A friend and I were talking the other day about writing. He liked to write, but even so his biggest problem was finding things to write about. My friend was astounded at the volume of writing that I do - at least one article and something as many as six, per day. Where do I get all of the ideas from?
I, in turn, was astonished myself. Why on earth would anyone have any trouble finding things to write about? In fact, my main problem has been I have so much to write about that I often find myself locked in a silent battle over which subject should be put on paper first.
People find it even more amazing when I tell them I try very hard to only write about positive events and provide helpful articles. Only rarely will you find any of my writings containing criticism, complaints or, worst of all, whining. Occasionally I will write an article which recommends against purchasing a product, seeing a movie, reading a book or visiting a web site, but these are the exception.
The world is a huge, amazing, wondrous place. Things are going on around us all of the time. There is so much good to see and do all over the planet, so very many wonderful things going on all over the place, that it's easy to find something to communicate about if only you open your eyes and look.
One of my passions is the internet. I've written over 1,000 articles about all aspects of this massive communication medium. Much of this is taken from my 23 years of experience in the computer field, and the rest is from research, reading and, most of all, questions from other people.
Although much of my writing is about the internet, I also find time to communicate about many other subjects as well. These include relationships (marriage and romance), raising children, building a career, handling office politics, current events, hobbies and history. I have yet to find a subject which I don't have something useful to contribute to other people.
How do I find so much to write about? Let me tell you some of the ways: Many of my article ideas some from real life - For example, I have a long and happy marriage, so I like to write articles which help people with their relationships. I've also worked hard most of my life, as have most people, building a career, which is another area where I enjoy passing along tips to help others.
Question and answer sites - Sites like askme.com and askjeeves.com are perfect places to visit once in a while looking for ideas for articles. I visit and just scan the questions (and there are thousands of them), looking for anything which looks interesting. When I find something, I write an article.
Newsgroups - There are over 70,000 newsgroups. Most of these are worthless, but several thousand of them contain useful information and varied conversations. Lurk in any active newsgroup for a while and you should find something worthwhile to write about.
Yahoo and DMOZ - Visit any big directory site and you will find thousands of subjects to explore.
Egroups and Topica - There are thousands of email discussion lists available at these two sites. Sign up for a few and get articles ideas from them.
There are many other places to look for article ideas all over the internet. I tend to avoid looking at things like ezines, ebooks and web sites for article ideas. Why? Because when I look for article ideas I am not looking for answers.
What I tend to look for is questions. What kind of questions are people asking? Is there a question which begs some further analysis and a little more explanation than a simple sentence? It does not matter if someone else has already answered, as my primary purpose is not to provide raw information. My primary purpose is to help people understand. You can find out raw information from any number of books or encyclopedias, but finding out how to clean up the clutter in your bedroom, well, that takes something different. That requires the experience and knowledge passed from someone who has had to go through the experience of cleaning many times, so many times that it has become easy.
Interestingly, I've found that television is not as worthwhile as one would expect for article ideas. Excluding a few reviews, I've found television to be a vast wasteland, void of anything but the most trivial or violent concepts in our society. The exceptions are, of course, channels such as Nova, History channel and Discovery.
So the next time you are trying to figure out something to write about for your own ezine, web site or ebook, just check out a newsgroup, elist or directory on a subject which you find interesting. Sooner or later, you will get an idea and you can start writing.
by: Richard Lowe, Jr.
Writing For The Web: Where To Get Article Ideas
How to Market Yourself Successfully as a Writer
To ensure a steady flow of work and income, a writer should promote himself constantly. Not everyone knows you are a writer and the competition for work is very high. Not only do you compete with publications regular staffers and commissioned writers but with more learned and skilled freelancers.
Marketing should be on top of your priorities after production of your writing. You need to adopt various strategies to get your name out there and display your prowess.
Here are a few useful ways to promote yourself and achieve success:
WEBSITE PROMOTION
In this information age that we are in, it is necessary for every business person to have a web site to display his/her wares as well as communicate with potential customers. You should consider yourself in business and adopt appropriate business practice in order to succeed.
