Do you have a fear of writing that first article? If so, this article will help you get started and help overcome that fear of writing.
You have worked hard on your business and now the time has come. You keep reading that you should do it and all the benefits of it, but the thought terrifies you! You've been putting it off, but eventually you know you are going to have to do it. Okay so today is the day, after all nothing is being done putting it off and your fear certainly isn't getting any smaller. So this it, you are psyched and ready, poised with pen in hand or computer in front of you wait...and wait... You discover you only have one thought in your head at this moment "I have nothing to say!" You were afraid of this. How are you suppose to write any articles when your mind goes completely blank at the thought of it? Ok not completely blank, you have thoughts, but not the kind that are going to actually help you. These thoughts are your Fears and reasons why you think you can't do this.
Have you ever felt this way when you think about writing that first article? If so, I hope this article will help you overcome your Fear of writing.
The Biggest Fear - "I have nothing to say!"
You never know when a great idea will come to you. Keep a pen and paper handy. When you get an idea about what you want to say then Write it down. I like keeping a word processing window open so I can jot it down there under notes. Don't skip writing the idea down thinking you will remember it cause most of the time you won't. If you start doing this, you can go back, look at those ideas, and be surprised how you can put them together to form an article.
Read other people's articles on "how to" write articles and this will give you something to go by and you won't feel completely lost when you start to write yours. You don't have to be an expert on something before you write an article. Just write about something you have experience in. Maybe you have experience in web design, so write about what you have learned. Write like you are talking to a friend. Wisdom and knowledge come through experience and that's all you are writing about is your own experience and what you've learned. Remember your first article doesn't have to be long. Short articles (300-800 words) can be helpful, if the material is clear, concise, and to the point.
"I'm Not A Writer!"
Guess what, you don't have to be a great writer to do this. The point is to keep your writing in a friendly conversational tone. You want to write to the readers not at them. Decide what you want to write then write like you are talking to a friend. Don't worry about being perfect or editing at this point. You will go back, proofread, and edit later. The important thing is to get the words and ideas on paper-Just do it.
"I Wrote It Down And It Sucks!"
Okay so you have the words on paper and you hate it. Remember you are not required to be perfect and I bet a lot of your dislike for your writing is your Fear talking. At this point, you proofread what you wrote, make corrections in spelling and grammar as best as you can. The main point is to be clear and organized in what you say. Check your article for repetition. If you found you have repeated a phrase unnecessarily then take the extra wording out.
Get another opinion. Read it out loud or have a friend read it. See if your writing makes sense to them and they understand what you are writing about. This will help you in the proofing department.
"What If No One Likes It?"
Ok not everyone is going to like it, but there will be people who do. You will never know unless you try. We are far more critical about ourselves than other people are on us. Somewhere some one is going to find what you have to say helpful. I think of the articles I have read that have helped me. It was great to read about someone who already went through what I am going through now. At least I knew that I wasn't the only one that was going through the frustrations. I also learned from other people's mistakes, what pitfalls to avoid, saving me some problems in the future.
Don't write simply for business reasons, but write from the heart with the intention of wanting to help someone else. If your article has helped or motivated one person in any way, then your writing has served a purpose. Yes there are benefits like name branding, credibility, free advertising, etc, but the thing that counts the most, is you wrote from the heart and someone was helped. Remember we all learn from each other and we are all in this together.
Okay now your article is done. Put your resource box at the end. Now go get it published. Ezines and websites are always looking for new content and there is someone out there waiting to learn from you! An excellent place to start is at http://www.Marketing-Seek.com. This website is for new writers to submit and publish their articles. Also has a great resource for you to check out on other places to submit your article.
Copyright © 2003 Penny Graham. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Penny believes three important things are needed for online success-honesty, motivation, and willingness to help others. She is owner of http://www.Insightful-info.com that provides online business resources to help people make their business an online success. She can be contacted at editor@insightful-info.com.