14 SURE-FIRE STEPS TO COMPLETING ANY SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT.
Next time you need to come up with writing something new, follow these steps and they will lead you easily to completing a full article or piece of advertising copy in record time.
1. Start by picking a word that broadly covers your topic -- any word that relates to your topic or product will do for now.
2. Go online to the Overture Keyword tool, and type in your word. Sift through the results, and choose five keyword phrases that best describe your idea most clearly.
3. Sit back, relax, and think over it for a while, maybe muse over a cup of coffee. The important thing now is not to try and rush the writing. If you do, you will just have to start all over again, so have patience.
4. Now, jot down some further ideas that relate to your subject, then scramble the phrases you wrote.
5. These phrases – however disjointed they may seem at this stage -- will eventually become the seeds of your writing outline.
6. Now, open Google Search and click on the Advanced search. The reason for using Advanced search is that it will return more definitive results, unlike an ordinary web search where you have to filter through numerous pages before you get to what you are interested in.
7. Trying to write about a topic straight off without preparation is not likely to be productive, when you are facing the need to write an 800 word article about it.
8. Type each of your main words or keyword phrases into the Advanced site. Set it to show 10 results. Open the sites one by one and first determine how closely what you see is relevant to what you want to write. If so, read through the content once or twice and select the main elements or ideas you find to be important to your article.
9. Go through all ten phrases. You will likely find that only about half will be relevant to you. You will also come across ideas or information you never even thought of in the first place.
10. As you research, write down the headings for ideas in your document. Don't worry what it looks like at this stage; just keep going.
11. Once you have finished with the research, give yourself a break just to clear your mind. If you still feel stuck, best push yourself away from the keyboard and take a break by going outdoors to do something physical. Maybe a brief jog around the block, or take a walk with the dog, anything to break let your subconscious go to work.
12. This break will get you back to your computer refreshed, more able to start sorting the information you wrote down. Don't rewrite yet, first cut and paste in the page until you have a rough article that will makes sense. Now is the time to form the piece into having a coherent beginning, middle, and end.
13. Once you have completed this process, start rewriting your information in sentences and paragraphs into easily readable form.
14. Overly simple as this procedure may seem, it is a sure-fire method of overcoming so-called “writers block” and quickly getting the final words down on paper.