Tuesday, January 11, 2011

How to write an 300 word article in 7 minutes

The "creeping" phenomenon in Helium II.Image via Wikipedia

How to write an 300 word article in 7 minutes:

A quick introduction (which is also a good way to fill space): If you’re writing an article in 7 minutes for some of the “pay-for-hits” sites (like Associated Content and Helium), you probably need money way worse than I do. Here are some tips to decrease your article writing time and make the time value of your money that much greater. 

1.       Use bullet points and fill in later:
You should take an example from the way that I’m writing this article. I am writing the bullet points first (which is the main part of the article people read anyway) and filling in the details after. You should do something similar with all of the 7 minute articles you write.

2.       Use easy grammar, common knowledge, and first person voice:
Notice that I am using the first person voice, a present tense, and very common knowledge suggestions for the article that I am writing. You should take a similar approach in your article writing. Remember also to write about common knowledge things. Everyone knows that the Nazis were bad and Jesus was good (almost everyone), so throw that in somewhere.
               
3.       Don’t get stuck on details or depth:
Don’t get hung up on technical details, like the exact rest mass of Hydrogen.  Write about simple things, like aphorisms or feel good stories about your kids puking up their lunch. Nobody reads an article for information anymore – they read it to be entertained.

4.       If all else fails, write nonsense:
Half of the stuff that I’ve written in this article is complete gibberish. However, it is a 300 word article. Also, if I can draw out the length a bit more, then I will have finished it in well under 7 minutes.

Final Time: 6:42 


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