Article Writing Tips | Part of the Freelance Writing Jobs Blog Network » Sources/Inspiration

Follow Article Writing on Facebook

Terreece Clarke — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:32:53 +0000

Heads up FWJ crew, Article Writing at Freelance Writing Jobs has a Facebook fan page! Come on over for great post links from FWJ and other great sites, stimulating conversation and an opportunity to ask all your deep, dark article writing questions.

Day 3, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

Terreece Clarke — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 07:30:20 +0000

Day three’s tip is easy – have fun. Even when writers are actively living their dream, they can get bogged down in the everyday activities of being a writer. It is important to remember that while you’re billing clients, scheduling meetings, researching, organizing and working to improve your writing skills you can still have fun and you should, this is a fun job!

Too often when writers really start working as writers – getting paid on a regular basis, they have multiple clients, etc., they lose sight of the awesome-ness of being a freelance writer and only focus on the business of being a writer. Don’t get me wrong, a successful writer never turns away from business matters for long, but all work and no play makes a writer duller than bargain basement knives. This lack of sharp passion will show up in your work, heck it could already be a factor.

Having fun with your work could be as simple as trying new brainstorming techniques or reaching out to a new publication. It’s still work related, but you will benefit from a change in pace. It’s also important to be of the right mood and attitude for your assignments.

I had to write an article on breast cancer survivors and how the diagnosis and overall experience affected families. There was nothing fun about the assignment at first. I was nervous approaching my sources and less than eager to have them relive some of the hardest moments in their life. The article, aptly titled “Surviving Breast Cancer,” became on of my favs. I allowed myself to have fun with both the interview and the format of the article. I simply had a conversation with several wonderful women and wrote about our conversations, Q & A style.

When you have fun with your work and delight in what you do, you work harder to produce better work. The breast cancer article wasn’t a bunch of facts with a person and anecdote thrown in to validate the information, it was people talking and revealing information during the course of conversation and, it was fun.

Relevant Posts:

Day 2, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

5 Days, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

Brainstorming Technique #2 Freewriting

5 Reasons Why Evergreen Articles Rock

Terreece Clarke — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:25:36 +0000

It’s not just the Christmas spirit and winter snow that has me excited about evergreens. Granted, I love wrapping a big tree in tinsel, but I really love wrapping my keyboard around an evergreen topic. The term evergreen topic refers to subject matter people are always interested in reading. They are popular search engine requests and usually revolve around the basics of any particular subject, for example, “home office deduction,” “freelance writing,” or “writing a query letter.” Most writers will find themselves assigned one of these pieces and that’s a great thing for several reasons:

5. Popular topic, popular article

Writing on a popular topic means the article is going to be read by many, referenced and if online, gather hits for a long time. When a writer produces a well-written piece on eating organic, they can rest assured they will always find an audience willing to send clicks their way.

4. Plenty of places to sell

Evergreen pieces have a broader market where they can be pitched. Editors are always looking for good pieces with a long shelf life to boost readers and maintain reader loyalty. Using the eating organic example, there are a variety of possible publications including cooking, health, parenting, gardening, environmental awareness and senior citizen targeted publications. Writers will still have to angle their pitch to the specific publication, but the markets are there and that’s what is important.

3. Stretches creativity

Popular subjects make writers use their brains to come up with new angles and sources. Publications may include the same subject matter, but they don’t want to publish the same piece written by different authors over and over again.

2. Intro to niche writing

Writing a general piece on a subject can awaken the idea monster in a writer. Points lightly touched upon in an evergreen article can be explored further in progressively specialized articles. Before you know it, you’ve written dozens of articles on a subject and have another area of expertise to add to your resume.

1. Show talent for the general and specific.

Many freelancers write for specialized publications or have a heavy concentration in a niche and that’s not a problem if that’s the only area in which you have writing interests. When writers get antsy for something new, they can find themselves at a disadvantage. They may want to write fashion pieces, but all their clips say technical writer. Taking the time to write general evergreen articles gives a writer variety in their clips, ensuring they have a broad body of work to chose from when pitching outside their niche.

There are standard subjects people want to learn more about and as a writer you have the opportunity to not only provide this information, but to use your skill and natural talent to take the subject in a new direction, discover new angles, developments and research. I believe blog and web sites benefit from evergreen articles the most because people may not hold on to a magazine forever, but they will continually refer back to their favorite posts and links. If you haven’t branched out into this area already, make it a point to do so in the new year – you won’t be sorry.

Bringing Community Back: FWJ’s Giving Away $150!

Deb — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:40:32 +0000

Once upon a time there was a blog. This blog had several thousand visitors each day. They shared. They chatted. They commiserated. It was all good. Soon some mean people came by and began scaring away the happy chatters. The vibe changed from warm and fuzzy to not so much fun anymore. The owner did her best to build up community, but she was so busy with her projects and her job it wasn’t happening. She put a comment policy into place but the damage was already done. She had a reputation for having a community that liked to bicker.

She wants to change that.

