The 4-1-1: Outlining, efficiency, first drafts, and highlighting US HealthConnect, Inc.
4 thoughts from me, 1 Insight from an industry insider, and 1 market for you to review.
4-THOUGHTS FROM ME:
1. Once you have nailed down the scope of your article, word count, and possible KOLs, it’s time to start interviewing and planning the flow of the piece. Remember, for a 1,000 with 2 or 3 sources, each source will not have a lot of real estate in the article given that there will also be an short intro/summary lead and conclusion. To be efficient, keep interviews targeted and on the shorter side. (This is where pre-research comes in, so you are prepared and know which questions to ask).
2. After the interview or even during the pre-research phase I start to build a very rough outline in my head. Like a puzzle, the pieces of a good article start to fit together, and I jot them down in a barebones outline with flow of the major points to be included and a rough semblance of an order. Sometimes I come up with potential subheads to divide the piece into sections.
3. Don’t start writing to early because even though you think you know the direction of the piece you might not have enough info yet and get too focused on one aspect of the topic. Wait until the major interview is complete, if not all the interviews. Once the key information is obtained, it is time to start writing. Review the transcripts/notes and the pieces should really start to fall into place and the rough draft should come together.
4. Plan to have to first draft finished some time before deadline so you can wait a few hours or a day before returning to reread and make edits. This distance can bring clarity for revision.
1- ADVICE ON FREEING YOURSELF TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box, so that later, I can build castles.” — Shannon Hale
1-RESOURCE FOR YOU: US HealthConnect, Inc.
Here’s info on another established medical publisher.
US HealthConnect, Inc., is a global organization “whose subsidiaries are dedicated to improving the lives of patients and healthcare professionals through evidence-based education for clinicians.” The companies “develop, produce, distribute, and measure the impact of education designed to improve the practice of medicine.” This includes medical news articles, scripts, videos, radio, and podcasts etc. across a wide range of medical specialties.
Subsidiaries include Bryn Mawr Communications (with medical print and digital publications in vision, cardiovascular, dermatology/aesthetics, and neurology fields); Evolve Medical Education, ReachMD, a publisher; Global Learning Collaborative (GLC), a jointly accredited provider and parent organization to Omnia Education, Prova Education, Medtelligence, AXIS Medical Education, Total CME, Medcon International, and the Academy for Global Interprofessional Learning & Education (AGILE); Kynectiv, a branched-learning and decision-making digital education platform; and Winding River Productions, a creative studio. Peruse their sites and see if you are a fit.
Until next time,
Lisa
Break into Medical Publishing (Digital Book Coming soon!)
Photo courtesy—Ross Sneddon