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
affordable house cleaning Wilmette ..Publicity?you're business can survive without it, but it certainly won't... Read More
Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article... Read More
Are you looking for a better way to promote your... Read More
If you're writer, I am sure sometimes you may have... Read More
Why do so many internet marketers waste their time on... Read More
Writers talk about rejection all the time ? just part... Read More
I've been involved in publishing for over a decade now... Read More
It is not my intention to give you a 5... Read More
A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing... Read More
There are many ancient writings, which dive into the importance... Read More
Routing traffic to your web page is incredibly important in... Read More
I once wrote an article in which I offered the... Read More
There is no doubt that Spam has affected online business... Read More
By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More
By avoiding these common mistakes, you will greatly improve your... Read More
Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More
Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice... Read More
If you have an entertainment website then you're always looking... Read More
Every day thousands of people join affiliate programs and yet... Read More
Abandon your frustrations and get a fresh start by trying... Read More
Online readers love information, but be sure your information is... Read More
A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their... Read More
Whatever you're selling, writing articles to distribute freely amongst webmasters... Read More
Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent... Read More
Jim was working hard to grow his business. Long hours... Read More
quick home cleaning Northbrook ..Every time I run a course on Freelance Writing, students... Read More
In order to sell your article must do three things:1.... Read More
Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional traffic... Read More
There are many different ways to improve link popularity for... Read More
You've written this wonderful (no question about it) piece of... Read More
When you frequently post articles on ezines, you might be... Read More
Thanks to recent information that leaked by Google within their... Read More
Being an Internet Article Author is far and away the... Read More
The Whole reason you write those articles is so you... Read More
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and... Read More
If you haven't considered the power of articles as part... Read More
Rule number one - You must write ezine articles and... Read More
Having an article published is one of the fastest and... Read More
Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More
Currently many online writers and would-be online writers, feel very... Read More
Have you ever seen articles that are not only related... Read More
Jim was working hard to grow his business. Long hours... Read More
Selling books online means that you need to get interested... Read More
The first step to getting published is to find your... Read More
You know that writing articles is the best free way... Read More
Anyone who's been in the business for 2 or 3... Read More
Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More
I was asked to write an article on a short... Read More
Article marketing is becoming more and more popular, especially as... Read More
We've all been there. We hear about how articles will... Read More
Article Writing |