Tips to Writing Articles at Breakneck Speed

By Tim Rosanelli, published Sep 20, 2007
Published Content: 19  Total Views: 4,459  Favorited By: 0 CPs
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There I sat, staring at the blank page on my computer screen. Thinking to myself, "What should to write next?" Aagh! Writer's Block. It can happen to anyone. Does this sound familiar? Well, I researched writer's block and found some great tips to keep you writing without hitting that inevitable writer's block snag. This article will show how to write articles with blinding speed.

Research your topicAbe Lincoln said "If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." This is true about writing too. Instead of sitting down and waiting for inspiration, spend time to learn more about the topic. Let your ideas stew in the caldron of your brain for a while and start writing when you feel the idea or topic wants to burst out of you.

Forget the outline and create a map.It's simple, writing an outline on a topic stifles creativity. Why? Because writing from an outline accesses the logical part of the brain. I know this one from experience. When I write from an outline, my writing ended up sounding more like a scientific thesis then an interesting article. Boring! Now, I prefer a method of writing called mind mapping. It works like a charm. Mind mapping is a form of free association where you write your topic in the middle of a page and quickly jot down ideas around it. Then you connect similar ideas together by lines and attach it to the main theme.

Write fast and don't look backOne of the largest mistakes in writing is not to separate the writing phase and the editing phase. Most people agonize over each sentence in an attempt to produce the perfect copy the first time. Nothing will ruin your creativity more than editing while you go. SELF CRITISTISM is a writer's greatest enemy. Give yourself a set time limit to write --- say 30 minutes to write 500 to 600 words than write as fast as you can. Don't look back to edit, proofread, or correct spelling. Think about it as a rough draft. After writing the rough draft, I usually sleep on it or at least, wait a few hours before re-reading and editing. It's amazing how a break clarifies your thoughts and gives you more ideas that will improve the final draft.

Tips to Writing Articles at Breakneck Speed

Article Speed Writing E-book

Credit: Article Speed Writing

Copyright: Article Speed Writing

Takeaways
  • Research your topic helps speed the writing process
  • Forget writing an outline - it only stiffles your creativity
  • Ask yourself questions to keep yourself writing
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
 
 
Great info!

Posted on 03/23/2008 at 9:03:30 AM

 
Good advice - works for me to. And thanks for reminding me of the quintessential who what when and where, how and why. Article writing on AC is new to me and in my efforts to bend to a different format I almost forgot the nucleus of writing. I agree there are some articles that just flow uninterrupted and then they are done. I had one of those today - it was wonderful. Then there are those you agonize over. The best thing I have found is to walk away. The ideas will come when they are ready to.

Posted on 02/19/2008 at 6:02:17 PM

 
Thank you for this one. The mind mapping approach makes the most sense to me. Let the article take on a life of it's own and evolve... Imagine a mind mapping session where you go really crazy with the free associations. Then anything that is too off topic for the current article becomes the nucleus for the next article and so on. Sad to think that Associated Content only pays a few measly bucks for gems like this article. Well, that's a whole different topic altogether... P. S. - Just letting the free association take over with the last paragraph!

Posted on 12/11/2007 at 7:12:24 AM

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