How to Find Creative Outlets when Writing about Noncreative Topics

February 21st, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

You don’t always get to choose the topics that you know too well or are close to your heart. You might find some to be rather dull or too technical for you, yet you cannot just say no to your editor or turn down the writing project. You might come across topics that you may tag non-creative and start to panic. For more experienced writers, however, the key is to find out a good outlet for this.

Effective approach to non-creative topics

* Add human interest to the story. Consider current events so you can easily appeal to your readers. You can present statistics or some trivia to hook their interest without losing focus on hard evidence or facts.

* Use a cause-and-effect scenario. Some conditions and terms are easier to explain when you use examples. The illustration will make it easier for your readers to understand the topic in different aspects and views. It will also make the article appear more introspective than just a mere rewrite.

* Present quick solutions to problems. Most readers can easily relate to problems. However, you shouldn’t give them a hard time looking for solutions. So your article will be more helpful, present solutions that are easier to understand. You can use steps to serve as their guide, lists in bullet points for quick recall, and subheads to chop up the whole block of information, which can be overwhelming for them.

* Add quotes and anecdotes. You can easily present facts or a more solid argument if they’re backed up by experts or other people who are familiar with the topic. This gives your article more depth and credibility, and makes it easier for your readers to relate to your topic.

Tips from the experts

Always think about your readers before you write anything. Make sure that the article is written for them, based on what they need to know and how they want the facts to be served to them. It seems like the common technique used by most writers is writing in a more conversational tone. They address the reader as if they’re talking to them directly. This is accomplished by using the second-person approach (you), and writing in plain English to explain themselves better. Still, this depends on the requirement of the project.

Some non-creative topics do require plenty of time for research. All areas should be covered if you want to present ideas and facts in a non-boring way. Engage your readers by writing with enthusiasm and with much familiarity with the topic. Whatever approach you use, make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of clarity, accuracy, and presenting complete information.

You can get inspiration from numerous sources. Read samples that will serve as your guide on how you should write about such topics.

Related questions:

1. How can you write about topics you’re not familiar with?
2. How do you explain technical terms?
3. How do you discuss a topic that is boring in itself?

How to Maximize Speed while Producing High Quality Work

February 21st, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

They say that speed and quality is an odd combination. Oftentimes, you sacrifice quality in your efforts to be more productive. However, you can still turn in a bunch of articles in just a few hours, without sounding gibberish at all . There are some tips and tricks for you to achieve full speed in writing while ensuring quality for your written output.

How to speed up the writing process

Do you constantly find yourself beating the clock for the scheduled submission of your articles? Quit worrying too much. You can be as productive as you can be with these simple yet effective tips.

* Prepare for the writing tasks.

Know the topics to write about, the instructions for the project, and consider the possible sources of information. If you’re not too familiar with the topics, allot enough time for research. Find a nice, quiet place that has minimal distractions. Also make sure that you eat and sleep well so you’ll be more focused on your work.

* Set the clock.

When you’re conscious about time, your adrenaline rush can work to your advantage. Time pressure will help you get started. It also keeps you focused and not easily distracted by other things. A good tip from professional writers is to always set your own deadline. For instance, set a time for finishing an article of high quality, considering the research that has to be done and the actual writing process. Try to beat the clock so you can get in the habit of meeting the deadline.

* Don’t get stuck with a blank page.

You simply can’t wait for creativity to come to you. Force yourself to write even if it seems impossible. Pour your thoughts on paper and edit later. Even professional writers don’t make the perfect piece the first time they do it. That’s why you have to proofread and edit your drafts.

* Read and write more often.

Whether you’re a professional writer or just a student asked to submit a term paper, practice does make a big difference. This is the best way to enhance your skills for writing more effectively. Write as often as you could about any topic the interests you. You’ll soon get the hang of it and be able to write faster.

Also the secret of most proficient writers is their love for reading. This is where they get their inspiration and develop their own writing styles. Be in the know of the latest writing techniques through reading and take notes from well-crafted articles.

How to ensure quality in spite of the rush

1. High quality writing starts with good research. If you have all the information you need, you need not turn to gibberish talks just to meet the wordcount requirement. When you have covered every aspect of the topic you wish to discuss, the easier it is for you to get started with your writing.

2. A good outline sets a clear direction for your work. With an outline, you get to be more organized and meet the wordcount easily. You present facts and ideas in a more cohesive way and in a logical manner. This means cutting some time off on editing and proofreading.

