How to cut down content creation dead time
Dead time is a major concern for every writer. Let’s face it, after getting over the usual procrastination that tends to appear before you start writing, you need an easy to use and fast tool to get our content published.
If the tool or the interface can be used on mobile devices it’s for the best.
With the right tools, content creation can be nice and simple. Again, there are some small steps you can follow to cut down on content creation dead time:
Find an easy to use CMS or text editor
Content writers are peculiar creatures that tend to transform coffee and tea into stories and information. Some of us (and I include myself on this list), are not masters of technology, and we would love to make everything as simple as possible.
A great piece of content for digital can take up 8 hours to write. I had moments when an article took more than 20h to document and to write. If we’re going for images and videos, creation time can double or even triple.
Well, after spending that much time in creating the content, having a complicated content management system is the last thing you want.
All editors seem to want is something simple and easy to use. Makes sense, right?
As a content writer, the struggles are huge, and you tend to look for something as simple to use as possible.
For example, George R.R. Martin found his relief by working on an outdated DOS machine using eighties word processor WordStar 4.0. Most of the readers of this article weren’t born when this editor was created.
Let’s face it, in the majority of cases, you don’t need all those Word-like tools. These are just dead time sources. Who hasn’t spent minutes finding the right font for the heading, the right sizes, and the right color?
What is that? Dead time!
A good simple text editor is the key to reducing dead time. That was one of the ideas that stood behind the actual design of the OpenStory interface, a tool created by the developers for the editors.
Note: You will hear me mentioning this interface. This is a project created by Softescu in which I collaborated as editor. The guys from Softescu listened to all my editorial frustration gathered over time…mine and other editors’ that is. Together with their design team and their developers, we have all tried to come up with what seems to be a great alternative for content writers everywhere.
To see more about this initiative, check out: https://openstory.io/
Only keep the stats that really help you
Who hasn’t spent time trying to understand the numerous stats displayed in Google Analytics? Same goes for other tools for monitoring traffic.
This means that you will open a new tab, then that you start navigating in a sea of complicated stats.
At a certain point, you will get lost in a sea of tabs and you will desperately try to find the tab with the stats.
Same goes for the endless tables with keywords that you were supposed to use in your articles to increase traffic.
What’s that? Dead time!
To reduce all these problems a customizable dashboard may be the solution to all your problems. That’s why we have included this option in the OpenStory interface.
If the stats are not relevant to you or to your work, lose them all together.
Easy to edit articles and content pieces
Let’s say that you wrote an article or that one of your colleagues wrote an article that needs some changes. Don’t lose your time looking desperately for a word from the article or for other elements in a sea of titles and links.
Just edit right on the spot. Drupal 8 comes with this facility, cutting a lot of time for content creators everywhere.
OpenStory adds a plus of value to this by simply adding a responsive and visually enticing media gallery. In this gallery due to the live preview of the article and a set of carefully selected filters, you can find your article in no time.
Creator’s block? Just make a structure, save and start working on something else
A great way to fight back creator’s block is to create a structure of possible headings you will be having in your article. Let’s say you are having an article on “Content creation for brands”. Write the general title that can be “Content creation for brands”.
Then a possible set of headings may be:
- content creation for social media
- content creation for Facebook and Instagram
- respect the brand’s mission
- content creation and sharing
- final thoughts
This shouldn’t take long. Just remember that you have the power to change the headings when and how you want. Then fill in the gaps with some relevant information.
There comes a time when you just don’t know what more to write. Just save your content piece without displaying it on the website. With Drupal 8 and OpenStory, you will be able to get back to it in no time. No need to spend time staring at the screen and waiting for inspiration. Start another article, drink a coffee, do whatever you need to get those ideas back in place. You can get back at it at any moment of the day.
A great way to lose that block is to read again the phrases you’ve written so far and to add small annotations to the content piece or even to different phrases. Save your copy, get out of the house and continue writing outdoor
This goes especially for freelance content writers. When working from home or embracing a freelance career, the simple fact of getting outdoor is more than inspiring. Take your laptop or your phone and start working outdoor.
Accessible media gallery cuts down on dead time
Let’s say that you’ve finished your article, but you need a relevant set of picture. If you are working in a specific domain, you can create your own database of media elements.
Be that images, videos or sounds, it would be easier to select from a database than start looking for non-copyrighted images. Right? That’s one of the features of the OpenStory interface and that’s why OpenStory seems to be a great tool to use for managing your content efficiently.
To find out more about the project, visit the interface’s website https://openstory.io/
Keep in mind that for the moment, OpenStory is still a demo, so any feedback would help.
