Making Judgments on Articles: How to Write a Piece

Jacob Malewitz
The articles we write may never see print; but if we do not write them at all there is a guarantee in them not seeing print. Writers all play the odds, but non-fiction writers, specifically article writers, have to remember that their chances are higher. If you write an article on a popular subject you have much more chance of being published than writing a literary or science fiction short story. The odds are even better if you compare that article to a novel. So there is no reason to make a judgment, yet we do it anyways. Let this how to write article work through you; after you read it you will cut down the judgments that come to mind when you get the idea, in the middle of writing the article, and when you are ready to send it out.

Writers work in cycles, and this is that is the point. Even those top writers you can list, those you want to emulate, will speak of having creative problems. Some want to write different kinds of articles, and some wonder if they have lost the writer's touch. As an article writer myself I certainly look to the published article writers as people standing on clouds. They are as human as we are. So when we get the idea we must act on it. This is not to say time should be discounted, but never let the doubts control whether you write it or not. As stated, your chances are actually pretty reasonable.

Once the idea comes we need to work on the mid-article doubts. It can be called a fallout or the fear of failure. Even if the article is good we can't see through all the doubts and other negative pieces of our mind. We want to quit. I have quit on many articles throughout my life, and some of them ended up being the best I had written. If I had stuck to my guns more, if you will, then I could have increased my productivity. And productivity is important to a freelance writer: one article a month just won't make a career.

The next point is finishing the article. All freelancers reach this at some point, whether it be the age of ten or sixty. The article will do nothing collecting dust. We must try and publish it-that is the freelance writers job. If we have doubts we show the article to trusted friends. I often post my articles on forums I trust, and I suggest you seek these out and do the same. Grammar and inconsistency may pop up, but this is all about learning and not being perfect.

In the end the evolution of an article can be a joy to watch. When we create something we can watch and see if it flies, or if it stays setting on our desk. Always try and make it fly.

Published by Jacob Malewitz

I have written over 600 articles for newspapers and online publications. I am the author of the ebook The Writer Who Smiles, available here: booklocker.com/books/3288.html My new blog can be found at Cof...  View profile

  • Even top writers make judgments on their writing
  • Creativity can be found in getting past doubts
  • Judging an article should only come when it is finished.

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  • ha8/19/2007

    ha

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