WHERE DO YOU DRAFT YOUR ARTICLES?

Welcome back, or simply welcome, to From My Desk to Yours. In this series, we address common Expert Author obstacles and provide stellar success strategies, tips to getting your article approved, updates to the Editorial Guidelines, and more.

Your feedback and suggestions are important to our growth and innovation and are the defining aspect of the EzineArticles platform.

This brings us to our topic today: The Body of the Submit New Article form on the new My.EzineArticles.com member interface.

We have studied data, tested new tools, pored over your comments, and much more to make the Submit New Article form easier, faster, and smarter than ever.

Now we need a little more specific input as we launch into another phase of improving the Submit New Article form on My.EzineArticles.com:

Where do you initially draft your articles prior to submission?

Do you:

a. Type your articles directly into the submission form.
b. Copy/paste the article from Microsoft Word into the submission form.
c. Copy/paste the article from a Plain Text editor into the submission form.
d. Submit articles using the EzineArticles WordPress Plugin.
e. Copy/paste the article from your blog or website.
f. Other (please specify).

As always, we welcome your comments and contributions! Please feel free to provide your answer and any other feedback in the comments section below.

How to Create an Article Outline

Writing without an outline is like flying in an airplane without the frame. You’re not going to get very far and you’ll definitely encounter more than your standard fare of resistance.

The concept of flying is a great example of an idea, vision, and ambition that underwent planning, designing, testing, and more to become a wild success: the airplane. It wasn’t accidental or incidental – it was intentionally done.

The same is true for article writing. Great articles have a plan, a reader-oriented design, and are tested with proofreading and editing. With an outline to frame your article, you can add the details and focus you need to let your articles soar. Here’s how.

Take Off By Accelerating Your FOCUS

Your focus is your main topic. Write 2-3 sentences briefly describing your main topic, who it’s for, how it’s relevant to your niche, and how your article is unique. To take this a step further, try one of these 10 angles to either fine-tune your approach or to jumpstart your outline. Later, you can transition this section into an introduction by incorporating a hook.

Give Directional Stability with KEY POINTS

Write down the key points relevant to your article topic and use your key points as subheaders of your main topic to form your article’s body. For every corresponding point, provide a list of supporting details.

Key Point # 1:

• Supporting details
• Supporting details

Key Point #2:

• Supporting details
• Supporting details

Key Point #3:

• Supporting details
• Supporting details

Bring Your Article in for a Final Approach with the CONCLUSION

Write down the one last memorable thought or idea that ties all of your key points succinctly together to form your conclusion. Your conclusion should ensure all loose ends from your article are addressed. Ensure it’s memorable to entice the reader to find out more information about you.

Bring Your Audience in for a Landing with Your RESOURCE BOX

Your Resource Box needs to be relevant to your article topic and draw attention to you, your blog or website, and your Call-to-Action.

Additional Outlining Tips

1. List points and supporting details in concise phrases using a similar grammatical structure, i.e. matching tenses and parallel subjects, etc.
2. Consider your readers (i.e. your target audience) and how each point and detail is relevant to them. If it’s not relevant, save it for later or discard it completely.
3. You can continue beyond 3 key points or 2 supporting details, but if it appears your outline is stretching beyond a typical article format (i.e. more than 700 words), consider which points are superfluous or what could be combined to create another solid article.
4. Don’t treat your Resource Box like a conclusion. Treat your Resource Box as an extension of you, your website or blog, and your overall brand’s message.
5. Once your outline is done, convert it into an article!

Reach your desired speed and altitude of success by prewriting your articles with this great outlining strategy. And remember: Great articles have a plan!

Spelling, Misused Words, and Punctuation – Oh My!

Next to more glamorous errors, like spelling mistakes and misused words, punctuation is often overlooked. Without punctuation, communication would be one long string of incoherent thoughts and ideas.

So come along with us as we kick off a new series with the excitable and occasionally overbearing exclamation point.

