Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher

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:

• how to set yourself a goal: new affiliate signups;

• a strategy: making your name familiar or establishing yourself as an expert;

• and an action plan: write an article, submit it to dozens of websites, post it on your own website, maybe even add a few guest articles and start up a newsletter.

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

---

Article Marketing: the BETTER Offpage SEO Solution

Been reading up on SEO? If so, you know that... Read More

Writing Articles for Ezines ? The Greatest Little Known Secret

Well maybe it's not that "little known" but some people... Read More

So You Want to Be a Web Copywriter?

I get tons of emails from people who want to... Read More

How Article Marketing Will Make You a Fortune

Article marketing-the simple act of writing one 400 word article... Read More

Tracking Your Articles Properly

Writing articles related to your business is a great way... Read More

How To Write Best Articles

I've been able to distinguish 3 main categories that people... Read More

50,000 Articles Indeed

How is it possible to turn an idea into the... Read More

5 Powerful Article Writing Tips

Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More

The Raw Truth About Persuasion and Copywriting!

I get asked all the time, "Lorrie, how can I... Read More

How to use Articles to Boost Your Online Presence

Writing articles is one of the best ways to get... Read More

How To Write an Ezine Article

Writing can be fraught at the best of times but... Read More

An Easy Way to Write An Article: Get Someone Elses!

Every successful website needs to be, what the experts consider,... Read More

Direct Sales Reps CAN Write Articles - Heres How!

We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More

Writing Articles Can Improve Your Online Marketing and Sales

Many people which in online business world find difficulties in... Read More

Ten Tips Articles

"Ten Tips" articles are the easiest piece to write because... Read More

Using Anchor Text Optimization In Your Article Viral Marketing Campaign

What is Anchor Text Optimization?Anchor text optimization consists of the... Read More

How To Increase Your Chances of Getting Your Article Published

Publishers and webmasters can spend massive amounts of time just... Read More

Stimulate Your Writing With Some Creative Exercises

Abandon your frustrations and get a fresh start by trying... Read More

Do Free Articles Work?

Take a look around the Web and you'll find thousands... Read More

How to Create High-Quality Backlinks the Search Engines Will Love

One great benefit of article marketing is the generation of... Read More

Checklist for Writing Articles That Get Read

When writing articles for publication, it is important that you... Read More

The Online Writing Business Requires Constant and Regular Writing

Many writers do not understand that the online writing business... Read More

Top 7 Tips For Submitting Articles Online

Online PR in the form of website and ezine article... Read More

How I Became An EzineArticles.com Platnium Member in One-Hour Flat & How You Can Too

[Disclosure: I went into EzineArticles.com very innocently. I... Read More

Do You Know the 7 Essential Parts that Make Up a Resource Box

The Whole reason you write those articles is so you... Read More

7 Important Elements of Any Article - Miss Just 1 Element and Your Article is Doomed

These 7 Important Elements are your Blueprint to Article Writing... Read More

Article Writing For Fame And Fortune

How would you like to have your name and web... Read More

Internet Marketing: Secrets of Writing Keyword Rich Articles in Six Easy Steps

Determining keywords is a critical step in writing articles online... Read More

Article Marketing: Why 2 URLs Equals Watered Down Orange Juice!

Are you an Article Marketer? If so, you know that... Read More

Six Whys of Writing

You pick a pen, grab a piece of paper and... Read More

Financial Planners Publicity - Increase Your Search Engine Ranking with Web Articles

The goal of free publicity is to get your name... Read More

Article Marketing Benefit - Surges in Web Traffic Over and Over Again From Article Writing

Writing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of articles and making... Read More

Article Marketing 101 ? Article Writing Establishes You as an Expert

If you market online, whether it be your own information... Read More