Article Writing
How sad that good writers are told they
can’t earn a living doing what they love. You may
have the right skill set and inclination to become a full-time
writer and earn your money as a freelancer. Let me share
my story of success with you and perhaps orient you to do
what you have always liked to do.
With lot of hope and expectations, I started
my career as a freelance content writer. I still remember
all the times I wanted to give up and go back to a company
job where I could consistently make good money. But I am
glad I haven’t yielded to such restlessness. Perseverance
paid off and today I am happy to say that I am a full-time
freelance writer.
How
it all began
As a boy, I remember some stronger forces
driving me to have self-expression. When in college, I enjoyed
friends coming to me for their writing assignments. Each
of my friends thanked me with the same response: You would
become a good writer and publish books. Their encouragement
helped me understand that I had exceptional writing skills
that could be put to good use in making money for myself.
The demands of my day job required a lot
of writing so I was naturally keeping my skills honed. Because
of the free time too, it occurred to me that I could be
making some money through writing. I happened to know about
a content development company which pays for writing articles.
Like many beginners, I was not that confident that I was
a great writer. I felt overwhelmed with the feed back I
received; I decided to give it my best shot. That content
development company representative had a personal talk with
me as well appreciating my work. I have contributed good
number of articles and paid handsomely for my hobby as well
passion.
Here
are a few tips for aspiring article writers….
Set a goal for how many articles you will
write each week. Remember all beginnings are humble. I wrote
5 in the beginning, then 8 and to day I write 25 articles
by myself every week. In order to keep yourself alert and
working, keep a notice of status and work done on your work
desk.
Most preferred articles are those with the
list format discussing the steps of each topic. Organize
your thoughts and material in a linear method. This type
of article is not only easy to write but also popular among
the browsers.
Be a good reader of relevant areas. Record
on a scribbling pad every idea that looks impressive. I
started reading stuff that is relevant to the site I was
writing for. This not only gives me broader exposure, but
also fetches me more returns than I could if I remained
focused on only one subject.
Be a word-magician. You should have flair
to play with words. Some times, when you are short of information
or ideas, you may source ideas from google or other search
engines. Compile good information on the topic. Try to just
rephrase into your own words. But all through remember copying
ideas and using the same words of the downloaded article
is injustice to your writing potential.
To handle any block, just take a walk. I
always came back from a walk with at least 2-3 good ideas.
Then it’s for my computer to get them all down into
my article.
Write about the anticipated questions of
your reader. What questions do people ask about the topic?
Get into the shoes of a reader and prepare a list of these
questions and then write your answers. Turn these lists
into Q and A articles.
There
are good ways to get started as a freelance writer, but
you will very soon want to jump to high-paying mode once
you improve your skills. The rewards are great for those
writers who produce hundreds of articles. Keep looking for
as many ways to increase your productivity. Not only will
you find yourself writing more articles, you will find your
quality increasing as well. The appreciation and satisfaction
besides the returns are the lucrative side of Article Writing.