Expert Author Showcase: Norman Wilson
Meet EzineArticles’ Expert Author Norman Wilson in Today’s Showcase
Enclosed in a ten-by-ten home office for six to eight hours a day, Expert Author Norman Wilson researches, drafts, and polishes his articles. With ideas sparked by chance conversations, newscasts, television programs, magazines, books, and the Internet at large, Norman writes insightful, thought-provoking articles from politics to education to sociology.
Author of over 200 articles, several college textbooks, three novels, and two non-fiction books, it’s difficult to believe Norman was once a “struggling writer.” Advised to build a platform and to enhance his brand with article writing, Norman chose to publish with EzineArticles after reading articles from fellow Expert Authors and liking what he read. “And with that began a very pleasant and positive experience,” Norman said.
“Writing articles for EzineArticles was a logical approach,” Norman commented. “I am eclectic in my interests and I have been criticized for that. Successful author friends have said I should pick a niche and concentrate on that. That’s not my style and EzineArticles allows me that diversity.”
Considering what he would do if he could start over, Norman reflected that he would attempt to target a specific niche that reflected his writing and begin writing articles much sooner in his career. “Most likely, I’d begin before having a first book published,” he said. “Name recognition is really important.”
Here are more highlights from our interview with Norman:
What were your biggest article writing challenges?
One of the fundamental problems of article writing is the amount of time it takes. One has to make a judgment about the time it takes to write articles against the time to work on a novel, for example.
The biggest challenge for me was to learn the style, format, and demands of the publisher. Each has its own system and preferences. Another challenge, and this is very personal, is to accept the fact that everything I write will not necessarily be published and will be read. It’s very easy to get caught up in one’s ego. The real challenge is to make my writing interesting to a wide range of readers.
What’s your favorite technique to overcome writer’s block?
The creation of the draft is really the major workout… I’ve used the following technique for many years. I take the last page or two of what I have written and begin keyboarding it over again, just as it is. At the end of that, I generally find myself starting a new paragraph and the work flows from there. In addition to that, I have a very demanding boss. Her name is Lucy and she goes to my office door and yells at me to come and get to work. Lucy is a sliver colored cat. Once I am back at my computer, she settles down for the duration.
In his closing remarks, Norman shared this last piece of advice for fellow Expert Authors: “If you need help, ask for it. You will get it.” We couldn’t agree more! Take Norman’s advice: get involved, ask questions, and start building your recognition today.
Do you have a question or comment for Norman? Feel free to leave it in the comments section below.
Molly,
September 7, 2012 at 2:54 PMProcrastination is every authors worst enemy. Use a notepad and jot down ideas as the day progresses. At the end of the day check if they can be organized into a pattern. As you move along from day to day, you will have a good start on your novel. Good luck.
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