Write To Help Others

You hold the solution to a problem. Your patrons/audience needs that answer. Give them what they need with a How To article.

By giving your customer the answer to a problem they’re dealing with, you can add to the stability of that relationship and plant seeds of trust with them. When you can offer help for real problems, they will be more inclined to keep coming back for more.

How to write a “How To” article

Step 1: Name the problem. First, you need to pinpoint a specific problem your readers might be facing. For example, if you are a financial guru/coach, your target audience will include people wanting to get out of debt. That’s a real problem—debt. Numerous people are seeking, right now, for answers as to what they can do to get themselves out of credit card debt.

Step 2: List steps to solve the problem. Now that you have a problem to solve, you’ll need to write steps on how they can solve that problem. Naturally, if you sell debt-counseling services, you won’t want to divulge all the information you hold. You do, however, want to give your readers some sensible steps to help them get on the right track.

Step 3: Re-iterate the problem, solution, and importance of the solution. To close your article, you can restate the problem. Then briefly recap the steps to solving that problem. Finally, to drive your point home, explain the importance of them following your advice to solve their problem. Show them the consequences of them not taking action. Make them want to use the knowledge you have given them.

Step 4: Offer additional steps or resources. As an extra little bit to your How To article, include bonus steps or resources at the end of the article. These might steps your reader can take to start a savings plan once they are debt-free. Or, it might be a simple list of links to additional resources you think might further help them.

Make The Most Of Your Writing Time

Wife, Mom, Business Owner, Chef, Taxi Driver…SO MANY HATS! Does this sound familiar? Some days it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day…or there isn’t enough you to go around.

As a work-at-home-mom, maximizing your time, energy, and effort isn’t an option—it’s essential. So how can you incorporate writing into your already busy schedule? The best (and only) way is to make sure you’re making the most of your writing time.

Plan Ahead

If you presently aren’t writing much, the first thing you’ll need to do is plan ahead. When would be a reasonable time for you to write? How many minutes can you devote to writing for the first few weeks? It is important to build your momentum so you won’t quickly become burned out or frustrated.

Use your planning time wisely to:

• write a list of topics.
• brainstorm an idea you’d like to write an article about.
• create an article idea bank.

 

Draw From Experience

You know more about your business than anyone else. Use this to your advantage. How you can pull from personal experience, to write articles that relate to your business? People are typically drawn to others who are personable and share personal stories. Pulling from your own experiences helps to simplify the writing process.

Use your experience to:

• share your own mistake with your readers, to help them not to make the same.
• offer helpful tips.
• warn of potential pitfalls to avoid.

 

Write First, Edit Later

One thing that sidetracks lots of writers is attempting to edit while writing the first draft. If you have less writing experience, avoid this at all costs. Get your rough drafts out and let them rest. Go back later with fresh eyes.

Use your rough drafts to:

• quickly put your idea on paper.
• collect information or resources to follow-up on.
• batch-write articles (more to come on this topic).

 

Write In Bursts

If all else fails, turn to quick-writing with Writing Bursts. Set your timer for 10-15 minutes (pick a short time limit that doesn’t scare you), then write. Don’t stop writing until your time is up.

Use your Writing Bursts to:

• write fast first drafts.
• brainstorm article ideas.
• create article outlines.

Kick-Start Your Writing Adventure

Even non-writers can write. If you don’t consider yourself a writer, or simply just do not enjoy the task of writing, it is still possible for you to create a well-written article.

As a business owner, writing skills are essential, regardless of what type of business you own and operate. If you don’t write often, you might not even know where to begin to write. These tips should help set you on track.

5 Tips For Easy Writing

Tip #1: Use article templates. Article templates truly remove a lot of work and headache for non-writers. Using templates, you can quickly and easily write articles that will be geared towards your market. Once you have a great article idea, you can use an article template to plug in your thoughts and research.

Tip #2: Think about the types of articles you enjoy reading. What usually grabs your interest most? How To articles? Lists? Tips and Hints? Take a look at some content you’ve recently read and enjoyed and see how the article is constructed. Apply this to your article.

Tip #3: Think about your audience. This is the most important tip of all. If your writing doesn’t interest the people you are speaking to, it will serve no purpose for your business. Think about who will read your articles. Are they…married? Single? Parents? Work outside the home? Enjoy crafting? Want to make a career of singing? Ask yourself what your audience wants when they come to you, then write from that.

