How to Write a Column

Choosing the Content

Determine why you are writing a column. Figure out what you (or your editor) want the column to be about. Do you want to entertain or inform? Asking yourself why you are writing a column will help you figure out what you want to write about. If you want to entertain, you might want to write about humorous topics or make a serious topic comical. Wanting to inform your audience might mean your column is more factual, educational, and serious.

Write about your opinion. Unlike more traditional forms of journalism (such as news reports or articles), a column is by nature biased and opinionated. Think of a topic that you are passionate about and that you have a strong opinion on when figuring out your content. It will be a lot easier to write a column if you care about the subject. Although a column is biased, you should still have journalistic integrity and not maliciously slander anyone.

Choose relevant topics. News stories come and go very quickly. When writing a column on recent events, move fast. You will want to write a column about a recent event within 24-48 hours after the event happened. Choose relevant topics that you have good perspective or advice about. For example: if a political debate happens on a Sunday, you will want a column on your viewpoint of the debate written by Monday or Tuesday. Check social media to see what people are posting about and get ideas for your column.

Write about people. Choose topics for your column where you can write about people. Using real people in your column gives it a stronger impact and helps you prove your point. Writing about concepts and policies without using names does not have as much of an effect as using real names. For example: if you are writing a column on your opinions on immigration, use the story of a local immigrant in your column.

Localize and personalize your column. If you are writing a column for a local publication, then make sure to give issues a local point of view as much as you can. You can also use your own experiences to show you understand something from a first hand experience. For example: if you are talking about problems in the education system, don’t be too general. Focus on the schools in your town and the problems kids in your town have faced or still face at school.

Stick to a theme. Keep your column about the same general topic (politics, beauty, local issues, etc.). However, you should have variation within your theme. Your readers might get bored of your column if they feel like they are reading the same thing repeatedly. For example: if your theme is beauty you can talk about curly hair in one piece, eyeliner in another, and lipstick in another.

Write about personal topics. Don’t be afraid to write articles on personal topics. Your views are out in the open in columns. Write about topics that allow you to reveal and expose yourself. This personalization and vulnerability is what will make readers keep reading your column. For example: if you are passionate about helping the homeless population, write about your feelings on homelessness in your column. If you have five dogs, then write a piece about dogs and include information about your own experiences with dogs.

Gear your column towards your audience. Writing a column for teenage girls is going to be lot different than writing a column for business owners. Think about your audience when writing a column and how they pertain to your topic.

Create a structure. There are different structures for columns. You can have a personal column about a specific subject or about a variety of subjects. You might want a column that is in the form of “question and answer,” to give advice or to educate. Informative columns can also be written in a “how to” format. Claiborne Ray writes a Q&A structured column for The New York Times on simple science topics. Maureen Dowd writes a traditionally structured column on politics for The New York Times.

Creating Your Column

Write clearly. Don’t complicate your column with confusing and technical language. Keep your writing simple. Use short sentences and paragraphs. Start a new paragraph whenever you have a new thought, even if that means a paragraph is only a sentence or two. Your column should be between 600 and 800 words.

Write in AP Style. Journalistic writing is usually written in Associated Press (AP) Style. This style includes specific requirements for abbreviations, grammar, titles, and names. Refer to an AP Style guidebook or search online to learn the rules of AP Style when writing your column.

Use first person. In a column, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself as yourself. When writing your opinions, say it is your opinion. Don’t refer to yourself or quote yourself in third person (either by your name or as “the author” or “the reporter”). For example, you could write: “I find it horrific that our taxes are not being used to help more homeless people find jobs.” Don’t write: “Sara Finn, the author, was horrified to discover her taxes were not being used to help more homeless people find work.”

Write the way you talk. A column is more personal than other types of journalism. Your language in a column does not have to be as formal. While maintaining good grammar, keep your tone casual and personal. Don’t write too formal: “Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood in New York City, is known for its variety of delicious restaurants.” Instead write: “As a self-proclaimed 'pasta expert,' I thought I knew good pasta. However, when I went to Hell’s Kitchen during my trip to New York, I ate fettuccine that changed my life.”

Write an attention grabbing lead. The “lead” (or lede) is the opening section of your column. Unlike traditional new reporting, your column should have a descriptive and attention grabbing lead. For example: “It was 11 p.m. and I still had not eaten dinner. I was starving, angry, and lost in New York City. I finally found an Italian restaurant that was still open and ran inside, completely unaware that I was about to have fettuccine that would change my opinion on pasta forever.”

Use facts. Your column should not be a huge list of facts, but you should back up your statements with facts to make your opinions more concrete. Even though a column is not a news report, you still might want to conduct interviews and do online research to back up your points. You will be taken more seriously if you know what you are talking about.

Use analogies to simplify your writing. If you are explaining something complicated or technical, use analogies to simplify and make your point. This will help your readers understand what you are saying in your column. For example: “When trying to understand how the business was hiding their money to get out paying taxes, think of the files on your laptop. When you put files in the “trash can” they seem gone, but really they are still there and accessible if you drag them out. The CEO put his money into a “trash can,” so the government would not see it.”

Be passionate, but have a solution. A column is the perfect time to be passionate about your point of view. Share your opinions and viewpoints loud and clear. However, you can’t just write a column of you complaining about an issue. You need to finish off your column with solutions. The audience of your column wants your opinion and they want answers. For example: “I am disappointed and disgusted by the number of homeless veterans living on our streets. Let's raise the taxes of the wealthy and use that money to help the homeless.”