With the advancement in technology, people who love to read, or those who need information for their businesses, interests, professions, etc. no longer need to go to bookstores to buy books or magazines or go to libraries to obtain these information. All they need to do is search online for ebooks and ezines (emagazines)that are now readily available in our computers.
This is the reason why many people want to write for online publication. Aside from becoming famous, they can also earn lots of money writing articles for publication online.
There may be many writers around but one thing is always true: no two writers are exactly alike. Every writer has his/her own unique style of writing. However, they may have different ways of working but I’m sure they all go through the same processes I mentioned below.
1. Pre-writing. Planning must be done before the actual writing. Explore topics first in your mind. Ask why are you writing and who are you writing for. If you are writing for a website, the topic must be related to the content of that website. Choose a topic that is currently creating a “buzz” in social websites or one that will not fade away soon. Whatever topic you decide to write it should be one that interests you so you can put enthusiasm into your work. Readers will know if you are not familiar with the subject you are writing about.
2. Drafting. Get your thoughts into paper. Translate your thoughts into sentences and paragraphs without worrying about spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to write down a word or phrase that I think will be good for my article. It is easier to organize your thoughts when you can actually see them written down. Do an outline and group same ideas together. Start drafting and re-drafting until you come up with a written article that you are happy with.
3. Revising. In this stage, you can change a few words or you can change the whole article and do it all over again. If you have colleagues or friends with whom you can discuss your work with, ask their opinions. Evaluate critically what you have written to make sure it has sense. Evaluate your word choices and provide variety in your sentences. After revising, you now have a more or less finished article.
4. Select a title. This is the tricky part. The title is just like an advertisement. It can make or break your chances of getting published and be noticed by search engines and people who search the websites. I’m sure there are many articles online written about selecting key words or attractive phrases to use for your title.
5. Proofread. Make final corrections in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar. Make sure that line spacing, indentations, margins, etc. are according to the standards used in online publishing.
6. Publish. Do a research if you don’t have yet a list of publishers in mind. When you do your research, find out also the prescribed format of email for article submissions or other requirements that you need to follow. Be sure you include a personalized cover when you submit your article because they receive and sort hundreds of articles a day.
Next, I will give you some tips on how to organize your thoughts. Good luck and get published!
About