How to write a winning BYC Chicken article!
As a past winner who is still awaiting the grand prize all expense paid trip to Australia including first class air fare, I think I can give you some hints.
BTW, there is a misunderstanding on the prize, for some reason BYC does not think they offered me the all expense paid trip to Australia (for four, I might add).
Lets start with some simple rules:
Never use acronyms not everyone will understand them. Example BTW, while must of us know it means BTW it has no place in a well written article.
Be knowledgeable about your subject. Even the most ignorant person without any knowledge of the subject you are presenting can spot chicken poop a mile away. They will immediately turn away from the good points you might have if they spot the chicken poop. Some might become violently ill, you do not want to make a reader ill and have them turn away.
Make sure the subject is on point for the contest. The current contest is about chickens, so I am writing about a winning chicken article and not a winning Duck article. As if any article about ducks could be award winning.
Do not pick a subject just because someone else suggested it. You really need to pick an article you want to write, that you think others will want to know about. While others might have good suggestions the best articles came from your heart as well as your brain.
Do your homework. Study the subject you are writing about, know it to the best of your ability. If you are writing about something research it and not just on BYC. Check the university sites and studies. Use the websites of credible research. Many time people will use research that is simply a regurgitation of their own established beliefs without looking at facts and science. Know the difference between science and belief. Having nine people tell you they use a certain feed is not science, and does not prove the feed is the best one for you. Remember what opinions are like. Chickens even have them.
Use humor, to try to make your point. Simply reciting facts can be boring to the reader and does not impart the message you want to get across. They need a way to remember it, tickle the funny bone and they will take the golden nugget of chicken knowledge deep into their brains.
Know what plagiarism is. Using other peoples knowledge and background is perfectly acceptable, using their words is not. Know the difference. Chicken articles can be tricky to write because none of us know it all.
FOR THE RECORD Most of the art is plagiarized here.......... See I credited the internet for the art!!!
Credit the source: If you do use another persons facts give them credit. This does two things, it shows you truly have studied your subject and if the factoid is wrong it gives you someone to blame. Blame is always best to spread around. Let people know where the chicken fact came from.
A picture is worth a thousand words, this is an old saying but, it is as true today as it was when they were first uttered. A picture not only reinforces the theme of your article it again helps a person remember and keeps them from falling asleep while reading the award winning chicken article.
Keep reinforcing what the article is about, the more you mention it the more the reader will understand. If you noticed this is an article on winning an Award winning chicken article. Highlight the idea you are trying to get across.
This article is about------->
CHICKENS!!
Try to not offend the readers, this is a hard one for me, some people seem to just want to be offended. Today it is popular to be offended. Do not go out of your way to offend. It can not always be avoided, just do your best to reach 95% of the people that read the article. Do not become depressed if someone takes exception to the article. Even cliches offend some people, you can't please all the people all the time.
Insist your article is on topic. I am sure there are some that will think this article is not about chickens, but it is. Look how many times I mentioned Chickens and how few times I mentioned ducks. Ducks are not important to this article, Chickens are!
Follow basic English rules. Know what verb is singular and which is plural. Make sure you use the proper tense. People are not impressed with sentences like: The chickens is late for dinner. Make sure the sentences make sense to everyone.
BTW ( see how BTW offends you) the corrected sentence is: The chickens are late for dinner
Use a text writing program, A program can make it so much easier, it will correct spelling for you and even correct some bad grammar. It will auto save the article about chickens so you do not get frustrated when the internet burps and 2 hours worth of work is lost. It allows you to easily highlight and change your work into a form that is truly Chicken award winning.
In closing, thanks for reading this far, always thank your reader, they did not need to read your article, but they did, so thank them. Without them supporting you, you would not be flying first class to Australia at some other persons expense.
Good luck on winning the prize, but do not expect to fly to Australia first class anytime soon.
And above all else, enjoy your scribblings! I do.
As a past winner who is still awaiting the grand prize all expense paid trip to Australia including first class air fare, I think I can give you some hints.
BTW, there is a misunderstanding on the prize, for some reason BYC does not think they offered me the all expense paid trip to Australia (for four, I might add).
Lets start with some simple rules:
Never use acronyms not everyone will understand them. Example BTW, while must of us know it means BTW it has no place in a well written article.
Be knowledgeable about your subject. Even the most ignorant person without any knowledge of the subject you are presenting can spot chicken poop a mile away. They will immediately turn away from the good points you might have if they spot the chicken poop. Some might become violently ill, you do not want to make a reader ill and have them turn away.
Make sure the subject is on point for the contest. The current contest is about chickens, so I am writing about a winning chicken article and not a winning Duck article. As if any article about ducks could be award winning.
Do not pick a subject just because someone else suggested it. You really need to pick an article you want to write, that you think others will want to know about. While others might have good suggestions the best articles came from your heart as well as your brain.
Do your homework. Study the subject you are writing about, know it to the best of your ability. If you are writing about something research it and not just on BYC. Check the university sites and studies. Use the websites of credible research. Many time people will use research that is simply a regurgitation of their own established beliefs without looking at facts and science. Know the difference between science and belief. Having nine people tell you they use a certain feed is not science, and does not prove the feed is the best one for you. Remember what opinions are like. Chickens even have them.
Use humor, to try to make your point. Simply reciting facts can be boring to the reader and does not impart the message you want to get across. They need a way to remember it, tickle the funny bone and they will take the golden nugget of chicken knowledge deep into their brains.
Know what plagiarism is. Using other peoples knowledge and background is perfectly acceptable, using their words is not. Know the difference. Chicken articles can be tricky to write because none of us know it all.
FOR THE RECORD Most of the art is plagiarized here.......... See I credited the internet for the art!!!
Credit the source: If you do use another persons facts give them credit. This does two things, it shows you truly have studied your subject and if the factoid is wrong it gives you someone to blame. Blame is always best to spread around. Let people know where the chicken fact came from.
A picture is worth a thousand words, this is an old saying but, it is as true today as it was when they were first uttered. A picture not only reinforces the theme of your article it again helps a person remember and keeps them from falling asleep while reading the award winning chicken article.
Keep reinforcing what the article is about, the more you mention it the more the reader will understand. If you noticed this is an article on winning an Award winning chicken article. Highlight the idea you are trying to get across.
This article is about------->
CHICKENS!!Try to not offend the readers, this is a hard one for me, some people seem to just want to be offended. Today it is popular to be offended. Do not go out of your way to offend. It can not always be avoided, just do your best to reach 95% of the people that read the article. Do not become depressed if someone takes exception to the article. Even cliches offend some people, you can't please all the people all the time.
Insist your article is on topic. I am sure there are some that will think this article is not about chickens, but it is. Look how many times I mentioned Chickens and how few times I mentioned ducks. Ducks are not important to this article, Chickens are!
Follow basic English rules. Know what verb is singular and which is plural. Make sure you use the proper tense. People are not impressed with sentences like: The chickens is late for dinner. Make sure the sentences make sense to everyone.
BTW ( see how BTW offends you) the corrected sentence is: The chickens are late for dinner
Use a text writing program, A program can make it so much easier, it will correct spelling for you and even correct some bad grammar. It will auto save the article about chickens so you do not get frustrated when the internet burps and 2 hours worth of work is lost. It allows you to easily highlight and change your work into a form that is truly Chicken award winning.
In closing, thanks for reading this far, always thank your reader, they did not need to read your article, but they did, so thank them. Without them supporting you, you would not be flying first class to Australia at some other persons expense.
Good luck on winning the prize, but do not expect to fly to Australia first class anytime soon.
And above all else, enjoy your scribblings! I do.
