Writing articles is no easy task, but with the right mindset and place to start that uneasiness is easily passable, so allow for an insightful look into how to write for your school paper, with the following tips on how to write an article for the Ionian.  

1. Come up with a topic.  

The ideal place to start when writing any article is to come up with a solid topic to discuss for your paper, depending on the category or section you are writing for the ideas will vary, but there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to writing for a paper, for the Ionian there are many inclusive sections like, sports, arts, entertainment, features, lifestyle and news each with their various topics and flexibility, so if any of those sections interest you then coming up with a topic will be a breeze. 

2. Write about what you like. 

Writing, in my opinion is easiest when you write about what you enjoy, when you’re passionate about a topic the ideas and words come a lot easier to the page in comparison to when it is something more abstract, so write as much as you can about what you like and refine those ideas with a fresh set of eyes the following day.  

3. Space out your writing.  

When I suggest spacing out your writing I’m referring to the idea of spreading out how much you write over the course of a few days, the articles are always due on a Sunday for the Ionian, so starting on a Monday and working your way through an article to reach the 400-500 word goal is a smart idea to avoid burn out and to allow for new ideas to form once you’ve taken a step back and rethought what you’ve written.  

4. Research your topic. 

If there is a topic you are passionate about, but unsure if it would be enough to make it to the required word count, researching more information about a topic or seeing different perspectives on it can allow for new ideas to formulate based on something you know a lot about, and there will always be helpful Ionian members ready to assist with the research.  

5. Use the pitches presented for each section. 

If you’re ever stuck on what to write about for the paper, turn to the emails sent by section editors to spark ideas for what to write about, each section editor provides events or article ideas for students to follow or branch off to ensure each section is written with a lot of passion and topic relevance.  

The Ionian is a flexible safe space for articles, and any ideas you have for the paper can find a place in our catalog and ensure your ideas are presented in a meaningful manner.