5 Simple Techniques of Writing a Business Article for your Web Site

Many of us feel that we are not a talented writer and believe we need to be gifted naturally to be of one. And because of this belief we often think into a self prophesizing truth that article writing is unbearably difficult. It frighten us to sit down before a blank sheet of paper and know that an hour later, nothing on it may be worth keeping. Additionally, it is frustrating to discover how much of a challenge it is to transfer thoughts and feelings from one's head onto a sheet of paper.

It is upsetting to find an apparently simple business article writing subject often turns out to be a complicated proposition. Nonetheless, business article writing is not an automatic process: we will not get something for nothing and we should not expect it to be. For almost everyone, competent business article writing comes from sheer hard work from determination, sweat, and head-on-battle. The good news is that the skill of business article writing can be mastered, and if you are ready to ride on, you will learn what you need to know on how to write like a professional for your online business marketing effort.

For many people, online business article writing is a process that involves the following steps:

* Discovering a business concept often through pre writing
* Developing a solid support for the business concept often through more pre writing
* Organizing the business concept and supporting material and writing it out in the first draft
* Revising and then editing carefully to ensure an effective and error-free

Pre writing

If you are like many people, you may have troubles getting started with business article writing. A mental block may develop when you sit down before a blank sheet of paper. You may not be able to think of an interesting topic or argument. Or you may have trouble coming up with relevant details to support a possible argument. And even after starting a business article, you may hit snags moments when you wonder "What else can I say?" or "Where do I go next?"

There are five techniques that will help you think about and develop a topic and get words on your business article:

* Freewriting
* Questioning
* Making a List
* Diagramming, and
* Preparing a scratch outline.

These pre writing techniques help you think about and create material, and they are a central part of the business article writing process.

Technique 1: Freewriting

Free writing means jotting down in rough sentence or phrases everything that comes to mind about a possible topic. See if you can write nonstop for ten minutes or more. Do not worry about spelling or punctuating correctly, about erasing mistakes, about organizing material, or about finding exact words. Instead, explore an idea by putting down whatever pops into your head. If you get stuck for words, repeat yourself until more words come. There is no need to fell inhibited, since mistakes do not count and you do not have to submit your article.

Freewriting will limber up your article writing muscles and make you familiar with the act of article writing. It is a way to break through mental blocks about business article writing. Since you do not have to worry about mistakes, you can focus on discovering what you want to say about a subject. Your initial ideas and impressions will often become clearer after you have gotten them down on paper, and they may lead to other impressions and ideas. Through continued practice in freewriting, you will develop the habit of thinking as you write. And you will learn a technique that is a helpful way to get started on almost any topic.

Technique 2: Questioning

In questioning, you generate ideas and details by asking as many question as you can think of about your subject. Such questions include Why? When? Where? Who? And How?

Techniques 3: Making a List

In making a list, also known as brainstorming, you collect a list of ideas and details that relate to your subject. Pile these item up, one after another, without trying sort out the major details from minor ones or trying to put the details in any special order. Your goal is just to make a list of everything about your subject that occurs to you.

Technique 4: Diagramming

Diagramming, also known as clustering or mapping, is another strategy that can be used to generate materials for a business article. This method is helpful for people who like to do their thinking in a visual way. In diagramming, you use lines, boxes arrows, and circles to show relationship among the ideas and details that occur to you.

Begin by stating your subject in a few words in the center of a blank sheet of paper. Then, as ideas and details come to you, put them in boxes or circles around the subject and draw lines to connect them to each other and to the subject. Put minor ideas or details in smaller boxes or circles, and use connecting lines to show how they relate as well.

Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way of diagramming or clustering. It is a way to think on paper about how various ideas and details relate to one another.

Technique 5: Preparing a Scratch Outline

A scratch outlining is an excellent sequel to the first prewriting techniques. A scratch outline often follows freewriting, questioning, list making, or diagramming; or it may gradually emerge in the midst of these strategies. In fact, trying to make a scratch outline is a good way to see if you need to do more prewriting. If you cannot come up with a solid outline, then you need to do more prewriting to clarify your main point or its several kinds of support.

In a scratch outline, you should think carefully about the point you are making, the supporting items for that point, and the order in which you will arrange those items. The scratch outline is a plan or blueprint to help you achieve a unified, supported, well organized composition.

When you are planning a traditional essay consisting of an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, a scratch outline is especially important. It may only be in a few words, but it will be the framework on which your whole essay will be built.

Writing a First Draft

When you write a first draft, be prepared to put in additional thoughts and details that did not emerge during pre writing. And don't worry if you hit a snag just leave a blank space or add a comment such as "Do Later" and press on to finish the article. Also, don't worry yet about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. You don't want to take time correcting words or sentences that you may decide to remove later. Instead, make it your goal to state your topic and develop the content of your article with plenty of specific details.

Revision

Revising is as much a stage in the business article writing process as prewriting, outlining, and doing their first draft. Revising means rewriting an article, building on what has already been done, in order to make it stronger. One writer has said about revision, "its like cleaning house getting rid of all the junk and putting things in the right order. "It is not just "straightening"; instead, you must be ready to roll up your sleeves and do whatever is needed to create an effective business article. Many of us think that the first draft is the article. We start to become good writers only when we realize that revising a rough draft three or four times is often at the heart of the article writing process.

Here are some quick hints that can help make revision easier. First set your first draft aside for a while. A few hours is fine, but a day or two is best. You can then come back to it with a fresh, more objective point of view. Second, work from typed or printed text. You'll be able to see the article more impartially in this way that if you just looking at your familiar handwriting. Next, read your draft aloud. Hearing how your article writing sounds will help you pick up problems with meaning as well as with style. Finally as you so all these things, add your thoughts and changes above the lines or in the margins of your article. Your written comments can serve as a guide when you work on the next draft.

There are three stages to the revising process:

* Revising content
* Revising sentences
* Editing

Revising Content

To revise the content of your essay, ask the following questions:

1. Is my article unified?
* Do I have a business concept matter that is clearly stated or implied in the introductory paragraph of my business article?
* Do all my supporting paragraphs truly support and back up my thesis?
2. Is my business article supported?
* Are there three separate supporting points for the thesis?
* Do I have specific evidence for each of the three supporting points?
* Is there plenty of specific evidence for each supporting points?
3. Is my business article organized?
* Do I have an interesting introduction, a solid conclusion, and an accurate title?
* Do I have a clear method of organizing my business article?
* Do I use transitions and other connecting words?

Revising Sentences

To revise sentences in your essay, ask the following questions:

* Do I use parallelism to balance my words and ideas?
* Do I have a consistent point of view?
* Do I use a specific words?
* Do I use a active verbs?
* Do I use words effectively by avoiding slang, clichés, pretentious language, and wordiness?
* Do I vary my sentences?

Editing

After you have revised your online business article for content and style, you are ready to edit check for and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Many often find it hard to edit an article carefully. Since they have put so much time and work into their article writing that its almost painful for them to look at the online business article one more time. You may simply have to will yourself to perform this important closing step in the article writing process. Remember that eliminating sentence-skills mistakes will improve an average and mediocre article. Further, as you get into the habit of checking your written article, you will also get into the habit of using the sentence skills consistently. This is an integral part of clear and effective online business article writing.