You need a web-site where you explain what writing services you offer, your writing credentials and samples of your published work is essential not only to provide information to would-be clients but to show them your writing competence. Of course there are other add-ons such as auto-responders, ezines, etc to supplement your site. Your website should be optimized for better search engine ranking and its URL displayed in your business documents so that people are informed of its presence.
ARTICLES SUBMISSIONS
This is a good strategy for publicizing yourself and its effects may last for quite a long time. This strategy works best online.
In this strategy you select subjects and topics in your area of specialization and post the complete articles to article submission websites for free publication. Each article will contain the writer’s byline at the beginning and a brief bio at the end. The bio will include your name, email address, website URL and what you do or who you are.
If your article is good it may be accepted for publication on the website and read by hundreds, if not thousands of people on line. Among these people are editors and ezine publishers who will republish the complete article in their publications.
The interest that your article generates and the information you provide in your bio will market you as a good writer and people will click on your website URL. The multiplier effect of this will be increased enquiries on what you offer, orders for your services or more visitors to your website. You will also have earned credits for publication of your article, which you can send to prospective publishers.
Some of the websites that accept and publish articles submitted are: -
* http://www.articlecity.com
* http://www.goarticles.com
* http://www.ezinearticles.com
* http://www.powerhomebiz.com
* http://www.ideamarketers.com
* http://www.marketing-seek.com
* http://www.writerswrite.com
* http://ww.web-source.net
* http://zinos.com
* http://www.authorconnection.com
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/free-content
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/articles_archives
ADVERTISING
“Advertising pays” is as true today as it was decades back. As we said earlier, nobody knows you are there or you offer writing services. Your website is online. You can advertise your services in the many free classified ads sites and safe lists. You can also put paid ads on high traffic sites, writer’s sites, job boards, ezine ad networks, etc.
SIGNATURE FILE
A one or two line reference of what you do together with your website URL can be added in a special section of your e-mail address so that all e-mail messages you send out will contain the “signature file” is another good way to promote yourself especially if you are sending out many e-mail messages to newsgroups and online communities. After reading your message, people would want to know who you are and what you do. When they click your website or auto-responder address they will be led to what you do or offer. Set up a signature file in your e-mail, participate in discussions by sending e-mail messages and watch enquiries grow. However, be careful not to advertise directly when you post to newsgroups as that may offend others and that is not the main purpose of newsgroups.
SENDING OUT QUERIES
Sometimes, even after using other means to promote yourself you have to use this one also. It may be considered the most common way of finding work for freelance writers. Querying is an art in itself and there are many do’s and don’ts. Some publications accept e-mail queries while others don’t. Some do and others do not accept work from freelancers. You need to read market guides such as the Writers Market or submission guidelines from publishers’ websites as well as practice writing query letters.
The more queries you send the better as they increase you chances of acceptance.
OTHER
Word of mouth promotion/networking are also other ways to promote yourself within your locality. Attend seminars on writing or your area of specialization and inform others that you are a writer and you can assist them in their promoting their businesses in one way or another. Put your name, your occupation and contacts as a writer on business cards, calendars, and diaries and distribute freely locally. Ask your friends to recommend you to others. The possibilities are many and are only limited by your ability to explore them.
Writers need to market themselves in order to keep the business coming in and ensure a steady flow of income throughout the throughout the year.
by: Abdallah Khamis Abdallah
Freelance Writing Markets, Poetry Markets - Highly Paid -v- Unpaid
Amazing as it may sound, there is a real shortage of good writers and poets. Try telling that to the thousands of writers and poets who get daily rejection slips.
As far as they are concerned, writing is virtually impossible to break into no matter how hard they seem to try.
There may be a number of reasons why they don't succeed:
Their writing is not up to standard - as far as the particular publishers or editors are concerned;
They don't bother polishing their writing before submission;
They knock on the wrong doors - sending materials on a random basis;
They have failed to do basic research;
The list goes on.
1000s of publishers
There are of course thousands of publishers, especially online, who are willing to publish your work without payment. Such publishers can't or won't pay writers or poets.
Professional writers on the other hand command handsome fees. They make a good living out of writing.
Anyone can become a professional writer. You just need the determination to succeed. If you don't have a natural gift, you can learn to write well. This can be by self-study, online, or at a college or school near you.
