Overcoming the fear of article writing
By Sheila Cave


As an award winning poet and short story writer
of over 10 years, I had never been so frightened of
writing as I felt when I started my first online business
newsletter. I had never written articles before, much
less even knew just where to begin. Writing poetry
and stories is one thing, but real life business articles
is yet quite another.

Why do we always fear trudging down new paths
so greatly that it inhibits us from moving forward towards
that goal of success? Simply put, it's the fear of the unknown.

As a writer, your worst enemy is yourself, followed
closely by the remarks made by those that read your writing.
Understanding that in this world you cannot please everyone,
you have just made that first step towards gaining a more positive
you. There will always be those that will disagree, disapprove,
and disappoint you for the hard work you do, but there is also
much to gain for taking that first step to success.

So, with this in mind, how do you begin to write articles,
and trudge this road you've never traveled before?

1. Subscribe to several ezines and newsletters and see what is
being published online. What makes an article your reading so good?
What types of subjects do others write about? Take the time to
do your homework, and take notes on what you read within these
articles. What types of words are used, and what type of format
does the writer use? Have links been added for reference?

2. Read, read, read, and read others articles online. Not only will
doing this homework benefit you to understanding what types
of articles are being published, but you can also gain ideas from what
other people write about. This is a terrific method for those
experienced writer's suffering from the dreaded "writer's block."

3. Start drawing your rough draft for your article. The subject is
the best place to start. The subject can be anything you want it
to be. Your home business, marketing, good advertising options,
some promotional tool that is working for you, or simply just
an easy interpretation of how you began with something online.
There is no limit to what subject heading you can work with.

(If you need help, just remember that reading other's articles
can be beneficial even if you take one line from their article and
creatively develop it into an entirely different subject that the
other writer hadn't even thought of)

4. Once your subject heading is decided upon, begin next with the
body of your article. Your main points and references as need
should come next. Read your article as your write it, and see if the
words are flowing the way you had intended for them to do so.
Do you understand what you are reading in your article? Do you
feel the message you are trying to convey is getting understood?

5. If so, then work towards your conclusion of your article.
The conclusion should include some type of small recaps
of your article, or some reasons for writing your article.
A good question to ask yourself while writing the conclusion
is;"What benefits can be gained for the reader who is reading
this article?"

**If your an online business owner, whether it's nothing more than
a small home business or a major corporation, there is much to
be gained from overcoming that fear of article writing.

Benefits include but are not limited to the following:
a. Developing yourself and your online success
b. Developing a "trusted online reputation"
c. Developing rapport with your ezine/newsletter subscribers
d. Gaining more subscribers and/or more attention to your online business
e. Building some solid rapport with major online ezine owners that will publish your articles.
f. Gaining some very wonderful online business associates, friends and
contacts to exchange Ad swaps, articles, and views about business with.

But even more important than these above, is that within the articles
that you take the time to produce, you will be helping others. There is no
greater feeling than helping lead others to success, and in doing so,
you help yourself as well.

In Your Success,
Sheila Cave

Editor/Publisher of Shbizness Newsletter,
providing Ad Swaps, Articles, Online Business
Oppts., Advertising, and terrific links.
Subscribe=Shbizness@aol.com
http://www.shbizness.com
"Providing Business Solutions, not just words"
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