Writing, Books, Newsletters, Business Writing, Writing Books Newsletters Non-business & Business Writing</b>
Search Article Library
  Advanced Search

Search Web | Dining Guide | Free Content | Contact Us | Home   
Recommended
Best Sellers
Amazon.com book about Writing, Books, Newsletters, Business Writing


[CaRP] XML error: junk after document element at line 1
Writing Books Newsletters Non-business & Business Writing</b>
Writing, Books, Newsletters, Business Writing, Writing Books Newsletters Non-business & Business Writing</b>

Writing Books Newsletters Non-business & Business Writing

Last Updated: May 26th, 2005 - 22:14:57


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

By Glenn Beach
May 21, 2005, 06:53

Email this article
 Printer friendly page


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: www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com




© Copyright 2005 by ArticleArticle911.com or article author

Top of Page

Writing, Books, Newsletters, Business Writing
Writing Books Newsletters Non-business & Business Writing
Popular Articles
Bush's Election Victory: Ethics, Morality and Religion Defeated War, Economy and Foreign Policy
PublishAmerica - Publishing Parasites
Will This Be Your First 'How-To' Report?
Catholics Need To Take a Second Look at Morality
Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author
Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher
A Few Brief Tips for Dealing with Rejection
The Lecture Experience: Part I
Write Right for the Right Reasons
Tips for First Time Authors : 2 Easy Steps to Make Your First Book a Success
Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher
Related News
Latest Headlines

Media Invitation: You are Invited to Attend

Tuesday 2 - Thursday 4 December 2008, Olympia Grand Hall, London UKThe Online Information Exhibition - is the perfect place for visitors to equip themselves with the information, skills and knowledge ...


 

It's a CSS Twitaway -- Free SitePoint Book for Twitter Followers

The world's first Twitaway is in full-swing, as SitePoint gives away its $29.95 CSS Book to everyone who follows the @sitepointdotcom account. (PRWeb Nov 21, 2008)

Read the full story at ...


 

Jimmy D Robinson's "A Tiny Shoe" Jumps Up The Billboard Club Play Chart

Jimmy D Robinson's International Dance Hit "A Tiny Shoe" Jumps to #32 on the Billboard Club Play Chart This Week! (PRWeb Nov 20, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.co...


 

Secure-eBook Makes Publishing and Selling eBooks on the Internet Easy for Any Authors a...

Novisoft has released a major update to Secure-eBook. For almost three years now, Secure-eBook has made selling eBooks on the Web easy for authors and publishers. The new update improves Secure-eBook...


 

RSS Feed for Your Site

New RSS feed generator creates instant theme-based content for your website. Improve your site ranking in all search engines. Built-In keyword tracking tells you exactly how many site visitors each of your pages are generating...
Everything I Needed to Know About Article Writing I Learned from My English Teacher













L10 Web Stats Reporter 3.15 LevelTen Hit Counter - Free PHP Web Analytics Script
LevelTen dallas web development firm - website design, flash, graphics & marketing