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Writing is an enjoyable and wonderful outlet to pursue as either an occupation or a hobby. It is very rewarding to express yourself through this medium and be compensated monetarily or with complimentary remarks.

It is gratifying to look at something that you have created and know that someone has enjoyed, been encouraged or helped by it.

Writing content on the Internet is especially satisfying because you have the potential to affect thousands, if not millions, of people. With such an awesome opportunity before you there are a few tips I would like to share with you from my own experience and knowledge to help you to be the most prepared, productive and effective content writer that you can be.

Stay Prepared to Write

A true writer knows that inspiration can come at any time of the day (or night), so you should be prepared to make a few notes when the inspiration comes.

Keeping a notepad with you will help. Jot down a few key points for you to review later when you have more time.

Fumbling around with a pad and pen or pencil can be awkward, besides if it’s a pen that you are using it might decide to stop writing right when you need it most. They do that you know. So an alternative is to use your cell phone. These gadgets are wonderful. I don’t know how we lived without them before.  Here are a few things you could do:

• write a text message and save it in the text message center of your cell phone
• write a memo and save it in your memo section of your cell phone
• record a voice memo to yourself if your cell phone is equipped with this feature
• call your home phone and leave a voice message on your answering machine

Cell phones are a blessing aren’t they?

If none of these suits your fancy you could carry a mini voice recorder with you that way whenever an idea pops into your head you can just hit the record button and lay down some notes. I keep one by the bed at night so if an idea hits me I can grab it and record my notes without having to completely wake up. It beats fumbling around for a pencil and paper.

As we know some of the best ideas come to us when we are sleeping and it has been my experience that if you don’t write it down (or record it as the case may be), by the time you wake up in the morning it’s gone. You can’t remember it.

Stay Rested

I know. I just told you to wake up in the middle of the night and put down ideas but aside from that, get plenty of rest. A tired writer is a bad writer prone to making spelling errors, grammatical mistakes and producing low quality work.

I know you’re busy. Aren’t we all? But without the proper rest it will be difficult to generate fresh, interesting topics that are well written.

Make A Road Map

I constantly write down and record topic ideas. Even if I don’t think I might use them I still put them down because even though I don’t feel any inspiration to write about them at the moment, the inspiration may hit me later on. No idea is a bad idea because it’s just that…an idea.

When I do decide to write on a topic I usually develop an outline putting my points within the topic in order. Sometimes I just get on the computer and write on the fly because there is no particular order that the content needs to be put in. Some people work better this way. Whichever way suits you, go for it.

Find A Quiet Place or Time

I don’t know about you but I can’t write where it is noisy with a lot of stuff going on. I simply can’t concentrate. The tendency for most people is to be half-listening if someone is talking around you. I need quiet to put my thoughts together.

I do a lot of writing late at night when everyone has gone to bed. You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) how much better it is to write at night. It’s totally quiet. No telephone ringing. No children playing. No husband or wife nagging you (you know what I mean). It’s the perfect time to compose without being bothered by anything.

I know everyone can’t do this because of work schedules, kids and whatnot but if you are one of the ones who can, do it.

Take A Break

Burning yourself out at the computer is not going to benefit anyone. If you’re having a problem writing take a break. Go shoot some basketball. Watch some television. Or simply go sit someplace where it’s quiet. Sitting there staring at the computer is not going to accomplish anything.

Writer’s block happens to the best of us. Sometimes the ideas just aren’t flowing. It’s been my experience that sometimes taking a break and coming back will give you a fresh perspective and help start the creative juices flowing again.

Think Before You Write

I know this sounds stupid but really, take a little time to think before you begin to write. Think about the topic you are considering writing about.

 If you are writing for the joy of it, this is not as important. But if you are trying to generate income from writing you want to write something that has broad appeal. Writing something that no one wants to read about is a waste of your time.  And as the old saying goes: time is money.

Even if you are writing for the enjoyment of writing, you still want to appeal to a decent audience.

Don’t Pressure Yourself

Every article that you write is not going to be a home run. Don’t worry about it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you come close (thought I was going to say lose didn’t you?). Just write and don’t worry about performance.

I know this sounds confusing because of what I said above so let me explain.

After you have carefully selected a topic that you think will attract readers it is out of your hands. You have done all that you can do to make your article attractive.

People are fickle. What they don’t like today they may love tomorrow. That’s the beauty of writing, it’s always there for people to come back to. This is the first lesson my professors taught me when I was a college journalism student about 100 years ago…when it’s in print (or in this case cyber space) it’s always there. This is why many who advertise choose print over television or radio. In TV or radio it’s there for 30 or 60 seconds and then it’s gone until it comes back again.

So write and don’t worry. Kay sara sara, whatever will be will be.

Write Quality Content

By quality, I mean something that not only is well written and interesting but also is grammatically sound. No one wants to read something that is filled with a lot of misspelled words and bad grammar. Sometimes you may miss a word or two because you’re human and humans do make mistakes. But use spell check. It will help you a lot.

Do some quality control on your content because the website is not going to do it for you. They will publish it just as it is, misspelled words and all.

I have seen some content online that quite frankly, should have been rejected. Online editors have the right to not publish your content if it does not meet the website’s standard for publication but some choose to bypass that right and it shows.

Writing content on the internet can be rewarding, enjoyable and beneficial whether you write for the joy of it or to make a living. I hope that I have given you some tools that will help you to maximize your potential and satisfy your readers.

I have enjoyed my experience writing online and I hope you do also.