SCHOOL MAG:NOW THAT you've put your magazine team together, it's time to decide what's going into this masterpiece. One of the big mistakes that SchoolMag teams make every year is to try and ape the content of commercial magazines. We can read about the private lives of X Factor's John and Edward Grimes in Heatmagazine, thank you very much.

Let's innovate in SchoolMag. Try and come up with story ideas that tell us something about what's going on in your school or neighbourhood. Of course, pop culture is a big part of everyone's life, but put a twist on it - how does it relate to you right now?

Before you decide on content you need to know your audience. Who will read this magazine and what do they care about? Talk to your audience, conduct a survey, get out on the corridor and onto the street and snoop around. The winning magazines of SchoolMag's past have given us a real insight into the minds and lives of the students involved.

Decide as a group what general areas you would like covered - sport, music, arts, fashion, whatever. Then give it your own twist. Each year we get celebrity style icons cut from the internet and pasted into fashion spreads. Occasionally we get a fashion shoot featuring student photographers, models and stylists. The student shoots are always edgier, sharper and a lot more interesting.

Be fresh and original and you can't go wrong.

Next week:The art of good feature writing.

E-mail lholden@irishtimes.com or visit irishtimesschoolmag.com