High quality professional writers demand anything from $1000 to $5000 per project - and the best earn substantially more. A project may involve just one page or a few poems.
Why do most aspiring writers and aspiring poets fail?
In a recent survey conducted on behalf of http://www.WritingHolidays.com, it became apparent that most writers and poets were not willing to invest time or effort in training or acquiring the necessary skills.
The survey revealed that most writers and poets were happy to plod along by trial and error rather than investing in a decent course. They accordingly fail to reap the rewards that are there for the taking.
They remain amateur writers and poets whilst their professional colleagues cream off the best paid writing markets.
The survey compared writers and poets to other professions. Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors, etc., are all highly paid. They all undergo training before the rewards are forthcoming. Yet, most writers and poets believe that the riches will come to them without spending $1 on training or developing skills.
One per cent. of writers or poets may get lucky. They may have been "born writers or poets" - they succeed without any training. The rest slog away - hoping that one day they may make some money from writing.
The good news
The good news is that there are 1000s of paid writing markets that are waiting to be exploited. There are more assignments than writers or poets.
Article Syndication Terms:
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by: Consulting Editors, AskProfessors.com
How to Find Ideas for Articles & Speeches
Do you have problems finding ideas for articles and speeches?
I know have had at times, and others tell me the same thing. At my Toastmasters club, for example, I've often heard members say they have difficulty finding topics for speeches.
But, I've learned, like others who write and speak a lot, to start with what I know. To use my own experiences or perspectives to make even a simple subject uniquely my own. And you can do the same.
Indeed, what seems mundane to you may fascinate someone else. Suppose, for example, you work in a fast food restaurant -- tell me about the best and worst customers, or tell me about the processes and training that make it possible to go from order to delivery in just a couple of minutes.
Here's a real-life example from my own experiences. I have a part-time job as a directory assistance operator for a telephone company, and that produces some interesting stories, like the time a woman called because the door knob to exit her borrowed apartment was broken, and she couldn't figure out how to get out. She didn't know who to call except Directory Assistance, and we had an interesting time figuring out a solution. Now there's a story to get an article or speech started, and perhaps even a theme such as "Strange but true stories from a directory assistance operator."
Then, there's the idea of providing insights for others. If you drive a truck, for instance, you might create a Top Ten list of common mistakes you see on the streets and highways. As a professional driver, you have special insight into the patterns of amateur drivers.
Beyond your personal experiences, think about issues that intrigue you. If you're interested, doing research and thinking about a subject will be enjoyable and easy. Perhaps you can even satisfy your own curiosity as you prepare an article or speech that enlightens someone else.
These approaches should lead you to any number of story ideas. Make a list, of say five or ten possible topics. Now, ask yourself which of them will be the most enjoyable or easiest to develop. You also might ask yourself if you have enough examples to illustrate the points that fall under a specific topic.
Now, write an outline, to set out the main themes in your speech or article. By the time you finish outlining these themes, you'll probably have a number of new topics that could be developed into topics that stand on their own.
For example, looking back at the contents of this article so far, I see that discussing something others don't know much about is one of the points. That would open the door to what I call the "Everybody knows" syndrome, the unfounded assumption that others know what we know. Perhaps you think that your parenting experiences are just like everyone else's. Yet, your feelings may very well be unique and of great interest to other parents.
If all else fails, get ideas from others. For example, I subscribe to many online newsletters because I write a lot of articles myself. As potential story ideas come in I store them away in a folder, ready to be searched when I don't have anything available in the top of my mind.
I can use the original article as the starting point, creating something new and unique by using my own experiences and ways of doing things. Or I can abstract someone else's article in my own words, again creating something new in the process. In both cases, I'm creating something new based on my unique experiences or perspectives.
So, never be stuck for an idea for an article or speech! You already have enough experience and knowledge; it's simply a matter of developing one of those ideas within that framework.
And here's a bonus: If you're writing or speaking about something that's happened in your life, you won't have to work hard to create the article or speech. Just follow the path through your memory.
by: Robert F. Abbott
How to Start and Sustain a Career as a Freelance Writer
Have you wondered how you can make a career writing books or articles for various publications? Or are you seeking a viable second income opportunity but do not know where to start? Well, freelance writing may be the right career for you and it can open a world of lucrative opportunities for you.
