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Article Writing Shortcuts for Aspiring Writers

By JC Clain

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Nov2010 Word count: 587 Viewed: 569 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Any professional writer would tell you: there is no such thing as a clear cut shortcut for article writing. Writing, after all, entails hard work and keen attention to detail. However, in the world of professional writing, it can't be denied that time is of the essence, especially when one has to write several articles in a span of a few hours.

The lack of time should not reflect on the work's quality, as the writer has to be quick as well as he is accurate. Here are some simple article writing shortcuts that can make writing easier for you, saving you time and effort:

- Use keyboard hotkeys or shortcuts: Try not to use your mouse when you're typing, as it could eat up a lot of time when you're already pressed for it. Using your keyboard to copy a whole phrase will take less time than if you use your mouse to do the exact same command. It's quite simple and it doesn't necessary help improve your writing—but when done frequently, the practice of using keyboard shortcuts can cut your writing time significantly.

- Do your research immediately: This is a basic writing tip more than one of the actual article writing shortcuts, or at least it seems like that at first. But doing your research immediately can help you prevent procrastination. Without research, you wouldn't have a clue on how to begin your article. Research will enliven your article, and a thorough research will make the difference between a good article and a bad one. As a writer, you don't want to be scrambling hours before a deadline with not a single note of research on your article assignment.

- Try to do an outline: An outline can be an effective shortcut if you're having a hard time structuring your topic. Say you're writing about the history of basketball in the United States and you're limited to 750 words. That's not a lot of space for a very broad topic, but you wouldn't want to struggle when deciding what to include on your paper. An outline will force you to decide on your angle and what idea or subject to where and where.

- Know your ending: If you're not keen on making outline, at the very least, try to figure out beforehand how you will end your article. This is a good technique because, once you know your ending, you will know that everything else needs to lead to that particular end. This is essentially why many writing tips say it's best to start writing in the middle. It's all a matter of filling up the blanks.

- Write what you know: This is among the most basic article writing shortcuts. But would this even work in every case, especially if you're assigned a specific topic? The key here is to find a factor that you use to relate what you know into your topic without sounding unnatural. Your knowledge on the history of the National Basketball Association, for instance, can be used when you're writing about the general history of basketball in America. No one sector of knowledge can exist in a bubble; more often than not, they're connected.

Of course, the best shortcut for writing articles will always be ample preparation. You'd be surprised how much of a difference this can make when you're writing that article. Stick with what you know and, when you find your knowledge limited, further expand it. With this, no article will ever look daunting again.

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