A Few Tips for Reslanting Articles

If you write for magazines, make the most of your research by turning the information you obtain from different sources into a variety of articles (instead of just one).

This is called reslanting an article because you create a different angle or slant for each article you propose to different publications.

When you can do the research once and then turn it into several different articles, you make much better use of your time and efforts – you’re working smarter, not harder.

Here are a few tips for reslanting articles:

1. Before you contact your sources, brainstorm a few possible article slants or angles.

Also, determine which publications would be best for each slant.

Choose magazines that don’t compete with each other.

You wouldn’t want to sell an article to Family Circle, for example, and then a similar piece to Woman’s Day because these two publications have many of the same readers and these readers don’t want to see the same information in both magazines.

2. Before you contact your sources, figure out a variety of questions that will allow you to reslant the topic in many ways.

This way, your sources will give you a variety of quotes, so each article will include fresh quotes.

You won’t merely be “recyling” the same quotes from article to article, which isn’t a good idea.

Plus, if you have come up with ideas for reslanting the topic before you contact your sources, you’ll be able to get all the information you need during one interview with each source.

You’ll take up less of their time (which they will appreciate) and you’ll be making better use of your time.

3. If you have trouble coming up with a variety of slants around one article topic, brainstorm ideas with another writer.

You’ll probably be suprised at all the different slants you start coming up with once another writer has helped you see a few possibilities.

If you are lucky enough to know someone who has written for a variety of different magazines for a while, they’ll be able to help you quickly see how to reslant your articles.

Practice these tips for reslanting articles and soon you’ll be making the most of your research – and your time, too.

Try it!

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 35 published books and a writing coach.

Visit her website at www.writebythesea.com for more articles and resources about writing.

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