You do not need to have special qualifications to be a freelance writer and make money. What you need is the ambition, diligence in your craft and willingness to learn the necessary skills. Of course you need to be literate in a popular language especially English in order to communicate with a large readership and sell your work widely.
Getting Started
Getting started as a freelance writer is easy compared to what it takes to enter other careers .You need to assess your skills to enable you to choose what to write about. What knowledge or training do you have? Are there issues or facts you are more familiar with? What are your hobbies/interests? These and other questions if well answered will have set you on the path to being a writer.
However, it may be necessary to learn the art of writing from experts and this is why you should take a writing course. There are many writing courses available and an appropriate search on the Internet will reveal some, which may be suitable for you. While some courses are full-time and may require minimum entry qualifications you may find a host of others which are part-time and do not require any special qualifications.
A good option is to take a distance learning course and you will find several in this category. These give you an opportunity to study at home at your own pace. Notable among them are those offered by two UK based colleges and which are available to prospective writers worldwide. One is offered by the Writers Bureau of Manchester United Kingdom. The college offers a freelance writing distance learning course which leads to the issue of a certificate on completion and gives you an opportunity to earn from writing while you learn.
The other college is the London School of Journalism which offers diplomas and post graduate diplomas in writing. Many areas of writing are covered by both colleges and it is advisable that you enroll in one of these courses to sharpen your talents and take advantage of the opportunities that go with studying them.
In case you do not feel like enrolling in writing courses for any reason then all is not lost. There are vast resources on the internet and elsewhere which you can resort to for learning about writing. You may read various essays on writing on the internet written by experienced writers. There are many of these and it’s only a matter of knowing how and where to find them. There are also books about freelance writing which you may order from book stores or direct from publishers. A visit to your local library may also prove useful in unearthing useful information on writing.
Once you have embarked on writing you need to keep a notebook or journal to record wild ideas as they come to your mind or while reading various publications. To discover ideas for your writing you need to read widely magazines, newspapers, books, watch television and so on. Give the news and features a second thought, study them critically and ask yourself questions about what is contained in them. Imagine what would have been the situation if the events cited had not happened. Since they have happened how can the situation be made better? What are the effects of those events? Think more about them. Dream and take notes.
WRITING YOUR PIECE
Now comes the hard part putting your ideas in black and white. This part may be difficult depending on your circumstances. You could be having so many ideas that you are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information you have collected. You are stuck with stacks of sheets of information you have jotted down that you do not know where to begin. Alternatively you could be having only a few ideas to fit only one page and do not know where to find information to write the rest of your book or article.
These are dilemmas that face writers at various points in time perhaps they reflect lack of tact in handling theirs work. As a writer you need to do proper planning to avoid any of those two scenarios you need to have researched your market first before even researching the subject.
This brings us to the issue of markets study. You need to study the audience to know what their requirements are. In the case of articles, you should study the writers/submission guidelines and a few issues of the publications to know your markets well. Many publications have writers/submission guidelines on their web pages. Next you need to be familiar with the style guidelines. These are more or less the same as the writers guidelines but may include issues such as spelling, punctuation and other aspects of grammar.
It is important that you read their style guides to avoid you articles being rejected. In case you do not know where to find them then it is advisable to write to the editors for copies. Alternatively you may be find some in libraries and bookstores.
As important as the study of the market is the research on the topic you want to write about. Write down all ideas you have on the topic as they come to mind without editing them. Turn them upside down to come up with fresh ideas. Then decide on the angle and slant of your article.
The above exercise would have generated a lot of material, which may be used as a basis for your story. Then depending on the type of article you are writing you can do extensive research, taking notes as you carry on. The research could be on the internet, which is a good place to start from or in publications found at the library. You may have to buy some books, which are not locally available or pay for photos from media agencies. Alternatively you may use the services of hired researchers or research agencies. A good source of research documents is the British Library, which can for a small fee send you photocopies of requested material anywhere in the world. The US Library of congress has a similar service. You may also search for experts in your local directory who may provide you with useful information. In sum there is limitless scope for research and only you may decide on the limit based on the requirements of the article.
