Writing Stories can do more than simply get you famous or rich. That’s the mistake people make when beginning to write. I know. I’m not a published novelist; not by traditional means anyway. But writing stories has helped to fertilised my mind, even ease some of the chronic pain I suffer from.

By writing stories, I mean writing fiction. We all draw from our vast storehouse of images and memories when writing. This sifting of the soil means that new life will literally spring from the garden of our mind. New ideas come to us. These ideas aren’t just applied to the writing itself, but to living; possibly the greatest art of all.

I noticed this during a very dry patch in my life. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, and starving (literally and figuratively). Then it came to me to simply simplify my life. I did. I began to write 1000 words each morning; I stopped worrying whether I was going to be published or not. I simply wrote one thousand words of fiction. My TMJ disorder got better, my mind became more clearer and I generally felt more empowered to live my life.

It’s a practical thing; writing one thousand words a day. It’s like exercise in that if you don’t do it, you get fat. Then you stop being functional. Writing fiction can in fact aid you in being functional. It can help your life to bear fruit.

The other thing is: it makes your mind more absorbant. You are able to read more clearly, and movies make more sense. You sense the underlying meaning behind it all. You even begin to sense the underlying meaning behind your own life; the substratum of it all.

Start Writing!

P.S: This prescription is not for everyone. Nothing is ever that simple. Everyone responds to things differently

But is the article writing job really for you? Just because you are a good writer does not mean that it is. Read on to see if you should pursue it, or find another niche.

Of course, you can always use article writing to create e-books, which can be given away or sold.

You can also spin short stories into worthy articles. You can use your creative impulse to weave some magic and entertainment into your articles. You will find that you can also appeal to a wider audience by using a story telling technique, children especially love a good story. As a writer, you can imagine that I love the fact that my children are interested in the arts and literature.

Here are a few tips for good article writing:

Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. Your article needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Most articles will be between four hundred and six hundred words long.

NO errors. Spelling mistakes are simply not accepted.

If you’re a freelance writer looking for work, many times you’ll see job ads that ask for writing samples. Well what better way to get in some practice and good exposure than write a few articles on writing?

To Start Writing is also a great tip. It is so easy to come up with an excuse to NOT write. But once you are seated, you will find it is easier than you thought. Don’t worry too much about the quality initially, the important thing is get something down on paper. You can always tidy up things later.

People don’t necessarily write about something because they understand it already. They often start writing about something because they want to understand it, and the process of writing is what brings about their understanding. Why not start article writing today and improve your thinking skills by writing?

Save photos or clip pictures from magazines. One way to start writing is to view something that gives you a scene or some action that will lead to a story.

Make a list of the stories that you most like. Start with any story you really like, and think about how you could weave that into an article.

Then start writing and see if the article “grabs” you. Bible stories have been successfully retold a hundred ways in books and movies, under many titles. Why not find a formula you like, which has been proven to work, and write your own updated version?

Oh yes, by now you may be asking, what is The Secret To Good Article Writing? Well, it is simple really, sit down and write them.

Been thinking that maybe it’s time to spread your writing wings a bit and pen something new? More specifically, you may be thinking about writing an article or several articles about a topic that is totally outside your usual subject area.

If you are, then Congratulations! This is a phase of the natural evolutionary process that writers experience … it simply means that you’re moving forward in your work. Writing articles about different subjects is an effective way of gaining even more exposure for yourself and your business.

Besides, marketing with articles doesn’t limit you to being an authority on only one topic. All you need to do choose a new subject area in which to focus your writing.

Sure, you can always hit the Search Engines and reap the return of hot keywords up for grabs … or, you can pick a topic off the top of your head … maybe something you heard on the news… some new-age subject or relatively obscure concept about which you can write, provided you can research it well enough to do a credible article.

Or, you can stick with what you know.

Huh? But you’re chomping at the bit to expand your writing into different areas. How is writing more about what you know going to offer a new challenge or more exposure for you?

As writers, we sometimes develop tunnel vision. In other words, we can’t see the actual forest for the proverbial trees. Writing what you know isn’t necessarily writing about the same subject.

That is, unless you only know that one topic about which you’ve been writing articles.

Lucky for you… you’re a walking encyclopedia!

Sure you are, take a stroll through your own variegated alphabet of personal interests, those beyond your professional and/or career knowledge. You’ll be surprised to realize that there are several subjects for which you already have the knowledge and expertise to produce incredible articles.

