How are my article writing skills?

28 replies
I recently wrote an article for EZA and I am currently awaiting approval. I thought I'd share the article to see what everyone thought of it. Pick it apart and be straightforward with me. Thanks.

September 14, 2010..A day that perhaps changed the world of gaming with one of the biggest releases of all time, Halo: Reach, one of the most anticipated games of this day and age. The Halo series began in late 2000 with the release of Halo: Combat Evolved. At the time of its' release, Halo: CE was absolutely groundbreaking, both in graphical quality and gameplay.

A decade later, we see the release of Reach. For those of us that have been playing since the Halo:CE days, its like a dream come true. I believe that Reach delivered far and beyond what anyone expected. The campaign comes close to bringing tears to your eyes and the gameplay goes back to its amazing roots and plays almost identically to Halo: CE, the health system is just like Halo: CE's and we also see the return of the beloved Halo: CE Magnum that fires as fast as you can pull the trigger (oh so satisfying). All this coupled with the new "Armor Abilities" mechanic and ridiculously detailed graphics make for some pretty (outrageously epic, awe-inspiring, ground-shaking, mind-blowing) fun and intense gameplay.

One of the main new features that come along with Halo:Reach is the "Armor Abilities" mechanic that I spoke of earlier. This feature allows the player to have one special "power" for his/her character that lasts for a short period of time. The powers are as follows;
  • Sprint - Umm... You run fast!
  • Armor Lock - Produces an impenetrable shield that envelops your character
  • JetPack - Do I really need to explain?
  • Invisibility/Active Camo - Makes purple monkeys appear that eat your enemies..No, just kidding, it makes you invisible obviously
  • Evade - Similar to Sprint, but you duck and roll to get around quickly or dodge oncoming sticky 'nades
  • Hologram - Allows you to send out a holographic copy of yourself to trick your enemies (it works quite well and will annoy the #?*! out of you when you are against people that know how to use it efficiently..)
  • Drop Shield - Your Spartan drops his shield and does a picture-perfect bend and snap to pick it up, distracting your enemies in the process so that your allies can take them out as they gawk at your seductive pose. This method is best when used by a female Spartan. On a serious note though, you deploy a 10m shield around you that deflects bullets, similar to the bubble shield from Halo 3.

As I'm sure you can imagine, these abilities add a lot to the gameplay and entertainment value of this game. If you are smart, you can use them to turn the tide of the battle. If you aren't smart, you can provide your fellow players with some great entertainment by rolling off the edge of the map with Evade, or awkwardly armor-locking in the middle of the battlefield while everyone just stares at you, wondering what the #?*! you are doing.And, as I mentioned before, the campaign is...breathtaking. It begins with the Covenant (a nasty alien race) invading Reach - our last refuge from the Covenant. While being our last refuge, it is also our last hope. If Reach falls..the human race falls.

So by now I am sure you are completely envious of the fact that I have this game and you don't! So, go out and buy it! I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. I've spent *way to much time* playing video games of all sorts and I can honestly say that Halo: Reach is one of my all-time favorites.

James is an avid gamer and he wants to provide you with the best game reviews possible. Be sure to click the link and check out his site so that you can get a free $1000 best buy gift card so that you can finally have that game room you've always dreamed of! Click --> BestBuy Gift Card <--There
#article #skills #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Sam1985
    You have nice article writing skills. Keep it up.
    Good Luck!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2693013].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
    Thank you very much! Good luck to you!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2693192].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author avanahall
      James,
      Great article
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694375].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Ibex
        Hi James

        Excellent article. I'm sure that you could expand on the main subjects to produce another 5 or 6 articles from this.

        Good luck
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694408].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Bode2010
          Thats great awesome article
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694412].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author affilcrazy
        James,

        my intial advice, although I may be completely wrong, is that you should not have published this article on a website that you do not own, prior to EZA approval!

        This very thread can still rank in the search engines for your selected keyword(s), and therefore your article may intially be rejected by the EZA editorial team. This could mean that you may have to provide a suitable explanation before they will consider publishing it! As I say, I could be completely wrong, but this is how I see it!

        With that said, you have a good, conversational flow to your article, which is how it should be. Also, you may wish to completely forget about replacing a profanity with #?*!, as this may be deemed as excessive punctuation!