Next, you should organize the ideas and information from the research into a concise and coherent order. This is the planning face where you decide the structure and format of your article, choose what is relevant and would advance the goal and spirit of your article. Select ideas from the research information and not word for word copying. Be careful lest you be accused of plagiarism of other people’s work or infringing on their copyrights. Write several drafts until the complete article has taken the shape and tone you want, check on the spelling, punctuation and other aspects of grammar and style in each draft to achieve a well polished article. It is not a bad idea if you seek a second opinion from your peers before preparing the final draft. There are thousand of writing communities on the internet which may assist you in that regard.
After writing the final draft type it and send it to the responsible editor of the publication.
The Contents
What goes into making a successful article? Well the answers could be varied depending on the scope and nature of the article. I believe there can be no standard way of writing an article. However, we can at least agree on some universal principles of what constitutes a good article.
First, any article must be captivating to its intended readership or audience. Readers must be glued to it and have the thirst to read it on until the end. They will read it twice, thrice and even more or keep it as a souvenir for days and years to come. This is the ideal article and if yours can reach that level then the better.
Your article must offer useful information, which the reader may use to his benefit or at least enlighten him on important issues. If it is a story it will give the reader temporary relief or inspiration on a particular issue. It will make him dream or be filled with imagination, which will give him a sense of relaxation. In brief it will entertain him.
How will you achieve all that? By organizing the article in a logical and structured order. You will use words to convey ideas precisely; you will say what you mean and mean what you say. Choose the right words to convey the intended message. You swear not to use incomprehensible metaphors and jargon and if you do then you are certain that they are at the level that your audience is readily familiar with. Use the right similes and aphorisms. Be concise in your use of language, make the sentences and paragraphs flow smoothly with similar ideas aptly grouped and flowing in a logical and pleasant order. Paragraphs are short and measured.
All that is not easy to achieve with the stroke of a pen and you will have to do much learning and imagination to attain that level. Hopefully there is an easy path to that objective. This is through constant reading especially of fiction books since they are a great resource of imaginative ideas and are models of language use.
Read them regularly and take a few notes down. Do not stop with fiction books but do also read magazines, newspapers and other non-fiction works. See what other successful writers have done and follows the principles behind their writing success.
Let’s now look at the how part of writing. An article contains three main parts that is introduction, the body and the conclusion. The introduction may be said to be the most important part of the article. This is not to underrate the other two parts or to say that we can have an article without the other parts.
We wish rather to show its significance in interesting your readers to want to read the article. This is exemplified with the first opening paragraph popularly known as the leader or lead paragraph. It is a strong paragraph which aptly summarized the theme of the article. It will mostly likely be one sentence but no harm if it is split into two or three sentences.
The body of the article follows next after the introduction and is divided into many paragraphs depending on the length of the article. The main theme of the article is developed here. Arguments and counter-arguments are made. Facts are spilled. Comments are made. Analysis is done. Without the body you have no successful article or no article at all. Your credibility as a writer will be judged on how you successfully handled the writing of the body. You readers will have no regrets of having gone past the introduction and entering the body. If they find it satisfactorily written, suspense overcomes them until they reach the conclusion.
To conclude the article, the writer ingeniously in a few sentences summarizes the theme of the article. He does not recapitulate the facts cited in the body but gives the reader the sequel of the story. It all requires creativity to write a good conclusion that leaves the readers with good memories of your article. The conclusion does not leave questions lingering the minds of your readers but gives a final word on the theme. In matters which are full of uncertainty the writer speculates on the most likely outcome.
Marketing Your Work
Here comes the most important part. You have taken days or weeks collecting information, gathering ideas, writing and polishing your article and it is high time you gained from your sweat.
There are several approaches to selling your article. Each has its own advantages but most experts are unanimous that querying is the better option. This is simply because it is inexpensive and you get value for what you work for even if after a long time. It is hassle-free and while not without its disappointments, it is relatively less painful if you receive a rejection.
Querying is the first thing you should do after you have formed a strong idea on the theme of your article. Check publications directories and on the internet for addresses of editors responsible for accepting freelance writers' work and then write to them addressing them by their names and titles.