3. Set a workable plan for yourself. Some writers prefer editing their works after writing the entire article; others train their eyes to catch possible mistakes while writing. Know what works best for you.

Related questions:

1. How can you deal with writer’s block?
2. What should you do if you lack inspiration when writing?
3. How do you check for errors when you’re in a rush?

How to Rewrite an Article and Make It Look Original

February 21st, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

When rewriting an article, you don’t just paraphrase each sentence and run it in a copy checker to cover up any trace of plagiarism. That’s not how it should be done. Master the art of rewriting if you want to spread the word hot off the press.

Tips and tricks in rewriting an article

1. Don’t stick to just one article as the source of information. Use at least two sources of information so your rewrites won’t appear derivative. Remember that good research is the backbone of a more focused and well-written content.

2. Make yourself an outline. Read through the article(s) and get the most important information that readers would love to know about the topic. Copy-paste parts of the original article, or make notes about the details. Arrange them in a way you want to present them to readers, be it in logical or chronological order. Just make sure that every part will be tied in a cohesive way.

3. Create a catchy headline for the article. Keep it short but ’sweet,’ and make sure that you insert the main keyword here. A headline that guides readers to what they’re about to get or find out in your article is always a good start.

4. Keep your intro interesting. This is perhaps one of the biggest challenge as most readers would give this part a quick read. If they don’t find it appealing, they move on to other sources of information. The beginning of your article shouldn’t be too long. Two to three senteces will do, as long as they command attention. You don’t have to follow the same structure of the original article. Just get the juiciest details and present it on your own creative way.

5. Make the body of the article the meatiest part. If your intro is a teaser, then the body should give readers the full view. Get straight to the facts. Make sure that they’re presented in a way readers would easily understand them. If it’s a blog, all the more that you should write in a more conversational tone. Online writing experts prefer writing in plain English, given the limited attention span of online readers. This also works well for copywriting.

6. Wrap it up with a call to action. You can summarize the most important points or leave a note to persuade readers.

Secrets to giving the article a fresh look

So your article won’t look sub-standard next to the original piece, give it a fresh look. Make it easier for your readers to understand bits of information that they need to know. Get them hooked from beginning till end, the way an essay does when it’s written persuasively. There are more than a few ways to do this.

* Use subheadings as warning posts to readers. Divide the article into different sections to make it look original and more focused, and not another derivative content.

* Make your own list, and use bullet points for this. If the original article has the same list, make sure that the ideas come in a different order.

* Create steps to serve as your readers’ guide.

* Use the active voice as much as you could.

* Consult a thesaurus for synonyms, alternative words and expressions.

* Adopt a reader-friendly tone.

* Use analogies and examples for descriptions and definitions.

Edit your article for similarity in content, grammar and syntax errors, and reader friendliness.

Related questions:

1. How can you avoid derivative writing?
2. How do you edit for content similarity?
3. When is the passive voice more preferable?

Quality Standards Writers with American Clients Should Employ

February 17th, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

All articles should be written with high standards in mind. So, why should you have to provide articles for American clients with special treatment? You do not have to give them special treatment. You just have to write well – with the audience in mind. Every time you write for a particular audience, you have to focus your energies on what that audience expects and wants to read. You have to give your audience good quality, of course. There are times though when quality becomes subjective. For example, while some audiences may want an article to have a long, flowing introduction, American audiences want to get to the point. Well, most Internet readers want the bottom line to be handed to them right away because of either time constraints and the urge to visit other sites.

Use of direct and simple language

Do not write to impress. You have to write to inform. If you cannot get your point across, you have failed in your goal. Tell your audience what you want to say in not so many words. Using too many words to say just about the same thing can make things confusing. Do not resort to complicated words and sentences. Maybe you are proud of yourself for knowing those words but they will not help your article unless they are the absolutely the most appropriate words to use.

The basics: flawless grammar and proper sentence construction

Even if your article is well-thought out, well-researched, simple and direct, your stilted sentences and poor grammar can ruin everything for you. Grammar and sentence constructions should be your foundations for good writing. How can you express yourself clearly if you cannot construct a proper sentence? Make sure other aspects, such as spelling, are flawless as well.

Good writing can cross borders. If you are able to deliver your message properly, even foreign-speaking countries will have translations of your work. In the world of English-speaking people, good writing of any style should be welcome. So, first learn the fundamentals of good writing. Then, apply what you know about what the American audience wants.