        Finally, your resource box could do with a stronger call to action - just focus on the benefit the reader will get by visiting your website, and make the call to action as urgent as possible! Forget the essay type resource box, forget about you, just think of what would most benefit your reader most by visiting your site! Make it short, snappy and intriguing -

        e.g. If you're an obsessive gamer just like me, I would hazard a guess that you would love a free $1000 Best Buy giftcard. Click Here Now to claim your free giftcard

        All in all though, you have a decent writing style, which is far superior to much of the dross that appears to get published on many article directories. Well Done!

        Cheers
        Partha
        Signature
        "There is no fixed teaching. All I can provide is an appropriate medicine for a particular ailment" - Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do (on Zen)
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694433].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Zabrina
    Okay, honest feedback: you need to start using ellipses properly. It's not ".." with no spaces, it's "..." with a space after it.

    For example, "Or just spend it on whatever you like..Either way, just go get it..it's free." should be: Or just spend it on whatever you like. Either way, just go get it... it's free.

    Same goes for colons, they need a space afterwards like so: Halo: Reach.

    Same goes for periods -- you need to put a space after a period. Like so.

    There's no such word as its', it should be "at the time of its release" instead. The only time it's is used is when you're using a contraction to replace the words "it is" -- "It's a great day out!" is good, "It's tail wagged." is not.)

    Make sure you keep your to and too straight -- it's too annoying to see them misused.

    You might also want to study other reviews to see how you can give people more useful information, because solid content helps generate click-throughs.

    Finally, look at how to structure a resource box. It's benefits-oriented and customer-oriented, and yours is a little weak and long, honestly.

    There ya go... some honest feedback, 'cause I'm in the mood for bluntness. Overall, it's better than some articles I've seen, so you're on the right track.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694451].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
    Thank you so much for the feedback. Also, I thought it should be noted that this was a quick article, and I can do a much better job. But this article is an example of the of what I feel passes as readable.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694761].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Ooh, Zabrina got in before me! I do agree that the punctuation/grammatical and some of the stylistic aspects have a lot of room for improvement, and the resource-box could definitely be punchier.

      If you're submitting it to EZA under the name or pen-name of James Harrison, it won't matter in the slightest that it's already been indexed here: they don't need or expect "unique" content at all. But if it's under a pen-name, that could, possibly, as mentioned above, (depending on how alert their editor happens to be at the time!) cause a problem. A problem you can remedy, and only a temporary inconvenience, so don't panic if it happens. And good luck.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2694909].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author petevamp
        A little piece of advice for your resource box. I take it you will be sending them to a cpa redirect from your own site. If you are not it will not get approved if eza sees anything that looks like an affiliate link. You should also keep in mind that instead of saying and linking to "His Website" or webiste what ever the case maybe. You are better off linking to a keyword term.

        Instead of going into everything about yourself you should just tell them to visit the site and why they should visit the site.

        Example:

        James is a video game tester to provide you with the best reviews possible. Be sure to check out his site so that you can get a free $1000 best buy gift card. So you can finally have that game room you always dreamed of--------------

        Something like this would get far better ctrs then the one you are trying to sell them. For the ---------- I would typically finish out the last part to a keyword and link to the keyword. The only problem I would have would be I would also want to link to the best buy gift card however I would have to put it as bestbuy gift card to beable to link to it. Which really would not be a bad idea since it is bestbuy and not best buy.

        You did a good job with the article. I the only problem I see is you are not pre-selling your resource box. Which is going to hurt your ctrs in the long run. You need to make them want to find out more about you and what you are offering in the article. You did a good job none the less.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695024].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
      Originally Posted by James Harrison View Post

      Thank you so much for the feedback. Also, I thought it should be noted that this was a quick article, and I can do a much better job. But this article is an example of the of what I feel passes as readable.
      The problem with this attitude is that if I am looking for a review of a product, I don't want something that "passes as readable". I personally want to see good quality and substance. There's no excuse for anything less.

      I personally found the article very difficult to read (though the comment above mentioned most of those grammatical issues) and lacking in substance. You really didn't tell me much about the game and you included quite a bit of filler wording as well. It looked to me like you were adding words to get it up to a word count high enough to be allowed to publish in an article directory.

      If you can write better, do it. There's no excuse for purposely publishing something you know is sub-par.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695446].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
        Originally Posted by DeborahDera View Post

        The problem with this attitude is that if I am looking for a review of a product, I don't want something that "passes as readable". I personally want to see good quality and substance. There's no excuse for anything less.