A airplanes – antiques – aquariums – art – autos
B ballet – baseball – birds – boating – building
C camping – cats – coins – cooking – crafts
D dancing – dating – decorating – dining – dolls
E ecology – eclipses – electronics – environment -ethics
F fencing – fishing – fitness – folksongs – figure-skating
G gardening – genealogy – golf – graphics – gymnastics
H hardware – history – hobbyhorses, hockey, hunting
I imaging – inns – insects – inspiration – investing
J java script – jazz – jewelry – jogging – jujitsu
K kayaking – keyboards – kids – kiting – knitting
L languages- lanterns – lapidary – laptops – lithography
M magic – martial arts – movies – museums – music
N nature – nightclubs – nostalgia – numerology – nuts
O occasions – ornaments – organization – outdoors – outfits
P painting – pets – picnics – photography – puzzles
Q quartz – quatrains – quiches – quilting – quotes
R racing – racquetball – recipes – retirement – robotics
S snorkeling – skiing – software – stenciling – swimming
T theatre – toys – trading cards – travel – trucks
U UFO’s – umpiring – unicycles – urbanism – utilities
V vacations – vases – veterans – videos – vineyards
W wallpapering – waltzes – weight-lifting – wines – woodworking
X xenophobia – xylophone – x-ray astronomy
Y yachting – yard designs – yoga – yo-yo’s – yodeling
Z zip files – zodiac – zoos – zoom lenses

It’s okay if you don’t see one of your particular interests or hobbies in the above list. In fact, that’s even better.

Now, this is where you get to carve out your niche for writing articles. The hobbies and interests listed aren’t meant to limit you, they’re meant to inspire you!

Airplanes for A may not have struck a cord with you, but now auto’s that’s a different story. You’ve been into classic cars for as long as you can remember. There’s your niche!

If the b in ballet stands for boring as far as you’re concerned, consider what it means to you in building. Yes, you, the one who’s always sporting a carpenter’s apron and hammer every Saturday. Another niche nailed down!

Moving right along to the letter C, scratch the cats-coins-and-crafts and that’s your category. Camping is one of your passions. And when it comes to cooking you grill a mean steak, if you do say so yourself. But wait… that comes under G for grilling. How about combining it with outdoors from O and recipes from R? Looks like you’ve cooked up your own niche article ideas in Outdoors + Grilling + Recipes = Savory Campsite Cuisine. You could do an entire series of articles on that topic!

As a writer, it’s essential to remain genuine in order to be effective. Writing about what you know and on subjects about which you are truly passionate is one of the best ways to distinguish yourself. It’s the feeling that comes through naturally as you write about certain topics, which is apparent to the reader and reflects you as an authority.

While research is indeed a part of writing, it does have its place. Hours invested in research will never replace what is written from within. If a subject is not in your heart, it will never be in your head … and certainly not in your writing.

Call it old-school or back-to-basics, but being genuine is what separates real writers from those who are merely content generators. Unplug for a while to rediscover your own true interests and passions, but keep a pen and paper handy. A breath of creative fresh air breeds countless intriguing ideas… you can rely on your collective notes and inspirations when you return to your keyboard. Rest assured … they will serve your writing well!

(c) 2006, Davis Virtual Assistance.

Writing articles is nothing more than common sense coupled with a spell-checker program and a little imagination plus the 3 Rules I am about to share with you. First, though, let me tell you about how a high school dropout learned how to write by copying former CBS News Anchor, Walter Cronkite and by using his local newspaper. All he did was apply the “3 Rules for Writing Articles”.

I know you want to know the rules right now, right? Let me say, these are not my rules. These are rules known by all good writers. I did not invent them. They were taught to me and I simply use them every day.

Here they are:

Rule #1 – “Tell them what you are going to tell them”. This, of course, is your headline, like my headline – “3 Rules for Writing Articles”.

Rule #2 – “Tell them”. I am already doing that, right? I started with the first sentence at the beginning of this article and I am telling you right now!

Rule #3 – “Tell them what you told them”. This is the summary, a sentence or sentences that bring the whole point of the article into focus to give you something to remember. This Rule is applied at the end.

Back to our high school dropout.

He simply took a cheap tape recorder, recorded Mr. Cronkite’s newscast every evening, played it back and typed exactly what Mr. Cronkite said. He studied it to see how the three rules applied. He did this over and over and over until he could write his own version of the story. When he felt confident, he showed his work to his wife and best friends for critique. He even recorded himself saying the stories into that little recorder, over and over and over. His dream was to be a radio newsman.

Our high school dropout also took the daily newspaper and re-wrote lots and lots of stories, reorganizing the facts, creating his own catchy headlines. Most important? He applied the “3 Rules” to every article. When he had articles he had some confidence in, he showed them to his wife and best friends for critique. He followed the 3 Rules for several months, working on his writing after getting home from his regular factory job in the evenings. He did this for hours and hours and hours. Practice, practice, practice!