A query is a one page or so letter to a named editor of a publication asking for an opportunity to contribute an article for publication. It contains a brief summary of the main theme of the article, it’s suggested length, when you are likely to deliver it if you are commissioned to write it, the likely benefits the readers will derive from the article and why you are the right person to write the article.
You should put a lot of imagination in writing the query letter as this is your best opportunity to convince the editor of your ability to deliver on your promises. If you have a good resume attach it or mention briefly relevant contents which makes you stand out as the most suitable to write the article. Editors prefer experienced writers to novices and if you have what it takes then say so. Otherwise if you are a beginner avoid saying so but include a few samples tailored to the publications readers taste. If you will use special or exclusive sources of information then don’t forget to mention that in your query.
How many times should one query per article? As many times as is practicable, just so long as you are able to deliver on your promises taking into consideration time constraints. In fact for your writing business to be viable you need to send many queries to ensure that your potential earnings will be able to sustain you in your career. However you should be wary of a situation where you receive several acceptances on the same theme and you send exact replicas of the article. Try to give a different spin and change the wording to suit different publications. Take work according to your ability and capacity.
The other alternative to marketing your work is to write articles for mass audiences imagining their needs and tastes and submitting to various publications. You target several publications in one category which you feel will be most suitable to accept the theme of your article. You may also copy your article from your disk or computer and paste on virtual publishing communities websites or email your article to various editors. This is a quick and cheap way of making multiple submissions of your articles.
We have mentioned virtual publishing communities websites and I feel we should explain briefly what they are. These are websites which accept articles or work form writers and sell to various publications and pay you a modest fee. They are a good starting point for the beginner as they provide quick results of seeing your work published. To be frank it is difficult to win writing assignments without some writing experience or proof that you are a published writer. Such websites give you an easy way of proving yourself and also earning something from your work.
However, these type of websites may have their own pitfalls such as going out of business before you get paid or profiting from your work and giving you little in return. A consoling fact is that you still retain your copyright and you can sell your articles to other publications. Please regard these websites as sources of additional income and not the ultimate markets for your writing work.
How do you know which publications accept work from freelance writers or even the names and addresses of magazines and newspapers editors? There are several ways to do that and we shall mention a few here. A good reference for finding freelance writing markets is the annual Writers Markets. This contains names and addresses publications which accept freelance work. You may order it from Amazon.com or you can check if there is a copy at your local library. On the web, you can use search engines such as Google.com to search for markets by using keywords such as “newspapers and magazines”. You will be surprised by the sheer volume of links that are available which you can browse slowly to look for the categories you want. You will find thousands of publications whether classified by country, subject or readership.
Dealing With Rejections
While doing your marketing you will experience some difficulties such as some publications which have gone out of circulation or editors who do not respond but more often you will receive many polite rejections. Some editors may give you suggestions they wish you to consider before accepting your proposal.
All in all we have to accept that rejections are a fact of life and we will have to live with them but you will be a lot wiser if you study the reasons for your rejections to enable you improve your future queries and submissions thus increasing your chances of getting acceptances. While some editors may not be interested in the theme you are proposing others would have been dissatisfied with your level of experience to handle the articles you are proposing to write. It could also be that the publication has received a similar query from another writer or has plans to write a similar piece using their staff writers. Probably they have published an article on the same theme recently and they feel they have exhaustively covered the subject and unless you have something new or refreshing they are not accepting any proposals for now.
Read what they write to you and learn from their reasons. Do not be discouraged but send more queries to other publications. Choose popular themes for articles and add more value in them such as statistics, photographs, expert comments and an objective assessment of the issues. With time and patience you will ultimately succeed.
Organizing Yourself
As you carry on with your writing you need to organize yourself to successfully take advantage of opportunities as they come along and to ensure that you do not fail to beat deadlines. There are basic necessities such as stationery including files for clippings manuscripts and photographs. You need to keep track of your articles to know where they were published, when and follow up payments. You may need to draw up contracts, type up your articles, post or email them.
Prepare and follow a work plan to enable you succeed in researching and writing articles. Deal with one assignment first before you go to the next. Dedicate as much time as possible to writing since this is the core function of your career. If you write less then the less you will earn and the less motivated you will be to continue with writing.
