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Write, Rewrite, Reword, Reword again & again-Stop the madness!

by marxwarfor
14 replies
Hi Guys,

As 'time' seems so precious, as far as managing our workload in this business, it's sometimes nice to be able to find some short-cut WITHOUT compromising our business, in order to save some of that time.

Case in point - writing a quality article for my site, blog, article directories. I can't seem to write anything of 'really good quality' under 600 words. All my 'good ones' (if I may dare say) average 700-1200. Is that too lengthy? Just as I'm getting in a really funky groove, I've already reached the 4-500 mark.

No matter how great and compelling your copy is, what number of words do you never go over in your article?

Given what I've reviewed so far, it appears my main article should be on my site, shortened versions for the directories and even smaller tidbits for the blog posts. I dunno, maybe that's not entirely true - I'm not sure? However those shortened versions just don't seem to have that same 'punch' and 'draw' as my main article.

Yet, rewriting stuff on the same 'specific' product (not talking about my niche, only just 1 product), as in my case, over and over again seems to be quite tedious, and I was wondering if there are any alternatives to such repetition, or is this just the way it is and there's no way around it?

I really enjoy writing as a whole, but even being the creative writer I believe I am, those creative juices can often run dry, when i have to reword one particular article several times over.

***It's the 'time factor' that I'm trying to find an answer to, more than anything else actually. This is not meant to be a complaint, but just wishing to seek a less time-consuming method that's all

i will very much welcome your thoughts on this.

Thanks for listening,
Mark
#againstop #madness #reword #rewrite #write
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Mark -

    Here's a trick I often use:

    Pick 5-10 long tail keywords for your niche and do your research.

    Then start writing with one of those phrases as your keyword - after a few paragraphs, transition into the next phrase and keep writing.

    When you're done (or when you're just tired of writing) - divide up your huge "article" by adding an intro sentence and a closing sentence to each "section" and you have several manageble articles to use.

    I do this because once I get started writing it's much easier to keep going than to stop and refocus on the next keyword or phrase. For me, the hard part of writing is getting that first paragraph started - so I just keep going.

    Another thing you can do is to write without worrying about length - and if an article seems too long, make a two-parter.

    kay
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      Mark -

      Here's a trick I often use:

      Pick 5-10 long tail keywords for your niche and do your research.

      Then start writing with one of those phrases as your keyword - after a few paragraphs, transition into the next phrase and keep writing.

      When you're done (or when you're just tired of writing) - divide up your huge "article" by adding an intro sentence and a closing sentence to each "section" and you have several manageble articles to use.

      I do this because once I get started writing it's much easier to keep going than to stop and refocus on the next keyword or phrase. For me, the hard part of writing is getting that first paragraph started - so I just keep going.

      Another thing you can do is to write without worrying about length - and if an article seems too long, make a two-parter.

      kay

      Whoa!

      What are you doing, peeping over my shoulder? lol

      I'm sure that many people do it that way, but I thought it was funny because it is what I am doing right now!

      Jeremy
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      • Profile picture of the author sparrow
        I don't see writing long articles for your website being an issue, this is where you get to throw everything at the search engines.

        The only issue it seems your having is the article directories.

        If you take the long article and write a synopsis of what you got to show your expertise I am sure this will pass.

        Ed
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        • Profile picture of the author Mac Wheeler
          The trick I use it define the structure of the content piece before I start writing.

          I decide which points I want to get across in how many paragraphs, I then type a single sentence as a place holder for the paragraph, I also add any key words/phrases I need to use in the paragraph, like this:

          Tell reader why DHT helps with hair less - male pattern baldness/hair loss treatment x 2

          Once I have a line like that for each paragraph I simply fill in the blanks so to speak. It stops me waffling and drifting off topic and helps me write something concise and succinct.
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          • Profile picture of the author johntanyishin
            Try focusing on the main points, instead of getting off topic. Only elaborate when it's needed.

            Getting the points out is easier to write article, it saves time and effort. Planning it out will certianly help when writing.

            JTYS
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            • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
              Thanks for your reply John - I'll do my damnedest to whittle my articles down - funny thing, that's harder for me than writing the actually article to begin with!

