By now tons of articles have been written on article writing and the best way of doing it and helpful tips that would help a writer etc etc...I too would like to add on some more details that I have come to learn from my own experience as an article writer. Even if it helps one person I would think that this article has done its job !
Article writing as a profession is the most lucrative to those who concentrate,improve themseves and are impartial in judging their own work already posted or new ones in that are being written, otherwise there is no scope for bettering oneself.One can never say that he reached the top since there are new heights to be explored and new avenues to be discovered in writing.There are innumerable subjects that need to be written about and sky is the limit as far as selecting subjects for article writing is concerned.
From my own experience I realised that one can do justice to any article , only when you take or have a personal interest in the subject and get as much material as possible on the subject you pick and choose. One should remember that not all people are able to write on all subjects since it depends a lot on personal likes and preferences as well. I remember how I tried to write an article on a certain subject which was totally new to me and even after I gathered all the material required and managed to write a 1200 worded article on it, I realised that it seemed lifeless.I never submitted the artcile, but instead mailed it to a friend who was good at the subject and he was able to add his own personal touch and views which made the final artcile brilliant when it was published !
A few practcal tips that might come in handy
I will try not to be repetetive and give the same old tips that you get to see on most articles written on article writing , however some basic points can never be overlooked since that forms the core of any article writing process.
1. The subject is all important while writing an artcile as I already discussed above . Writing on an alien subject normally tends to read like a text book lecture since you have nothing personal to add to it.One should add as much personal views as possible , instead of blindly borrowing sentences to make the article different and interesting. A good article should have stamp of the writer and the writers writing style which should be individualistic !
2. Never base your artcile on SEOs and key words - the whole purpose of writing an article gets defeated when you do this since your article cannot be spontaneous and there is bound to be something lacking even though it might show up on search engines. I have come across such articles with absolutely no information in them but come up promptly when you look for information. A good , well written article is bound to show up anyway so concentrate on writing instead of on key words. SEOs and key words can be later incorporated into your article if it is important to you.
3. Make the title of your article effective and honest - not glamorising iit to the point where the readers dont come to know what the article is all about. People like to look for relevant information on the net and so it is our duty to write on relevant subjects and provide a title that is easy to locate and identify with. You may write an exceptional article but if the title does not specify in simple language what the subject is all about , not many will be able to benefit form it.Most readers on the net are looking for information and type in relvant details , so one has to make sure that the title of the article is apt !
4. Make sure that you format your artcile properly with an introduction and some warming up on the subject being discussed, the subject matter itself and concluding views.It does not matter how long or short your article is, it is necessary to format it well so that readers get to read a finsihed product and not one that is jumbled up.
5. Length does matter when you write an article ! Early on , when I wrote an article with 2800 words for an article writing site , many members who read it complained about the length which made them impatient to read the whole thing at one go. I strongly advise that the article should have crsip deatils and not too long to make it dragging even if there are many details written down. People simply do not have the patience to sit through lengthy articles unless it is exceptionally well written and very relevant to all concerned.Ideally I would say that a medium sized article should be anywhere between 650 - 850 words and a longer article should stop at 1500 words. If you have collectected a lot of information that you feel has to be shared and written about, I would say that it is a good idea to make it into two artciles - part 1 and part 2 or more if the information is really vast.
6. If and when possible do add some examples and experiences of others based on the subject matter. This makes it easy for people to relate to the subject matter and stay interested in reading the article through.Most people identify a subject through others' experiences on it. So it helps to include some examples and real life experiences that are relevant to your article .
7. Be sure of your information ! Never add anything that has not been confirmed unless you are writing on general subjects which are open to speculation. While writing about subjects like medicines, ailments, software and other professional subjects one has to be extra careful as far as giving details is concerned which has to be absolutely correct and also give a link to the source of information as and when required since it adds credibility to what you write .
Finally, to conclude I would say that article writing is a fascinating subject that needs to be cultivated.You get better with each writing and your confidence levels too goes up when your articles generate views and are appreciated. However, it is better to write for your own satisfaction without expecting any return which makes it all the more fun when you receive unexpected bonus in the form of better earning or appreciation by those who read your artciles!