10 Article Writing Tips for Newbies or Beginners
Presented by Honey B Wackx
This article is written from the viewpoint and perspective of an author who remembers the early misgivings she had. It is written especially for the beginning article writer. The Honey B Wackx Girl has written and submitted hundreds of articles for publication and still finds article writing fascinating.
1. Needs vs. Wants:
Articles and Blogs are necessary in today’s scheme of search engine indexing. That’s just not what the newbie wants to hear. For sure, all of us hate article and blog writing at times, and some of us dread taking out a pen and paper (or computer keyboard for most of us) all the time. Many a webmaster would call them “a necessary evil” as they are not generally anyone’s best liked, should do, chores.
2. Just Start, It Gets Easier:
First it is sometimes difficult to get a subject or theme and to get the first couple of lines typed. There are authors who literally get sick thinking about writing an article. Lighten up. Once an author has a starting point and gets past the initial thoughts, article and blog writing usually goes fairly smoothly. The starting point is usually the sticking point.
The main thing is to get started. Pick a subject you know something about and just start. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how easily ideas flow. Don’t assume everyone knows what you know. They don’t. Will Rogers once said, “All men are ignorant, just on different subjects”. That’s so true!
3. Good vs. Perfection:
Your old English composition professor is not looking over your shoulder. This article does not have to be perfect. That is not to say it does not have to be on point or say it does not have to be correct. It should be. But, perfection is not the goal. Perfection is in fact, seldom possible.
Too much detail in your writing and you run the risk of losing your reader on several levels. Make it too long and most readers simply don’t have the time or interest to wade through the material regardless of how important it is.
4. Article Format:
Prepare your article in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. There are many tools from which to choose to get the job done. A search for ‘free ASCII editor’ or for ‘free plain text editors’ will provide one with a multitude of free options.
WordPress is a popular choice for a blog. If all else fails simply use notepad to turn out your masterpiece. You can transfer or upload it to a website later.
5. Spelling and Grammar:
Once you have your article or Blog post finished run it through a good spell checker and a good grammar checker. Microsoft Word works well for these purposes. Just don’t use the MS Word copy for publication of your article.
Rather use it’s suggestions to make any necessary corrections to your plain text copy. MS Word copy, however, will work for most blogs although you can use other editors or the editor that comes with the blog.
Just like the days when you were pushed by your teachers to write term and other papers, you will find article and blog writing skills become easier over time and with practice.
6. Blog Length vs. Article Length:
Most publishers want a minimum of six hundred (600) words per article – some will let you slide with four hundred (400) words. Blogs can be much smaller. Blogs can and maybe should support appropriate pictures and embedded links.
Just don’t overdo it. Too gaudy or too slow to load and you have wasted your time, ticked off a potential reader, and probably upset a host who can ban you from their publications. Articles, on the other hand, typically cannot carry these extra touches according to the requirements of most publishers. Click below for more article writing tips for newbies.
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