Article Plan

To create a plan for my magazine article, I had to consider what it would be about, what direction it will take (such as a story, a review or an interview); I also had to consider whether I would write it from the first, second or third person narrative, what sort of wording I would use with semantic fields relating to the genre and content of the article; I had to consider what kind of introductory paragraph would be suitable for my genre of magazine and how I would engage the reader and what other pieces of text I would use on the page that are set apart from the article.

What will my article be about?

When I created my flat plans, I decided to write my interview from the first person narrative so that the reader can read more about the artist and I understand that they buy the magazine to learn about the artists; by choosing to write from the artist's perspective, I can ensure that the reader will be engaged and interested and it will allow the reader to be engaged and want to find out more. I don't want my article to be boring so I will include exciting topics and write about topics that will shock the reader such tragedies in the artist's life. I aim to use the words 'the public don't know the real me' to create mysticism and make the reader want to find out more. This quote will also be on my front cover to draw the reader in.

What kind of article will mine be?

I have decided to write my article from the artist's perspective and they will talk in continuous prose about their life. With this in mind, the style of my article will be a story as this is an appropriate direction to take and it will be easier to follow than an interview where a lot less is said and it is less engaging. The reader will experience a full length anecdote of the artist's life instead of the smaller snippets of information that they would be able to read if my article was to be written in an interview form.

What voice will my article be written in?

I will write the majority of my article from the first person narrative so that the reader can easily read a flowing, interesting anecdote of the artist. However, I have decided to write my opening paragraph from the third person narrative because it will draw in the reader and I can summarise the article in a few brief lines before my article will take a different direction and be written in the third person narrative. I think this will be effective as I will be able to say things like 'but this artist's life has taken a dramatic turn' and create unanswered questions that will make the reader want to read on. I will not however, answer these questions towards the end as this will lose the reader's attention so I will answer important questions evenly throughout to make the reader want to read on.

What sort of words will I use in the article?

The artist I am creating will be one who draws sympathy from the reader so I will aim to create semantic fields of sadness and depression in order to create this emotion within the reader. However, I intend not to make the audience feel depressed and bored by the magazine so I will include lighthearted words and promote the idea of fun and potential within the article. I will also try to use words that a specific to the genre of the magazine such as 'gig' and 'individual,' 'unique' and 'biggest' as these connote the meaning of indie which means 'individual'. The audience, who will follow the indie genre, will share the same interests and therefore, the idea of individuality will appeal to them.

What will my introductory paragraph be about and what techniques will I use?

I will write my short introductory paragraph from the third person narrative to give an alternative view on the artist's life and it will relate to the content of the article in ways that it will make the reader want to read further and find out about the topics from the artist's perspective. I will create unanswered questions and hint at subjects that are only mentioned in the article so that the reader will want to read on; these will be things like 'but Lily-T didn't know what was lying round the corner...' or 'Lily-T only spoke to one person, but not who you'd expect...'.

What other words will I use on the page apart from the article?

On the top of my double page spread, I will have a banner which is small but advertises later content of the magazine to make the reader want to read further into the magazine. I will also have the article title at the top of the page and a large quote insert above the image which will be large enough to draw the reader's attention and make them eager to read on.