There are times when you have an article finished and you wonder if you’ve really done the piece justice. Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

5. It has great sources.

Great sources include leaders or well known folks in the field, interesting subjects that give a personal perspective to the piece or sources with something new to offer on an evergreen topic. Great sources have been vetted, they provide accurate information and there’s a demand for the information they are offer.

4. There are no holes.

All the questions have been answered – the ‘why’s’ and ‘why not’s’ researched and the ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘where’ and ‘when’ exposed. Attention has been paid to the audience and what they want to know.

3. It’s been thoroughly edited.

The editing process went beyond spell check. The article was allowed to marinate, then read aloud, printed out and double checked. It has been screened more than Dionne Warwick at the airport.

2. It has a killer lede (lead).

The kind of lead that stops you in your tracks and pulls you in like an ant at a cook out. The lede (lead) is catchy without being cliche, makes the reader think and stops the reader from turning the page.

1. You know it’s awesome.

Writers know when they’ve given an article their best. They know when a turn of phrase is magical or when an interview subject has just given the pull-out quote. It’s almost orgasmic when a piece or a lede seems to write itself, flowing from brain through fingers and out onto the computer screen. It is equally satisfying when an article is hard won. It’s a fight between the writer and the words and only one can win. The struggle to get every transition smooth, every bullet point packed with succinct information and finally, finally, victory. An article is good when there’s no need to see the score, you already know who won.

How often do you brainstorm writing ideas? Some writers have a constant steam of ideas they get throughout the week and others delve into their creative sauce to come up with ideas as needed. All of us should stop regularly and get our brains working on new article ideas and interesting angles on evergreen* topics.

Scheduling a brainstorming session is not only for coming up with new ideas, but to make sure, if you’re a niche writer, that you are staying on topic. It is really easy to find yourself moving away from your niche or particular area of interest if you get caught up in the day-to-day mechanics of maintaining a steady flow of work and income.

A brainstorming session is only as good as the preparation for it. Sitting down with a pen and blank piece of paper or word document can put a lot of pressure on yourself and can lead to a frustrating experience. Likewise, if you’re trying to generate ideas while making dinner, running errands or with Barney on in the background, it is unlikely you will be  able to successfully keep your train of thought on the right track. Here are a few tips to make your session a success:

• Pick a quiet time. Whether it’s during the kids’ naps or when the phone normally stops ringing, being able to hear yourself think is important.
• Gather inspirational materials ahead of time. Books, ads, magazine articles, old articles you’ve written, etc. – sometimes the best ideas are sparked by outside sources.
• The distractions of our regular workspace can be too much to ignore. Take a walk, find a quiet spot with WiFi, anything to get away from your Twitter account. Plus a new environment may help spark the flame of inspiration.
• Schedule a time and commit. You schedule everything else, especially work related items, this should be no different.
• Have a good way of recording and storing your ideas. If you’re a paper and pen person, be sure all of your hard work doesn’t end up on the back of a napkin that can be mistakenly used or thrown away. If you’re a electronic device user, have your storage means set up ahead of time. Your brainstorming session is not the time to create spreadsheets or figure out project management software.

What tips do you have for brainstorming success? Tell us below!

*Freelance Vocabulary Word Alert:

Evergreen topics – topics that have a long shelf life. They aren’t associated with trends or current events and normally are popular topics for a particular genre or subject. Example: Query tips is a popular evergreen topic for freelance writers.

Yes, we need to talk about it. Yes, many of you have heard this talk since the 6th grade, but it is worth revisiting. Plagiarism is serious and quite common, particularly on the web.

The OWL at Purdue University defines plagiarism as the uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of someone else’s words or ideas. Many writers and not all of them are newbies, include information in their articles, blog posts, etc., that originally appeared somewhere else without giving credit to the originator of the information.

Look at the first sentence in the paragraph above, see how I gave credit for the definition of plagiarism to Purdue University? It’s just that easy. It is also a necessary and essential part of being a responsible writer. When I was a journalism student, one of my professors would issue an automatic fail for an article if a writer failed to cite their sources. As far as credibility goes, the public will institute their own “fail” to writers who steal work from others.