Tip #4: Brainstorm on pen and paper. If you are overwhelmed by seeing a blinking cursors on a blank white screen, get away from the computer. Make notes on an idea you have with pen and paper. Write a brief outline. Do a cluster map. Write a list.

Tip #5: What is your expected end result? Ultimately, the purpose of writing content for your business is to build a following. What do you ultimately expect/desire for your business? Do you want to build a newsletter subscriber database? Sell books? Schedule speaking engagements? Network with colleagues? Every article you write should play a role in the bigger picture of your business.

Why WAHM Writers?

Are you…

• An experienced business owner, looking for a new way of effective advertising?
• A blogger, seeking to build your readership?
• A non-writer, wanting to learn to develop good writing skills that will help you in your business?

As a work-at-home-mom, you understand the importance of maximizing your time. One of the simplest (and free) ways to do so is to put article marketing to work for your business.

Whether you’re a blogger, sales consultant, personal assistant—or any other type of business, perfecting the art of writing is something you should consider. By writing brief articles and submitting them to an article marketing directory, you can drive more targeted traffic to your websites. The best news is that you can do this at no extra cost to you.

WAHM Writers Mission Statement

To offer helpful insight, tips, instruction, and encouragement to WAHM business owners who want to beef up their business through the written word.

This will include some lessons learned through my own personal writing ventures. As the author of several books and a multitude of online content, I’ve learned quite a bit along the way. My goal is to create a sharing community of writers and to-be-writers.

Get ready…Set…GO WRITE!

Writing Is Easy

All too often would-be writers talk themselves out of the pleasure and joy of writing all because they think it's too hard. Are you rocking that same boat?

Let me tell you right now...all those people who say writing is terribly hard are lying to you. Writing isn't hard. Writing is easy. Those who say it's hard think so because they make it hard.

There have been times when I said the same thing, "It's too hard. I can't do it. I can't write anything decent." But it was also during those times that I'd churn out quite a few pages every day, most of which was pretty decent writing.

What's even more interesting is that during the times when I thought writing was too hard, the biggest reason why I felt that way was because I had drained myself entirely of all creative energy I possessed. I worked myself to the bone, never stopping to refill my well or replenish my creative surges.

 

Make Writing Fun

The simple truth is that you have to make writing fun. Even more true is that there will be days when writing isn't fun at all. It will be hard work. But the end results and the gratification you feel at having completed the work will be well worth it all.

You can make writing fun by...

• taking frequent breaks.
• brainstorming with writer friends.
• infuse creative ideas into your writing.
• sketching a picture of your character(s).
• creating a collage of certain aspects of your work to give you a visual goal.

Writing is easy if you make it easy. Writing is difficult if you make it difficult. Make writing what you want it to be. Love writing and it will love you right back. Despise it and it will return the heartache.

Do you think writing is easy?

Why You Should Keep a Running List of Article Ideas

As you sit down to write an article, do you feel a wave of apprehension wash over you? Are you overwhelmed by the pressure to produce an article that measures up to someone else's standards? Lots of writers find it difficult to simply start an article when met with outside demands. If you are facing this same type of problem, maybe you should start keeping a list of ideas for future articles.

Reason #1: Ideas spark more ideas. When you have a resource to pull from to get your writing started, it is much easier to begin the writing process. Ideas you've been building on all week will naturally lend themselves to even more creative ideas later.

Reason #2: A pool of ideas saves you precious time. If you have to sit down and brainstorm ideas before you can begin writing, you will lose a lot of time that could be spent on writing instead. When you can pull from a list of previously generated ideas, you will be able to begin developing a better managed writing session.

Reason #3: A list of ideas reduces pressure. As you continue to build to your list of article ideas, you will find that this resource greatly reduces the amount of pressure you might normally feel. Whereas it might have once taken you thirty minutes just to get warmed up, with a solid list of article ideas at your fingertips, you will be ready to start writing in five minutes or less.

It is no big secret that keeping a list of article ideas is one of the best and easiest ways to get you moving-and fast. You can start your list of ideas in a spreadsheet document on your computer, or in a notebook offline. However you choose to do it, the most important thing is that you create a healthy writer habit of capturing your ideas.

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