FN 65: UPDATED RULES FOR FN ARTICLES! by M&M.
(Published around the time of "The Pubs Revolution!--More & Faster!, DO 1296, 10/82)
DUE TO THE MANY RECENT CHANGES IN THE FORMAT & CONTENT OF THE GN & FN, we are publishing the following rules for you to follow when preparing an article for publication. Please follow these points as closely as possible, until further notice. Thanks so much! WLY!
1) USE LIGHT-WEIGHT TYPING PAPER WITH DIMENSIONS OF 8.5 IN. x 11 IN. (21.5CM x 28CM), or as close to this as possible. This should be available almost anywhere.
2) Make a carbon copy for your files. USE A DARK TYPEWRITER RIBBON!
3) From now on, ALL 'NEWS' ARTICLES & ITEMS WILL BE LIMITED TO 1 PAGE ONLY! This includes photos. There may be a few exceptions for some WS units & unusual items.
4) Be sure to FILL YOUR PAGE UP COMPLETELY! No partially filled pages will be considered for publication.
5) Special 'reference', or 'how-to' classes concerning health, 7 Supporters, etc., as specifically request ed in GNFs, may necessarily be longer than 1 page.
6) TITLE: GIVE YOUR ARTICLE A TITLE, one that will catch the reader's interest! It should not be more than 1 line across the top of the page, & the characters should not be more than 1 cm. high. You can print the title neatly with a thick black felt-tip pen or use Letraset.
7) Under the title put, "from (your NAME)," & YOUR LOCATION: country or continent.
8) TYPE YOUR TEXT IN 2 COLUMNS leaving a small margin between them, as with the MLs in the GN. Type top to bottom, side to side, only leaving a small margin between the text & the edge of the paper (1 cm).
9) Be sure that you TYPE SINGLE SPACED.
10) DO NOT LEAVE ANY SPACE BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS. Simply INDENT THEM.
11) CONTENT OF ARTICLE: Avoid lengthy Mo Quote introductions, or introductions in general, such as: "We would like to tell you about the trip we took to the neighboring province to sing & pass out lit."--Just TELL US! As space is at a premium, avoid using lengthy ML quotes.--We know you know the MLs or you wouldn't be there!--And everybody else knows'm too!--Or should!
12) Try to pack as much informative, important, inspiring, interesting, information into your article as possible! Avoid repetition. For more on this, see page 217 of BOTM 2. FAITH IN ACTION STORIES are best!--Or your PERSONAL TESTIMONY!--The Apostle Paul always BEGAN with his!
13) Avoid telling future plans. STICK TO THE FACTS OF THE ACTS! "Let him not boast that putteth his armour on, but him that putteth it off!" (1Ki.20:11)
14) Fill up any blank spaces with text or pictures.
15) DO NOT MENTION SPECIFIC DATES in the actual content of your article. However, FOR WS INFORMATION ONLY, PLEASE NOTE LIGHTLY IN PENCIL IN THE TOP MARGIN OUTSIDE THE ACTUAL ARTICLE, THE DATE THAT THE ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN.
16) AVOID ANY NAMES OF PEOPLE OR EXACT PLACES OR CITIES THAT MIGHT ENDANGER YOURS OR OTHERS' SECURITY! This includes PHOTOS!
17) USE ONLY 1 OR 2 LINES AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF YOUR ARTICLE FOR YOUR APPEAL FOR DONATIONS. For example: "Please send donations to Michael & Mary in S.E.Asia via your Reporting Office."
18) PHOTOS: Very lightly paste your photos (or leave space for them) at the TOP OF THE PAGE.--CROP (cut off) any unnecessary background etc. of the photo. In general, photos should be no more than 1-column wide to avoid wasted space. Put PHOTO CREDITS somewhere.
19) PHOTOS MUST BE NUMBERED on the front lower left corner of the actual photo, as well as on the back. EACH CAPTION SHOULD BE NUMBERED with the number of the corresponding photo. ALL THE CAPTIONS SHOULD BE GROUPED TOGETHER right under the photos. As well as numbering the front of the photo, number the back as well, lightly with a pencil in case the front number falls or rubs off.
20) PHOTO STORIES WILL BE GIVEN TOP PRIORITY & MORE SPACE!--AN ARTICLE ENTIRELY OF PHOTOS & THEIR CAPTIONS! --A PHOTO STORY PAGE! This is very desirable! Lay out your photos on the page, leaving room for the captions at the bottom. WHEN COMPOSING YOUR CAPTIONS, HAVE THEM CONTAIN AS MUCH VITAL INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, such as those below:
a) "Angel, 21 yrs old, first Indian national disciple, forsook a promising career in politics; now mated to James, Sri Lankan disciple. She translates at the Hindi LIT-PIC & has just had her first child, a girl."
b) "Christopher, Ruth & their children, Job (7), Daniel (5) & Ester (3), singing for thousands of businessmen at an International Chamber of Commerce Meeting where they stole the show & were invited back, gathered lots of addresses, & have started Bible classes for some of the businessmen."
21) When your article is completed, HAVE SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS GOOD ENGLISH AS THEIR MOTHER TONGUE PROOFREAD IT for grammatical & punctuation corrections, spelling & proper word division.
So we hope that this is complete & clear enough, & will be a help to you in your reporting! Your cooperation in following these guidelines will enable WS to speed to you, with as little delay & cost as possible, exciting power-packed FN Mags full of the "current events" of God's Kingdom on Earth!--The Acts of His modern Apostles! GBY! WLY!
P.S. PLEASE DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOUR ARTICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN PUBLISHED THAT WE DON'T LIKE IT! We still are mopping up a big backlog left by former editors & limited space.--Just be patient &, if at all possible, you'll probably see it sooner or later!--Ha! Tx! GBY! Keep'm kumin'!
ALL WS MUSICAL UNITS!: Please send us all your latest sample show tapes! We love'm!--You're doin' great!--And tell us how you're doin'--with Stats Charts like those we publish from MWMI, MCV, etc. We'd like to publish yours too! TX! WLY!
Copyright (c) 1997 by The Family