        I personally found the article very difficult to read (though the comment above mentioned most of those grammatical issues) and lacking in substance. You really didn't tell me much about the game and you included quite a bit of filler wording as well. It looked to me like you were adding words to get it up to a word count high enough to be allowed to publish in an article directory.

        If you can write better, do it. There's no excuse for purposely publishing something you know is sub-par.
        I wasn't trying to build word count, I just tend to ramble a bit (602 word count on this one) And I am aware that I should have done my best but I just threw it together real quick for some testing purposes. I will only be submitting my best work after this though because I believe that content heavily outweighs quantity.
        What were some of the actual issues that you saw? Can you provide examples?
        I think another problem I had with this article was that I didn't have a set purpose for it. I intended it for it to be a review at first but then I seemed to kind of shift towards a humorous approach. I'll try to be more focused on my next article.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695483].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by James Harrison View Post

          I intended it for it to be a review at first but then I seemed to kind of shift towards a humorous approach.
          This was one of its pluses.

          For possible future reference - don't listen to people who claim there's no room for humour and a light/entertaining style in article writing and sales writing: they don't know what they're talking about. If you can pull it off well and consistently enough, it can even get your work syndicated by others, leading to additional backlinks, traffic and sales.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695505].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            For possible future reference - don't listen to people who claim there's no room for humour and a light/entertaining style in article writing and sales writing: they don't know what they're talking about. If you can pull it off well and consistently enough, it can even get your work syndicated by others, leading to additional backlinks, traffic and sales.
            Absolutely! Humor, or even just loosening up a bit, can go a long way towards making your content memorable. It can really make a reader feel like you're talking directly to THEM, instead of the masses. Of course, this also depends on the niche. James is writing about a video game - not curing cancer. He can definitely take some latitude and not have to worry about being rigid and formal.
            Signature
            Sick of blending in with the crowd? Ready to stand ahead of the pack? The right content writing services can get you there...
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696204].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
          Originally Posted by James Harrison View Post

          I wasn't trying to build word count, I just tend to ramble a bit
          I tend to ramble... okay, babble. My brain and mouth can't keep up with each other. I always got good grades in writing until one instructor in college called me out. I was probably getting by before that because I have a good vocabulary and did good research and my stuff was better than most.

          But this professor wasn't satisfied with better than most. She was a very difficult grader. Everyone complained that this was not an English class. I instead asked her for feedback. She taught me a trick that I use till this day.

          I don't bother with outlines. Instead while I am researching, I note key terms and ideas. When I am done with my research, I list those ideas in the order I want to discuss them. And then I write. That little tip was worth the cost of tuition alone.
          Signature
          The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~ Lin Yutang
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696317].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
            Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

            I tend to ramble... okay, babble. My brain and mouth can't keep up with each other. I always got good grades in writing until one instructor in college called me out. I was probably getting by before that because I have a good vocabulary and did good research and my stuff was better than most.

            But this professor wasn't satisfied with better than most. She was a very difficult grader. Everyone complained that this was not an English class. I instead asked her for feedback. She taught me a trick that I use till this day.

            I don't bother with outlines. Instead while I am researching, I note key terms and ideas. When I am done with my research, I list those ideas in the order I want to discuss them. And then I write. That little tip was worth the cost of tuition alone.
            I've never been one for outlines either. I just think about the main points that I want to get across and then I begin writing. I usually write down what comes to my head AS it comes to my head, without looking back or thinking to hard, and then when I have "completed" the piece, I go back and re-arrange things and add more detail and make sure that each sentence truly means something. That being said, I didn't do much on this article... I only spent about 5 minutes revising things after I completed it and obviously that short-cut did me no good!

            I'll probably make another thread similar to this one but instead of a shoddy 10 minute article, I'll post one that is truly completed.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696384].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
              Originally Posted by LeeLee View Post

              I don't bother with outlines. Instead while I am researching, I note key terms and ideas. When I am done with my research, I list those ideas in the order I want to discuss them. And then I write. That little tip was worth the cost of tuition alone.
              LeeLee, I hate to break this to you...

              This is an outline.

              Just because it's not in the formal

              I
              A
              1.
              a)

              format doesn't make it less of an outline.
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696478].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
                Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

                LeeLee, I hate to break this to you...

                This is an outline.

