Yes, we need you as an author for writing articles in Kolkata Musing.
You may be a student or a fresh graduate. You may be a retired person full of enriching experience. You are someone who is planning to start a career as content writer. Or maybe you just want your voice heard.
You all are welcome to write for us.
You may have never published on the web or have sporadically published so far. Don’t worry. We are here to accept your work. We will guide you through the steps of writing contents that people love to read. We will explain to you what those topics are that get maximum attention on the web.
If you write for us you may not become famous overnight. You will however learn the path of becoming famous over time.
We have put together a guideline of how we look at content writing in KolMus. We sincerely want your article to be at its best, and the narrative below is meant to help you in that direction.
Can you fit in
We want to be honest. Writing for us would need a bit of pre-qualification. Here are the 6 qualities we look for in you as a writer:
- You have a flair for writing. Small simple interesting sentences, (more or less) right usage of grammar, and good understanding of the topic are your companion to make readers yearn for your article.
- You have a knack for doing research on your topic on the web. You need this because it helps in formatting the focus of your article. When you write you are able to base your arguments on facts. In turn your readers get the right information they are seeking for their needs. Doing research is important, and we will tell you how you can go about it.
- You may not copy+paste from any other source on the web. Brief quotations are okay and encouraged as long as the source is identified and acknowledged. But none beyond that… NO plagiarism please! Did we say it’s considered a crime?
- You may not send a pre-published article of yours. Again, it’s not a good practice. It doesn’t help you, and certainly not us. And mind you, there are ways to find out if an article or portions of it have been published elsewhere on the web.
- You have the flexibility to learn. Like all websites we too have a certain focus and we will want our joint efforts aligned in agreement. When that happens, trust us, you benefit as much as this website does.
- You have an open mind to contradict us. Knowledge is not anyone’s monopoly. Speak out when you feel we are wrong. We promise to make amends if they make sense.
What type of article to write
- People like bite-sized contents made of simple, short, and relevant sentences. Here is an example of that.
Takeaway – Long sentences and big chunks of contents are best avoided… though 3-5 short sentences in one paragraph are par for the course.
- Readers love stories. Take a look at the following image (courtesy this study) that shows the power of story-telling.
Takeaway – Storytelling (even if imaginary) takes away the boredom of reading an article till the end.
- The How-Tos and Lists are all time favourites. That’s because there is a sense of urgency in them. We want answers to our problems right now. Any wonder why the headlines below are all-time favorites?
- 4 early signs that your spouse is having an affair
- How to lose weight fast
- 18 money-making tips no expert tells you
- How not to scuttle your chances in the next job interview
- When in Cape Town don’t forget to see these 8 places
- Evergreen content attracts viewers for a long time, especially when written well, with candour (and humour), and based on facts that readers can relate to. The above articles (Sl.3) are examples of that.
- Images break the monotony of text contents. Using relevant images like graphics, charts and graphs, or real pictures can help readers get the most out of a post. Image comes naturally in food and travel articles. For other posts though it is a bit tricky to choose the right image.
Summing up
When you write an article keep the 5 points above in mind. If you are writing for the first time it may take a conscious effort on your part to stick to them. As you keep writing – in addition to doing research on similar articles as yours on the web – you will gradually hone your skills.
And you’ll love every bit of it!
What topic to write on
We wish to focus on 3 major areas for new posts where we look for your contribution:
1
Life Hacking articles on career and performance –
Life hacking articles hardly go out of favour. Take a look at the following great articles. They are about people’s aspirations, and how to turn around from odds.
- 6 Totally Strange but Effective Productivity Hacks
- 15 Things Successful People Do on Monday Mornings
- To Get a Job, Write Your Story Instead of a Resume
- This Mount Everest Disaster Shows the Danger of Clinging to Goals
- The Habits of Successful People: They Start before They Feel Ready
- Scared Of Failing? Ask Yourself These 6 Fear-Killing Questions
- I Set a Target. I Failed. I’m Still Setting Them.
At first it may seem difficult to write articles like these. However once you do some research on the web and collect information to support your article, writing ‘great’ articles becomes much easy.
Research > Information > Collation > Content Crafting
That’s the magic formula every top writer follows…for good reason. It works. And it will work for you.
Let me dip a bit into specifics with some random examples.
Can you not write:
<> 3 Simple Virtues of Steve Jobs You Should Emulate, or
<> How to Overcome the Fear of Your First Job Interview, or
<> 4 Effective Ways to Work Smarter, or
<> Focus Not on Enormity of Your Goal but How to Reach It?
Sure you can. Give it a try. And surprise yourself.
2
Food & Health articles –
They are easier to write. And what’s great… people love them. There is a small caveat. Run-of-the-mill articles with only recipes or bullet lists are hardly read or liked. Instead let the article be interesting, bold. Let it weave a story of real people, their likes, and dislikes. Let it have a voice that seems real. Need examples? Read food articles in any print magazine or newspaper.
3
Travel articles –
Readers just lap up travel articles no matter how many of them have already been written. But know what, ‘8 Places to See in London‘ is no longer a happening article. There are just too many of them.
How about ‘This Is an Inspiring Story of How Meticulously They Clean Heathrow‘?
Offbeat articles such as this will more than likely evoke curiosity, invite comments, and be shared widely. All of which translate to more views of your article, and recognition of your talent.
How to submit
Submitting your article is easy. We’d prefer you send us your article in a DOC/DOCX/PDF file attached with your email, addressed to team@hubskills.com. The subject of your email should be: Article submission from <your name>.
Along with your article, also send us the following:
- Images for your article, especially for the Food-n-Health and Travel categories
- 3 headline suggestions for your article
- Your recent clear headshot image, and 3-4 short sentences about yourself
We want to help you
We know you’ll have questions you want answered before you send your article. You are welcome. In fact we will rather you contact us before sending your article. To send your queries use the contact form here.
Lastly, if you need help for researching the hottest topics, or creating awesome headlines, or suggestions on what to write, do NOT hesitate to contact us. Use the contact form for the purpose.