♪♫Ikky Loves To Cha-Cha♪♫

The best thing about Daily Music Dose is that it means ordinary users on the site (like you!) get to contribute articles about the bands that matter to them, and have them posted to the front page of the website. Yay!

We realise that doing write-ups can be scary for some of you, particularly if you are shy about writing or English is not your first language. Never fear! Ikkyg is here to give you a quick run-through of how to write a fantastic-magical-awesome write up that you will want to print off and stick on your refrigerator with a big gold star and "A++" written in red pen.

1. Content

The first thing you might like to think about is what you want to talk about in your write up.When I do a write up there are three main things that I like to talk about:

a) The Band

b) The Music

c) Critical Response

People like to know the "human element" of the band they're about to hear about. This might include giving a quick history of the band (but not too long or people will be bored!), how they started, the names of the members, the genre they belong to, and other interesting or quirky pieces of information about the band and it's members. Remember - you want people to take an interest in your writing, and talking about the band is like a teaser to hook in readers.

Next I talk about the music of the band. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do this, but here is a good scaffold that I think about:

• Look at their music from a "big picture" perspective ie, "their sound", the genre, features of their music which set them apart from other bands.
• Then talk about individual albums, and about the merits of individual albums, comparing them, or discussing how the band has grown through their career
• Finally hone in on individual songs that you think are particularly good. Describe what makes their music so good - talk about their instruments, lyrics and whatever else you think is necessary to convey this. Also, give your opinion - tell us a bit about how the music makes you feel.

Finally, I often write something very short about the band's career in terms of charting/accolades/awards/response of critics. This can be quite short.

You should try to spend the most amount of time talking about the music - a band can have a fascinating history, but if their music is uninspiring people won't listen to them. Give your opinions about their music, talk about any experiences you've had meeting the band or seeing them live, and talk about what exactly sets them apart from other bands.

2. Structure

Usually structure comes naturally, but if you're having trouble put things in order, then it makes the most sense to look at it like an upside down "triangle" - start general, and become more specific as the article continues.

ie- General info about Band -> General info about Music as a whole -> Individual albums -> individual songs

Then wrap up by talking about their critical acclaim and posting some video links.

3. Check spelling and grammar

You should take pride in your writing! It gets to go on the front page, and you should feel proud that something you wrote will be placed in such a visible spot on the website!

Using correct spelling and grammar will make it easier for people to follow what you are writing about. If you write in a confusing way, people will spend more time trying to work out what you're saying, than thinking about the content of your words.

It's a good idea to spell check before you post. No one is expecting something perfect or professional quality, but you should write something that people would want to read. No one likes reading things that looking a chimpanzee threw their fists down on a keyboard (although, eventually, one MAY produce a Shakespeare :P).

If you need help with your grammar, it is often useful to read things out aloud to see if they make sense. If not, message me the article before you post it, and I can help you fix it if need be. :)

4. Add images/videos

The easy part! Find a couple of videos you like on youtube, and add them to the journal. Cut the HTML code from youtube, then in your journal editor, go to html view (in between the picture button and preview button). Paste the html code in down the bottom and click "update". Now you're good to go!