Do you want to write for The Medium, but don’t quite know how to?

BY ALAIN LATOUR

How to write for us

We’re often asked how to write an article for publication in The Medium. Countless books, websites and articles outline how to write.  None, however, address the topic of how to write for The Medium.  This, as far as we at The Medium are concerned, is a glaring exception, especially because we are the ones that should have put such a guide together.

You may ask yourself what makes The Medium so unique as to merit its own writing tips section. The answer is simple: UTM has no Journalism program, and its cousin the Professional Writing Program is small. Thus, many students who are interested in writing for us simply dont know how to go about it.

I can think of at least two risks to putting together a writing style. First, I can come across as pretentious. Second, readers will smile a cynical smile when we neglect to follow our own advice.  But, far from taking cover, we encourage everyone who notices flaws in our writing, or has any tips to offer, to email the editor at editor AT mediumonline DOT ca.

So, after analyzing my pre-The Medium writing and many of the articles sent to us, these are the tips I came up with:

1. Use your own voice. Don’t  try to sound elegant or fancy.
2. Be clear and concise. Prefer short words and sentences.
3. Know what you are writing about before you write about it. It’s useful to tell someone—or yourself—what you want to address before you begin typing. I like to jot down my main ideas, without worrying about their sequence, enclosed by circles and bubbles. I only number them once Im done jotting. Thus, by the time I sit at the computer, I already  know what A and B and C are and how to get from one to the other.
4. Academic writing comes across as pompous and vague. Do not write for professors. Do not use fancy words that you wouldn’t use in your day-to-day life.
5. A personal pet-peeve: Using “however”  and similar words when there’s no contradiction between what you’re about to say and what just you said.
6. This reminds me: Do not shy away from “but.”  ”However”  is a useful word (even more so when added after the subject rather than at very beginning of the sentence.) But it doesn’t come close to but in strength and simplicity. (See?)
7. Only use I when the article warrants it.  I, for example, used it once, in my article about tuition fees, because my experience as a student in Cuba was relevant to the topic. If that’s not the case, shelve it.
8. On the other hand, do not be afraid to let your personality show. Some find it hard to do this while avoiding the use of “I.”  Practice will get you there.
9. That said, avoid sounding too chatty. Avoid clichés. PWC professors will come to the office and beat us up if we print one.
10. Check the online writing style guide at The Economist.com. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
11. To quote  George Orwell: Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Submission

So we gave you a green light and you finished your article. How do you submit it?

First, email it to your section editor along with a tentative title (which may change) and a word count. Please make sure that:

1. You used  .doc if possible, .docx only if you must. Never use .rtf or .txt. Type with Times New Roman or a similar font (we love Minion Pro.)
2. You didn’t double space the article.
3. You ran a spell-check.
4. You checked all the names, figures and dates.
5. You replaced all the double spaces with a single one. Back in the typewriter days it was customary to leave two spaces after a period. Not anymore. When you’re done typing, hit Control + F (Command + F on a Mac), which will bring the search bar up. Hit two spaces in the search bar and one in the replace bar. Hit enter. Presto.

Let us know what you want to write about

If you want to be contribute to  The Medium, fill out the form below along with a brief description of what you want to write about, or any ideas you may have.