10 tips to help you write and sell your real-life story

Every publication, newspaper and magazine, has its own style. Some editors like their real-life stories to begin with an exciting event and then to go back to the beginning.

Many prefer a story to start at the beginning and to be told in the order that events happened. That is called the narrative style.

I’m Robin Corry¸ a successful freelance writer for 30 years, and I run my own features agency called UK Features to help people sell their real-life stories. I have written and sold hundreds of people’s stories. Here are my top ten tips to help you write a real-life story that will sell:

1        Your story should have a beginning, middle and clearly defined end. The end should normally be upbeat. No-one wants an unhappy ending.

2        Look at the magazine/s or newspaper/s you would like to sell your story to. Are most of their real-life stories told in the first person, from the viewpoint of the person they happened to, or in the third person, as though another writer is telling their story? If in doubt, the first person is usually the best choice.

3        Your first paragraph is hugely important. It must be interesting and intriguing to make people want to read on.

4        For popular weekly women’s magazines, tell your story in a succession of scenes, with people speaking – the way that TV soap operas tell their stories.

5        For more upmarket magazines and for newspapers, particularly the middle market papers such as the Daily Mail, the pace can be a little slower and more thoughtful.

6        Keep the point of your story in mind. Don’t include irrelevant detail or go up sidetracks. Surprise is important. If, say, your story is about someone you loved who treated you badly, start your story in happy times, recounting how lovely and caring the person was. What happened later will then come as a surprise.

7        Do not accuse anyone of a criminal offence unless they have been convicted of it in court. For example, you cannot accuse someone of being criminally violent towards you unless they have been found guilty of such an offence. But if, say, you fled to a women’s refuge, you could recount that without spelling out the reason.

8        Count the words in a real-life story in the magazine or newspaper you are hoping to sell to (just count a couple of column inches and multiply). It is fine to send a story that’s a little longer, but not twice as long. Do a word count (click ‘Tools’ in Microsoft Word) and then start cutting!

9        Do not send the whole story to a magazine or newspaper ‘cold’. Editors haven’t the time to wade through all those words. Send a brief outline first.

10   Instead of writing your story yourself you could use one of several reputable agencies, such as my own, UK Features. It is much easier and you will probably be paid more because an agency will know which magazines and newspapers will pay the most for your story and will negotiate the best fee.