I was making some updates to the article speed writing report last night and I added in the below snippet. I thought it was valuable enough to share with you here… so here goes:
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I thought I’d add in this little section to let you know how I write articles if I’m looking for sheer speed. This is when I don’t even bother with a structure, and for some reason I don’t even want to research. I just use common sense, and let it flow.
You know, you’d be surprised about how much knowledge is already in your head about many topics you think you’d know nothing about!
Basically, what this comes down to is being able to be “verbose” (I’ll talk more about that in the next chapter). It’s being able to take a small amount of knowledge and expand it into a larger piece of writing than it should normally warrant. Keep in mind that this is specifically for directory submission articles where you don’t know much about the topic. If you have knowledge of your own you can utilize it and don’t need these techniques.
I thought the easiest way to do it might be for me to pick a topic out of thin air and write something on it right here in this report then deconstruct it so you can see what I mean.
Ok let’s pick a topic… let’s say How To Grow Tomatoes. I know nothing about growing tomatoes but as quickly as I can, here’s what it might look like if I had to produce a piece of content on that topic (you’ll have to take my word that I’m doing this with no research).
How To Grow Tomatoes: Grow Ripe And Juicy Tomatoes With Minimal Fuss
Don’t you just love the look of a luscious tomato plant? A series of lush ripe red tomatoes interspersed with healthy green leaves. And the taste of a great tomato? The number of sauces and dishes you can use them in are innumerable.
It’s for precisely this reason that learning how to grow tomatoes properly is a complex search for many gardeners. Fortunately, growing juicy tomatoes isn’t as difficult as you might think, and, by following some simple directions, you can grow tomatoes that are better than supermarket quality, without breaking the bank, or without pulling your hair out in frustration!
To grow the perfect tomato, certain factors need to be in place. You need the right conditions, both weather and soil. You need the right maintenance of your plant – involving a few factors – and you need to know when your tomato is right for the picking! (it’s not when you might think!)
Furthermore, you need to be aware of and ready to combat problems that can arise with your growing pumpkin. There’s nothing worse than having almost reared the perfect pumpkin, only to see it be attacked by insects, or die on you at the last minute.
For the informed gardener, growing a great tomato is a piece of cake. Combining the correct tactics with the right attitude and a little practice, anyone can have home made tomatoes that will turn all your friends and family into raving fans!
Ok so that article’s a little short – only 252 words. And you’ll have to take my word for it, but I wrote that just now in a little under 10 minutes with NO research what so ever.
Let me explain a little further some of the important points of this article.
1. You’ll notice the lack of real “meaty” information. Guess what? That’s not what a directory submission article is meant for! (note: depending on the niche, there might be advantages to providing AMAZING quality in your articles – Tomato Growing isn’t one of those niches) This kind of article is a preview – it’s a little taste of what to come, including certain factors that motivate the reader to want to learn more.
2. Motivating Factors: We’re assuming this article is for my blog that promotes a product on Growing Tomatoes. You’ll notice I include elements that are almost salesy. I mention some of the benefits of growing great tomatoes, and I even hit at the emotion that the aspiring tomato grower is desiring. “Imagine how your friends and family will love your cooking when you get the perfect tomatoes!”. I’m arousing their emotion, imploring them to want more from me and to REALLY want the solution I already know they’re looking for.
3. You’ll notice I mainly just used common sense. I don’t know anything about tomatoes, but common sense tells me you’re probably going to have to grow them in some specific conditions, you’re going to do certain things to the plant as it grows (water it?) and you’re going to have to make sure it doesn’t get eaten by insects… See what I mean by common sense? Remember, the kind of person reading this article isn’t a Tomato expert, that’s why they’re reading!
You’re the one who’s written the article – they don’t know you’re just some guy/gal sitting at home. And this is not unethical in my view – you’re going to pass them on to a merchant who DOES have the expertise their looking for (assuming your product is quality) so they are going to end up with great information as a result of your guidance.
4. Blabbering: Look at the first two paragraphs of my article. Do you think they required any knowledge from me? Nope. It’s a general, random introduction. That’s what people expect from an article. Not only that, but the whole way through I use unnecessary description, unnecessary fluff sentences, whatever I have to, to fill out the word count. Remember I’m talking directory submission articles for subjects you know nothing about – for articles where you NEED quality, this isn’t the answer.
Are you starting to see how easy it can be to write articles for directories? With a tiny bit more thought I could have probably spewed out another 3 articles on this subject before I even started to research. A little common sense, a little blabber, and a little presell can go a looooong way.
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Hope you enjoyed!
Andrew
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Uh, Andrew…you got your tomatoes and your pumpkins confused!
Aside from that, I liked that method of coming up with a fast article. Anyone with half a brain could use this technique to “BS” their way through and article. Thanks!
Sue
Andrew,
May I ask the following…….
As you indicated the article you wrote does’nt contain the juice that attracts the SE’s,so where would you look to get articles on a particular niche that would attract;which I could spend 30 minutes on making additions/adjustments to which would still attract the SE’s as a NEW unique article?
Sincerely,
Laurence Chilcott
This article is well written though I wouldn’t use it on my own website as this doesn’t really fit my definition of ‘quality content’.
Great for article directories where you want to entice the reader to click through to learn more.
This is very useful for writing quality articles on two levels.
First, it would only take 3 minutes or so to go to ezinearticles to grab 3 or 4 tomato growing tips which you write the essence of in your own words. Then use the Andrew’s techniques to rapidly fill out the article.
Second, you can use his techniques as a daily warm up exercise to get yourself in a “flowing” frame of mind before you crank out your actual content. The best way to get into the “flow” is to just write. The actual content doesn’t matter, just the act of writing itself will limber up the brain.
Great approach with some useful tips. In applying the approach, I feel that it is important to write quality articles. I was curious to find out more about Andrew’s approach and have actually bought Andrew’s book. I am just starting to read through Article Speed Writing now.