People love to hear stories. They'll identify with what you have to say much more easily if you tell them an anecdote that relates to your subject matter.
The danger in using this method is that you can lose your way. Interminable, zig-zagging stories are just as boring in print as they are in real life! Keep your story under control, and it will speak to your reader.
THE RECIPE
1. Choose your subject
2. Tell your story
3. Identify the problem
4. Offer a solution
5. Draw a conclusion or call to action
6. Give your article a catchy title
7. Decide on the length. (Most ezines like articles of around 500 - 800 words.)
THE FINISHED ARTICLE
Title: From Chaos To Contentment: The Pocket Organizer
Like most people, I'm fighting a constant battle to stay organized. I have a range of clients both online and offline and projects due at different times. I'm surrounded by to-do lists, stacks of print-outs, address books, phone lists and folders. Finding something quickly is more of a challenge every day.
I was beginning to despair of ever clearing the decks - or even seeing a glimpse of the deck! Then I stumbled across a solution. Browsing around an electronics store looking for a label-maker, I walked past a display of Palm products. The Palm Zire 71 caught my eye immediately (okay, I'm a sucker for a nice-looking piece of electronic gadgetry). There it was, in an attractive blue casing with a bright, colorful screen... begging me to play!
So I played.
After ten minutes I was hooked. Yeah, I know... all of you Palm devotees are yawning and muttering: "Where has she been the last few years?" - but hey, I had one of the early Palm Pilots. The screen was hard to read and the graffiti option didn't work too well. I went back to notebooks and a rolodex.
This one was totally different. It won me in no time at all. I wandered out of the store to "think about it" - and was back within fifteen minutes handing over my credit card.
How ever did I manage without it? Now I have - all in one pocket-size organizer - a date book that stretches *decades* forward and back from today's date, an address book with customizable lists, an expense record, a calculator, a memo pad, a note pad, a to-do list, a world clock... and this little beauty even has a built-in camera. (With an expansion card it could also be an MP3 player.) I've tossed six different items out of my handbag and replaced them with just the Palm. Bliss. (Oh, and did I mention I can sit it in the accompanying cradle and back up everything to my computer?)
Don't worry, this is not an advertisement for Palm products! I'm sure there are other organizers that do all this and more. (You can now get phones that do it all, come to think of it.) The point is, since I don't work in the corporate environment, I just hadn't realized what timesavers these all-in-one products can be. Now, wherever I go I have an incredible amount of information at my fingertips. I don't sort through various folders and files in search of contact information. Heck, I don't even have to carry family snaps around in my wallet - they're all stored in the Palm!
The lesson? There are several. One: personal organizers are not just for so-called "business professionals". They can streamline anyone's life. Two: If you're losing time (and patience) because you're not organized, take the time to sit down and see what can be done. Look for a method that is easy to use and combines a number of functions. Three: browsing through electronic gadgetry is not only fun - it pays off!
=== Analysis Of The Completed Article ===
The Subject: Personal organization
The Story: How a pocket-sized organizer changed my life
The Problem: Too many diverse and unwieldy systems to store information
The Solution: A pocket-sized electronic organizer
Call to Action: Analyze your needs - choose an easy, effective method to get organized
A Catchy Title: "From Chaos to Contentment: The Pocket Organizer". The alliteration of "Chaos" and "Contentment" sounds good; the first part of the title summarizes the rewards, and the inclusion of "The Pocket Organizer" signals the subject matter.
Word Length: The finished article is 511 words: a good length for most ezines (yours or someone else's). You need to be strict with yourself here. If your article is too long, CUT IT!
Copyright 2004 Margaret McAlister
About The Author
Marg McAlister's tips on writing are to the point and popular. To write great web copy, sales letters and articles, don't miss her ezine: the Web Writing Tipsheet! You'll find this and other top advice at www.writing-for-success-online.com
emergency cleaning services Glenview ..There is some wisdom in saying that when you are... Read More
Ease of Submission With so many article distribution sites out... Read More
Find definitions from H to P... ~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~ Haiku... Read More
Do you know why the "Chicken Soup for the Soul"... Read More
Selling books online means that you need to get interested... Read More
As an article author, sometimes you can only pull so... Read More
If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More
Who remembers the 1979 movie, The Jerk with Steve Martin?... Read More
Now that you know the secrets to writing great articles,... Read More
Been reading up on SEO? If so, you know that... Read More
I'm betting that that 3 out of 4 of you... Read More
Getting people to join your company can be hard work.... Read More
Writing articles for magazines, the Internet or the local community... Read More
1) Don't use all capitals in your title:People don't like... Read More
Start by Being QuotableIt's tough to stand out online. With... Read More
Marketing on the internet can be a costly procedure, especially... Read More
Submitting well planned articles on-line will increase traffic and can... Read More
When writing articles for publication, it is important that you... Read More
"When you provide good information from which readers can learn... Read More
Would it be worth it to master a technique that... Read More
Article marketing works like this. The majority of webmasters are... Read More
The Shortest Distance to Your Home Town Enterprise is Over... Read More
Hey! Who's that I see, typing feverishly as brilliant ideas... Read More
Original quotes, when used at the beginning or at the... Read More
If you write web content, it may be a mystery... Read More
full-service cleaning Arlington Heights ..Looking to build your freelance writing career but don't know... Read More
Not every web designer has the time ? or skills... Read More
It is no secret among internet marketers that writing articles... Read More
When you frequently post articles on ezines, you might be... Read More
There's one key rule that every writer should understand before... Read More
Publishers and webmasters can spend massive amounts of time just... Read More
Article Marketing Connects you Directly to Readers Even brilliantly-written articles... Read More
It's not enough to scatter your articles across the internet... Read More
As you write the outline for your next article, there... Read More
Rule number one - You must write ezine articles and... Read More
Sharing knowledge on the web can be a very powerful... Read More
Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent... Read More
It is pretty obvious that content is king online. It... Read More
Everyone knows an expert is just a drip under pressure.... Read More
I am often approached and asked, how do I write... Read More
Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More
Content is an important component of your web site. Learning... Read More
Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article... Read More
I've been able to distinguish 3 main categories that people... Read More
The five essential questions to be answered in your article... Read More
This is a perennial question among writers and wannabe's. Many... Read More
If you haven't considered the power of articles as part... Read More
Article marketing is becoming more and more popular, especially as... Read More
Marketing on a budget is tough. This is a universal... Read More
Do you know why the "Chicken Soup for the Soul"... Read More
Article Writing |