Do You Want to be an Article Writer

Who else in interested to make a life as an article writer? Welcome to the world of article writers, where creativity and ideas are rewarded more than anywhere else.

Many technically adept persons find it hard to express themselves in a way they like to. A real article writer can express what is in his/her mind and convey the exact idea to the reader.

Article writers do have some trouble, especially at the beginning stages of their career. They doubt whether their articles really are written well. Would the client like this article, does the article meets the guidelines, and hundred other questions creep into the mind of an article writer who is just starting out.

The real break comes when one of the clients says 'you have done a wonderful job'. That is the real turning point in the life of an article writer. Be persistent till you get there and be growing after you reach there.

With the opening up of www, the average market of an article writer hit an exponential growth. An article writer sitting at his table in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram can write for a business running at Palm Springs or Sydney or Yorkshire.

Do you think you can express what it is in your mind in simple English? Do the writing styles of celebrated writers attract you? Do you wish you can pour out your thoughts in words?

If your answers are YES, article writing may be your forte.

Overcome Writer's Block with this Simple Technique

We all experience it at one time or the other - the dreaded 'writer's block'. It is the condition we think words just are not coming out in a way it should. We look at the blank paper (sorry! blank screen it is) for hours and feel we don't have the right words to start it off.

We pray for some magical powers that guide our fingers to create a page full of text that is meaningful to readers, that amuses them and helps our client make profits. My experience says that we all can do it by using a simple technique to overcome writer's block.

The main problem is we really have nothing to say at the point. Or we, the writers don't know we really know what to say on the specific topic at hand. A worse problem is having no topic at all. Let me assume the article writer actually has a topic to write about.

The Technique: Write a 300-400 word silly article that you never show to anyone else.

Sounds strange? Try it for once. Write some things about whatever topic it is and keep it to yourself. It is OK to start with some absurd comment on the real serious topic at your hands. It's also OK to crack some funny comments on the topic - afterall no one is seeing what you write, right?

The assurance and guarantee that you show this work to no one else gives you all the freedom to write anything right or wrong. You have a goal while attempting this, free yourself from the clasp of that dreaded demon called writer's block. That is the only goal and you have to someway kick away the 'imaginary' block.

Writing at least a piece of at least 100 words is beneficial in removing the writer's block that blocks your larynx and tells you "stop writing, you fool".

Writing something silly on the topic acts as a big gulp of a gallon of water that washes 'writer's block' away.

Look at what you have written. Believe me, it has a lot of ideas or starting points from where you can draft a minimum of six or seven articles. Thus a point, the silly article must be on topic. All the words you write must be on the topic you intend to write.

In the Right Mood? Time to Write More Articles

Human article writers (there are article minting software out there) have times of ups and downs. Sometimes the article writer feels it is the right time of the day or the year. The conditions are all favorable to them and articles come out in no time. At the peak of such times three or more articles come out in less than an hour. Such are times an article writer must capitalize on.

Sure, no one gets into that state at will and will not be able to stay there for long. Sooner or later the writer loses the state. The main reason for losing the state of 'in mood of article writing' is a break. It can sometimes be as simple as a coffee break and at times it can be a holiday.

We are humans and we all need occasional breaks. It is better you take breaks when you are off peak. Go for a coffee when you feel you have reached a dead-end. Take a long holiday when you feel you are really worn out.

You have times when you can't produce even a single article in the whole day. This time is different and articles are coming through like locusts. The quality of these articles will also be quite higher than the articles that you produce with many hours of efforts.

Take advantage of the times when words come to your mind like a relentless stream. Harness all the free flowing words and never let it go. You don't feel it even if you miss a mealtime. Just let the words come by and tranform them to sellable articles.

Simple Two-Step Inverted Pyramid Model for Article Writing

Taking a leaf off Journalists' book can help you write articles that accurately convey your ideas.
My teachers at Institute of Journalism told me the formula is an 'inverted pyramid'. I like to call it tell and expand or touch and explain. Journalists use inverted pyramid style to convey the news in shortest possible time.

When writing a news lead, the reporter or editor has to tell the story in as little words as possible. The headline (title) and the first line of the news story (called intro or lead) quickly tell the reader what has happened and where.

The news story then goes on to explain the details. The reader gets details of the news while he or she continues reading the story.

Inverted pyramid style is called so because the reader first see the most important part of the story, followed by parts of lesser importance. The importance, as you guess is based on the judgement of the journalist.

Take that style of writing to article writing and you have a simple, but most effective article writing formula.

An article writer can use many 'inverted pyramids' in an article. Use the first sentence of a paragraph to drop an idea or a fact. Use the following sentences to explain the idea. The first sentence of the paragraph gives some idea. The reader gets a clearer idea of what the writer is saying while he or she reads the second sentence and the third sentence.

You can find the same style of writing in almost any article you read. At first you see a (new or old) topic. You get an idea what the article is about. You then read the article to find the details. In fact this is the default style of writing.

It doesn't take a journalism school training to learn this simple technique of article writing. Anyone who can express himself or herself well can also write high quality articles. Following this touch and explain model of writing never fails them to convey what he or she really means to communicate.

The single most important aspect of article writing is to convey an idea. An article writer first catch the attention of the reader with an eye catchy title and first line (lead). Then he or she explains his or her idea in simple language.

Now you have the simplest method of article writing. Stick to this simple formula till you become comfortable writing informative and amusing articles.

Amplify Productivity Factors to Write More Articles while Working Lesser Hours

Which is the best time to write articles? It depends on individual variations, I think.

For me the best time to write articles is early in the morning, from 4.30 to 7.00 in the morning, before I go to my 30 minutes aerobics program.

Waking up early is difficult thing for many people that I clearly know. I don't ask you to wake up early in the morning, but you can identify the most productive hours of the day by yourself.

Check out the time when you are most able to concentrate on the task of article writing. Modify your daily routine in such a way to take maximum advantage of your PRIME HOURS.
What about working under stress?

I have repeatedly found I produce more articles under stress, but the sad part is there will be problems of spelling mistake, grammar error and bad style. This happens when the deadline is near and I got the assignment not 'in' time. However, a bit of stress is really productive for me.

That is I have enough time to complete the writing assignment, but not enough time to relax. A medium level of compulsion requires me to concentrate on the task and to complete it fast, without the requirement of a 'haste and waste' situation.

My idea to get a bit adrenaline flow is to impose my own deadline to the writing assignment. It will be before the actual deadline, but will act towards a motivational level of stress.
What about de-stressing?

So glued to the computer, my way of relaxing is Yahoo! chatting and blogging, this blog and many other blogs I own are actually my way of busting stress. Unlike client websites, my blogs give me unlimited freedom to write or do whatever I like. I also feel amused that I also have an identity in the vast wide www.

Social Life of Article Writers

With continuous tussle with deadlines, social life is a mess for article writers. I want to occassionally get out of this cycle and go out for a walk in the park or a lull at the beach with family members or friends. The few friends I have are real worthy friends and I don't feel bad I don't have a 'lot of' friends.

A Well Balanced Life

A well balanced life is necessary for highest productivity and better enjoyment of life. After all you are writing articles for someone else. Find the ways to minimize the time you tussle with words and maximize the time you take for yourself.