Skip to main content

Article Wednesday: 7 Habits to Avoid

There are all kinds of writing tips floating around on how to do this or that correctly. Today we're going to take a different approach and focus on what NOT to do when writing an article. Lets face it article writing can be time consuming and sometimes even presents challenges that can be frustrating. As a result, you don't want your time and effort to be wasted when people don't even read what you wrote. What we're going to address here today is how to write an article that will not only ATTRACT readers but one that will also keep them reading. We're going to focus on subtle little habits that we may develop that actually sabotage our article writing efforts. Here are 7 habits that can actually repel readers that you will want to avoid when writing articles: Avoid UNPOPULAR Topics It is always a good idea to focus your efforts on topics that interest you. It certainly makes the article research easier to conduct and you are usually already somewhat knowledgeable about the subject. However if you pick something of little or no interest to readers the odds are against your article being read by many people. When conducting your article research you can easily check on the popularity of the subject thru a quick online search. The numbers in your search results will clearly indicate how popular the topic is. Pay MORE Attention to the Title Don't just slap any title on your article and assume it will work. You want to title your article in a way that will catch a reader’s eye. Shock them, challenge them, provoke them, or arouse their curiosity in some way with your title. If your title doesn't attract a reader they'll NEVER read your great content and your effort will be wasted. Avoid Drifting From Your Point When you choose a topic you want to pursue maintain the theme or intention or your article throughout the entire body of your content. Articles that tend to drift from the point can quickly make a reader lose interest and as a result, they may never completely read it. They chose your article since the subject interested them therefore keep their interest by staying on the subject! Present Your Content in a Logical Order When you write an article you're in essence writing a short story that has an introduction, the body of content, and then a conclusion. Your article should 'flow' or have a logical fashion in the way the content is presented. If you jump around from point to point in a way that does not makes sense to the reader you will confuse them. Once again, you're discouraging them from completing your article. Use a Reader Friendly Format When writing articles, be careful NOT to be carried away by your interest or enthusiasm for the subject and forget that you ARE writing for the reader. Be sure that the formatting of your article, the way in which it is laid out, is reader friendly. In earlier articles, I spoke of varying formats that are more appealing to a reader. One popular format is listing out your points numerically in the article to make it easier for readers to follow or to reference later. Avoid Rambling Keep your paragraphs as brief as possible. Make your point and then move on. The more you write the greater the tendency to ramble. If your content requires longer paragraphs to make a point you may considered breaking the article up into a series of separate articles. Articles are meant to be relatively brief so be aware of this when putting your content together. Avoid Content That DOESN'T Benefit Reader The article research you conduct should give you some useful, thought provoking, entertaining, or otherwise worthwhile information to present to your reader. Quality content should ALWAYS be the foundation upon which you 'build' your article. You do not want to waste the readers' time. Of all the writing tips, you may hear the most important one to remember is this: any time you're writing an article keep your readers in mind. By supplying content they will like and presenting it in a way that's easy to follow topped off with an eye-catching title your article likely will get you the results you want!

About The Author

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina. For additional online success tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://affiliatequickstart.com

Popular posts from this blog

The Stories for Children show 11/14 by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network Show: Stories for Children will be chatting with award-winning authors Natasha Yim and Gretchen Maurer. Natasha Yim’s current book, Cixi, The Dragon Empress and Gretchen Maurer’s current book, Mary Tudor, “Bloody Mary” are two of the six books (all written by different authors) in Goosebottom Books’ series, The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames. The series profiles six women in history who have earned dastardly reputations. The show will air live November 14, 2011 at 2pm EST. You can find out more about Natasha Yim and Gretchen Maurer’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/YimandMaurer.aspx The Stories for Children show 11/14 by WorldOfInkNetwork | Blog Talk Radio

Families Matter: Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween can be a fun and scary time for kids. Here are a few tips for keeping Halloween safe too. 1. Make sure masks and costumes don't block the vision of your child. Keep props easy to carry and avoid using any prop that has sharp points or edges to prevent injury while trick or treating. 2. Use flashlights, reflector material on the costume, or bright clothing to make sure others see your child, especially vehicles following or driving in the neighborhood. 3. Inspect all candy and treats before allowing children to eat them. Dispose of any that are not sealed properly. Fruits and homemade goodies should only be consumed from those you know, and not strangers. 4. One option to trick or treating might be a small party for your child's friends. Supervision by parents that you know, foods that you are preparing, and having the party at your house all work towards keeping your children safe while providing a fun atmosphere. Games, prizes, and a movie or bonfi...

Interview: Meet Author Sands Hetherington, Author of Night Buddies, A Lights Out Adventure Series for Kids - Books - Blogcritics

Sands Hetherington credits his son John for being his principal motivator. Sands raised his son as a single parent from the time John was six. He read to him every night during those formative years. He and young John developed the Crosley crocodile character in the Night Buddies series during months of bedtime story give-and-take. Sands shared, “We always did bedtime stories and probably didn't miss a night for six or seven years. Stories were as essential as air and food.” It’s no wonder Sands loves to read and write, and is a big advocate in starting a reading schedule with young children. Sands majored in history at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and has an M.F.A. in creative writing and an M.A. in English from UNC-Greensboro. However, he started writing at a very young age. “I think it was 10th grade. I handed in some sappy poetical piece and the very cute student teacher gushed over it. Her name was Ellen and she was spoken for, but that did it...