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Article Writing: Going back to the basics
faradina
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30 Nov 10 2:56 am

Article Writing: Going back to the basics

Some of us here are very, very new to article-writing so I thought I would run through the basics of the process to provide a rough guide. Anybody who has anything to add, please feel free to throw it in.

So, after choosing your topic and picking your keywords, here's what you need to do:

1. Brainstorm for ideas. List your thoughts about the topic as well as ask the questions who, what, when, where, how, and why about it.

2. Research your topic. Go about answering those who, what, when, where, how, and why questions through research.

3. Organize your material. Arrange the material that you have come up with through research in a logical order.

4. Write the first draft. Concentrate on getting your ideas on paper when writing the first draft of your article. Don’t try to get it perfect; just write it. Remember, though, that your article should have these parts: the introduction, the main body, and the conclusion.

5. Review what you have written. Details can be added, unnecessary words can be removed, and sentences and paragraphs can be rearranged as necessary when reviewing the draft. You can revise as many times as needed. After each revision, set your article aside and do something else entirely, and then go back and view it from a fresh perspective.

6. Proofread your article. Once you are satisfied with the result of your reviews/revisions, proofread it for errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
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michellerana
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30 Nov 10 3:26 am

 Thanks for this post, Fara :)

Don't you want to publish this in YO Blog? ;)


faradina wrote:6. Proofread your article. Once you are satisfied with the result of your reviews/revisions, proofread it for errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.


I just want to add that it would be good idea to let someone else check and proofread your articles. Sometimes it's hard to spot your own mistakes especially if you've already edited your article a couple of times. Ask someone with good writing skills to check your articles for you.
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digiblue
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30 Nov 10 6:34 am

 I just wanted to add a few things. Many people get stuck for ideas while writing or they end up stuck halfway through. Here are a few ideas that can help if this happens to you.

Check out authority sites such as: ezinearticles, wikihow, ehow, about.com. Also another thing that I like to do which can help inspire creative ideas is to go over to Amazon.com and search for your niche. Then check out some of the books that allow you to "look inside" at the first chapter. Also check out the contents page to get some inspiration to tweak your article titles.

Make sure you do not copy anything from these sites, you want to use them as examples that inspire and guide you in the right direction with your own article.

Hope this helps,

Alex
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jmpruitt
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30 Nov 10 8:46 pm

 That is all great. but, you also can get inspiration other places offline too. some people get so stuck on the fact that they are working online that they fail to look elsewhere. the biggest tool I use for researching article ideas is my Library card. I am a regular there, and have gone through almost all the books they have related to my niches.

Also, look everywhere you go. I find inspiration for articles at wal mart, the grocery store, when i go out for dinner. I am always open to ideas, and keeping an eye out for something that might help the people interested in my sites.

its also a great way to spread the word about what you are doing. I have had numerous occasions where I casually talked to someone in the line at the grocery store, or out shopping, and wound up giving them one of my cards with one of mywebsites on it. I have a few business cards made up for each site, so they are always on hand if I need them.

you can combine content ideas, with promoting your site at the same time by doing that.
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justonce94
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09 Jul 11 10:41 am

 Very helpful post! I'm sure that everybody who sees this will learn a lot in terms of writing good content!
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jabujohn1
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10 Jul 11 1:58 pm

 Personally, I've found that writing the introduction and conclusion first, keeps me focused on the main ideas I'm trying to convey in the article. I seriously cut down on my editing time because I know exactly what I want to accomplish before I start writing the main part of the article.
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ethandavis157
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22 Aug 11 8:49 am

 thanks for sharing tips. really important tips to construct seo articles for article marketing. the most important lines i like is about proofreading. thats really important to review it check properly grammar mistakes that you can take full advantage of your seo articles.
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sam2
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27 Oct 11 8:02 am

 I was wondering if someone who doesn't have brain storming ideas in terms of writing cool niches. It 's an art just like painting a picture.All you need an internal skill to write anything of. I would just appreciate the way you put the topic out here.Thanks
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cecille.l
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09 Nov 11 3:51 am

 Writing requires a certain skill but this is a kind of skill that can be learned. One technique you can try is to talk about your subject for about 5 minutes, record yourself as you do so and then transcribe what you've recorded. You can then go over it, make the necessary corrections, re-write some parts and you have an article. This is granted of course that you have knowledge on your topic/niche. If you don't, then read up and research first.
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mhtconsultancy
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24 Dec 11 9:34 am

 Isn't the whole process similar to what we've been doing for English essay writing lessons and exams, in junior to high school for almost 20 years? If you've gone through schooling, especially if you've completed secondary and tertiary education, these should be innate capabilities every literate person should be possessing.

Maybe we should be start focusing more on where to find opportunities to write articles. That's something not taught in schools, and something useful for those new to this as well!

However, this still serve as a good checklist for writers though, and a starting guide for those extremely new to this even if they have the literacy capabilities!

