Studio Blog

Each year the editorial team at Demand Media takes time to recognize our favorite article, writers and/or filmmakers. Each editor will reveal their pick(s) every day of December in the blog, and explain why it stood out to them.
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Numerous questions likely go through a writer’s head when drafting an article for Demand Media Studios. Does the article answer the question in the title? Does it meet the style guidelines? What about the format guidelines? Did I include an engaging lede and leave out all the serial commas?  It can be easy to get so caught up in fulfilling the title that you might forget to give the article a voice. A good article will give you the information you need, but a really great article will both enlighten and entertain. A great article has soul.
It’s not easy injecting soul into seemingly mundane topics like managing your retirement fund or installing a kitchen sink, but great articles do just that. I believe this is because the writers of these articles understand that to the reader, the topic is not mundane; they need that information for something, so it’s important to them. I may not want to learn about filing my taxes, but if I have to read an article about it, I hope to be engaged and entertained by the writing.
Deb Powers does a beautiful job of instilling her article, “Edible Common Garden Plants,” with a voice.  She not only provides a wealth of information on the topic, but also the draws the reader into the article with her personable voice and wonderful descriptions. The introduction is helpful and uplifting. I’m immediately thinking about all the possibilities of using edible garden plants in my cooking. She makes the process seem fun and accessible. The body of the article is really where Deb’s voice shines through though. Instead of simply giving the basic information on growing and eating the various plants in the article, Deb sets you up with really lovely images of colorful flowers making their way from the garden to your plate. It’s easy enough to say that certain flowers are popular and come in many colors, but her descriptions go beyond that by creating a scene in the reader’s head.
Functionally, the article provides a wealth of information on what parts of the plants are edible, how to prepare them, what they taste like and what dishes to make with each plant. This is the meat of the article and she backs up her research by citing reputable experts. This gives the reader confidence in the content. Readers who trusts the information in an article will not only be satisfied with their experience, but will come back to read more articles the next time they have a question.
Ultimately, Deb’s article is a great example of what each article written in Demand Media Studios can be. It’s helpful, fun and full of soul. It’s not the only one either. Picking a single article as my favorite for the year was not easy. Writers are producing articles just like this every day. They are helping and inspiring their readers, and that is really the ultimate goal with each and every article whether you’re writing about gardening, taxes or the kitchen sink.