Related Questions:

1. What should be the first step towards high-quality writing?
2. What should you keep in mind if you are writing for American clients?
3. Why are the fundamentals of good writing universal?

How to write for an American Audience

February 17th, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

When you write for an American audience, you probably think that the only thing you should be concerned about is the Americanized spelling and the tone. Well, it is good to follow the right Americanized spelling to show that you have given your writing some thought or for the article to sound authentically American. It is also good to follow the American tone for your article to be better understood and related to. However, you should also consider a few other things that make up American writing. Here are a couple of the points that define an ideal article written for an American audience:

Simple and direct to the point

An American audience wants an article to be direct to the point. There should be no winding introductions that do not seem to provide much support for the whole article. Your American readers most likely do not have a lot of time to spare. So, you have to give them the bottom line right away. In fact, put the very point of your article right at the beginning. This way, your American readers can decide whether to proceed reading or not. To keep things simple, you should avoid using words that you believe will impress your readers. Go for simpler words and cut down on complicated sentences. You are writing to inform and not to make your audience keep guessing.

Examples and illustrations provided

You have to support your point. It is not enough to state your bottom line and then say that you are right. You have to prove you are right by stating some examples and illustrations and how they logically form the conclusion that you have earlier stated. Avoid any logical flaws when building your support or else your whole article could be deemed unreliable or even completely false, by some readers. For academic writing, you also have to cite some reliable sources.

There are other aspects of writing for an American audience that you should follow. You have to stay politically correct and use non-discriminatory words. You can check a book on politically correct terms. As for not being discriminatory, a good example is using the word chairperson instead of chairman.

Related Questions:

1. What are the points you should remember when writing for an American audience?
2. Why should you write the bottom line in the beginning?
3. How different do you think Western writing is from other types of writing?

How to Write Blog Posts Quickly and Efficiently

February 17th, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

With writing, doing it fast and making it efficient rarely goes hand in hand. With the birth of blog posts, you see more of fast writing. However, not all blog posts are written coherently. Some are just written to express the current emotion of the writer. Blogs that are more informative tend to take a longer period of time. After all, the writer has to conduct a research and find several sources to back up his or her claims. Still, it is possible to write blog post fast without compromising content and quality. Here are a couple of points that could help:

Outline your thoughts or points

Write only after you have fully understood what your topic is all about. You should have read your sources with as much speed as you can muster while still retaining the important points. If you are writing about a topic that you already know well enough to write about it without a lot of research then you can jumpstart to your article writing phase. Structure your blog post, dividing the article into several points. This way, you do not have to repeat the same point later in the article. You also get to plan how you can make your article flow and which points to tackle first and if that is logical. This is the efficient part of your blog post writing.

Let your writing flow

This is not academic writing. Blog posts have fewer writing constraints. You do not have to follow a lot of formats. If you have to then you only have to follow simple formatting. You can make your writing flow in blogs. This makes for fast writing. Your structured points should be able to help you flow through the article. With those points, you only have to put into words content that you have already prepared.

It is possible to write fast but efficient blog posts. Make sure that you have responsibly researched your content because many readers are depending on your information to be true. However, also make sure that you write fast. You have to deliver your content while it is still in demand.

Related Questions:

1. Is it really possible to combine efficiency and speed and writing?
2. What is so different about blog posts that you can write them faster than printed articles?
3. Can you think of other fast but efficient techniques in writing?

High Quality Writers Needed

February 3rd, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

An outsourcing company’s media publishing department needs high quality work at home writers.  Here are the requirements:

College degree in any subject
Flawless writing quality — no grammar issues, no idiomatic issues, sensible sentence construction, logical flow
Ability to meet strict deadlines
Compensation:
25 centavos per word.  You will be placed on a weekly assignment list.  You decide how much work to take on.
Work is usually sent on a weekly basis.  Applicants who are accepted will need to sign an Independent Contractor Agreement.

How to Apply:

Post this project on your blog or facebook fan page and send the URLs to  homebasedwriterjobs@yahoogroups.com  NOTE: you have to be a member of this mailing list for your email to go through.  Use the title:  QUALITY WRITER APPLICANT.  If we can’t figure out what you’re applying for, the email will be deleted so please make sure to use that title so your email will be routed correctly.