You also need to spend much time querying on multiple article ideas. This is important since you will be looking for future sales. Though specializing on one genre is good, you should occasionally look for other branches of writing and markets to maximize your chances of making sales.
Manage your financial affairs well so that you do not cripple your career, budget your income and invest in books and other publications o keep your ideas train moving on and on. Don’t forget to invest in savings and other lucrative opportunities for the occasional rainy day.
Once you have a stable income you may open a small office and employ staff to assist you in research, typing and other important tasks. This will enable you churn out more articles every month than if you handle everything yourself. Keep expenses to a minimum and go for high paying markets.
You can build a career out of writing and earn yourself extra income part-time or regular income full time from freelance writing. However you need to study the art of writing, organize yourself and constantly search for markets to stay afloat.
Don’t fear to take the plunge, the time is now!
by: Abdallah Khamis Abdallah
10 Ways To Generate New Articles Ideas And Topics
1. Brainstorm for new ideas.
Add your brainstormed ideas to an idea file that you can go back to when you are stuck for a topic.
Also add ideas you get from other sources into this file so that you'll always have a fresh source of inspiration.
2. Visit forums and message boards.
Look for an interesting topic or thread in the posts that you can turn into a new article.
3. Check out newspapers and news programs.
Depending on what you like to write about, you could find some new hot topics.
4. Subscribe to e-zines that reach your target audience.
You'll be able to get new, relevant information that could spark an idea for an article.
5. Review your own articles.
Keep your eyes open for things that you touch on in your articles that you could expand into a full article.
Also look for ways to further educate your readers on the topics that you've written about in the past.
6. Read other people's articles.
You could look over the submissions to article announcement lists and article directories, or you could visit a site that has articles you enjoy reading.
You might be able to come up with an original slant that the other author didn't cover in her article or a topic that you could research for your next article.
7. Use questions you get from your subscribers, visitors, or customers for ideas.
Questions that you get on a regular basis can be an excellent source of new ideas and topics that will appeal to your target audience.
8. Go to a seminar or marketing conference.
In addition, to finding more new article topics, you'll be able to learn new things and gain more contacts.
9. Conduct an interview.
You'll be able to get a new article from the interview itself.
The person you interview could also bring up things in their responses that you could do some research on for a new article.
10. Run a survey.
Ask your participants what topics they're interested in learning more about in your e-zine or on your site, and you'll be able to get more new ideas and topics.
by: Ken Hill
A Publisher’s Rant – A Checklist of Items
Assuming you’ve read my rants on articles, you may want a checklist of items to consider for future articles. I am at your service.
Checklist
This checklist is going to be short and to the point. Remember, I’m lazy. Go back and read the original article if you need more information.
1. Headlines – Keyword phrases should ALWAYS be the first words. No exceptions.
2. First Paragraph – No more than 38 words. Two to three short sentences with the keywords from your headline included near the beginning.
3. No one sentence paragraphs.
4. Cut up long sentences into shorter ones. If a sentence is over two lines, it can be cut down.
5. Linking In Article – Don’t. Just do it in the byline.
6. Body Headlines – Break up the article with headlines in the body. Just keep them short and capitalize the first letter of each word.
7. Last Paragraph – Sum up the point of your article. Don’t include links or a plea to go to your site. Use the byline for your begging. I do.
8. Bylines – Keep them under four lines. Try to include the keyword phrases you are using on your site. If you are linking to an internal page of the site, use the keywords on that page, not your home page.
Eight stinking guidelines. Is that too much to ask? I think not! Besides, I’ve already had laser surgery and can’t afford a second session of smelling my eyeballs smoke. Please follow them. If you do, I will publish your articles and so will others.
Despite the tone of these articles, I am trying to help you get more bang for your buck with your articles. Okay, I am also trying to make my life easier, but there isn’t any reason why we can’t both benefit. If you want to get published more often, follow these guidelines. Publishers, webmasters and editors will love you.
The again, I could be wrong.
Okay. Occasionally you can use one-sentence paragraphs.
