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Article Writing Tips

Posted in: Article Writing by Lance on October 14, 2011

Printed media isn’t going to disappear any time soon. Even so, for the online writer digital business is a-boomin’. There is money to be made for the freelance writer who chooses to focus on the online world, but as always there are rules a successful writer must follow. Here are some tips for the would-be freelance article writer.

1. Know (or learn) Your Market

This is so important I’ve devoted an entire previous post to the subject. If you don’t understand the expectations of the people you’re writing for, no amount of clever writing is going to hit your mark as you never took proper aim in the first place.

2. Know (or learn) Your Topic

You may already be an expert on what you’ve chosen to write about but if not, bone up on the subject. People can tell if you’re writing from ignorance (and they’ll let you know it too). If you need to do some research, that’s okay. It’s much better than making things up as you go along!

3. Know (and follow) Your Format

You may already have a contract to write for a particular online publication. If so, be sure you know what their formatting and style requirements/limitations are and if they have word count minimums/maximums. Nothing will get your submission delayed or dismissed faster than failure to abide by formatting guidelines. If you don’t have a contract or a specific publisher in mind, decide how long or short you want the article to be, etc. and write based on that format.

4. Write an Outline (or not)

I say “or not” because although this is one piece of advice on anything related to writing which seems universal, it’s a rule I’ve never personally followed. Do what works for you!

5. It’s a Rough Draft Until You Say It Isn’t

The whole idea of writing separate “drafts” of material seems much more suited to traditional offline writing. If you’re writing for the online community, you’re likely using computer software with at least basic editing tools built in. I usually just write my articles once, editing on the fly. I keep editing (and proofreading, see next step) until I’m happy.

6. Proofread!

I can’t emphasize this final step enough. It seems to be one that many people think can be handled by a software based spell-check feature, but realize that even the most advanced of these is severely limited compared to the human capacity to read critically and with comprehension. I’m not saying you shouldn’t spell-check your article, just don’t rely on it. Proofread what you’ve written at least once, then take a break, come back and proofread it again. If you lack confidence in your own editing skills, you can always find a professional proofreader or proofreading service online to help (for a fee).