Cheers~
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cecille.l
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26 Dec 11 8:24 am

 Writing is difficult for some people like speaking your mind does not come easy for others. I read a book about how knowing how to speak equates knowing how to write but this just doesn't work for most of us. I finished a degree in Uni but found writing for my website a challenge when I first started out. I think most just don't know where to start or how to begin.

I found that the best way to begin your article on any topic is to just start typing away your thoughts. This is, of course, after doing research/gathering information on your subject. After finishing the article, you can then read through it and edit or revise as you see fit.

If all else fails, outsource it to the pros. Still, try and write an article or two on your own so you know how it is and learn.
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Cecille

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annabellefrost07
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12 Jan 12 12:34 pm
Cecille L wrote:Writing requires a certain skill but this is a kind of skill that can be learned. One technique you can try is to talk about your subject for about 5 minutes, record yourself as you do so and then transcribe what you've recorded. You can then go over it, make the necessary corrections, re-write some parts and you have an article. This is granted of course that you have knowledge on your topic/niche. If you don't, then read up and research first.



That's actually an interesting tip - I've never tried that but I will. I tend to babble when I talk. Maybe somewhere in the babble there'll be gold though- worth a shot!
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cecille.l
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13 Jan 12 10:26 am

 Hi annabellefrost07,

It has certainly worked well for me. :) I sometimes find it easier to talk about something than writing it down so I am able to get an article or two out this way.

Hope that helps. Have a good day!
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annabellefrost07
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10 Feb 12 12:03 pm

 Hey Cecille,

I actually tried it, and it worked! :)

Pretty awesome advice - I'll be sure to spread it!-thanks :)

Cheers,Annabelle
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cecille.l
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13 Feb 12 11:16 am

 Hi Annabelle,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to hear it's working well for you. :)

Please let me know if you have further inquiries. All the best!
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Cecille

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ankankd
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21 Feb 12 11:51 am

 This is a very well written post.
Cheers Ankan - Link Removed By Moderator
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cecille.l
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11 Apr 12 6:52 am

 The above steps in writing an article remain the same but would like to add a few more tips:

1. Brainstorm for ideas. List your thoughts about the topic as well as ask the questions who, what, when, where, how, and why about it.

2. Research your topic. Go about answering those who, what, when, where, how, and why questions through research.


Brainstorming and research go hand in hand for me. As you research for new material, you come across topics that you can be the next topic of your website. If you are stuck on the brainstorming and can't keep up with an idea of what to write, try going straight to research and look for new information. You might just be able to find inspiration on what to write as well as information.

You can then follow the rest of the steps. Or if you truly are having a difficult time putting your thoughts in to words, try some of the tips give at How To Write Articles Without Wearing Out Your Fingers

Hope that helps. Have a good day!
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Cecille

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maryt
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08 May 12 4:05 am

 Nice tips everyone. I must also add- when it comes to writing, you need to clear everything inside your head and focus on the subject you are about to write.

Writing is not just a process of producing an article, rather it is more of an art combined with skills. If you are not a "natural" writer, you should try to find a perfect place, a perfect time, and a perfect "set" of mind to write your content. This strategy may seem difficult at first, but with constant practice, you will soon get the whole idea.
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pbyservices
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10 Jun 12 2:44 am

 I think it takes a lot more than well-researched articles to succeed now. Anyone can research information and assemble an article- people do it thousands of times every day. If it were that easy, then countless people wouldn't have gotten crushed by algorithm updates.

It's always the same re-hashed facts, figures and ideas. It's time to do the most difficult thing, which is to actually apply creativity to the content-

1) Go out and get some first-hand interviews and make them into videos,
2) Find people who have had success with your topic and create a case-study.
3) Buy the product and review it yourself (otherwise it's not a review).
4) Create your own high quality digital product based on personal experience.
5) Instead of using stock photos, take your own.
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gmt1
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21 Jul 12 8:28 am

 I think using Google trends, and paying attention to what's going on in the world is a great way to be really successful in writing wanted content. Also like others have said you should look at your competitors or those already succeeding in the space you want to, not as someone you're against, but as someone you can learn from. Copying others writing style, to extent while having your style in there is also a great idea, because there's no reason to try and re-invent the wheel when the existing wheel already works, and works well.
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contenticonz
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26 Sep 12 4:10 am

 There was a time where writing was actually very difficult for me. Yet the more I pushed forward, I found out that writing actually becomes easier when in-depth research is performed. Taken that a step further--what you feed your mind will come out. So if you spend a significant amount of time reading every day in your field of expertise, that information will eventually come out in your own tone, style, words.

Now regarding getting ideas for content "Google reader," is a very intuitive helping aid in the brainstorming process. Of course you want to use this tool wisely and not overwhelm yourself with too much information. More importantly it's best to keep it as organized as possible.
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sbsambrooks33
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30 Jan 13 3:00 pm

 Article writing is not that hard... Once you get the hang of it, you can knock out an article in like 15 mins
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