If you remember the days when FWJ was a huge, lively community of writers helping writers, you may miss the golden days as well. Let’s try and get it all back. Several years ago, we built this community with a contest – a comments contest. We offered a $25 gift certficate to the person with the most comments. People came and never left. It was good.

We’re doing it again, except we’re upping the ante.

Beginning today, October 1st, we’re giving away $150 to the people who help to bring back this wonderful community. We’re giving away three $50 prizes.

The person with the most comments between now and October 31st, on the homepage Freelance Writing Jobs blog, will receive $50.
The person with the most comments across the whole FWJ network by the end of the month, that’s all of the blogs, will receive $50.
The FWJ blogger who does the most to build community and join the conversation will win $50 at the end of the month.

Just a few notes:

Comments that only say ” I agree” or add nothing to the conversation won’t count.
Comments not adhering to our comment policy will be deleted and won’t count.
Spammy comments or comment dropping links – unless they’re truly offering something to the conversation – won’t count.

I know you’re here. I see the numbers. Thousand of people visit each day and even more subscribe. Come join the conversation. Let’s bring community back!

Stumped for Article Ideas? Query Your Friends!

Terreece Clarke — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:59:10 +0000

It happens to all of us every once in a while. You need an idea for a column, blog or article and you can’t quite seem to come up with an idea that grabs your interest. Sometimes normal sources of information just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you gotta have friends.

Soliciting article advice from friends is a great way to put your social networking skills to good use. Tap your Twitter buddies and your Facebook friends to help you come up with the next, best idea for your work.

Make sure you tap your friends who are not writers, they often give the best ideas and angles for a story. These are people who aren’t tainted by the writing process and the burden of reading so much in a particular niche. It is also an exercise in digging for the story because most of the ideas thrown at you aren’t in query, blog, or article ready form. Turn a general “What about health care” suggestion into a working topic by asking questions about people’s concerns, local health care issues, or something germane to your niche or target audience.

“What about health care?” can breakdown into:

Pet Insurance Do’s & Don’ts
Finding coverage for children
Local health care advocate news
Health issues in your state, city, school
Where your local Congressman stands on health care

The options are endless and I guarentee you’ll not only be able to gather great ideas from your friends, you’ll be able to find some pretty good sources among them as well.

Have you ever used a social networking site to gather ideas for an article? Tell us below.

Writing When You Know Nothing About the Subject Part 1

Terreece Clarke — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:35:21 +0000

I hear a lot of writers talk about how they won’t apply for certain jobs or worry about accepting assignments because they know nothing about what they’d be required to write about and I hope to set you free today by letting you know you don’t have be an expert on a subject to write about it.

*Sigh* Felt good didn’t it? Letting out that breath of fear and hesitation is the first step to taking your writing career to the next level. Now, back to business. How do you write about something of which you have no knowledge? Research, research, research.

Do you need to become a leading expert in the subject before you can write your lede? No, but you need to become literate in the subject before you can begin searching for and interviewing subjects. Read up on the bones of the subject and then look at your audience. Are they other experts, hobbyists or the casual reader? Knowing your audience helps you determine how in-depth your knowledge of the subject needs to be.

Read up on the subject and then contact an expert. Ask the basic questions and also ask for research and source recommendations. Ask about angles on the subject that are not often covered. Remember, even for the casual reader you want to offer something more – something that will catch a reader’s eye and draw them into the article. Every parent has read an article on infants losing their belly buttons, but an article targeting less circulated newborn belly button issues like hernias is a great and different angle.

On Thursday: Part 2 – Research Sources.

Top 10 Reasons Why Your Writing is Suffering

Terreece Clarke — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:58:21 +0000

Why aren’t I getting gigs? Why am I caught in this niche I have grown to hate? Where’s my career going? There are a lot of reasons why a writer’s work suffers and some are so common most writers have or will experience them at some point. Do any of them ring a bell?

You’re bored. There are times a writer needs to switch course or look for new ways to stay passionate about an familiar topic.
You’ve gotten lazy. Let’s be honest, sometimes freelancers slack off and don’t feel like doing what they are supposed to do. I’ve been there and it’s tough to get back on task, but take a look at that electric bill – feel like writing now?
You’re not reading enough. The more you write, the more money you make right? The more work you have can take away from the other things that make a writer great, like reading other great writers. It’s amazing the amount of inspiration one well written piece can provide another writer.
You’ve got too much work. It sounds like a good problem to have, but in reality too many projects can take away from the time you have to devote to the perfection each project. The result? Sloppy or rushed work and not too much to show for it.
You’re burned out. When’s the last time you took a break? Switched up the routine a bit? If you’re still thinking, you may need a breather, a chance to go off the grid for a day or so and recharge. Time to refresh is not a privilege it’s a necessity.
You’re lonely. Online social networking is great and you can make some wonderful friends, but you also need to get out there and make friends in and out the writing field. You need your writing friends to commiserate and appreciate the life you lead and you need non-writing friends to give a different perspective. A writer’s life can be a lonely one and it can drive you bonkers, don’t let it happen to you.
You don’t have any support. Are you battling deadlines, kids, bills and the feeling no one really understands what you do? You are in need of support – it makes all the difference in the world. When someone’s in your corner it can help you get over those hump days and it’s important to have someone to share the good times. Nothing like calling up a friend to relay the news of a hot new gig knowing they are just as excited as you are about it.
You’re not enjoying yourself anymore. An important indicator of having a great job is when you love what you do. You don’t have to love it all the time, there are days I’d like to throw my laptop and favorite pen out the window, but generally I get a whiz bang out of writing. Recapture that magic and it’ll show up in your work.
You’re not charging enough. Raise your hand if you ever worked your butt off for a piece only to get the check and decide it’s just not worth it? Ok, hands down. What’s going on with your fee schedule? Should you really charge more and does your work justify it? This great article from James will help you make what you’re worth.
You’re not doing what you really want to do. You became a freelancer so you could travel the globe, or your local playground, finding tips and trends in a fascinating field. Six months later you’ve got SEO and tech work coming out of your ears. You keep telling yourself it pays the bills, but really a corporate job would do just as well if that’s all you wanted. Time to check your goals and develop a plan to get back to your dreams.

