I've Been Asked To Write An Article

[Nantzie]

There's a message board/online magazine that I've been a part of for a few years now. The "Scott" of the board has asked me to write an article for the magazine about celiac and my experience with it. This was the message board I was posting at when I was so sick, could barely walk, freaking out and thinking that this was how my life was going to be.

I was so depressed not long before I found out about gluten that I stopped posting there because even I didn't want to hear myself talk anymore. Not that my friends there weren't supportive, but all they could do is give me online hugs and encouragement. Eventually I just crawled into a hole and stopped posting. Once I found out about gluten and this forum, my interest switched here. But I never forgot about my friends there. It's not a huge forum, but there are several hundred, so I'm sure there are at least a few people there who have celiac and aren't aware of it.

I emailed the "Scott" and let her know what I had been up to and how my life had changed so dramatically and that I was planning on coming back to the board. I just wanted to warn her in advance that I'd probably be talking about celiac quite a bit so she would know what was going on and wouldn't think I was some sort of troll, or that this was a health kick that I was bugging everyone about. She remembered me and was blown away by how much gluten had had such a negative effect on my health.

So now, she has invited me to write an article. I've been mulling over what I want to write and how I want to present this.

With our glutenfreeforum.com membership of close to 12 thousand now, I'm sure there are other writers here. Any advice on writing an article that is not only personal, but medical/technical/scientific? I want this not only to be something that the readership of this online magazine would benefit from, but something that would be forward-able to their friends and family.

Thanks for any advice.

Nancy

[Guest nini]

when I write my articles I keep it personal... some people go at it from a journalistic approach and write about someone other than themself, but I prefer the personal stories, the success stories and helpful tips... Remember that most people who will read what you are writing probably have no clue what gluten or Celiac is so you will want to make sure you do include a technical blurb in parenthesis that quickly and succinctly explains what you are talking about. If you reference any other web sites or magazines or medical journals be sure to credit the author.

I'm not a professional writer by any means, but I've been writing articles on gluten-free living for about two years now for the local health food store co op's bi monthly newsletter. You can see the newsletters online at www.lifegrocery.com

[gabby]

Hi,

I'm a writer. It sounds like they want you to write an article about your personal experience with celiac disease. Unless you are a celiac disease researcher or you are a doctor, your readers will not expect too much medical information. Just add one or two sentences that says celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder that is much misunderstood, etc (then just add a hyperlink to a website that people can go to for more information). What people want to know is your experience.

An article can take many forms. One that is really easy to write and is interesting to read is the question and answer format. Here, you can say something like: here are the questions I usually get about celiac disease. Then pick 5 or 6 questions you usually get and answer them.

For example:

1. What is celiac disease?

2. What can you eat?

3. When will it go away?

4. etc.

Then, you can add in the 5 or 6 things that you want everyone to know about people who have celiac disease:

for example: eatiing out is difficult..and explain why. Going to parties is hard....explain why. Yes, that one bite of a donut is enough to sicken you. No, you don't want to answer personal questions about your bowels at a dinner.

Then end by telling people again that this is your personal opinion, honestly told, and that you hope it has helped to bring some tiny bit of understanding out there.

These are just my ideas. Of course, write whatever you are comfortable with.

Good luck!