Got Any Suggestions For Me?

"Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor" (aaronp1) 01/31/2015 at 18:42 • Filed to: None

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I want to write some sort of editorial. Anyone have a suggestion for something for me to write about? Help me out, please, Oppo!

Scary__goongala! > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:44

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new guy aiming big haha

Are you trying to write about something car related?

Thunderface > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:44

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Complain about something

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Scary__goongala! 01/31/2015 at 18:46

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You can laugh now, but I'll be on the FP some day!

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Thunderface 01/31/2015 at 18:47

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Good idea. I have a long list of things to complain about...

jariten1781 > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:49

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Pick a local issue. Is someone building a hotel in your town and pissing people off? Intersection needs fixin? Something like that.

Joe Random's opinion about something nearby is a lot more meaningful than it is about humanity's 'major problems'.

Thunderface > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:49

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good.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > jariten1781 01/31/2015 at 18:52

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I like this idea.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Thunderface 01/31/2015 at 18:52

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It consists mostly of asshat BMW drivers.

Thunderface > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:56

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again, good

Scary__goongala! > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 18:58

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oh im not trying to put you down,just busting your chops.its good to have goals. I wish i had FP page worthy stuff to write about. Hell ive somehow gotten way more stars/comments from post with just funny gifs, than when i make long thought out posts. Hope you do better than i have so far,but i never stop trying

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 19:00

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Write what you want to write about. Your opinions, your dreams, your aspirations.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Scary__goongala! 01/31/2015 at 19:01

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Haha, I know. ;)

Xyl0c41n3 > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 19:02

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I don't know. But I can edit it. ^_^

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 01/31/2015 at 19:04

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It's probably going to be Mercedes-related then. :)

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Xyl0c41n3 01/31/2015 at 19:06

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I can email the piece to you when it's finished, if you'd like. I'd appreciate the help. :)

Justin Hughes > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/31/2015 at 19:39

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If you put your mind to it, write something interesting, and follow Jalopnik 's guidelines, you, too, can make the FP. Here's how I did it, and keep doing it semi-regularly.

Pick an interesting subject. Have you driven or owned a car that would be of interest to Jalops? My most successful article has been about what it's like to live with a BRZ day to day, as my only car, not just for a few laps on a track like most journalists do. The more unusual, the better - tell us what it's like. Is there a show or event in your area that you can go report on? I wrote about the New England International Auto Show, and though it had nothing new or revolutionary in it (NAIAS was the same week, all the cool stuff was there), a lot of people read and commented on that one. Do you have strong opinions about something that's bound to get a rise out of readers? Write a thoughtful piece about that. My piece about how automatic transmissions have their place (on the FP right now, in fact, as I write this) is exactly that, and it sure has gotten some strong reactions.

Have good photos. Crop them to 970x546. You can take your own, which is the best way to go if you can, or borrow them from other sites. It's not required, but I recommend dropping a photo credit somewhere if you snag them from somewhere else.

Write well. Spelling, grammar, and such are obvious (and the offer you got to help edit is great). But also make it interesting. Use humor - that goes over well on this site. Doug DeMuro takes this to an extreme, and it works for him. But don't try to write like Doug, or me, or anyone else for that matter. Find your own unique voice.

Don't expect to make the FP on the first try. Some people have. I didn't, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. My first few pieces were popular here on Oppo, but not quite FP worthy. It can take some time and practice to come up with the magic formula that works for you. Just keep writing and practicing.

When you publish your piece, email tips@jalopnik with a link. I also put it out on my own Facebook and Twitter. I've done this enough times to have corresponded directly with a few of the staffers, and sometimes I just contact them directly.

Try publishing your first piece on a weekend. They're slow news days for Jalopnik , and they're more likely to go digging in the sub-blogs for content to put on the FP. I've had one article FPed that I didn't think was good enough and didn't try to put up there, but that they found it on Oppo, liked it, and shared it anyway.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > Justin Hughes 01/31/2015 at 20:10

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Thank you for all of the tips! I may be able to have my first article up sometime tomorrow. Sunday's definitely a slow news day for Jalopnik , so if I follow all of your points, I may be able to make the FP. I hope so, anyway.