Can you write an email? If you answered yes, you have realistic chances of writing an article too. The simple steps listed below will help you get started.
Before You Write
Setting Writing Goals: Who are you writing this article for? Answer this question before you start writing. Imagine, you are writing a detailed email to your friend on a subject you want to share. This will get you started.
The Writing Process
First Words: Use one or two sentences to tell what you are going to say. You can edit or remove it from the final article. But, you must first tell what you are going to write about. This will help you stick to the topic of your choice.
Eg: Writing an article is as easy as writing an email. Explain.
Google sends truckloads of traffic to your website. How?
Anyone can lose weight while eating as much as they want. I have the secrets.
Treat those words as starting points only. You can build an article from there.
Writing an Attractive Headline: In 99 out of 100 chances, you will not read an article unless it has an attractive headline. So is the case of everyone else. People won’t read your article if it doesn’t have an attractive headline.
However, you don’t have to attract everyone in the world. You have to attract only those people who you think are interested in what you have to say.
Your headline must appeal to people who matter. Your headline must convey the whole message in a few words.
Examples:
Top 12 Digital Cameras Below $100
How to Lose 10 Pounds of Belly Fat in 20 Days
Secrets to Saving $100 on Your Next Flight Ticket
The key to writing effective headlines for articles is capturing the essence of the article in a few words. Those three headlines above give you a clear idea what the articles are all about.
*Tip: When writing headlines, capitalize (use upper case letters) first letters of every word, except connecting words (like on, to, of, in, etc).
Structuring the Sentences: Thus you have attracted people to your article with an enticing headline. Now is time to deliver what you have promised.
Use the following structure to write every paragraph. It won’t fail you. The structure is… tell and explain.
First tell what the point is. Then explain the point. If you are talking about cheap digital cameras, first mention a model. Then explain why it is a good/bad choice.
If you are talking about specific food items, tell what item it is. Then explain why it is good/bad for your body.
First tell your readers they can save $100 or more on flight tickets. Then explain how to do it.
Structure every paragraph this way. You will have no problem developing an article.
*Tip: Write short sentences. They are easy to read. Keep the average length of sentences to 15 words or less.
About Conclusions: Most people feel obliged to write a conclusion for every article they write. It is not true. You can end your article without a conclusion too.
If you think the article is not complete without a conclusion, capture the most important points in a sentence or two.
If you follow the steps above, you can easily complete a 400 to 500-word article in one hour or less.
After Writing
Don’t Forget Proof Reading: Leave your article there for a few minutes. Get away from the computer for five minutes. Then come back and read your article aloud. Fix any grammar or spelling errors. Also fix anything that sounds unnatural.
That is it. If you have an idea, use the above structure to deliver it in style. It feels really good to be a writer.
