Yesterday, I received two article requests. One editor wanted a short piece on article-writing and the other requested a 1,200-word article on book promotion. <\/p>\n
How quickly can you respond to an editor with a completed article on your book’s topic? Does it take you days or weeks of contemplation and indecision and another few weeks to write and fine-tune the piece? What about coming up with article ideas on your own and following through with them? How long does it take you to do this? <\/p>\n
If you want to promote your book through articles (which is an excellent way to get exposure and build credibility, by the way), you really must learn to come up with ideas lickity split, on the spur of the moment. And then you should become accustomed to writing an article within an hour or so. <\/p>\n
If you know your topic and you are a skilled writer, this should not be difficult at all. If it isn\u2019t natural for you, yet, it will be with practice. <\/p>\n
Start with the idea. Practice coming up with ideas related to your book topic\/story.
\n\u2022\tStudy your book pages for ideas imbedded in the story\/text.
\n\u2022\tBrainstorm with others.
\n\u2022\tStart a running list of story\/article ideas.
\n\u2022\tSearch the web and other articles for ideas for new articles.
\n\u2022\tFind article ideas within the articles you’ve already written.
\n\u2022\tStudy magazines for article and story ideas.
\n\u2022\tListen for ideas when discussing your book with others.
\n\u2022\tWatch for new ideas when writing promo material for your book.<\/p>\n
Challenge yourself to spend less time writing an article. Much of the time spent writing an article is wasted on second-guessing yourself. You wonder, “Is it good enough?” “Is this what the editor wants?” “Will the editor like this paragraph?” “Does that last sentence make sense?”<\/p>\n
Absolutely, you should be concerned with all of the above. But don’t allow these things to sap your confidence or take too much of your time. <\/p>\n
There are two kinds of self-destructive self-editors: Those who don’t spend enough time in the editing process and those who over-think every sentence and every paragraph. <\/p>\n
Here are my recommendations:
\n\u2022\tCome up with the idea.
\n\u2022\tCheck to see if the idea is too broad. If so, hone it down a bit.
\n\u2022\tOutline your article so you can see the scope and focus of it.
\n\u2022\tFlesh out each section of your article with the info and quotes you plan to use.
\n\u2022\tFine-tune your article—make sure it flows, that the transitions work and that your message is clear and concise.
\n\u2022\tEnd it and send it.
\n\u2022\tStart a blog and add to it regularly. This is great practice for article-writing. <\/p>\n
So how long did it take me to write those two requested articles? Approximately an hour and 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
For assistance in honing your article-writing skills, sign up today for my on-demand online article-writing course at http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/course_magarticles.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n