SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020 - 20

FEATURE ARTICLES

asking themselves questions to
provoke thought or to unpack their
confusion at the end of your article?
If an article's idea is not clear, that
is a major gear grinder.
From a logistical standpoint, be
mindful of the type of publication
to which you are submitting. Know
the audience before you submit.
It is helpful to read some example
articles from the publication to get
a feel for suggested writing styles,
format, length, etc.
Copyright infringements are not
fun. Do not submit your article
for publication to more than one
publication. If you are denied
from one, then you can send your
article to another. It is extremely
important that publications are not
publishing the same articles - it
can end very poorly for everyone
involved.
Q: What advice do you have for
transitioning a presentation to an
article?
A: Congratulations! Presentationto-article tends to be the easiest
transition since you already did
the research and preparation for
it. Consider what you are trying to
say, as you have a shorter window
to get your point across. Think
about the engagement factor: in
a presentation, you can be lively,
interactive, and intertwine the
audience - how can you make that
translate to an article?
In a technical approach, each
presentation typically has 3-5
main points supporting the thesis
of your topic. Use these as writing
points and paragraphs in your
article. If you have a recording of
your presentation, transcribe what
you said and utilize the transcript
as your sturdy skeleton and adjust
accordingly. Extract the points
and perspectives that are most
important. Don't forget you can
always reference the article to

20

the audience members for further
reading, review, and application of
your information for a later time.
Q: Ahhh - I'm still nervous. What
advice do you have for someone
hesitant about writing an article?
A: It is normal to be nervous! Just
like all the articles submitted to our
regional publication, the SEAHO
Report Article of the Year started
with one word at a time. Know
that sharing our stories can be
therapeutic for ourselves and for
those that read it. Keep a catalog of
your thoughts, ideas, curiosities,
and drafts. Start with notes on
your phone; when you are ready to
expand on them, then send yourself
an email. Just please, oh please,
do not waste your wisdom. Do not
lean on your belief that you will
remember it later - we are getting
old!
If you have an idea you would like
to run with, reach out to those that
can help you flush it out more -
mentors, report editors, faculty,
friends, etc. Identify both your
cheerleaders and your peer review
board members. Include at least
one person within our field and
one outside the field (the academic
side of the house is a great place
to look). Then, trust these people
with whom you are surrounding
yourself. Study the feedback they
give so you can apply that for
future work. When you receive
positive praise, utilize that and
drive that point home. The more
holistic support you garner around
your piece, the better it will be.
Reach out to someone whose style
and perspective you enjoy and
appreciate; ask them to walk you
through their thought processes.
Diversify your platforms; look in
various places where articles are
housed and pinpoint what you
like about an article when you
read it. You can even collaborate

on articles! It can help ease some
of the nerves of writing solo. It
also provides the opportunity for
multiple perspectives and voices,
creating a richer tapestry of
knowledge.
Try not to be afraid to submit an
idea to a publication that does not
have all your points fully developed.
Editors will likely ask more
questions, can tell you what they
are looking for, and provide you
some direction.
In sum: let the reader or editor
block you, don't do it yourself. Give
them the opportunity to read what
you have to say, and then allow
them to decide if they want to drink
the water or not. You never know
where your article may go!
Many housing professionals have
gifted this gem of a book to staff,
and so I would like to propose some
relevant modifications:

You're off to great [ideas], today
is your day! Your [article] is
waiting, so...get on your way!

(Quote modified from Oh, The Places
You'll Go by Dr. Seuss)
If you are looking for additional
information about article writing,
here are some helpful links to
explore:
How to Write a Good Article Quickly
Article Writing Tips and Advice
from the Masters
Tips on Article Writing
SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020
