Find out if you can write

Might seem like a bit of an obvious one, but I’m often put in mind of talent shows such as X-Factor where people without even a trace of talent waste their time auditioning to become something they’ll never be. Ask friends or family - or, more importantly, ask someone unbiased - what they think of your writing. Make sure to tell them you want an honest opinion, warts and all. If you’re getting a lot of positive feedback, then you’re off to a good start.

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1. Get your facts right

It’s so obvious, but it’s so commonly overlooked. And, with the internet at just about everyone’s fingertips, it’s unforgivable in this day and age. A quick Google search and you can find out how many goals Cristiano Ronaldo scored last season (42), the last time Chelsea lost a home league game (February 2004), or the name of Rochdale FC’s home ground (Spotland).

The importance of this cannot be understated. Get something wrong and your average reader will just assume you don’t know what you’re talking about. An otherwise brilliantly reasoned, superbly written article won’t get the credit it deserves if you muck up the small details as your credibility will go down the pan. You’re supposed to be the one who’s done his research and knows what he’s talking about so don’t blow it all with daft, avoidable errors.

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You must be one among thousands who, every day, pick up a newspaper, read an article or report and think to yourself: “What a load of old cobblers!” . . . “He wasn’t at the same gamed as me!” . . . “I could do a bloody sight better than that!”

Well you probably could, because all you are reading is the opinion of ONE person and, as we all know, it’s a combination of different opinions that makes the news and sports world go round.

But have you ever thought that you not only CAN do better, but that you SHOULD have a go? It’s not easy to start with, but you would be surprised how easy it becomes to write an article if you follow a few basic rules. And how gratifying it is to see the finished article up there in print or on an internet site.

If I’ve tickled your taste buds, then here are a few tips that may help you get started…

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Having written about and edited sports articles for more years than I care to remember, I think I have a pretty good insight into where reporters and writers go wrong.

Sub-editors are in fact what I call ‘desk reporters’ - journalists who work in an office environment editing and honing the work of those out in the field (or in the press boxes, to be more accurate). Almost without exception the subs have spent lots of time out there reporting before moving on into the sub-editing arena. It is rare indeed for someone to START their journalistic life as a sub-editor. More often than not, the changeover is a conscious decision by writers with particularly high grammatical skills and a desire to work office hours rather than be farmed out on stories at all hours, day and night.

So what is the perception of someone who has been there and done it all towards the errors made by young writers developing their skills out in the big wide sporting world? Where do the reporters go wrong?

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So how does one write a brilliant sports headline? Well, that depends whether you are aiming at an internet audience or a newspaper market. And which end of that market, too.

The basic premise is pretty simple. The internet line needs initially to appeal to the relevant search engines, which means including the key words that most people hunt for.

With a football article, the name of all relevant teams are usually of primary importance because many fans hunt for the latest news on their team via news aggregators such as NewsNow.

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