By now you probably understand how important writing for trade publications is to establishing credibility in the home business world.
On to the first hurdle: how do you get past that HUGE writers' block? How do you know what to write about, and how do you make it unique, informative and interesting?
Remember how you resisted writing those reports in school, insisting that you would never need to know how to do that in "real life"? Welcome to the real world of business writing.
Your English teacher gave you the bare bones: pick a topic, research, take notes, make lists and an outline, write a rough draft in your own words, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Don't forget introductory paragraphs, summaries, footnotes and bibliographies.
Thanks to the internet, you can use a search engine, copy and paste, cut and paste, type, cut and paste edit into infinity, include hyperlinks and add your resource box at the end.
But...you're still stuck on picking a topic. You feel as imaginative as a two by four. Start with your own home business, internet marketing, or entrepreneurial problems. Better yet, start with your journal. You don't keep one? Here, you can borrow some of my own entries: (better yet, each of these items is looking for a foster home)
Didn't want to get out of bed this morning.
Turned on the computer and would rather play a computer game than work.
The quiet is driving me crazy...music would help...now I want to dance...now that I'm up, I could vacuum....wonder what's on tv...
The noise is driving me crazy, I can't concentrate.
Ok, I finally got started. Ten hours later, I just can't stop. I wonder why my wife is glaring at me.
I can't finish anything--the next new project always looks more interesting.
Friends call and want to chat, the cats want fed, that window needs fixing.
How do I know when to be persistent and when to try something else?
My website has lots of visitors, many don't stay for more than 30 seconds, few sign up.
I'd rather be __________ (fill in the blank): sleeping, golfing, fishing, watching tv, eating, reading, swimming.
Now let's turn that list into a list of how-to's. I need to learn how to: get enough sleep; stay focused; identify goals, strategies and action plans; develop credibility among friends and family; identify success (measurable results?); make my website more sticky; encourage prospects to become active affiliates; balance work and pleasure; plan my day; stay motivated... and so on.
First I brainstorm: when have I been able to accomplish any of these things? (take notes) Then it's off to the search engines. (take notes; bookmarking and copy and paste makes this easy) Now organize your notes: whatever floats your boat, whether it be lists, outlines, mind mapping or freeform writing.
Just keep searching, taking notes and bookmarking until something hits you over the head. "This really might work, especially if you did this first and then tried this..." Be patient, it may take a little time.
Don't copy word for word what another writer has already written; but on the other hand, don't worry about inventing the lightbulb either. If you've done much surfing at all, you realize that the internet is HUGE, a veritable wasteland.
The chances of two people reading exactly the same articles or websites and coming to exactly the same conclusions are slim. Any bleary-eyed surfer will THANK you for your arduous research.
And don't rule out your own experiences and thoughts. I once was dealing with a problem and was becoming more frustrated and angry by the minute. I finally just dropped it and went for a walk. (You can substitute any of those things, such as fishing, that you used to fill in the blank above).
While walking I was thinking about another situation in my life, was looking at the part of the natural world I was walking through, and came to a brilliant conclusion. As soon as it occurred to me, I saw that the solution also applied to the problem I was trying to solve earlier. So you see, sometimes it's good to just follow your instinct and GO FISHING.
I'll write that all up into an article some day soon. It's on my list. Meanwhile, I've got a few more ideas I'm writing up first. Now I can't wait to get them all written into articles. So...there's my topics, my motivation, and my action plan.
If you've followed these steps, thanks to your English teacher, the internet, your own experiences, and your stumbling attempts at writing, you're now an author. But more than that, you've learned:
Then start over at the beginning...and don't forget how important it is to take time out for fishing.
About The Author
Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and business start-up info at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com
green cleaning service Glencoe ..Everyone focuses their web marketing efforts on search engines, and... Read More
The first step to getting published is to find your... Read More
How are you marketing your articles? As a writer prospecting... Read More
Want your articles to get picked up and reprinted by... Read More
I've noticed a disturbing trend recently of articles suggesting that... Read More
When I started Ezine-In-A-Box I wanted to help people publish... Read More
This article is dedicated to those who are afraid to... Read More
Submitting articles once or twice a week can yield 15... Read More
There are many different ways to improve link popularity for... Read More
Once you learn the benefits of article writing, you may... Read More
This is Part 2 of a 2 part article -... Read More
***What is the Resource box?'Resource box' is an information box... Read More
All writers aspire to recognition, but are we dedicated? Ambition... Read More
I recently became aware that promoting your web site in... Read More
MS: Shelley, you're an excellent person to talk to about... Read More
If you are starving for traffic, can't seem to consistently... Read More
Article marketing works like this. The majority of webmasters are... Read More
Yesterday I met a 13-year old boy with a devilish... Read More
So how can you make your article worth reading?It's all... Read More
Two important factors that play a part in the rankings... Read More
Are you looking for a better way to promote your... Read More
The key to selling reprints to parenting publications is the... Read More
A ghostwriter, as one may think is not a writer... Read More
Article Marketing Builds Momentum and TrafficWhen I started submitting articles... Read More
1. Choose A Topic.You need to choose either a hot... Read More
house cleaning company Bannockburn ..Good technical articles are challenging to write. They're time-consuming, demanding... Read More
Original quotes, when used at the beginning or at the... Read More
This may come as a surprise... to you, but writing... Read More
A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More
Many internet home business owners today have learnt that one... Read More
If you are starving for traffic, can't seem to consistently... Read More
The sources of inspiration are all around us, in the... Read More
Want your articles to get picked up and reprinted by... Read More
Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice... Read More
It is important for all webmasters to realize that if... Read More
Recycling your work is a lot like doing your part... Read More
By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More
Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for... Read More
Now that you know the secrets to writing great articles,... Read More
Last time on "Because your articles suck" ? we discussed... Read More
Many people which in online business world find difficulties in... Read More
Online publishers, ezine subscribers, and Web visitors want short, useful... Read More
A few years ago as a webmaster with no money,... Read More
No one can logically argue against the fact that content... Read More
The ezine article is of major importance to the world... Read More
As we prepared to move our 12,000 article database from... Read More
Writing for websites -- content, as it is called --... Read More
Determining keywords is a critical step in writing articles online... Read More
You've got to start somewhere, but once you've created your... Read More
Writers have one basic need -- readers. We all want... Read More
Article Writing |