                Just because it's not in the formal

                I
                A
                1.
                a)

                format doesn't make it less of an outline.
                Point taken John. Just when I was in school back in the dark ages, if you didn't do I A 1. a) it didn't count. We were forced to do it that way. I never could. I used to write the outline after I wrote the paper just to make the teachers happy. I had limited success with the notecard method, though much better than the I A 1. a)

                So making a list was a revolutionary idea to me. And it really helped with my rambling and scattering thoughts. I only mentioned it in case they are still shoving I A 1. a) down the kid's throats.
                Signature
                The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials. ~ Lin Yutang
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2697160].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mangozoom
    wow my grammer would get me skinned by you guys ... it is terrible.

    That said I do get a ton of traffic up on Eza.

    I think your article is well written content but if you aim is to get clicks I think you could make it far stronger.

    What I mean is this I am not grabbed by the throat and compelled to read the article whilst being lead down an inevitable path that forces me to click your link.

    Hope this is not too strong as I am not trying to dscourage but in fact encourage you.

    John
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695003].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    It's definitely better than most of the stuff I see on EZA! Yes, there are a few grammar issues, but those are easily fixable.

    There were 2 other issues I saw, too. The first is in the 2nd paragraph, where you say, "Now, 10 years later". That immediately dates your article. Remember, once you publish an article, it's out there forever. Someone may find it a year from now, or 5 years from now, and it needs to be just as relevant then as it is now. To someone reading this in 2012, they are going to read that sentence and realize the content is 2 years old - and probably leave. However, you can fix that by saying something like, "A decade after the first Halo came out, Halo Reach showed off features that could never have been imagined in 2000."

    The second issue was towards the end, where you say, "So, while this article might not have told you much..." Never, ever say anything like that in an article! Your readers are coming to you for answers and information. A sentence like that makes them feel like they've just wasted their time reading your content (which isn't even true; you gave them some good information!) Most people would take 1 look at that sentence and stop reading (and, thus, never make it to your resource box!)

    Overall, though, it was a pretty good article. For someone looking for information on Halo Reach, it gives them a great idea of what the game's all about.
    Signature
    Sick of blending in with the crowd? Ready to stand ahead of the pack? The right content writing services can get you there...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695055].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
      Originally Posted by NicoleBeckett View Post


      The second issue was towards the end, where you say, "So, while this article might not have told you much..." Never, ever say anything like that in an article! Your readers are coming to you for answers and information. A sentence like that makes them feel like they've just wasted their time reading your content (which isn't even true; you gave them some good information!) Most people would take 1 look at that sentence and stop reading (and, thus, never make it to your resource box!)
      Right after I typed that part up I was having second thoughts about whether or not I should put that as it would make me look like I lacked confidence in what I was saying... So thank you for confirming my thoughts! I'll change it promptly.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695421].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    There's a story told about former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger...

    One of the analysts in his office turned in a report. Dr. Kissinger asked him if the report in his hand was the very best the analyst could do. The analyst replied that he could probably flesh it out a little better, and Dr. K handed it back to him.

    This little scene was repeated for a few days, Kissinger asking if the report was the best the analyst could do and the analyst getting the report back.

    Finally, Dr. K asked if this was the very best report the analyst could produce, and the analyst told Kissinger that there was nothing else he could do to improve it.

    Kissinger then set the report aside on his desk and told the analyst, "Fine, now I'll read it."


    James, you have enough skill that you should never have to settle for 'passes as readable'...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695512].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
    Again, thanks for the support and and advice. @John, thank you for that, I won't settle for anything less then my best now. My readers will appreciate that more
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695944].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sarahberra
    Great article! It's very clear and to the point. I don't see passive voice, but sometimes I don't catch it on the first read. Good job!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2695985].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author tombuckland
    Banned
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696097].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author unclepennybags
      Very good article. It actually grabs the readers attention. Unlike many marketers content this has honesty and passion flowing. Good to see someone in a market they truly enjoy.
      Signature

      "The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." - Bruce Lee

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696197].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author good2go4
    I think you have great writing skills - the grammar parts have already been mentioned but I personally liked the spot of humor and personality in your text. To me that is always more interesting to read.

    Keep it up
    Lisa
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696271].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author James Harrison
    Thank you very much Richard, very encouraging. Thanks for taking the time to log in haha.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2696591].message }}

Trending Topics