How to write better articles

I came across an article in The Writer's Digest Guide to Good Writing called "Take Five: The Most Common Mistakes Among Beginning Freelancers," which was written by M.L. Stein in 1976. The article outlines five common mistakes made by new writers when pitching and writing articles for magazines.

Follow these five tips to improve your article writing. You can also apply these tips to other types of writing.

1. Leave your backyard: While you can write about your personal experiences, you cannot JUST write about your personal experiences. To be successful, you will have to talk to other people to get the facts on the topic you are writing about. While you (and your friends and family) might be good sources of information, they cannot be your only sources. You will have to talk to other people, which will improve your interviewing skills and make you a better writer.
2. Writing about a subject, not an idea: Many writers pick very general topics to write about, and the article has no real angle. To make your article more interesting, start with an idea, then work your way down to a specific point of view within that idea that is current or interesting. Break the idea down, and talk to people who may have a particular interest in specific elements of the idea.
3. Get the facts: Good articles need more than solid writing - they need facts. Most writers are not authorities on the topics they write about, and even when they know a lot, they still need to get their facts straight. Check your facts through interviews, observation, online research, etc. Include facts in your articles, and not just opinion or belief.
4. Add anecdotes: Almost every article can benefit from anecdotes. These stories add a dimension of human interest by revealing an individual's character, difficulties and triumphs. They also add credibility to your article. Use a real-life example of how something happened as described in your article to add that element of reality to your article. Remember - anecdotes come from the people you interview, which is another reason to actually talk to other people.
5. Write with life and clarity: Articles are not essays - you need more than just the facts delivered with good writing. The article has to be interesting to read. Articles are defined by a writer's particular style. Editors enjoy reading articles that are lively, interesting, and contemporary, as that is what will appeal to their readers. Read other articles to get a better understanding of different writing styles, and then develop your own style that will interest readers.

Do you have any tips on writing better articles? Let me know - I'd love to hear from other people and benefit from your experience.