Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Writing Better: Secret Tip Revealed for Writing Faster, Easier

The day I learned this writing tip was the day my writing just got a whole lot easier, faster, and more fun. It's no secret really, but this one tip could change the way you write articles for the Web, for your ezines, your blog, for all sorts of marketing with content.

Make a list.

That's right. Not too complicated, is it? As Jeff Herring, The Article Guy, puts it: "If you can write a 7-item grocery list, you can write an article."

Ever since I learned that, getting started with writing (some say this is the most difficult part) has become a snap. If I'd known it was this simple, I might have skipped graduate school.

Here's how it goes in my head: Say I want or need to write an article on ezine publishing.

How do I know that I need to write about ezine publishing? I did a keyword search and my newsletter site doesn't come up on the first page of Google when people use the search term "ezine publishing." I only come up on page 3.

If I have more web pages using the keywords "ezine publishing" I should improve my ranking. So I need to publish more articles using those keywords, either in article directories, on my website, on my blog, or in my ezine which gets archived on the Web.

Here's how the "Make a List" writing tip works:

Ezine Publishing: Everything You Need to Know

I recently sat down to write an introduction to an article, Ten New Rules for E-Newsletters. but it turned into a definitive special report, all about what goes into writing, formatting, and distributing an ezine, the four components of an ezine, 8 reasons to do one, and then the 10 new rules. If you want to learn all about ezine publishing, you should get this special report.

Denise and I are using this special report over on our sales page for the All-in-One Ezine Publishing System. The report is free to download and at the moment the only place to get it is on the sales page for our Ezine Publishing System.

Even if you don't need to learn how to do an ezine right now, the special report is a good review of what you should be doing. May I suggest you go over there now and sign up to get this free report sent to you?  There is no obligation to buy the All-in-One Ezine Publishing System, although if you did, you would really have everything you need to publish an ezine that gets results for you.

I think we all want our ezines to work, to get clients, to get results; otherwise you are working for your ezine and that's just not right.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving! Even if you aren't in the U.S. I hope you take some time to tell your loved ones how grateful you are for them. I'm grateful you are reading this, thanks!

Ezine@rticles: I Love You Too!

Thank you, Chris Knight! Christmas came early this week. I received my very own special coffee mug, thanks to Chris and the great team over at EzineArticles.com. Of course, I have to post my "mug shot" here! (taken by myself with my cell phone, my oh my, aren't I getting to be such a techie...!)

They sent mugs out to their Platinum writers, and it reminds me of how neat it is to be a writer, to earn my living writing, and how great it is to be supported by this organization.

http://www.ezinearticles.com also has a great logo: Ezine@rticles! To me they are clearly head and shoulders above every other article directory, especially in customer service. They set the bar for everyone else to model.

If you haven't submitted your articles to this directory yet, what are you waiting for? Maybe next year you too will get a mug.

Writer's Block: Tips for Unblocking

While the debate continues over on the Ezine Articles blog about Jeff Herring's declaration (Jeff Herring Declares Writer's Blog Dead), here are some unblocking ideas:

My favorite block-buster is writing more.

The more I write, the more I think about writing, and the more I think, the more ideas appear, seemingly from nowhere.

The more I write, the more chances there are that I will write something good, or maybe something that will resonates with me and energizing my writing further. Once this happens, well, you know the rest: that's when nobody can stop you from writing.

So how do you "write more", if you are complaining about being blocked or stuck?

The answer is to write anyway, write poorly, write whatever you can, even if you think it is no good.

You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.

Write anyway. Do not sit there. Do not think about being blocked. Instead, pretend you are not blocked.

Ask yourself, what would I do if I weren't blocked?

Here's a couple of reference sites to help you unblock:

• www.Thesaurus.com
• www.wisualthesaurus.com 
• www.mindjet.com
• Library of Congress

Niche Discovery: Wagging Your Long Tail

Finding a niche for yourself that works (one that works for business purposes and makes money) is hard work. But thanks to the Internet, and Long Tail marketing strategies, (read Chris Anderson's book The Long Tail, and sign up for HitTail.com, for example) you have more chances for success today of finding customers for your narrow niche than ever before.

Here's a good article written by Jane Genova on Wagging My Long Tail.

Jane makes a good point: finding your niche is not something you can do in your head or at your desk. Read her post on this to find out how she discovered her own long tail by getting out there and wagging it around.

How's your long tail, found it yet?

