Volume 6- Issue 6, June 2007
Published by Llumina Press

 

 

Magazine Writing: A Step-by-Step Guide for Success

Nonfiction

Nancy M. Hamilton

Pearson Education

Reviewed by: Daniel J. Neumann

 

 

            I received Magazine Writing: a step-by-step guide for success in the mail, May 25th. I knew,

 

because an oral surgery and a serious sprain on my left wrist, my schedule would be havoc for weeks.

 

What I didn’t know: Nancy M. Hamilton’s latest piece would become a companion of mine through

 

the whole ordeal. Rarely does a nonfiction work achieve this.

 

            As the editor-in-chief of E Writer Magazine, I could simply say, “I support and agree, one

 

hundred percent, with what Hamilton wrote,” but that wouldn’t be enough. This book deserves

 

more.

 

            The preface makes a good effort at summarizing Magazine Writing, saying, “The 16 chapters...

 

are designed to be user-friendly,” but – ultimately – falls short of the truth. This book wasn’t intended

 

for just any user; rather it has the aspiring writer in mind. If the reader is willing to put time into

 

executing the techniques and assignments, the 16 chapters will be plenty friendly. Effort, however,

 

does need to be put forth.

 

            Hamilton’s tone is personal, informative but not authoritative; she’s teaching but not preachy.

 

In short, she isn’t the professor at the podium, but your peer tutor. Dialogue exists in this work, and –

 

if the reader wants to become an accomplished journalist – the reader is in that dialogue.

 

            By “step-by-step,” Hamilton means step-by-step. She walks the reader through outlining the

 

article, researching on the internet, interviewing for quotes, writing the first rough draft, editing until

 

perfection, finding the appropriate audience, and then how to query the magazine. Her advice is crisp

 

and professional. Those that will follow her directions will distinguish themselves as experts, without

 

a single article on their résumé.

 

            But the book goes further than a simple how-to; it also could make a great classroom textbook.

 

Attending several Journalism classes in the past, I do wish Magazine Writing was with me then. End-

 

of-chapter assignments are both educational and entertaining. One that I personally enjoyed occurred

 

at chapter 14, when the reader is given sentences and phrases that contain euphemisms,

 

inappropriate imagery, incorrect punctuations, faulty pronouns, vague words, etc. For example, I

 

would rewrite the sentence, “The doctor expressed concern that she could die at 71 years of age” as “Frank,

 

the doctor, expressed concern that his patient, Samantha, could die at 71 years of age.” Other

 

assignments, such as the one at the end of the second chapter (which asks the reader to build a

 

literary-taste family tree), function as projects—an opportunity for the Journalism teacher to engage

 

students in a variety of scales using the same book.

 

            Check-lists, comments from Hamilton herself, and unorthodox writing tips gives Magazine

 

Writing multiple roles. On one hand, a student of Journalism is able to look-up hints fast; and, on the

 

other, a mother – who wishes to write a short piece on gardening – can learn what is needed rapidly.

 

  

            And it works well with other writing mediums, too. My sister needed to write a 250 word

 

statement-of-purpose essay for admittance into a university. Since I happened to be reviewing

 

Hamilton’s book at the time, I recalled the split-anecdote lead discussed extensively. I helped her

 

write it, corrected the last five drafts, and mailed it with her. I have faith in Hamilton’s guidance to get

 

my sister a post-bachelorette certificate. (How’s that for trust?).

 

            The best part, of course, is the fact that you don’t have to take Hamilton’s word for it.

 

Numerous articles from herself and others are cited and, in many cases, fully recorded. The reader sees

 

what goes wrong or right in magazine writing. It’s as hands-on as one can get without becoming an

 

intern at the local magazine. Suffice to say: Although Magazine Writing would be perfect for the

 

classroom, it mimics a classroom’s benefits as a stand-alone experience.

 

            As my final verdict, the book is phenomenal, with my only complaint being minor typos

 

(which are hard to notice). I am placing Hamilton’s latest masterpiece on my book shelf, to the left of

 

Stephen King’s On Writing and to the right of William Strunk and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style.