So, where did all this hard work get him? You will be amazed!

Our high school dropout landed a part time job on Sunday mornings as an on-air newsman at a local radio station! His writing and passable radio voice got him that job. His fellow factory workers laughed at him. Made jokes. “You? Come on, get real!”. But, did he quit there? No! He kept working on his writing and voice delivery. Hours and hours and hours!

Within 3 months he was full time on the graveyard shift. He quit the factory job and sold cars during the day to make up the difference in income between the factory and Radio.

About 3 months later he was on days, Monday through Friday, in prime afternoon drive-time! He quit selling cars because he was earning more than the factory job. Within 2 years he was a local TV News Anchorman! Two years later he was Anchorman and News Director!

Now, I must point out another key factor in his success. Many professional broadcasters and writers helped him grow along the way. He was never afraid to ask for help with how to improve his writing and delivery on-air. Pride never got in his way. The pro’s were more than willing to offer advice and valuable tips! It was better than a college education.

Now, you may be thinking, “Jim, you made this guy up. This story is unbelievable”.

Well, friend, that high school dropout is me!

My broadcast news career spanned more than 15 years. I won several national, state, and local reporting awards. I was a paid stringer for Associated Press and United Press International.

Need proof? On my main blog (see Author Box), you will find a photo of me posing with Walter Cronkite in a promotional session for my news program. Imagine that! I actually got to meet and have dinner with my idol who was then my peer!

I also have promotional photos with Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer and photos with many other famous people. I have interviewed every type of news maker from Presidents of the United States to killers. I have rubbed elbows with movie stars, the rich and famous, and with folks at the Soup Kitchen. It has been a great life!

Am I bragging? Maybe. But, the point is, the “3 Rules for Writing Articles” plus determination and practice helped me to become a successful writer and news reporter. They will help you, too! I have given you the starting point. You can find other writing guides on my main blog that will help you become an accomplished writer as well. And, in case you have not guessed, I have just completed the “Tell them what you told them” rule!

Yours for success!

Jim DeSantis

P.S. – Please forward this article to someone who may benefit from it.

Chapter Eleven: Inspire With Your Storytelling

While finding time to write came be like having unplanned sex, the act of writing is more like making love. You cannot fake it. You must feel it. When I was writing the chapter from the book A Guide to Getting It: Achieving Abundance, which is part of the book series I publish, I spent days working to develop my model of what I call the 7 C’s of Change:

Conscious Awareness

Concern

Critical State

Crisis Point

Chaos

Choice

Change

I tried writing an explanation, and while the writing was effective, it was not inspiring.

Then I went to hear an author read from her book of short stories at the local community college. Actually, she didn’t read; she sat in front of the audience and told a beautiful story of a family in the Sahara and what it went through to find the lessons that she was trying to convey by telling the parable. The audience, including me, was mesmerized. When she concluded, she simply said, “You will find this and other tales of life in my book of short stories.”

I was inspired. I went home, grabbed a paper and pencil, and sat in my back yard. I wrote the story of my near-fatal car accident and how it had changed my life. I wove each of the C’s into the story, unobtrusive, but vital threads to keep the interest of the reader. In 45 minutes, I had written the 2500-word chapter. I changed a few sentences and added a bit to the end a few days later, but the essential story was in place in that short time. The chapter has become a huge transformational piece, and I have received countless responses from people about its life-changing effect.

I had a breakthrough of understanding that day. I realized that when I told a story, instead of trying to explain a concept, I could access that heart-center and move into flow with much more ease. Then I started to notice something else. When I edited other people’s writing, what I call “rivers of red ink” from corrections would diminish to almost nothing when the writer told a story. When I talked with my authors they would all say that when they felt most “in flow” ?without worry about how things would sound, if the spelling were correct, if the words were in the correct order?was when they were telling a story. Paradoxically, the less they thought about what they were writing, the more effectively they were able to convey their thoughts!

Everyone loves a good story?and those who can tell that story will reveal their love for words, for descriptions, for filling the senses, for making the pieces come alive.

Just recently, I finished rereading the entire Harry Potter series from beginning through the most recent book. J.K. Rowling is a master storyteller. And as I read through the books, I saw her writing develop from a pretty good writer, to one of the best I’ve seen at conveying her imagination via the written word. If you’ve only seen the movies, I highly recommend that you capture the magic and read the books. And you can tell that she loves each character, each scene, each plot and subplot.