Many will use the exclamation point (a.k.a. the exclamation mark) excessively and overdramatically. In these cases, readers question the author’s credibility as well as whether they can actually trust the author’s claims.

For example: When done effectively, prewriting makes writing so easy!! All you have to do is add a little polish here and a transition there and voila! Your article is ready for submission!!!!

In the example above, the only proper use of the exclamation point was: voila! Why? The exclamation point should be reserved for exclamations, commands, and the occasional sound effect, not statements. Let’s break this down further.

Exclamations!

An exclamation is a loud remark (with strong feeling), such as a complaint, protest, outcry of surprise or pain.

• “The party was amazing.” (statement) vs. “What an amazing party!” (exclamation)
• “I was surprised.” (statement) vs. “Oh my!” (exclamation)
• “It’s your birthday.” (statement) vs. “Happy Birthday!”

Commands!

A command is an order that is given or to direct with authority.

• “You should go.” (statement) vs. “Go!” (command)
• “Please don’t do that.” (statement) vs. “Stop it!” (command)
• “Have a seat.” (statement) vs. “Sit!” (command)

Sound Effects!

To convey sudden actions or loud noises, use an exclamation point.

• “Bam! Pow! Thwack!”
• “Aarrgh!”
• “Achoo!”

And Other Exclamation Point Tips

• Informal Writing – While an exclamation point can add emphasis and/or add a little excitement to your writing, using exclamations in formal writing is generally abhorred. For example, the people of Wisconsin may be excited about their state, but exclaiming it looks a little silly: “Wisconsin became a state in 1848!”
   
• 1 Will Do the Trick – One exclamation point will suffice. “I love you!” has just as much emphasis as “I love you!!!!”
   
• “Inside!” – When an exclamation point belongs to a quoted or parenthetical sentence, it belongs inside the quotation, parentheses, or bracket. For example: “Get thee to a nunnery!” Hamlet exclaimed.

Use these tips to strengthen your writing skills, as well as maintain your credibility as an Expert Author. If you find yourself trying to spice up your writing or want to add emphasis, try adding more descriptive information using active language. And when the situation calls for it: Enjoy!

Meet EzineArticles’ Expert Author Cheryl Cran in Today’s Showcase

As a leadership expert and keynote speaker, Expert Author Cheryl Cran believes the future is about collaboration, innovation, and leading change. Lending support and encouraging leaders to grow, Cheryl provides strategies, solutions, and more to deliver results and increase productivity.

For over 18 years (as long as she has conducted her consulting practice), Cheryl has written articles. After joining the EzineArticles Expert Author community in 2007, Cheryl amplified her exposure and credibility. “My clients have forwarded and re-used my articles. I see constant article writing as crucial to building my brand and increasing intellectual property,” she commented. “EzineArticles is a great marketing resource and I recommend it to authors.”

Inspired by current events, client case studies, and media, Cheryl regularly writes blogs, articles, web content, and content for social media sites. “I write in my home office with a view of the water from my condo,” she said. And should writer’s block strike, Cheryl takes a walk or exercises with yoga. “Once I have moved my body I can get the creative juices flowing.”

Cheryl’s 3 Biggest Challenges and How She Overcame Them

#1 – Writing from the reader’s point-of-view, being focused, and relevant with my writing.

I overcame this by looking at other articles on other sites such as BNET, Wall Street Journal, and others – reading headlines that grab my attention and then [writing] my own article titles and ideas to be provocative for the reader. Also, working with a coach has helped me come up with article ideas and focus.

#2 – Marketing articles to get readers other than my web visitors.

EzineArticles has been great for this. I have an email list of about 3000 and by submitting my articles to EzineArticles, I have expanded the readership. Also, many clients are impressed when I send them a link to [my] EzineArticles.com [articles], as it shows the amount of writing I do and it is a reliable source for content. I am working on increasing my readership by publishing articles in a variety of industry websites.

#3 – Getting my articles on other sites such as leadership sites, leadership blogs, etc.

