Preparing Quality Online Content for the Mind Development Topic

As an online article writer I've been truly amazed at which articles Internet readers most enjoy. That is to say which articles I write that draw the most traffic. You must understand that mere "traffic" is not my goal, I like to write about things I like to write about. If that draws more readers online, all the better, but it's really not my priority at all. In fact, I never look at keywords, I just write on the topics that I have knowledge and interest in. This is one of those articles, and I'd like to explain why.

You see, I've learned something that you, as an online article author, may not know, nor did I at first, rather it's something that I've learned the hard way, through trial and error and reviewing some of my past article view statistics. Here is what I've learned; online information seekers are much like channel checkers, they move around the Internet looking for bits and pieces of inspiration, nuance, and interesting information. When they are in this information seeking mode, one of their most favorite topics seems to be self-help categories. Within this sector is a smaller niche; mind development.

This is where the thinkers go, not the folks who follow the paparazzi stories such as "what Paris Hilton ate for breakfast," or any of that jazz. Okay so, let's say you want to reach the more intellectual crowd at a time when they are completely open to new information? Well, it would be when they are out searching for memory or mind development information online. That makes sense right? Now then, how do you prepare quality content on this most fascinating topic? Well, let's talk about that shall we?

I found the people like two different types of article in this venue. Some like the articles which have tips and new strategies for improving memory and brain function, and others enjoy articles that make them think and that really generate some philosophical thought.

If you're going to prepare articles with tips and strategies, such as various types of food to eat to improve brain function, or types of mental exercise to do, then you should prepare those in bulleted lists, or numerated so they can quickly scan the article, and go try out some of those new ideas.

Preparing quality content for the intellectual philosophical crowd on mind development can be done very easily by taking one specific tip for improvement and putting it into a scenario, story, or setting, and then allowing the reader to understand the moral of the story, uptake that information, and make them think about the process. This ladder strategy seems to work quite well, and I am heartened by some of the great e-mails I get after people read such articles of this type. Please consider all this and think on it.

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Writing Articles: Putting It All Together

You've gathered your research, interviewed a knowledgeable person if appropriate, and scribbled lots of other notes. You want to now merge all this material into an article - but how do you do it?

You can have three approaches:

· Just start writing, in whatever order appeals, and fix it all up later

· Use the outline you've already written, and follow it closely. (If you haven't already written an outline, you can create one at this stage).

· A combination of the two.

The third option I have here may seem strange. After all - if you've written an outline, why would you want to write as if you don't?

I personally find the third option can work well. I like outlines, but I don't usually have an outline that is so thorough it leaves no room for a freer approach within each section. Outlines also may get changed from when they are first written, because you find new information, or an interviewee tells you unexpected but relevant news or opinions.

Here are some guidelines for getting all your notes ready to put into a suitable piece of writing:

· Assemble the information, (including quotes, comments, opinions, and facts) into sections. If you've got your information on your computer, (as most people do these days), then create a new document, and copy and paste - rather than move - information into each section. You'll probably only want 3 - 5 sections. Be sure to keep your original notes for reference.

· Within each section, further break down the information into as many sections as are needed to fit it all; though again, 3 -5 is probably a good guideline. The desired length of your article, editorial requirements and the amount of information for each section will determine how much you do here.

· Rearrange the information into sensible order; realising that you'll also need to re-check this order in the editing stage.

Start writing. Here's where you can and should do some freer writing, because you really don't want your article to sound like a list of facts. In order to get good, conversational and easily read text, you want to step back from the facts a bit, and write them in your own words.

Quotes should be left alone where they are concise and appropriate. However, if they are long - and especially if they are filled with incomplete sentences, repeated phrases, or the inevitable 'ums' and 'ahs' - they're going to need some editing.

I usually find I need to do several drafts of the article at this stage, depending on how long it is and how familiar I am with the information.

Each time I look at the draft, and especially for the final check, I also consider how well it flows. Does the information lead logically and seamlessly from one section to the next? If you find it difficult to 'see the wood for the trees', try using Print Preview (or similar) on your computer word program, as it enables you to see several pages at once. Although the writing is much smaller as a result, it will better enable you to take a wider view of the overall article.

When you've done your final edits for writing quality, and checked your facts are right, you're good to go.

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