Don't listen to the Critics!
Eventually you will receive comments. This is fun because we all want opinions on what we are writing. However, some times it is hard to accept what people are saying in their comments. Not all of them will be nice or encouraging and some of them may be just down right cruel. The key here is to keep yourself from taking them personal, even though this can be difficult since our writing is a very personal thing.
One example is I wrote a piece on College Football a few weeks ago titled, “Vote on the top College Football Rivalry” and it did very well. However, I also received a lot of negative feedback. At first I was upset at some of the things people were saying, but the more I thought about it, the more I started to see humor in it. You see, football fans take their teams very seriously, so of course some readers were mad about their favorite teams not being on the list. The thing I should have been concentrating on was taking their comments as advice and learning how to make a better article. Also, I realized that because I had received so many comments, my article was obviously a success.
So look at every comment as positively as you can and apply rule number one to this tip as well by using the comments you receive as motivation. Heck, sometimes the comments you receive may give you an idea for another article too!
Make your title a good one!
Your title doesn't exactly have to be flashy, but it should be intriguing. What I mean by this is, let's say you have published a beautiful picture of a pond. Well, you probably shouldn't title it “Beautiful Pond” and the reason is that it doesn't draw intrigue. So it might be better to think of something that isn't so dull. Instead, find a title that would make the viewer want to see it. Your title is the best selling point for gaining views. But beware; make sure your title has something to do with your piece.
Search for inspiration!
Basically what I mean by this is if you have no idea what to write about, look around at other peoples articles and learn from them. There are some very successful writers here on Triond and they are successful because they have learned how to write the right way. There is nothing wrong with gaining inspiration from others, just be sure not to copy off of them.
Also, use your own lifestyle as inspiration. If you are a soccer mom and you are constantly finding tips on how to make your life easier, write an article about it. There is really no right or wrong on writing, there is only do or don't. So take a look around every once in a while and see if there isn't something in your daily life worth writing about. I'm willing to bet that there is.
Research, research, research!
When you write an article, you have to be able to back up what you are saying. If you write about Ocean City, Maryland, but you have never been there, you should probably read up about it. Putting out bad content is not only substandard, but it is a quick way for you to lose creditability. On the other hand, if you do loads of research on the internet, talk to people that have been there and maybe call a few hotels and ask questions about the area, then you will probably be able to produce a good article.
The main thing here is to be able to back up everything you say.
Treat other Authors as you would want to be treated!
This could just be a revolutionary idea, but we should all try our hardest to be kind if we comment an article. No one likes getting a mean comment, but if you do get one, don't go and take it out on the next article you read. Negative articles hurt peoples feelings and we should all be respectful of that. So if you read something that you don't like, be critical of it but try to be encouraging when doing so. There is no need to bash anyone just to do it. For all we know, the Author may be a single mother of three that is just trying to follow her dream of writing. So try and give advice or point out errors if you feel it is needed, but let's not bash on anyone.
I can only hope that these tips help. If you have any feedback, please do not hesitate to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Let me know what has worked for you, or if something I have said here helped you out.
God Bless and Good Luck!