I find that I have not made as much of a focused effort on getting my articles on industry sites, but this is definitely a focus for 2012 and beyond. I plan to spend some focused time on getting articles placed in industry magazines and online blogs to increase my profile in my area of expertise.

Try Cheryl’s strategies to overcome your own article writing and marketing challenges for your next set of quality, original articles.

Do you have a question or comment for Cheryl? Feel free to leave it in the comments section below.

Target Online Readers with These 5 Tips

If you’re browsing for a book at a bookstore, you may find yourself leisurely pulling books from shelves, reading dust-jackets, and thumbing the pages. Now, if you were to provide the exact same information online, would your interaction with the books be the same?

Not likely. You may be looking for a book, but you may also be chatting with a friend online, checking your email, paying bills, watching an online video, listening to music, browsing, etc… all at the exact same time. So not only are you processing information with new expectations and completely differently than you would with offline information, you’re also multi-tasking. Each of these tasks performed online competes with each other for not only your attention – your time too!

Bearing this in mind, it’s important to properly write and format articles for an audience who thrives on a speedy, effective delivery and still satisfy their needs while meeting their expectations.

5 Tips to Writing Articles for Online Audiences

1. 400-700 Words.*

You are more likely to capture your reader’s full attention if they can see the beginning and end without having to scroll excessively for more information. Scrolling isn’t necessarily an inconvenience – it’s a perception of time they are willing to spend.

2. Bolded Headers

Bolded headers or subheadings are excellent visual cues to online readers skimming your article. Not only do they help your readers quickly ascertain what you will be discussing further down the article, they also help you further engage your reader’s attention.

3. Plain English and Plain Text

In order to maintain your credibility and meet your audience’s quality standards, ensure your articles are concise and grammatically sound. Also, write in Plain Text (non-formatted HTML text). Only use HTML (i.e. the basics: bold, emphasis, and underline) when it’s stylistically correct.

4. 2 Self-Serving Links Per Submission

Bombarding your audience with tons of links in your articles will only lead to frustration or confusion, which lower your click-through rates. Provide two highly relevant, self-serving links in the Resource Box of your articles to keep your audience on the right track and increase transparency.

5. Meet Expectations

Let your article writing mantra be: Quality and Relevance. Be careful about making assumptions of your online audience. Online audiences today are FAR more educated than ever before and they have MORE access to correct information. Always aim for highly-relevant, quality, original content.

Write your next set of quality, original articles to engage a highly interactive and intuitive online audience by keeping the above 5 tips in mind. In doing so, you will draw more exposure and traffic to your whole platform and create an invested audience who will connect with you on a greater level.

*Please note we are not stating that readers can’t or won’t read longer pieces. It depends on the medium (e.g. essays, theses, etc.) and if your medium dictates longer pieces, then right on – keep writing!

Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the people who make the EzineArticles system successful! Not only will you find out more about their role at EzineArticles, you will hear stories about what it’s like to work here, gain insider tips, and maybe even get a peek into their personal lives. In the process, you will discover a little bit more about who we are as a company, a website, and as a team.

Continuing the series is Kristi, EzineArticles Learning and Development Trainer. Find out how her entire focus is helping you make your article writing efforts easier, get a behind-the-scenes look into her role at EzineArticles, and discover her #1 tip for Expert Authors!

Downloadable Versions:
               

As the EzineArticles Learning and Development Trainer, Kristi believes strongly in teamwork, determination, and patience. She strives to help team members grow in order to maximize the success of EzineArticles Expert Authors.

To meet more EzineArticles team members, check out the Behind the Scenes Playlist from the EzineArticles YouTube Channel or browse the Videos wall of our Facebook Fan Page!

Who wouldn’t choose pleasure over pain?

For your next article, consider how you can identify with your readers by promoting how they can achieve pleasure.

Let’s get started.

To identify what is pleasurable for your audience or their pleasure principles, we need to address two simple questions:

1. What do your customers enjoy or want to experience?
2. How does your niche deliver those experiences?

For example, imagine the article you’re going to write using this template is targeting small business owners who are curious about article marketing. Some pleasure principles you may consider:

• Pleasure of gaining a competitive advantage.
• Pleasure of having traffic.
• Pleasure of building credibility.
• Pleasure of increasing visibility and brand awareness.