It sounds harsh, but it is stealing. Someone else did all the work and you used it without their permission and without giving credit. It’s a sucky thing to do to another writer and you shouldn’t allow it to happen to you either.

There are websites and programs that will track where your work appears and when it comes across a lifted quote, paragraph or whole article, you’ll be notified.  When it does happen you have every right to contact the site admin, author, etc. and let them know your work has been used without permission and you’d like it taken down immediately. You can also try to be a nice person and offer to allow them to use your information for credit AND compensation.  If you do make an offer, be sure it doesn’t violate the policy of the publication in which your article first appeared.

If you ever have a question about whether you should cite a source, then you most likely need to cite the source. So be a responsible writer and give credit where credit is due!

Has your work ever been plagiarized? What did you do? Share!

Last week we talked about distancing yourself from your work in order to be able to edit with a fresh and critical eye: Self Editing Tip #1: Distancing yourself from your work. In addition to distancing yourself from your piece you need to be able to hear what the piece sounds like to other people.

No, you don’t have to go and round up neighbors to read your articles, all you have to do is read it out loud to yourself. Sounds a bit strange I know. The best thing about reading written work out loud is you are better able to get a feel of how the article flows. If you are reading your article out loud and you stumble over a spot or find yourself a bit confused with what the piece is trying to say, then most likely your audience will stumble or struggle at the same spot.

Hearing the piece out loud also allows for your ears to hear what is actually written on the page. Reading silently, our eyes can play tricks on us. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve silently edited a piece and think a word says one thing when it actually says another. It is because my mind knows what should be there so it helpfully places it there and those silly eyes go right along with the trick. Saying the words out loud will allow your ears to catch those slips of the mind.

Finally, reading a piece out loud helps you figure out where there may be holes in the piece, where your wording may become a bit cliche’, where transitions falter or where information needs to be broken up and possibly bullet pointed.

Many writers voice their initial discomfort with reading their work aloud, but it’s really easy to get over, just remember you probably talk to yourself anyway, why not make it benefit your career!

Writing golden hours – those hours in a day when you are most productive, feel the best and do your best work. My hours used to be around or after midnight. I could write without interruption and ideas seem to flow.

Not anymore. Most things I write after midnight need to be edited so badly the next morning there’s no point in even attempting to string a sentence together. My life has changed and the demands on my time has changed to the point that after midnight I’m so sleepy I couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag.

Outside influences can affect your golden hours and you may need to adjust them. For some writers, they still need to figure out their golden time.

Figuring out your golden time starts with figuring out when you feel good. What time of day most inspires you? When do you feel fresh and ready to tackle anything that comes your way? That’s a good time to schedule your writing. Your golden hours will help you produce more work at a better quality. You’re not forcing yourself to do it, you’re not trying to accomplish the task while juggling dinner and dog walking, you are just writing. This can be an adjustment for some people who have scheduled their writing hours to meet the demands of other obligations, but if it’s possible, rearranging your schedule may be your breakthrough.

The same thing with changing your golden hours. It took a wasted night and a truly abysmal article for me to wake up to the fact that I was no longer a post-midnight writer. It was a sad discovery as college term papers and deadline driven excellence had been the norm for that time. Then kids and meetings and running the ‘business’ of writing changed my day’s start times and apparently end time. Now mornings are where I’m most productive – sad but true, waking up and going straight into the office is the best way to start my day. All my cool vampire-like tendencies have melted away to a writer that works during business hours – yuck.

Figure out what works for you. Many writers keep their own hours that may not be within the realm of normal business hours and besides doing interviews and conducting the business end of the work, they work less conventional hours much to their delight. Don’t feel like you HAVE TO work a certain schedule because it’s what’s expected of you, that’s one of the great aspects of being a freelancer – you get to make the rules.

What are your writing hours? Do you think it’s time to change your golden hours? Why?

Here are some of the great posts on writing I’ve come across this week. Enjoy!

Yes, You WILL Be Googled

Seven Lies Freelancers Tell Themselves

Question for Experienced Writers

Learning About Freelance Writing

Freelance Writer or Make A Quick Buck Writer?