Also, include in the email the following:

Your most current resume and a WELL THOUGHT OUT and COMPOSED answer to the following question:

Step by step guide to working from home

NOTE:  Selection will be based SOLELY on your composition

Heavy volume article rewriters wanted

January 31st, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

An auto parts company needs article rewriters.  All you need to do is rewrite the product descriptions (supplied by their manufacturer vendors/suppliers) they send you.  The rewritten version must be ORIGINAL.  They test originality by entering your text into copyscape.com  There must be no real matches (okay to match product name, obviously).  This job is a VOLUME job involving ALL YOU CAN REWRITE.

The more you write, the more money you make, of course.  They will pay only for approved work.  A pool of editors go over your submissions to make sure it is:  original, no grammar issues, and preserves the same tone/sales angle of the original text.

Payout: 10 centavos per word.  According to the client, an average writer rewrites roughly 6 description packages per hour resulting in DAILY PAY of P1,200. Your earnings are determined by your REWRITING SPEED and ability to maintain quality while rewriting quickly.  Payout is strictly per word.

How to apply: You have to be a member of our mailing list to participate.  To join the list, send an email to homebasedwriterjobs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  Confirm the email to get added to the list.

Once you’re a member of our writing project notification list, send an email to homebasedwriterjobs@yahoogroups.com with the following info PASTED INTO THE EMAIL (no attachments)

Your resume
A writing sample–no blog post links.  Just paste the writing sample.

All applicants will be given a test assignment that will be reviewed by the end client.  Applicants selected will go on a project pool.

Deadline policy

All applicants must be able to meet delivery deadlines.

Online writing project: Essayists needed

January 29th, 2010 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

An online academic support service is looking for essayists.  Payment is P500 per 500 word essay.

Project description:

Project by project basis
Deadline-sensitive
Write essays based on client-supplied information
Must study and master the form requirements and quality standards of this site and this site.
Must never copy or lift materials from the Internet or any other sources
Original and creative writer
Expressive and engaging writing style

Compensation

P500 to P2000 per approved 500 word essay.  Exact pay depends on deadline requirements and client priority premium.

Requirements

No strict education requirements.  Anyone who can write well in English is encouraged to apply.
Must be able to produce grammatically correct English.  No idiomatic issues.

Application Procedure

1)  Only members of our mailing list can apply for this opportunity.  To become a member, email homebasedwriters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

2) Once you’re a member, email the following information to homebasedwriters@yahoogroups.com     REMEMBER to use the subject line of  ESSAYIST APPLICATION

Put in the body of the text:

your resume

create an outline of your biographical information

your 500 word essay answering this question:   Why are you applying to our college? (pretend you’re applying to college)  Please follow the 2 links’ advice above very closely.

Successful Candidates

Successful candidates will be put on a notification list and will be contacted as client requests come in.

The list is handled on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis.  So whoever responses first gets the first opportunity to ACCEPT the assignment.

NOTE: Due to past problems, if a contractor ACCEPTS an assignment and fails to deliver on time, the contractor will be dropped from the notification list.  Please don’t accept an assignment if you are unsure about meeting the deadline or doing the assignment.

Blog writers and blog commenters needed

October 7th, 2009 Email This Job to a Friend Email This Job to a Friend

A homebased blog publisher is looking for bloggers and blog commenters.  This is targeted towards part-timers or students and people who can research, compose, and write quickly.  However, if you are a full-time experienced writer, you can apply too but the pricing is based on part-timers’ rates

NOTE:  This Project has EXPIRED.  The publisher has already selected the commenters for the project.  Please select another project that is still open/unexpired.  Thank you

For bloggers:

400 words of original research, original composition and useful blog entry based on topics sent.  Each topic will have a list of keywords or subheadings to focus on.  Payout is P40 for each accepted blog entry.

Criteria for acceptance: Usefulness, clean content (no grammar/spelling issues), originality.  All content will be run through COPYSCAPE.COM to make sure it is not copied or duplicated content.   Only accepted entries will be paid.

For blog commenters:

You will receive a list of blogs, pick out a URL and write out a comment that is at least 25 words long and is conversational.  Very easy, no research needed, some grammar problems are okay since it makes the comment more “authentic”.

Criteria for acceptance

The comment must add value to the comment.  Comments like “Thank you for sharing” or “great posts” will be rejected.  You cannot copy existing comments on the page.   Payout is P1 per comment.

To Apply:  Send an email to blog.network.publishing@gmail.com

You will be required to produce FIVE unpaid 400 word TEST BLOG ENTRIES so please, make sure you meet the requirements above before applying or you might just be wasting both your time and the publishing network’s time.