Focus on one pleasure principle so you don’t overwhelm your readers (save other pleasure principles for later). Next, identify the specific details (strengths/benefits) that are reader-oriented and will help enhance or achieve this pleasure principle.

The Pleasure Principles Article Template:

1. Introduction: Hook the reader in the first 2-3 sentences by succinctly identifying your targeted audience’s needs and wants. Introduce the pleasure principle.
    
2. Describe the benefits of obtaining the pleasure principle: In the next paragraph, provide an overview of the strengths/benefits directly pertaining to the reader achieving this pleasure principle.
    
3. Ingredients to acquire pleasure principle: In the following paragraph(s), explain how readers can achieve the pleasure principle with your recommended plan.
    
4. Provide an Example: Before closing the article, be sure to give an example or two of how others have achieved this pleasure principle by following your recommended plan.
    
5. Conclusion: In the closing paragraph, pull all of the ingredients back together to summarize your pleasure principle plan and provide one last memorable call-to-action.

Achieving pleasure over pain can work wonders! Help your audience find pleasurable solutions to their needs by using this article template to make your next article both memorable and inspiring.

Every month @EzineArticles provides well over 100 useful tidbits of information, and training –

Just CLICK on to auto-populate your Twitter status field.

EzineArticles Tips and Training Snippets

• Repurpose articles into eBooks, videos, newsletters, and more to reach new audiences. The sky is the limit!
   
• Need an article idea? Take a 5 minute walk. Look around – you’ll see article ideas are everywhere waiting to be noticed.
   
• Want to make sure you have an article that garners interest? Use a keyword research tool like Google Autocomplete!
   
• Don’t just promote your new articles, dust off golden oldies by promoting them on your social networking sites!
   
• A lesson in rehashing: Rehashed Content Stinks. Derivative Articles Smell. Unoriginal Information Pollutes. Don’t do it.
   
• Write unique summaries for your articles to give your readers a juicy slice of your article’s topic to increase interest!
   

Article Writing and Ideas

• Say what you mean, mean what you say. Avoid confusing readers by ensuring your articles are coherent & provide specifics!
   
• Don’t let readers down with derivative, rehashed tips! Provide fresh, useful & unique tips in each and every article.
   
• How do you steer clear of bias? Vent all of your frustrations in a personal journal, and then write objective articles!
   
• Relate to your readers using real life, relevant examples to pique their interest, so they will peek into your links ;)
   
• Increase engagement on your social media sites: Link to articles telling the reader exactly what they’ll discover!
   
• Coffee & writers have a longstanding relationship! Just ask T.S. Eliot: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”
   

EzineArticles Inside Information

• Get organized and make writing easier with this prewriting exercise – http://t.co/cf1KcjKM
   
• Discover 5 tips to safely steer clear of poor keyword usage and keyword abuse – http://t.co/iZ9qCmtx
   
• Five steps to effective article writing, plus an incredible method to stay on top of your goals! http://t.co/qk8vCA8H
   
• Pose a question to your readers and explain their choices in a clear and concise format – http://t.co/k9Q6LQQh
   
• Time is running out! Discover why you should make the switch to “My.EzineArticles.com” today – http://t.co/7v1DJ2U3
   

Motivational Moments

• Take the advice of the great Robert Gunning: ‘Write to express; not to impress.’ More at http://t.co/AZjtT6RM
   
• RT @DrJeanelle: Excited about my article on @EzineArticles read here – EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Jea… [We are too!...]
   
• Lenny Wordsmith is back with the latest countdown: “Top Ten Ways to Build Instant Credibility” – http://t.co/qST7aqVm
   
• Meet Erica – With over 48,360 articles views, “I have established myself as an expert…” http://t.co/t6JskDYf
   
• RT @debbidoo: Just had an article accepted within 6 mins by @EzineArticles. I love my Diamond status and so do my clients! [Congrats, Debs!]
   

