Keys to Preparing to Be a Columnist

If you have the traits and dedication required, along with the right temperament that can be translated to words on paper, you can be a good columnist. You don't have to be a superlative writer, just an adequate or good one who is able to present your ideas in an interesting way. What you do have to be, first of all, is someone with the discipline, commitment and energy to pump out articles or stories on a regular basis. This means sticking to a writing schedule that is neither too sparse or too hectic, so your writings remain sharp and feel unrushed (unlike the case of writers who have taken on too many assignments).

Preparing to be a columnist these days involves always recording and observing current affairs, or noting your own state of mind about the events. It requires imagination and personal industry to come up with ideas on a consistent basis, as well as the reflection and perceptiveness combine life experience with those original thoughts. Being curious is also an important trait -- you should keep informing yourself about your area of expertise if you are writing columns on specific matters.

A writer who is going to frequently cover a particular topic also keeps a current file of the news articles available for reference material. A columnist also prepares by developing sources (people, archives, and other resources) that can be tapped for expert or key inside information or ideas. Whatever type of column you are doing, you need to be able to talk to a lot of people who will divulge the information that you can incorporate into your columns. Always be ready to use the prominence gained from your status as a writer (or the intriguing nature of the subject matter of your columns) to gain interesting new data from a targeted group of friends and industry persons insiders.

A writer should prepare to make a point in a way that the masses will understand, since your communication skills will dictate how many people actually come back to read your column again and again. Whatever the topic being written on, it must be simple enough for regular readers to grasp, and brief enough for them to maintain interest until they are finished reading through all of it. Syndicated political columnist George Will, for example, once advised if you can't get it plainly said in 700 words, you just don't know how to say it.

Ensure you have a system in place to check the accuracy of your piece, be it the editor, or through a habit of writing that builds the accuracy and fair-mindedness into the structure of the column. If these precautions and preparations are consistently maintained, you could have little problems staying organized to consistently put out your columns.

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The Rewards of Becoming a Columnist

One way to stand out in your field, if you are a knowledgeable professional seeking visibility, is by becoming a columnist. Many exciting benefits and prestige away you, whatever industry in which you have expertise, by starting to write columns that reflect your knowledge. Quite simply, as a columnist you become more recognized as an expert in your field. Or, if you have an interesting hobby to share, you can also enjoy recognition and excitement by writing on your interest.

Whether it's the joys and hardships, difficulties or simplicities, or the tips and secrets that you want to reveal about a subject on an ongoing basis, becoming a columnist rewards you financially and professionally for revealing them. So stand up and put your shingle out there. Don't be afraid to tell everyone you are a writer -- even if you haven't yet published anything. Whoever you are, you possess information or insights about some subject which are marketable.

You may not even have realized you have special expertise. The truth is, even if your a retiree or an elderly person, you have a lifetime of experiences from which you can at least give your opinion on life's basics -- marriage, divorce, parenting, managing a medical issue, and so forth. It's the packaging of this information and advice into a format that will be acceptable to editors or other sources accepting submissions that is trickier.

Selecting the best markets, beginning with the small ones and working your way to bigger publications, sites and even syndication can be a gradual process. Fortunately, the World Wide Web provides several sites for aspiring writers to get started right away, whether or not they pay you for the privilege of being published. Simply put, becoming a columnist and getting published involve selling what you write so don't ever forget this factor. The rest of the secret is to learn some basic journalistic skills, in order to separate and set your work apart from poorly written material that most publications or sites tend to receive.

Whatever your goals as far as the frequency with which you write, you must get the system of writing columns like a journalist and selling them to publications and sites down pat. Miscellaneous issues concern whether you want to be writing for your peers as in targeting academic publications, or for a more general audience through such things as newspaper columns. Getting paid or not is still another issue, though you may choose to train yourself to write at first on free article directory submission sites, to warm yourself up to getting paid for your efforts.

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Positioning Yourself to Be a Columnist

If you're trying to become a successful columnist, understanding how to get yourself in line for such a stature is critical. You probably heard about local writers in your community who write poorly and can explain things very well. How did they get to where they got? Probably, the normal pathways got them their weekly or monthly perch at the publication or site. Having good connections is clearly one such avenue for their success, along with having a previously established reputation or credentials to get them the inside track. So, how you can do the same?

First, a willingness to go into entry-level positions in journalism easily puts you on the conveyor belt towards later getting a writing spot. Another effective trick that shortens the learning curve for developing your skills, involves reading columns as a personal habit. Pick a few favorite writers who may already be following, and go online to a library to find anthologies of their work. Learning how these authors put together columns, despite constant reading will instinctively train you how the write them yourself. This will make your submissions more credible to editors, who can see your writing is structurally sound.

Second, if you're trying to get into syndicated column writing, please note that a lot of syndicated columnists on newspaper staffs. Get acquainted with the backgrounds or biographies of your favorite authors, which will tell you how they got their positions or moved up the ladder at their organizations. You don't have to reinvent the wheel solving a problem that has been solved repeatedly in the real lives of other writers. One other key gleaned from following the path of successful writers is learning about differences in the editorial staff that they've worked with, and who the cooler or friendlier editors are. This may cut down your networking time in trying to establish which parties you should contact.

Lastly, all these tricks and internal pathways will not guarantee you columnist status, however, if you don't also possess the skills to write a presentable column. You should endeavor to ensure your writing is free of the common spelling, usage or non-journalistic errors of other authors who are being rejected. Your goal should be to master writing simply, but in such a way that it adheres to the unique language, form and structure of journalistic writing. Combine good writing skills with researching the industry and connecting with its key players, and you will be in position to be a columnist.

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