Hi Isyaias,
I'm ashamed to say it, but I could very well be the
world's worst typist.
It takes me ages to write/type anything on my PC.
The "Back Space" key is by far the most pressed key on
my keyboard...my fingers are too big..the keys are too
small...it can be really frustrating!
Then there are days that I have no idea WHAT to write
about...
Ever feel the same Isyaias?
-------------------------------------------------------
In today's lesson I want to share a few secrets to
help you "Write like a Maniac"!
Because the web revolves around content, it's an
important job as a web marketer to create content.
We need to write a LOT of emails, blog posts, ads,
reports, ebooks, articles, sales letters copy,
etc. etc.
So here are some kind of "unorthodox" ways I take
my content creation so I can get it done faster.
1) Set Yourself a Time Limit
When I write these "Stu Sensei" emails, I set my self
a time limit. I'm a perfectionist, and I suck at typing
so it takes a long time. I'll set aside a whole hour
to write, check and finally send it.
You should do the same. Give yourself a time limit
when you write an article or blog post.
A decent blog post will take about 30 minutes to
write and post. Same for an article.
When writing sales copy, it can take me days to
write a whole letter from scratch. I usually set
aside a couple of 2 hour blocks each day to plow
right through.
2) Pre-Think What You Will Write About
Of course, if you sit there staring at your screen
thinking about what you're going to write, it will
take a lot of time.
During the week, I am always thinking and seeking for
ideas about topics to write about..either emails like
this one, articles to submit or blog post.
Remember you ideas or even better, write them down
on a note pad or whiteboard. Then, when you set aside
your time to write, you'll be able to get straight
into it.
3) Borrow Ideas to Overcome Writers Block
Everyone suffers from writers block. Maybe you want
and know you have to write something but you sit
down and your mind goes blank.
That's when other peoples content can give you ideas
for your own.
For copywriters, this is called a "swipe file". If
you're writing articles, take a look at your favorite
article directory to see what others are writing about.
You can't copy word for word obviously, but you can
use the info to put in your own words.
4) Use your Keyboard Shortcuts
Man...keyboard short cuts save me soooo much time.
I've been waiting to share these with you for so
long and now I finally have a good opportunity.
Copy = Ctrl + C
Paste = Ctrl + V
Cut = Ctrl + V
Undo = Ctrl + Z
Redo = Ctrl + Y
Select All = Ctrl + A
F2 = Rename files
F5 = Refresh (browser/any active window)
Tab = moves cursor down through the active window,
great for filling in forms on web pages etc.
Ctrl + Left mouse button = highlight/unhighlight
multiple items (individually - random files in a window)
Shift + Left mouse button = highlight multiple items
(in bulk - good for when using explorer to highlight
multiple files/folders at once)
There are more but these are the main ones I use and
they are true lifesavers :)
5) Don't Care About Typos, Just Type
I'm not a good example of this, but sometimes when
I want to get something out really fast, I will just
stick my head down and type, not caring about mistakes
I make along the way.
I use Firefox browser which has a spell check built
in which really helps because it puts a red squiggle
under the words that are spelled incorrectly, so I
can go and correct them by right clicking on the
word and then choose the correct spelling from the
list in the little grey box.
If you use Word or a similar document editing software,
it will do the same thing with the red squiggle and
there is usually a spell checker built in so you can
let that do the correcting for you.
6) Get Someone Else To Write for You
If you really hate writing, or simply don't have time
etc, you can hire people to write for you.
It could be your sister, a cousin, a neighbor, friend,
a college kid or a writer in India.
Sometimes this is called "outsourcing". Writers are
a dime a dozen...find them locally or online. Forums
and freelance sites are full with offers and writers
who will write an article for around $5 each.
I usually write my own stuff, even though I suck,
because I'm very particular. If someone is actually
going to read it, and it's going to have my name
on it, I want it to be good.
----------------------------------------------------------
Ok, time's up...actually, I've gone a little over
time, but I enjoyed it and hope you learned something
too.
After all, "time is money" and if we can save time, we
can move faster to make more money!
Thanks for reading and please reply if you have a
comment or question.
To your success,
Stuart Stirling
Follow me?
http://Twitter.com/stuartstirling
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