What’s your favorite Tweet from April? Let us know in the comments section below!

Meet EzineArticles’ Expert Author Nancy O’Neill in Today’s Showcase

“Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire

It’s not every day you meet an extraordinary Common Sense Consultant hailing from Southern California! Expert Author Nancy O’Neill provides effective measures to help her readers become more confident in their own abilities, as well as become more self-reliant.

For over 20 years, Nancy has shared her ideas, knowledge, and experience through short stories, poetry, and articles. In January 2011, Nancy established her first blog and it wasn’t long before she joined the EzineArticles Expert Author community.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’m that much different from other Expert Authors…” Nancy commented. “They write with passion, honesty, and directness, which is what I try to always do… I’ve enjoyed being one of EzineArticles writers and plan on continuing to submit articles for a long time to come… Getting more exposure for my writing this year has also helped me accomplish one of my long-time goals of publishing my first children’s book… scheduled for release in May 2012.”

Nancy’s Common Sense Writing Tips

1. Write so it makes sense.
I rarely submit an article or story to any publication without having someone else read it. It’s easy for a writer to think everything makes sense because it’s their words and thoughts. Having someone give it an once-over seems logical. Oftentimes my husband is my sanity check with my writing.

2. Write concisely.
I grew up in the Midwest [U.S.] where people tend to make long stories longer. So I often edit an article at least 5-6 times and sometimes more just to make it as concise as possible without losing the meaning and feel of the story.

3. Get more exposure.
Marketing is probably the hardest thing for most people. When I first started writing, I wrote for myself. Once I decided to go public, I used various forms of social media to get more exposure and EzineArticles has been a great source of marketing.

4. Cultivate inspiration.
Most of my inspiration comes from everyday life relating to family, parenting, education, entrepreneurialism, publishing, changes in society… I find that I’m more inspired to write when the weather is warm. I often head outside and love to write with a good old-fashioned pen and paper while soaking up the southern California sun.

5. Ward off writer’s block.
It’s hard for me to force my writing, but if I have to get a story or article done on a deadline and can’t think, I’ll do something completely the opposite of being creative like cleaning the house or grocery shopping. What also works sometimes is to just sit and let my mind wander.

Try Nancy’s common sense article writing and marketing tips for your next set of quality, original articles and unlock the key to your extraordinary success!

Do you have a question or comment for Nancy? Feel free to leave it in the comments section below.

Want to build a loyal audience?

Create a dynamic relationship with your readers!

A dynamic relationship with your readers will build trust in you and your platform, deepen your audience’s participation, increase your conversion rates, and more.

One of the methods of creating dynamic relationships is opening a line of communication between you and your audience. A communication strategy you can use with your readers is the power of suggestion – Topic Suggestions that is!

What are Topic Suggestions?

Your readers can suggest article topics they wish you to write on. This is done by selecting “Suggest a topic” found:

• In the Get Involved section below your articles.
• In the upper-right section of your Expert Author Bio page.

This will open a suggestion box where your readers can suggest article topics or headlines they would like you to address.

Once the reader has submitted a topic suggestion, our team will review the suggestion to filter out any spam or junk so you don’t have to! In doing so, you will have substantial topic suggestions relevant to your niche and your readers.

How to Access Your Topic Suggestions

1. Log into your My.EzineArticles.com account
2. Select the Write & Edit tab
3. Select Topic Suggestions from the left navigation menu

From your Topic Suggestions queue, you can view article suggestions your readers or visitors would like you to write about. You can choose to hide suggestions by selecting the “X” to the right of the suggestion. To view your hidden suggestions again, select “Delete” from the “Filter by” dropdown menu.

Encourage your readers to suggest a topic today! In doing so, you can create a dynamic relationship with your readers by writing highly relevant, quality articles specifically targeting their needs and wants.

See if you have any new Topic Suggestions by logging into your My.EzineArticles.com account today.