When You Have To Write That Article FAST!
In my nearly four years of constant blogging, I’ve launched numerous blogs and sold off quite a few. Right now, I manage six blogs which sounds like a lot. But, only three are updated daily with the other three updated 1-3 times per week.
Writing Quickly
Eyepopping articles can be written in a short span which can be helpful if you find that you're especially pressed for time.
Still, that means I’m writing at least 23 weekly articles for my blogs alone, with another ten to fifteen articles for my customers. There are times I need to spend a couple of hours on just one article, but there are other times when I will get an article done in just 15-20 minutes, including this one.
Please allow me to share some tips with you on how to write quality articles fast:
Quick Outline – I’ve grown accustomed to creating most of my outlines in my head. When things are a bit more complicated, I can jot down some notes on a scratch pad to keep everything in order. Fortunately, I rarely have to take the extra step; this doesn’t include my magazine articles which are more thoroughly researched, however.
Killer Headline – I’ve seen people waste too much time on a headline. Instead, think of three or four words related to the article you want to write and then build the rest of the headline around those words. The headline I’m using here is eight words, but to get your attention I capitalized the word fast.
Brief Introduction – Your introductory paragraph should be brief, with two or three sentences being sufficient. One in that group is your topic sentence which will drive the rest of your article.
Use Bullets – If you have three or four points to make in you article, use bullets to separate each point. In some cases, numbered lists are an appropriate way to get your point across.
Conclude Smartly – Once you’ve made your case, conclude your article with a nice, clear wrap up. If you’re trying to sell a product, then include a call for action. Otherwise summarize what you’ve said and leave it at that.
Add Some Meat To Your Work
I’m not a fan of super short articles as I believe those articles which are four hundred words or longer are more likely to get indexed by Google. Thus, if you’re writing fast you’ll want to check your word count before ending your work. Once done, be prepared to include a related photo, links to other articles, the appropriate tags, etc. Proofread your work, tweak a sentence here or there and you should be done.
Tags: article writing, articles, blog, blogging, write, writer, Writing
Writing | Matthew C. Keegan, 31 Aug 09
By LarryJackson, August 31, 2009 @ 6:00 am
The topic an an article also helps to determine how fast it can be written. There are some that just simply flow onto the “paper” and some that seem to resist being written down. Not sure why that is, unless it is something to do with the passion the writer feels about the topic. Some of my larger articles have taken as much as two or three days to write, yet the some of the ones about my technology topics have nearly written themselves. It took almost as long to produce the screenshots as it did to write the article itself. Strange that!
.-= LarryJackson´s last blog ..Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party voted out of power =-.
By Matt Keegan, August 31, 2009 @ 6:53 am
You make a very good point, Larry. Certainly, not every article can be written in record time nor should it.
There are times I will ponder a topic for several days, quietly yet steadfastly weighing the different points until I’m ready to write. If I were to include those times in with my actually writing, then my preparation would be many hours long over several days.
I like it, however, when some of those articles flow without much effort!
.-= Matt Keegan´s last blog ..Welcome to My Website =-.
By Mj Ces, August 31, 2009 @ 8:26 am
I learned a great tip reading your article, specially about capitalizing the word ‘FAST’.
That is effective indeed as it’s the one that made me want to read the article in the first place.
Thanks for your thoughts.
.-= Mj Ces´s last blog ..It Will Be the Start of the ‘Ber Months =-.
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 31, 2009 @ 9:42 am
Thanks, Mj. Sometimes mixing things up is enough to draw the attention of readers. Why keep everything the same when you can come up with an attention getting headline to hook your readers?
By Shinade aka Jackie, August 31, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
I really learned a great deal from this. I also have to give myself a grade of zero on every single tip posted here. I will however, from this point on, remember these tips and try my best to put them to good use.
Thanks so very much,
Jackie
.-= Shinade aka Jackie´s last blog ..Entrecard Contest At The Painted Veil-Updated Details =-.
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 31, 2009 @ 1:03 pm
Jackie, no need to grade yourself. I wrote it to make a simple point — each of us can produce articles from time to time that don’t require a lot of in-depth research. Speed is one thing, but quality always matters!
By Dominique, August 31, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
I loved this article, Matt. This is basically what I do. I learned the capitalization thing last year and it makes a big difference. I also found if you capitalize you, me, I , we, that works really well for some reason.
I very rarely take 15-20 minutes on my articles – I tend to lean more towards 1-2 hours. However, I don’t write 23 articles a week!
At least, not yet!
One question for you. Maybe you can do a followup article on this one. How far out do yo pre-publish your articles. I try to write 2-3 a weeks so I may write 2-3 articles in one day and the pre-publish them. What is your perspective on this.
.-= Dominique´s last blog ..Van Jones Poll =-.
By Matthew C. Keegan, August 31, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
Those are some good points you mention, Dominique. Personalizing your article draws the reader in and encourages him/her to engage in conversation, which is the main reason for writing something in the first place.
Yes, almost everything I write is written at least one day in advance, before the scheduled day it is set to appear online. For instance, I have two articles already written for this site, one will appear on Tuesday while the second one will show up on Friday.
As long as an article isn’t time sensitive — that is, discussing a current event that may change drastically by the time the article goes live, then that should work out. In fact, I encourage this practice because bloggers will write when inspired, not under pressure.
As we head through the remaining months of the year, I’ll be writing several articles well in advance, to cover the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods. That way, I’ll be freed up to enjoy the festivities without being chained to my desk while everyone else is having a good time!