Article writing for directory submission is a chore, but it's a chore that can bring you great satisfaction (and links) if you get your article writing time down under an hour.
1) Skip Research - Write Only What You Know
One huge trap for folks who are new to article writing for distribution to article directories is that they spend WAY too much time researching their articles. You should only choose as a topic the subjects that you're intimately familiar with and that will flow off the tips of your fingers when you sit to write. This should absolutely influence your choice of affiliate products to market through article marketing as you're liable to be pounding those keys yourself... so write what you know and save yourself hours of research headaches and lengthy trips down interesting but fruitless paths of inquiry.
2) Create an Outline
You probably have heard this if you've gotten past the third grade in grammar school. It's one of the article marketer's best secrets though and an absolute must for anyone who wants to crank out articles in the interest of developing thousands of website links. If you start to write with a blank page then you're instantly adding hours and hours to your process. Take ten minutes and list all the primary points you're going to make. Organize these points or tips into an outline and then flesh out the ideas as you write.
3) Write "Ten Tips" Style Articles
Ten tips style articles are easy to write because if you follow the outline-first advice then you've basically done all the hard work up front and won't have to rethink yourself once you enter the writing stage of your process. You have to protect this stage from incursions from other stages such as the editing stage and the organization stage. If you find yourself reorganizing once you've begun writing then you need to stop and restart your process over again.
4) Getting in the Flow - the Power of Setting Unreasonable Deadlines
The fastest way to get things done is to set ridiculously unreasonable deadlines for yourself. If you only have one hour to write your 750 word article from start to finish then it's far easier to see results than it would be if you gave yourself a day to get your first article done. You will feel far more productive and besides - you're writing for article directories here, not for the Pulitzer Prize. Let your conversational style flow.
5) Editing Tips
For one thing you should only be deleting during the editing phase. If you find yourself rewriting sentences, deleting and then pondering your word choice then you're spending too much time in editing. Remember that getting this done in an hour is your goal and you can get to editing in the 5 minutes before your article is due. Also you should be writing with your spell check turned off. There's nothing that stops the flow like those little red lines under your words. Spell check ONLY during your editing phase and get it done quickly!
6) the Right Writing Environment
Because you're creating unreasonable deadlines for yourself you're going to be more intense and able to focus. Still, you're going to want to have an environment that's conducive to writing for you. Many writers prefer to minimize distractions. Some prefer the hustle and bustle of a cafe. Consider experimenting for yourself, and be sure to communicate clearly to those around you if you're writing and would appreciate that they leave you to concentrate.
7) Choose the Right Writing Program
Some people prefer the writing program that comes with the world's most popular operating system. Fast writers know and love the simple "text pad" application that has absolutely no frills. This is because other programs are attention hogs and give you little reminders in their attempts to be helpful. If you've never written with the spartan text pad, or text editor that comes standard on most computers then give it a shot. It's likely to be a refreshing alternative to the intrusive word processing programs that try to correct your every sentence.
8) Know Your After Writing Rewards
If you love watching videos online then let yourself. Once you've gotten your article written. If you have to use the bathroom then hold it - until you've gotten your article written. If you're starving or thirsty then wait - until you've gotten your article written. There are hundreds of things that are likely to come up when you're writing your article. Let them come up and set these needs as your reward for finishing. You will love the results.
9) Know When to Bend Your Rules
If you set out to write 10 tips but can only think of 9 then just write 9 and be done with it. If you take an hour and ten minutes instead of an hour then so be it - you're done, right? And you're that much closer to getting hundreds of links to your website. You decided to get a snack before finishing your article? Well, shame on you for lack of self discipline but hey, if you still got the article done in an hour then who cares?
Note: the author of this article finished it in exactly 30 minutes. Now that's the power of unreasonable deadlines!
About the Author
Thom Kingsley, master article marketer, developed the 30 Day Article Marketing Challenge that helps you maximize links, traffic and profits by writing articles for article directory submission. Read the article marketing tips on his blog, http://www.MyArticleProject.com.
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