How To Get Motivated To Write

Do you often get stuck what to write about?
Do you sometimes stare at a blank computer screen?
Do you lack motivation and inspiration?

Recently I accepted the challenge of writing 100 articles in 100 days. The first 50 days was no problem because I had plenty to write about and was strongly motivated. After that I hit a brick wall because I had run out of things to say. I had to take a deep look at what motivated me to write so I could continue to produce unique content. I didn’t want to flood the net with crappy articles because it affects your reputation as a content provider.

7 ways to get motivated to write

1. Understand your purpose

This gets to the root of why you started writing in the first place. For example the purpose of writing 100 articles in 100 days was to generate traffic to my websites, have content for regular blog posts, bi-weekly newsletter and bundle the articles into a report to sell. A clear purpose helps you handle the emotional waves which affect you some days. If you forget your sense of purpose write down all the reasons on a piece of paper and keep it close to your computer so you can refer to it from time to time.

2. Make a plan

Before you even write your first article make a plan. For example writing 100 articles in 100 days is a clear goal. You also need to be committed to fulfill the goal you set. Next you need to generate a list of topics to write about. One of the best ways to do this is to do a brain dump of all your ideas. Don’t worry if you can’t come up with 100s topics. Once you start writing ideas emerge for topics you never thought of.

3. Serialize your content

Serialize your content by optimizing your list. This means creating an article series where the topics flow naturally into each other. This gets your audience to read more of your articles because you’re providing sequential information that is easy to digest. It also makes it easier to create a report from your content. All you have to do is bundle your articles together.

4. Ideas are everywhere

Sometimes you get stuck for ideas and end up staring at a blank computer screen. This is very frustrating and wastes a lot of time.

Here are 5 methods for quickly generating article ideas:

Google keyword tool
Enter your main keyword in the search box to generate a list of 100 related keywords.

Visit forums, blogs in your niche
Look for forums and blogs that are very active. An active forum gets many responses each day. Look for the date of the response. If it was a week or month ago search for another forum showing multiple responses under the current date. An active blog usually has lots of comments under each post.

Google alerts
If you sign up for Google alerts it will keep you informed of the latest news in your niche which helps you to generate new topics for your articles. You’ll receive an e-mail every time new content has been published.

Article directories
The top article directories contain millions of articles which have already been written. If you enter a topic in the search box you’ll get a list of related articles. After reading a few of them you’ll receive inspiration for creating your own article. Never just copy and paste or plagiarize an article on the net. It won’t help you in the search engines and it won’t inspire your readers.

Yahoo answers
This web property is where people get answers to their most frequently asked questions. Use the questions as titles for your next article then provide the solutions in your content.

5. Just start writing

Sometimes when I get stuck for article ideas I just start writing about anything that comes into my mind. This gets my creative juices flowing. It’s so much easier to edit your article after it has been completed than to do it while you’re writing the content.

6. Avoid analyzation

Try to avoid the temptation of analyzing your content or correcting your spelling mistakes while writing. It will interrupt the flow of ideas and take longer to complete. Leave the editing to the end. It’s also a good idea to take a break for several hours or even a day before publishing the article. You’ll discover grammar and spelling mistakes you never noticed before.

7. Proof read

Get someone else to proof read your content before it is published. They’ll have a more objective view than yourself and will find mistakes you never recognized. Readers get turned off by mistake-ridden articles. On the other hand don’t spend hours or days trying to make your article perfect. It’s better to get it published and working for you as soon as possible.

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From Herman Drost – Web Design, Hosting, SEO

Comments

  1. In my opinion, it is better not to publish anything then publish posts for the sake of potential visits. Especially because the new visitors could land on that specific page and never visit again.

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