Write in a Short, Relaxed, Non-academic Style

Articles should be approximately 300-800 words in length. A warm, friendly conversational tone is most important.

  Article Titles and Key Words

 Reading on the internet is not like reading a newspaper or book. People cannot scan twelve columns of content with one sweep of their eyes. Short, snappy and even funny titles are your reader's easiest way to get pulled into your article. Remember, they will need to click on that title to see every other word you've written. Make sure your title captures their attention and leaves them wanting more. Also, make your title "pop" with short, easy-to-understand, keywords. Those keywords will be picked up by search engines and draw readers to you from the Internet throughout the world. Make each word count.

  Start Your Article with a 3-6 Sentence Vignette

A short vignette depicting the problem you want to address will help the reader know that you understand their pain. The is no need to give paragraph after paragraph of problem description, as most mental health writers are trained to do. Consumers know the problem. They live the problem every day. They want solutions - the faster they find them, the more your article will be read. If you've titled your article properly, and offered them a list of options to try, they will come back and refer others to your article. We prefer articles that give a short vignette of a situation at the beginning, so the reader can quickly grasp the problem without reading a long list of boring symptom patterns. Please see this article for a sense of such a vignette: http://selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/eating/other/bulimia2.html

  Discuss "Options and Possible Solutions"

Internet readers want as many fact-based solutions as they can find. Give them a variety of solutions, without promising a cure. Avoid just offering your "opinions" if you don't have scientific fact to support them. Typical media writing suggests solutions in this way: "Many people experiencing this sort of problem find one or more of these solutions helpful."  In essence, try to avoid implying the reader ought to trust you merely because you are published. Avoid the "trust me" approach: "Try this solution and you will feel better - I promise. Trust me, I know."

 

For further information about writing for the public-at-large, consider joining groups such as the American Psychological Association's Division 46: Media Psychology.

 

  Write Your Content for a 6-8 Grade Reading Style 

Be succinct and precise. Web readers tend to spend 7 seconds on a page. We are happy to report that our reader spend 15-20 seconds per page, but that's still not much time. Please use a grammar checker and spell checker before submitting. Reading your article out loud to another listener can help you experience where a reader's eye might stumble with your sentence structure. Please read your articles out loud over and over again...until you do not stumble over your concept of sentence structure. This is the single most common problem with articles submitted. If your concepts or sentence structure are too difficult for the average reader to skim and comprehend, your article will probably send the reader surfing onto another article. If you are going to take the time to write for a web audience, read, edit and polish your work several times so it can be read easily and quickly.

  Put all Your Information in the Body of the Article

If you must have footnotes, put them at the end of the piece as a regular part of the article (do not use footnoting features of the word processor). Add your references to the end of the articles, followed by your Author information. (Article, References, Author).

 

  No Right Justification or Hyphenation

Please supply at least one reference from the scientific literature substantiating your claims.Multiple references are preferred. We tend to select articles that are research-based, rather than simple opinion pieces. For example, if you are going to claim that diaphragmatic breathing is going to alleviate anxiety, please be ready to support your claims with references to at least one if not two or three (2-3) well-designed, controlled studies to support your suggestion. The more off-the-beaten track your suggestion, the more references we'll require. American Psychological Association publication style is preferred for the citation.

  Punctuation

Use two dashes -- and leave no space between periods or commas and text.

  Keep paragraphs and Sentences Short

Blocks of text should be no more than 75 words each. Use at least three (3) sentences for each paragraph. It is much better to use several, short paragraphs than one, long paragraph. Break long paragraphs into bulleted lists. Short, action-oriented sentences are also preferable. For a list of options-to-try, make liberal use of bulleted lists, like this:

  Cut Word Count

Read with the goal of eliminating all  unnecessary words. Use examples to maximize meaning while minimizing boring text.

  Get to the Point

Put the most important info (your conclusion) at the top. Many people never scroll down web pages.

 

  Call Your Reader to Action

Use active and not passive voice. Suggest defined actions but also use appropriate disclaimers, because not all suggestions work for all readers. Start your list of suggestions with comments such as "People in similar situations often find these options to be helpful..."

 

  Edit, Edit, Edit

Please do not send your work to us without re-reading it at least five (5) times. In fact, if you really want us to publish it, take the time to read it OUT LOUD, clear out any sentences that slow you down or hang you up, then re-read OUT LOUD to a friend. Let your friends help you smooth it out so nothing catches you eye when you (or they) skim it. Realize that most people spend 7 seconds on a web page. If your un-edited article hangs them up, they are gone. Poof! And if your article hangs us up, well, poof again. We won't write back to hold your hand through this process. We offer you a free service by publishing your work. Be a professional and take the time to edit your own work.

  Short Author Biography

A 40-60 word biography is required for each author. It may contact street address and telephone number and web (URL) address, but no email address. We would greatly appreciate your linking back to our site from yours. This cross-linking will help us both get more traffic to our respective websites. Photos of authors in electronic form are welcomed, saved in .jpg or .gif format only, and used at the sole discretion of the Editor.

 

If you have an ebook, podcast, blog or other electronic file you'd like us to link to, we'd be happy to oblidge. If you'd like to Chair one of our Magazine Departments, we'd be happy to develop a blog for you, promote your product(s) and link to professional video profile elsewhere on the web, such as on YouTube. If you would like us to publish an ebook with you and link to our other affiliates, please just let us know here.

  Your Cover Page

If you are serious about getting published online, you may want to read a few short articles about writing for web pages. Just use a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo and type "web articles, writing". Or try these specific sites:

1. Webwriting
2. 10 Tips for Good Web Writing
3. Writing Well for the Web
4. Seven Qualities of Highly Successful Web Writing

  LAST STEP: Please print and sign: Required Contributor Agreement

Submissions | Style | Agreement