Copyright 2005 Off the Page

Writing and Submitting Articles is More about Psychology than Writing Skill

I’ve discovered that even when a person understands the benefits from writing and submitting articles, there’s seldom a snowball’s chance in h*ll that they’ll do it. Psychologists have a word for it - it’s called resistance.

The mind may know, even agree. But for most people a negative mental loop gets in the way of actually writing. People have long-practiced justifications why they can’t write. Writing seems to be filed in the same part of the brain as high school term papers or things you’d rather avoid. So there’s a major disconnect with article marketing. "I know I should, but..."

It’s like back when you were a kid, and never got around to writing Aunt Sylvia to thank her for the ugly sweater. Thoughts about the sweater or Aunt Sylvia brought a flicker of guilt - which faded in time. But without creating the urge to write the long-avoided note. That mentality is alive and well.

Recognize Your Mental Resistance as Self-Defeating

Though I spend more time writing and submitting articles than most, some days it’s a struggle. And numerous conversations with business owners who want to build site traffic show they don’t comprehend the value of article marketing either. But acting like the issue is writing skill ignores the mind games going on.

Even though I’ve written books and articles for pay, the first articles I wrote for the Internet were horror stories. I’d "sweat bullets" and fiddle with them for weeks.

Finally my son, the journalist, said. "Mom, you’re trying to pack everything you know into one article. Stop it! Just give them a sample of what you know that’s helpful and new. Then write another one." Let me offer you the same advice. Just start.

Favorite Excuses - Any of them Yours?

1. I’m too busy and don’t have the time
Which really means its not a priority. Everyone’s too busy, doing what they consider most important. Writing almost never passes that test - even if you’re good at it. Instead of making a big deal of it, make a very small deal of it. Write down something; anything. Don’t criticize your efforts. The challenge isn’t about what’s written, but about not being buffaloed by the undertaking. Set your standard low - a paragraph or two. And keep at it - a crumb at a time. Learn to make it shine in the re-write.

2. I’m not a writer - I can’t write
What special skills do you have that people want to know? If you’ve mastered your field or deal with customers, you’ve gained specific expertise. You help people make decisions. Answer their concerns. Certain problems come up time and again. And you know how to handle them—can explain them in your sleep. That makes you a natural to write how-to articles. Or checklists. Or tell a success story readers can learn from. In-depth "here’s what to do" articles are always in demand. Don’t be afraid of being too specific. Just steer clear of jargon.

3. Assorted Objections
- It takes too long, too much work
- I wouldn’t know what to do with them, once they’re written
- I can’t face another learning curve
- I only have local clients, or no website
- I’m not sure it works

Solutions for such objections can be easily found - if you want to move past excuses. Hundreds of in-depth articles are yours for the reading at Article Marketing Academy, http://www.promotewitharticles.com You’ll find that once you’ve started it gets easier. And your articles get better. Best of all you’re not fooling yourself about whether you could.

Do Not Write Articles for the Wrong Reason

Steer clear of these motivations. Too many articles are simply recycled information, served up without much food value. Those aren’t worth reading - or writing. No one is fooled when the article is a thinly-disguised promo piece that wastes the reader’s time. Equally bad are keyword packed articles written only for search-engine ratings.

To quote Christopher Knight’s ezinearticles.com blog (the 800# gorilla of article sites), "One class lower than SEO Authors, in terms of sophistication, is the new breed of what I call: "PR Article Authors". These are PR (Public Relations) drones who think they can just submit a press release as if it were an educational and informative article."

There’s an etiquette of what’s proper as well as a learning curve. But the rewards are worth the effort. And you’re building a new mental muscle. Just write a few articles and see what happens. You’ve got nothing to lose but your excuses.