Email vs Blogs: the Debate Continues

There's an interesting article by Jeanne Jennings, email expert over at ClickZNetwork, worth the read:

E-Mail vs. Blogs

Jeanne assumes some very common misperceptions about what a business blog should do, probably because she is an email expert and very knowledgeable about this area of expertise.

I suggest you read it and make up your own mind.

My opinion is this: The point is moot. Blogs are here to stay. Ezines and email is here to stay.

The smart professional will harness the power of both.

What's your opinion?

Writer's Block Declared Dead

Great post over at the ezinearticles.com blog. Jeff Herring, the Article Guy, proclaims writer's block doesn't exist.

He says, "My position is that writer’s block does not exist. I believe people get caught up in it because it sounds so cool, and makes you sound like a writer. 'Oh, I have writer’s block' etc. Do you know anyone that runs? Have they ever had runner’s block? They might not have felt like running, but they ran any way.”

And Chris Knight responds, "For me, I have so many articles or writing ideas floating in my head at any given moment that all it usually takes is for me to stop, sit down at the keyboard and release my ideas. Usually, I’ll have a core idea or theme that has been brewing in my head before I even sit down to write the next article, blog entry or email newsletter issue.

"I know that writers who fail to plan or fail to setup an environement that supports their article writing goals (if they have them) are more prone to feelings of writers block.

"Perhaps if EzineArticles were Nike, instead of JUST DO IT, our slogan would be, JUST WRITE IT! "

I suggest the slogan proposed by Andy Wibbels: "Shut up and write!"

Writing Better: 5 Negative Mind Games

This article was written by Daphne Gray-Grant, the Publication Coach, and is worth the read over on her website. Although Daphne doesn't have a blog (yet), she frequently updates her website with fresh articles about writing. I recommend you go there to read the full article.

Can you identify with any of these negative thoughts when you go to write something?

1) I’m a lousy writer; I don’t have the talent to do this- (If you discover that you’re constantly bad-mouthing yourself as you write, replace the inner negative chatter with the following statement: “Writing is about practice. The more I do, the better I’ll get.")

2) I don’t have the time to write- (When you’re planning your writing time, think in small increments, not big chunks. Remember: If you write 300-350 words a day, you’ll have written a decent-length book by the end of a year.)

3) I’d better do a really good job on this (article, report, letter) because my reputation/sales results hinge on it- (When you’re writing, you need to shut down the tiny yet persistent voice that tells you how much you have riding on this job. Instead, do what the athletes do. Focus on the ball –- in your case that means: focus on what you’re writing.)

4) I need to write about this topic- (Instead, choose a topic that excites you and has you fairly bursting to write.)

5) Writing is too hard- (Lifting bricks is hard; waiting tables is hard; telling someone they have cancer is hard. Writing is not hard. Writing is just writing.)

My favorite, most frequent pesky voice says this: "As soon as I get caught up with (email, ezines, blogging...fill in the blanks) I'll write that article..."

What's yours?

Remember, the gremlin you share is a gremlin you squash...

Blog Writing Guidelines

While surfing around last week, I came across Blogs for Companies and a post called My guidelines about blog writing. The author, Roland Piquepaille, has some great guidelines for writing blog posts. Briefly they are:

• Choose an interesting subject
• Find references and pictures
• Check all the facts
• Pay attention to presentation
• Always think about the potential reader

These guidelines can easily be applied to your ezine as well and frankly, I think the last point is the most important.  Who is your reader?  What do they care about? What is your purpose for writing for this reader?

Check out Piquepaille's guidelines and then review your blog posts and ezine articles. Are you writing for you or your reader?

Writing Better: 5 Positive Thought Tips

This is article is worth reading, if you struggle whenever you sit down to the computer screen to write:

Five Positive Thoughts That Will Turbocharge Your Writing (and How to Channel Them)
by Daphne Gray-Grant  (From MarketingProfs.com, November 14, 2006)

1. Writing is simply talking on paper

2. Writing can be done quickly, in little bits of time

3. Writing is easy to change

4. Writing always gets better and easier with practice

5. Your writing "voice" is unique

I find the thought of writing 2000 words makes it harder for me to get started, so I tell myself, I'm writing 200-300 words, or, I'm writing just the introductory paragraph. That usually gets me going, and gets me to set onto paper the main concept. Once the main concept is stated, then it becomes clearer what  supporting evidence must follow in the next paragraphs.

What about you? What sort of positive thoughts get you started when you have a writing task?