How to write

I’ve been a writer for 15 years but in the last year, building this site, I’ve learned the importance of writing articles. Fiction is my true love but I find myself writing content for web pages most of the time. Don’t misunderstand – I love writing and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to earn a living doing what I love. It’s just not what I envisioned when I declared to the universe “I am a writer!”

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all just ponder our prose at an outdoor café, sipping lattes and waxing philosophical?

Unfortunately there are few want ads that read:

WANTED Novelist
Must be willing to write from home
Hours are flexible, show up when you’re inspired.
Salary: High six figures regardless of how often you show up or are inspired.
Dress code is comfy casual – PJs and slippers preferred.
Company provides unlimited praise, pats on the back, encouraging words and Kleenex (when all else fails)
Pondering prose at an outdoor café is optional.

Nope, the only ads I’ve seen lately:

• Looking for freelancers who are interested in writing about weddings.
• An online marketing company is looking for a writer
• Looking for someone with a real estate background that can create marketing e-mails for real estate classes.

These are the jobs that support my Starbucks habit so these are the jobs I take. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.

1. Forget about being perfect, polished or pompous. The only people I’ve ever met who pick over grammar and vocabulary are English teachers. They wield their red pens like swords, ready to defend the honor of ye ole English. Everyone else is pretty forgiving. Plus nobody likes to be talked down to. If you try too hard you’ll sound like a know it all.

2. Incorporate a little you in the brew. Anyone can write an article on how to write articles – but only I can tell my story, my way. This makes my content unique plus my readers see a real person behind the screen. It’s too easy to disconnect from people when we sit in front of our computers all day. Allow yourself to be human, allow others to see your humanity and write for human beings. I’ve read internet gurus suggest you write for search engines, but if you forget your reader, the results will be as lifeless as a circuit board.

3. Keep it simple. The best articles are brief, concise and focused on a single topic. You can take a bit of time getting there, a little intro, schmoozing, getting reacquainted with your audience, but once you announce: HERE IT IS – deliver it. Lists work well. Readers like them because they can jump to the chase and I like them because they help me organize my thoughts. As hard as this may be for you to believe, I write and think at the same time. Flying solo here folks! No outline and no parachute, just a delete button in case of emergencies. Ok, I digress. Keep the article ~500 words. Be sure that you’ve included valuable and relevant information and delivered on the promise you made in the title.

4. Leave them wanting more. You have a relationship with your reader and hopefully it will be a long term commitment rather than a one night stand.

I hope I’ve followed my own tips here. Articles are feeding starving writers around the globe – I hope my tips help you jump on the cappuccino train.