ADVICE COLUMNS: Sharing Your Wisdom
Advice writing is a unique genre. Answering anonymous questions, advice writers develop their own voice and frame their advice through their own experiences and world view.
Often, advice writers are topic-focused. For example, Amy Poehler's advice channel (Ask Amy) is aimed at girls. Heather Havrilesky's advice column (Ask Polly) is all about love. Advice writers are very aware of their audience. Their aim is to be helpful, but also thoughtful. They push their audience to think bigger, deeper, beyond the problem at hand. Their audience, in turn, feels connected to each other, recognizing that the problems that they face and the questions they have are universal. Links, below, will take you to some great advice writers you can follow.
Often, advice writers are topic-focused. For example, Amy Poehler's advice channel (Ask Amy) is aimed at girls. Heather Havrilesky's advice column (Ask Polly) is all about love. Advice writers are very aware of their audience. Their aim is to be helpful, but also thoughtful. They push their audience to think bigger, deeper, beyond the problem at hand. Their audience, in turn, feels connected to each other, recognizing that the problems that they face and the questions they have are universal. Links, below, will take you to some great advice writers you can follow.
Your assignment: create an advice column.
- Choose a media. Will it be on youtube? Will it be part of your blog? Will it be a separate space, formatted to look like an online newspaper?
- Choose an audience. Who do you want to field questions from? Who do you want to write for?
- Choose a topic focus. What is your expertise? What kinds of questions can you thoughtfully answer?
- Gather questions. Depending on your audience, I can help you brainstorm ways to get questions submitted.
- Write your column! You should answer 3 separate questions. (Your advice column or channel should have 3 completed pieces.)
Dear PrudenceMallory Ortberg writes at Slate. She has a written column as well as a live chat. She gives advice "manners and morals."
Carolyn HaxCarolyn Hax is a syndicated columnist at The Washington Post, and published in newspapers across the nation.
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Dear Sugar (Podcast)Dear Sugar Radio is a podcast of "radically empathic advice" by Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond.
Ask Amy (youtube channel)Amy Poehler's "Smart Girls" is a youtube channel where Amy fields questions from tweens and teens.
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Dear Sugar (Column)The original Dear Sugar column was posted on The Rumpus. Cheryl Strayed is one of the best writers out there.
Ask PollyHeather Havrilesky writes the "Dear Polly" column at New York Magazine about life and love.
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