Just not very often.
by: Halstatt Pires
3 Elements to a Deal-Sealing Classified ad
Have you ever wondered why your perfectly fine classified ad fails to attract the attention you desire? There should be dozens—no, hundreds—of perspective buyers swamping your e-mail inbox with offers. After all, you are offering a mint baseball card, a vintage coat, pristine used car, those wholesale-priced sporting goods, and whatever other attractive items are in your inventory. Instead, you only have a slow trickle of questions, a handful of sales. What gives? More than likely, your sales are slow because you have not mastered the three techniques of writing a classic classified ad.
Of course, give yourself credit for recognizing one important facet of today’s selling world. You decided to sell your stuff at an online classified site. As anybody in the business knows, online classified ads get you more privacy, a broader selection of buyers, and a wealth of tools to help you keep tabs on your transactions. When compared to a newspaper, cyberspace is also a wee bit more spacious. There are billions of pages on the Web, and only a few dozen in your typical neighborhood rag. For you, that means a lot more space for your ad to say the least.
With that space, however, comes great responsibility—and great potential. The extra room gives you the freedom to include as much product description and sale copy as you want. You can’t just slap together a whole bunch of information, though. You need to use the three special ad writing techniques that will attract buyers and seal the deal: attention, interest, and action.
Attention. Make sure the buyer stops at your ad instead of the thousands upon thousands of others out there in cyberspace. Your ad’s title is the first lure to grab his or her attention, and the first component of a catchy title is the item’s best feature, whether it’s the price, the item’s rarity, or its popularity. Next, be sure the title includes keywords or other synonyms for your item that a buyer might use in a search. For instance, a buyer could search for “automobile” instead of “car,” “pullover” instead of “sweater.”
Interest. Once you have the buyer’s attention, hook them with details. There is a direct relationship between the amount of information you provide and the number of sales you’ll make. So describe the item as completely as possible—size, color, material, designer, model—and provide a clear, digital photo to finish the job where your words leave off. Even offer your prospective customer the item’s history if possible.
Also, try to list as many possible benefits that your sales item could offer the buyer. Come up with some that the buyer probably wouldn’t think of on his or her own. And zone in on specific benefits. Use what you already know about your target. For instance, if you were selling a car, you know that whoever is looking at your ad is in need of a vehicle. If your car is compact, perhaps the buyer is in search of great gas mileage. Or perhaps it’s power he or she wants if your car is a sports model.
Action. Finish your ad strongly. Don’t just suggest to the buyer that you offer a great deal. Tell them it’s a fantastic offer that they can’t pass up. Use phrases like “Call me now before someone else does” or “Buy now, this opportunity won’t last long.” Be cordial while you’re pressing the issue, of course. Thank them for reading your ad and make sure they know you appreciate their business.
Most importantly, your customers will also value your honesty throughout the whole ad. So whether it’s the attention, interest, or action you’re shooting for, never lie or exaggerate. Go so far to include any defects if your product is not in mint shape. Your honesty will build trust, and trust above all else makes an ad work. What’s more, it makes for repeat customers.
Remember, if you use all three of these elements—or four if you include honesty. When you’re finished with it, it should read something like the two examples below.
Example 1:
Discover the beauty of a Forest Hill Home
2500 sq. ft. home, 4 bedroom, 3 baths, double garage, upgraded kitchen, 12 ft. ceilings
This open concept house is situated in a historical landmark district of Rhode Island. It’s a wonderful neighborhood to raise your family, with nearby schools and amenities.
(Insert your image or photo here.)
Call for an on-site appointment. Thanks for looking!
Example 2:
Looking for an inexpensive used car that drives well? only $4,950.
2003 Honda Civic, Limited Edition, 65,000 miles, manual transmission, CD, AM/FM radio, power steering, low maintenance. Great on gas - this car will save you $$$ on high gasoline prices.
(Insert your image or photo here.)
Send me a message now. Thanks for looking!
About the author:
Donald Lee is the public relations manager for Buysellcommunity.com Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services for individuals and businesses to market their products and services online. For global and localized classifieds, please visit
http://www.buysellcommunity.com
Free Buy and Sell Classifieds
by: Donald Lee
Circulated by Article Emporium
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