Writing Guidelines for Main Ingredient

Are you thinking about writing for Main Ingredient magazine? Helping you to achieve clear, accurate, and interesting expression is the goal of these guidelines, but first, put your ideas to the readiness test:

Are your insights unique, sound, compelling, and relevant to foodservice owners and operators in Oregon?

If the answer is yes, these guidelines can make the publication process one that helps you achieve excellence in communication. A good starting point is to understand to whom you are writing.

The magazine and its audience

Main Ingredient is written and edited specifically for foodservice owners and operators. Each month it features timely editorial themes focusing on important topics and issues facing today’s Oregon foodservice industry.

Most of our readers are Oregon and southwest Washington commercial foodservice outlets. Each day these restaurateurs face issues ranging from menu planning and purchasing, to alcohol service and gaming, to employee retention and recruiting.

Not every article in Main Ingredient appeals to all readers. Your article has a better chance of being accepted for publication if you think beyond the scope of your business and show readers, through examples, the relevance of your insights to their circumstances – that is, how to apply your insights to their situations.

Before you write...

The most common reasons why articles are not accepted for publication in Main Ingredient are that

• they deal with topics that are elementary or are irrelevant to running a restaurant;

• they are poorly organized;

• they lack insight;

• they are self-promotional or market a product or service available from only select vendors.

Getting it down on paper

The length of your article will depend on its scope. Generally, 300 to 900 words will fit best within the publication. Write to tell your story, not to fill pages. Here are a few suggestions that may make it easier for you to get your thoughts in order.

• Create a working title. Your working title helps focus your ideas. Make it brief (three to six words), use an active verb, and aim to be clever but not obtuse.

• Provide the by-line, that is, the author’ or authors’ full name(s), title, and business.

• Write a lead sentence or paragraph that compels your audience to read the article. Among the devices you can incorporate into a lead are a surprising statistic, a witty or shocking quotation, a question, a scenario, or an analogy. Most important, your lead must be relevant to your topic and get to the point quickly: What is the purpose of your story?

• Write freely, and let go of your inhibitions. Don’t attempt perfection in the first draft of your article. This is the time to get down all your thoughts.

• Use subheadings in the story to signal to the reader the direction and focus the story is taking. For example: the "Getting it down on paper" heading of this section of these guidelines.

• Pay attention to tone. The tone you adopt is crucial to your article’s readability. You risk insulting readers by preaching or lecturing. Convey your ideas by showing, not by telling readers what they should do. Avoid excessive jargon, and define the jargon you must use. Spell out any common or necessary acronyms on the first usage.

• Be comprehensive. Use details that add clarity. Provide statistics, dates, and quantities that support your points. Note the people involved, the money required, the time and resources available for a solution, and the tools or measures used to evaluate success.

• Point out the relevance to others. Make your points using examples from your experience; then explicitly tell readers how they can apply your experience at their businesses.

• Write as you speak.

• Make your conclusion as memorable as your lead.

• Write a one-sentence author identification (providing the author’s full name, title, business, and location) at the end of the story.

• As your research and writing continue, don’t hesitate to call Main Ingredient’s editor with questions.

• Edit your article thoroughly. Delete unnecessary words and phrases. Turn passive sentences into active ones. Move paragraphs to achieve continuity. Make sure that every paragraph follows logically from the one before it. Don’t be satisfied until every sentence says precisely what you want it to say.

• Double-check the accuracy of your article. Accuracy is your responsibility, not that of Main Ingredient.

• Test your article by asking a few colleagues to read it. They may point out ways to clarify your message, add an example, or liven up your lead sentence.

Submitting your story

• If you have art work, photographs, charts, or tables to accompany the article, submit them with the article or describe your ideas in a cover letter to the editor.

• If you submit photographs, write captions for them and place the captions at the end of your article.

• You can submit your story as a Microsoft Word attachment in an email to gregg@ora.org. We can also accept a Microsoft Word document saved to a 3 1/2 inch PC formatted floppy disk, CD, or 100mb Zip disk.

• Direct all inquiries and completed stories to Editor, Main Ingredient, 8565 SW Salish Lane, Suite 120, Wilsonville, OR 97070. If you have any questions about submitting an article, please call (503) 682-4422.

Evaluation and decision about acceptance

• Stories are evaluated based on originality of topic, readability, soundness of content, timeliness, and interest to our readers. Articles that essentially only promote a particular company, product, or service are not considered publishable.

• We may accept your article outright, accept it for a staff rewrite, or accept it contingent on your revision. All accepted articles are subject to editing for style, clarity, sexist language, and length.

Author checklist

This article...

• is 300 to 900 words.

• does not promote a product, service, or company.

• has a three- to six-word working title, followed by a one-sentence or one-paragraph lead that compellingly explains the purpose of the article.

• contains a by-line and ends with a one-sentence description giving the author’s full name, title, and company and its location.

• has been double-checked for accuracy.

Main Ingredient
8565 SW Salish Lane, Suite 120, Wilsonville, OR 97070
(503) 682-4422