Ind-E-Focus

• If you want to tell your story, write an article explaining how you became an Independent artist.
• Have you seen a piece of work that really inspired you? Write a review and share your inspiration with the entire Ind-E-Focus community.
• Report on any upcoming events, or publicise your own performances/services. If you have specialist knowledge about a certain industry let us know about it!
• Or, if you want to update the community about the latest in the independent artists world.

Not only will you be helping to expand the Ind-E-Focus community, but you will bring attention to your own interests and current projects. No matter your art form or discipline, submit your articles, and we will publish them.

Remember, we want to use factual information for our news articles; opinions and discussions should be confined to the message boards.

Here is a general example of what to include in your articles;

Article types

The following is a fairly comprehensive list of the different types of articles we will publish.

About articles:

• About your company
• About your performances
• About your experience in the business
• About your services
• About your products

Advice articles:

• How to start a company
• How to apply for funding
• How to use equipment
• How to get work in a particular industry

Events:

• Festivals
• Premiers
• Openings
• Tours
• Guest speakers/signing events
• Fundraising events
• Concerts
• Work showcases
• Performances
• Exhibitions
• Public events

Reviews:

• Your work
• Other artists work
• Things that have been released or yet to be released such as: Films, Plays, Albums, Bands, Choreography, Camera’s other technical equipment or media technology
• Actors – established or upcoming
• Releases – performance, website, products etc

Essays on companies:

• Write on companies – film, theatre, dance, photography etc
• What you are interested in
• Their achievements
• Controversial issues
• Comparisons

Copyright notice

Articles are copyrighted as a whole and do not require authors to transfer their copyright ownership to Ind-E-Focus. Permission to copy without fee all or part of any material without a copyright notice is approved, as long as the copies are not made or distributed for commercial gain and the title of this publication and its date appears on each copy. To copy material with a copyright notice requires specific permission; direct inquiries or requests to the copyright holder as indicated in the article.

Writing tips

Try using the 5 section article method (Note: This can be expanded to longer formats, so don't be too exact about the five sections).

• Identify your theme and 3 main points in the first section. This should draw readers in and make them want to keep reading.
• Use each of the 3 body sections to discuss the one of the 3 main points you identified in the first section. (Write about them in the order listed them in the introduction). Give examples. If you have an opinion, make sure you have evidence to back it up with.
• Sum up your thoughts in the final section and provide the reader with any actions that you want him/her to take. (The final section should not introduce new ideas, but should summarize what was said in the article and provide recommendations if appropriate.)

Guidelines

Please review the following information when submitting articles:

• Provide articles that are 200-2000 words in length. Short, well-written and relevant articles will be more beneficial to the audience than longer ones.
• Provide a short bio (~25 words) and contact information. We want to know about you. At a minimum, write a bio that tells your name, company, primary job title, email address and why you have chosen this topic or what experience you have in the area you wrote about.
• Indicate copyright information if applicable. If you own the copyright for an article, indicate this with your submission so that we can provide appropriate attribution. If you don't own the copyright, but think an article is interesting, provide the article, along with the contact information for the copyright holder and the name of the publication where it was originally published or simply provide a link to the orginal website source.
• Insert the complete URL in your article. For example, if you want to reference Ind-E-Focus, you should type "refer to (http://www.indefocus.com)".
• Provide complete bibliographic information for references (if used). Include author(s), title, and date of publication, publisher, page numbers or URL, ISBN number.
• Use a friendly, casual tone. We want to invite people to read and to make the information as accessible as possible.
• Use subheadings generously. Subheadings help the reader identify the information that is important to them. Subheads are especially helpful in orienting the reader in the online environment.
• Use active voice and short sentences. For some members, English may be their second (or third) language. Short sentences are easier to take in and understand than complex sentence structures.
• Avoid jargon and "big" words when a more simple term will work. Avoid using writer's terminology, or explain the term in the context. Steer clear of complicated, less commonly used words that may have the same meaning to other, more popular words (e.g., instead of "elucidate", just say "explain").
• Avoid idioms. Idiomatic phrases are sayings we use to mean something else. For example, "once in a blue moon", "jump right in", "off the cuff” sadly, these sayings often have no counterpart in other languages, and can be difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. Note that some international visitors use online translation software.