              Thanks again!
              Mark
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              • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
                Not enough merit is given to the creative aspect of brevity. Two things help me when I find myself struggling to keep articles below 700 words or so. First, I force myself to focus on just one or two salient points. If others creep into my mind while writing (happens virtually every time), I jot them down and build new articles around them instead of letting it all spill out into the current article. Second, I shorten sentences. Seems simplistic, I know, but you can easily shave 50-100 words from a 700-word article just by going back and editing down longwinded sentences. I think the final article reads better when I do that, too. Win-win.
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        • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
          Hi Ed, thanks alot for your response..

          Actually you're bang on!! It is NOT my main article...as those seem to really shine (again if I may dare say), it's just those darn directories where after having the main article suck me completely dry, when i have to revise for the directories, then it's like "Oh my God, what oil well can I find, to syphon from now??" I'm not Jed Clampett !

          And the kicker - to have to change it over and over for each directory? - or, is there some way around that aspect of it? of course the more, the better, however, what is considered a good 'minimum' amount of directories to submit to? - 2-3-more?

          Thanks again Ed,
          Mark
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    • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
      Thanks Jeff and Kay for your replies...

      Yes Jeff, I certainly understand and appreciate the fact about creating that 'path'..Actually, i'm not too bad in that area, I guess my concern is the redundancy factor that seems to hang me up. For example, I'm a part-time travel writer and I tell ya, when i have to do a story about an experience related to some culture and/or destination...man, those words just flow out of me like a fire hydrant gone awry.....but with article writing for the 'net, it at times feels like walking on egg-shells - all those precarious and sensitive elements to be considered - much more 'analyzing' - at least for me and that's where that darn 'time-consumption' factor raises it's ugly head!! arrgghh .

      Kay, i really like your idea and will try it! I appreciate you sharing that thought-process. It certainly makes sense, yet still will have to be careful when breaking it up, as i don't want to ruin the flow of the story. I typically write as a story and conversation, then insert my facts accordingly. Just have to make sure when i try this method which does sound good no doubt, that i don't fragment in such a way it looks incomplete...this will be interesting, I'm curious what will transpire..

      Thanks a lot for your insight - very nice of you
      Mark
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      • Profile picture of the author dwieder
        If you want to make a quality article under 600 words, try to organize your thoughts first. try to research about the topic you want to talk about. choose something in it that you want to discuss and focus on it. say things directly, do not use a sentence if you can state it using a word or two.
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        • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
          Thanks Mac and Dwieder.

          I appreciate your thoughts.

          Also since I'm in the health industry, I find that most articles tend to be so dry and lacking of personality...they're so 'matter of fact' and lifeless Therefore, my style comes across more as a friend talking to you and it just seems rather tricky to do that with kind of 'bullet-pointed phrases' so to speak. Oh well, maybe be a friend who's in a hurry, that might shorten it up a bit?
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          • Profile picture of the author Mac Wheeler
            Originally Posted by marxwarfor View Post

            Thanks Mac and Dwieder.

            I appreciate your thoughts.

            Also since I'm in the health industry, I find that most articles tend to be so dry and lacking of personality...they're so 'matter of fact' and lifeless Therefore, my style comes across more as a friend talking to you and it just seems rather tricky to do that with kind of 'bullet-pointed phrases' so to speak. Oh well, maybe be a friend who's in a hurry, that might shorten it up a bit?
            I have had the same problem writing health related content, what I did was introduce real people into the articles, for instance, if I was writing about something like leukaemia, I would introduce a short (40-50 word) section discussing a young child undergoing successful chemotherapy. This serves to soften the article up and provides a hook for the readers, triggering a empathic response. Try and think outside the box, you can usually find something to add a human element.
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            • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
              Yes so true Mac - the human element really lends itself a connection factor.

              As I mentioned, my angle is usually friend-like, as i just have so much difficulty doing the dry, lifeless, 'matter of fact' copy when it comes to health matters, of which I see so often - it's just so dull.

              So yes, always trying to look outside the box - have had it sticky-posted on my Mac for a long time!
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