How to write content that will get noticed, part 1
Great writing tips for newbies, session 6
This is the sixth part of an ongoing session of writing tips that I post regularly to this blog. For those of you who are keeping up with these postings, thanks. In session five I discussed some ways to write better posts and web content. I hope the information in that session was helpful to those who reviewed it.
Session 6
When I first started writing I had no idea that the task I was taking on would be such a major one. I originally started writing because I had the time for it and wanted to jot down some ideas I had for a few short stories. This turned into writing some poetry for a contest I wanted to enter, which ultimately turned into self-publishing two books of poetry and four short stories. This was the start of it all.
While in college a professor turned me onto some academic writing projects that were right up my alley. After writing a few that turned out really great I found I had a knack for writing papers in academic genres like APA and MLA formats. This led me to work with my professor to publish my first peer-reviewed article in a notable academic journal. After this publication, I then became somewhat of a subject matter expert on a particular Info-Tech topic known as BYOD and published two more self-authored papers on the subject.
Why I am mentioning all of this? For one reason- always write to get noticed! When I was working through each of the academic papers I published and the poems and short stories I had one thing on my mind- I wanted people, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, to read my work. I didn’t care if it was in an academic journal or from my own self-published material that can be found online. I just wanted someone to read what I had written and for them to show me ways to become a better writer and get my material noticed more.
My reasons for getting some of my written material published serves me with two purposes. First, it helps me show others in the field that I have some credibility as a writer. I didn’t just get an itch one day and pick up writing as a hobby, I worked hard to get where I am now. I went to college and got a Master's degree in IT, and then returned and got another degree in Technical Writing for Digital Media.
I now work as a professional freelance writer publishing material in the information technology field and as a professional copyeditor. Basically I get paid to research a topic, write some material on it, have it proofread, then I edit what needs correcting, then the paper either gets published in an academic journal or it is used as continuing scientific research. I took me a while to land this role and find something I could do remotely from home.
My career is just starting out so I still have much to learn. I am, however, dedicated to my new profession and want to share what I have learned with others. I started this blog with session #1, which listed some straightforward steps to help new writers get the wheels of creativity rolling. From there I moved to session #2 that had some great ideas for online portfolios and writers journals. In session #3, I posted some thoughts on how to cut your writers teeth and get practice writing for the web. Session #4 was about keeping your writing fresh, and session #5 was on writing better posts and web content.
Each of the sessions before this one was about getting your feet wet as a writer. My short background above is so that you can see some of the processes I took to get my writers' feet wet. Now the objective should be about becoming a better writer and writing better content. Let’s get started!
This post is the first part of many that will continue to teach on the process of writing better to get your writing noticed. Since this post is longer than my usual ones I will end here and leave you with a thought for the next session- consider your writing background, is it the one you want other writers to see? will it get your writing noticed? is it the way you want it to be, or are there things about it you want to change?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions I suggest you review my “Great writing tips for newbies” sessions #1 through session #5 before moving forward with these lessons. Use sessions 1–5 to get your writing background where you want it to be. Once you are all caught up, meet back up with us in session #6. This is where we really get the ball rolling and start making progress on becoming a better writer, writing better content, and learning how to get our writing noticed.
Remember, good writing takes a lot of practice. It takes dedication, time, and good writing habits to produce good work.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to review the information presented here in session 6. If you missed session 5 feel free to review it at your own leisure. I hope this article was of some help to those seeking to become better writers. Session 7 on how to write content that will get noticed, part 2 will be posted soon.
As always- find what works best for you in everything that you do, including writing. Always write what you feel and never let others sway your opinions or ideas.
Write something GREAT today!