Getting to the bottom of what ails your pen is not only great for your career, it’s great for your health. People who are passionate about what they do live fuller and longer lives. Let’s get you back to living yours.

Thursday’s post: “Inspirational Writers for Inspired Writing”

Got any great tips on a common writing threat/malady? Have you dealt with one of these and overcome? Share below!

There’s No Whining in Freelance Writing

Terreece Clarke — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:38:34 +0000

This week I am pretty disturbed at the amount of angst Deb received when she took a break from writing leads. There was a distinctive tone I heard in many of the comments that was very familiar…it was like so many of the writers I’ve had the opportunity to work with throughout the years.

I heard a level of entitlement. I’m sure you’ll find it in every line of work, a host of people who like to stay in their comfort zone, particularly when that comfort zone has a bit of hand holding.

As an editor, I love to work with writers who have flexiblility and who strike a good balance between independence and knowing when to seek counsel. These writers are confident in their knowledge and skills enough to know when things are under control and when it’s important to contact an editor with questions. These writers are more likely to be the ones who accept edits and input with professionalism and make editing a breeze.

Then there are writers who really like their comfort zones. They never want to vary from their writing style or story angle no matter if it’s better for the audience or publication. They view critiques and edits as a personal attacks and they require a fair amount of hand-holding. An editor’s job is tough enough without having to baby-sit a writer.

Here’s the problem with loving your comforts too much – it prevents you from stretching and growing as a writer. So while there are some things as a writer you’d prefer to live without – a good cup of coffee, or in my case cocoa and a sharp pencil, there are some things you can’t live without and thrive in this profession: flexibility, independence and a “plan-b.”

If You’re Bored Writing It…

Terreece Clarke — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:42:51 +0000

By Terreece M. Clarke

…Then I’m likely bored reading it.

It’s true. Writing articles or blogs can become so by-the-formula that you can mentally check out and still deliver, on the surface, a quality article.

A “surface quality article” has all of the makings of a great article – structure, sources, insight, clean copy, but lacks oomph or the passion of the writer behind it. There is a difference between mom’s brownies made with love – whether from box or scratch – and the mass produced, machine-handled bricks that pop out the vending machine. You can serve them both up on a plate, but it feels different.

A bored writer often comes from boredom with the subject or approach. Figure out which one applies to you and work on bringing the vigor back. If it’s the subject that puts you to sleep, new sources, new angles, unusual audiences may help stimulate your mind.

How are you approaching your work? Downtrodden with a heavy heart, all business or with enthusiasm to bring out the best the subject has to offer for your audience? Often it’s the mood you’re bringing to the table that will determine if your article has that extra sparkle.

Step out of your comfort zone or regimented routine and try something different. Inject humor into the article – where appropriate. Write the article from a completely different perspective. But do something, because if you’re boring I won’t read it and your audience won’t either.

Pull your next article ideas from today’s inauguration

Terreece Clarke — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:58:42 +0000

By Terreece M. Clarke

The world’s eyes are on the United States today as we swear in our first African-American President. As I watched history and prayed morning sickness wouldn’t strike in the middle of it, I found myself thinking several things. One of which was: “That would make a good article.” What can I say, I’m a writer and I find inspiration where I can!

Let’s look at some of the themes and occurrences of today and shape them into article ideas using popular categories that you can further break down to fit your niche:

Responsibility

This was a big theme in President’s Obama address and responsibility can fall into many categories:

Kids and Family – Responsibility and kids, Teaching responsibility, Role modeling responsibility
Green – Using your home/office/school energy sources wisely
Financial – Steps toward financial responsibility, What’s standing between you and financial responsibility?
Work – Get your boss to give you more responsibility at work

Service

Kids and Family – Ways to get your kids involved in volunteering, Finding volunteer opportunities in your area, Balancing volunteerism and career interests
Green – Green volunteering opportunities
Work – How to start a volunteer program at your company

Other themes:

Health – Know what to do when someone has a seizure
Fashion

Did today inspire any article ideas for you?