This is a continuation of the previous posts “How to start a blog that will actually make you money [Part 1], Mini-Course: How to start a blog that will actually make you money [Part 2], Mini-Course: How to start a blog that will actually make you money [Part 3], Mini-Course: How to start a blog that will actually make you money [Part 4] & Mini-Course: How to start a blog that will actually make you money [Part 5] in which we went over the basics of:
- Choosing and purchasing a domain name
- Securing reliable web hosting (and what hosting actually is)
- Setting up WordPress on your site
- Selecting a WordPress theme
- Selecting and installing plugins for your site
- Choosing a topic
- Creating a post & including pictures
If you haven’t read through the previous posts, please do that now, since this week we are going to dive into how to post content to your blog (step-by-step technical instructions).
This week we are going to now fine tune those newly acquired skills and lay out 6 Tips For Writing Articles Faster & More effectively.
When you are blogging for the initial purpose of making money, the skill of writing is obviously going to be one of the most instrumental assets you can obtain.
Regularly published quality (emphasis on quality) content is king when it comes to building your site up. This means that you will need to churn out new content on some sort of schedule for an ongoing period of time.
Of course, you could also hire or outsource a writer to create your articles for you, but for the most part the best cost-effective option is to get into the swing of things by doing it yourself.
Benefits of going it on your own:
- No additional money out of your pocket to hire someone
- Increase your writing skills
- Learn more about the topic you are writing about
- Hone your research skills
Being able to write well and quickly is probably the single most important skill to help pave your path to online success. Here are the top 6 steps to take that will help you to increase your speed:
1. Allot a portion of your day that will be devoted to your writing.
Choose a segment of your day where in which you usually feel the most energized and focused and will have the fewest interruptions. Set aside this time period for your writing. Switch them up until you find the best time that will be the most effective for you.
2. Brainstorm
Write (type) down some ideas or thoughts that are related to the topic at hand in a blank document. Don’t worry about how useful you think they might or might not be.
This will help you to quickly get a rough sense of direction for your article. And hopefully lowering the possibility of your mind wandering off onto a tangent that isn’t related to your article.
3. Research
Look online for 3-5 articles that support or pertain to your topic. This is where the ability to scan an article quickly will come in handy. Do not read the articles in depth, but rather skim them for portions that might be useful for your topic.
After you have found a handful of articles, open another document and copy and paste (yes I did say copy and paste) relevant bits that you think will be useful to your article.
Spend no more than 10-15 minutes on this portion.
4. Remove distractions
Now that your research is done, it’s time to get down to business. This means clearing both your mind and physical self of any possible distractions that would keep you from completing the task at hand. This includes:
- Closing all web browsers (except the two documents you just created)
- Turning off your cell phone
- Closing your web-mail app or window
- Notifying family / roommates that you are not to be disturbed
5. Begin writing – Don’t worry about editing
In order to get the most of your time, set a timer or some sort of alarm to go off after 45-50 minutes. Spend the 45-50 minutes focused only on your article you are writing and nothing else. (No emails, reading the news, browsing facebook, etc) After the allotted time, take a 15 minute break and reset the timer to resume your focus for another 45-50 minutes.
Using the research document, read through each of the snippets that you copied and pasted. Write in your own words your interpretation of each of the snippets. Resist the urge to edit as you go. At this stage we are concerned only with writing and letting your creativity flow, not editing for grammar, spelling, etc.
Keep writing until you feel you have written enough to fully express what you wanted to get across about the topic. Although, keep in mind the longer the article the less likely someone will actually read the entire piece. Best to keep them on the shorter side. 1000-1500 words is ideal.
6. Edit
Once you have finished with the initial writing, it’s time to spend some time editing your draft.
Start by deleting your brainstorming and research notes. Change up the order of your paragraphs and add in bits and pieces here and there to get a good natural flow when reading it through.
Use a spellchecker and/or the help of a friend to assist with spelling and grammar mistakes.
Walah! You have now completed your first article written in a quicker more effective manner.
Finding this article helpful or encouraging? Let us know in the comments below.
