Express Yourself with Internet Articles
Author: Susan Dunn, Professional Coach

Self-expression is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. It helps you solidify your thoughts and feelings, gives you a chance to pass on the knowledge and wisdom only you have to give, and nourishes your creativity.

Perhaps you’ve seen an article on the Internet and said, “I could write something like that!”

Well, you can, and here’s how to begin.

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

The most popular articles are "how to" articles, on both practical matters and self help topics, but you can also think "topical." People are always interested in reading articles relating to Valentine’s Day, for instance, or tax time, or spring!

If my dentist can put out a brochure promoting teeth cleaning for a Christmas present, and also as a "back-to-school special," I bet you can think of something!

WHERE TO SUBMIT

Then you need to research web sites where you can submit your articles. You won't get paid for writing, at least at first, but that isn’t the point. The point is to express yourself and develop your creativity. When you write, you’ll discover yourself1

You can start with this site, Innerself.com, and IdeaMarketers.com. IdeaMarketers welcomes all topics -- self help, empowerment, web design, Internet marketing, management, family, holidays, Christian themes, inspirational ... you name it. www.makingprofit.com is a site that welcomes articles about making money! SelfGrowth.com is another great site.

TOPICS

You may have something pressing on your mind you want to write about. If you look around on article submission sites, you’ll also get ideas. People write about all sorts of interesting and inspirational things.

And of course don’t forget to write about what’s right in front of your nose. Sometimes we overlook the most obvious things.

Next time you go to a lousy meeting at work, and KNOW you know a better way, write an article about it!

Next time you’re inspired by the beauty of a snowfall, or the antics of your animal companion, and wish there were someone to share it with, write it out!

Next time you realize you’ve found THE way to organize kitchen cabinets, write and help someone else who’s struggling.

And if you just want to “rant and rave,” Zinos.com, a fun site, has a category called, you guessed it, “rant and rave.” Go ahead and vent your spleen.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Some sites require you submit online, and require some html coding. Don't despair! Here’s a primer with the basics.

Another type of submission is to yahoogroups. These you submit via email and in a special format. Each line must be 65 characters or less, and you have to know the word count. This is to make it easy for webmasters to format your article. Notepad is the best way to do this—either on your computer, or go here for a FREE program that will allow you to edit large files, format your text, convert it to html, and also has a spellchecker and a thesaurus.

You can also format your article online here.

Go here to read about yahoogroups and find the ones you want to subscribe to. You must join them in order to submit articles to them.

The third submission site to know about is TopTen.org. Here you can submit "top ten" lists, which are quick and easy to do. The Top 10 Ways to Organize Your Life, or The Top 10 Things I Know About Web Design, or the Top 10 Reasons I’m Happy Today ... let your imagination roam free and you'll quickly discover all the things you know about to write about.

RESOURCE BOX

You have 4-6 lines at the end to tell us who you are. If you have a service or product you promote, you can do so here, or a personal website you’d like your reading fans to visit.

WHAT ELSE DOES IT DO?

Internet article-writing is fun, creative and rewarding. I’ve gotten 100% of my clients that way, and I’ve learned to write better, but just as importantly, I’ve met unnumerable virtual friends through my writing who correspond with me regularly.

Give it a try. The Internet world is waiting to hear from you.







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Susan Dunn offers personal and professional development coaching, Internet courses and ebooks. Visit her on the web at www.susandunn.cc and mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE strengths course.

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