called ‘brain-storming’. The next stage is selecting the salient points and organising them into paragraphs. The article should not be too long. The technique of writing articles can be summed up as Write-Edit-Rewrite.