How to Write Articles Faster and More Efficiently
By Sean R Mize

Not every assignment you get is going to curl your toes, but that doesn't mean that the boring ones can't be made more interesting. It's just a fact of life that there are times when the topics you need to write about are dull or not in your area of excitement and fun. That's when you can really use this system to liven things up and keep your brain motor humming.

The first thing you want to do when you get a topic that doesn't light your fire is to do a frequency word list. This will help you start to brainstorm not only profitable areas of research and writing, but also some that may be more interesting to you personally too. If you find some that immediately pop out at you as having some interest, use those to help you jump start the writing process.

With those words in hand, you will go to the Google search engine and start to research for interesting facts and stories that can help you get engaged with the subject. Just remember to add the topic in quotes to get an exact match there and use the frequency word list in combination with that to expand your search results.

Keep A Tight Schedule

Writing is one of the most flexible professions out there. Whether you are a mother of three, already have a day-time job, or work the night shift, you can still spend time writing any time of day or night around that schedule. So, while on the plus side the flexibility makes it a very attractive job, it can also hamper people who don't know how to set and keep a tight schedule for themselves.

One of the things you want to do as you develop a schedule to write, is to keep in mind when you are most creative. That differs for everyone. Some people write best when they first wake up, and others are night owls. Even if you have other work that has to be scheduled during certain times, you will find that the creative juices tend to flow at particular times for you and you might have to rearrange the schedule to suit that muse. That just goes along with this type of profession. You will find it has a natural rhythm of its own and you are the one chasing the muse, not it coming to you.

But, once you've figure out the best times to write for you, you should keep to it and have a schedule so as to get in the habit and practice of writing, whether you feel like it or not. That might be a four hour block of time in the morning when all the kids are in school. Or, it might be late at night because that's the time when you best write. Either, way, try to schedule a set number of hours to work, if you intend to take this profession seriously. If you are just trying to start to write, you can start with smaller chunks of time, maybe even during a lunch break so that you get started just doing it.

And, that's the other thing that should be mentioned. Almost always, the biggest hump to actually writing is just getting started. That's why the free association exercise can work to stir the creative juices without building any pressure on you to produce a meaningful piece of work. It's just a matter of sitting down and starting to get words on paper that can often be the biggest stumbling block. Hopefully, by using the strategies and tools in this ebook, you can at least know how to get started with word lists, research, and or even mind mapping to get started and spend less time looking at a blank sheet of paper.

If you do get writer's block, don't let it freak you out. Try the word lists, the mind maps, spend time reading instead of writing, or simply get up and have a cup of coffee or take a short walk. These types of activities tend to reduce the stress of performance anxiety and also help you to get the right frame of mind to use the part of your brain involved in creative acts.