by Allison Whitehead
Research is an important part of an article writer's life. Accuracy is essential if you are to achieve and maintain a high standard of writing, which in turn will earn you the continued rewards of publication and payment.
The disadvantage of carrying out research at the local library is the amount of time it takes out of the working day. Time spent travelling, trying to find out the information you want (even with the help of a librarian, this can take a while), and jotting down some rough notes for when you get back home. With a limit to the number of books you can take away with you, you may find a single trip to the library is not sufficient thus costing you even more time.
And researching your subject online is no better it's all too easy to get distracted by the myriad of websites out there, tempting you with their wares.
Obviously, it would be preferable to have a reliable stock of information in your own home. However, unless you have a spare room in which to accommodate rows and rows of reference books and the like, the space in which to do so is greatly limited.
So what can be done?
The space and money saving solution is to create a cuttings library. This has the advantage of being personalised to its owner in other words, you can pick and choose those cuttings which best apply themselves to the subjects you write about frequently. Textbooks will still have their uses, but they will function as a starting point for research, rather than as a main source.
When it comes to writing about your specialist subjects, having a reliable cuttings library immediately to hand means you can write articles more quickly and efficiently. You may also find as I have that the information commits itself more readily to mind, meaning you will merely need to check the authenticity of facts, rather than having to research the subject virtually from scratch each time.
When you are collecting cuttings on your chosen subjects, make a point of saving anything which relates to them. Quite often it is a small titbit you found in last month's Readers' Digest but didn't think you'd ever need, and therefore filed in the bin which is ideal for adding that extra spark to an article.
One advantage of cuttings is that they don't take up nearly as much space as textbooks, and you may regret the day you didn't keep a selection of 'useless' titbits in a small envelope on your desk.
Another batch of subjects for which every article writer should have a wide ranging selection of clippings is seasonal events. Seeing as many seasonal articles can be rewritten and submitted again next year, it pays to keep a comprehensive set of clippings on all the major festivals and events which occur each year. It can often be a race to submit your work in time especially where Christmas pieces are concerned and being prepared in advance will make you more organised and able to turn out the right kind of material. This in turn should lead editors to turn out more editorial cheques in your direction.
While on the subject of collecting cuttings which relate to a certain time of year, I should mention another way in which your cuttings library can earn you more money.
Occasionally, either when you are looking in current magazine issues or newspapers for clippings, or even watching television, you will come across a topical event which catches your eye. This is where timing and access to a good cuttings library can earn you a cheque.
Supposing there has been a law passed concerning the making of widgets. Very well, round up all the cuttings you may have on widget making and selling, and using the topical news item as an opening, you can write an article and hopefully have it in the post before the opposition. Topical openings are excellent selling points, and it is always worth looking out for those which can help to sell a subject you have clippings on.
In terms of storing your collection, a home file system or cabinet is ideal, as it keeps everything together. Any type of folders will do, however, provided they are neatly labelled. You should be able to hunt out any particular clippings with ease.
Take care also to make sure your collection remains up to date. Old clippings can still be useful when referring to the past and making comparisons, but take care the facts don't stray into a modern, up to date article.
So what are you waiting for? Go to it create your cuttings library today, and watch it start to pay you back handsomely.
About the author:
Allison Whitehead has written countless articles on self help, motivational, writing and business subjects, among others. She is also the author of 'Hey, I Really CAN Sell My Articles!', a four step blueprint for creating, writing and selling your articles for cash. Visit www.lulu.com/smoo_publishing for more information.