There are plentiful online writing opportunities available today, however, I’ve heard many excuses given for not writing from various people that I network with online that are writers themselves.

Upfront, I’m finding the 3 top excuses are (not in no particular order), time, fear and lack of topic.

These just seem to be at the top of the list for the best logical excuses for procrastinating on that specific blog post that was due yesterday, the article title you thought of in the middle of the night or a website review you want to tackle next week. Just listing a few for examples.

Below are some tips that I’ve gathered for you

* Time – This one (I think) is the all-time, #1 excuse for not writing. I wonder how many other writers and home business professionals would agree.

If writing is a real passion and something you genuinely desire to make money with, then be sure and make the time for writing! Each evening before bedtime sit down and arrange (even small) blocks of time that you set for writing for the next day. Yes, it really is that simple! You can even set a timer for this. Think about all the time that’s spent flipping through the television channels for a full 30 minutes during the evening…or even throughout the day. Most of the time, you won’t find anything on worth while anyway. Use this time to sit down and do some serious writing.

What about writing in the doctor’s waiting room. Of course, for this you will need to have your source of tech mobility with you. For me, it’s my iPad. Love it! It’s my favorite item I own for my business.

What about the social medias? I mean, they are without a doubt keepers when it comes to marketing and socializing/networking; but you also have to be smart about your time spent there as well. Hootsuite is excellent with time management and scheduling.

* Fear – Forget about it! I know you are shaking your head and mumbling “yeah right!” Well, on second thought, think about it; your clients or (anyone else for that matter, unless you choose to share) sees your first drafts. There will always be a fix/edit option! Simply stated, you won’t grow beyond your fear if you are stuck in it. Just work through it and write. Don’t let fear get above your desire for success! Honestly, the more you write, the better you will enjoy it and also gain more and more writing skills.

* Lack of Topic – This is a big one as well for many writers. There are tons and tons of topics to write about. In fact, everything that you look at should give you an interesting topic to write about.

For example; I’m looking at my new lamp (love it) that sits on my desk. I can think of a title for that one right off the bat. “Top 5 Places To Find Novelty Lamps.” Also, looking up at a picture of my handsome grandson that is in my office. Here is a title for that, ” 10 Educational Things You Can Do With Your Grandkids.” Just getting the point across here; there are essentially endless topics to write about.

Also, think about all the junk emails you receive in a day; think about the subject lines of those email messages. The best part about that is you don’t even have to open the email. Most often, those headline subjects are priceless.

Here is something to think about. If you haven’t discovered it yet, the best times to come up with a writing topic are those least convenient moments. For me, and I’ve said it before, although very true, and suppose it will make you think about it. It’s while I’m driving, bathing or in the middle of the night.

Another place where you can find topic ideas is on your iPad. You know those free Kindle-version books that are available online that are in your niche? I get lots of ideas from all those free eBooks. Take time to read them in order to put your own twists on the content that comes from it.

While there are many more places where you can get ideas for writing; I wanted to mention this last one. PLR – (private label rights) content is a no-brainer; except for the editing that is encouraged. In fact, there is a website where you can grab some PLR for 60% off sale price due to closing. They have a nice array of topics you can choose from. The site is: Mom PLR eBooks.

If you market properly, you can make a good income from online writing opportunities.

Tammy has been in the work from home industry for many years and offers Freelance Writing Services and Jobs on her freelance blog. You will also find valuable “writing” articles and tips there as well.

Some people can write three or four articles per hour. They just seem to be able to crank out those articles while leaving others to wonder how writers write that quickly. Here are six tips to help you write quicker and write more articles in a day.

1. Research
Do your research on your articles before you write. Create outlines using sub-headings and jot down your info in number or bullet point form. Sometimes, you’ll have enough information for two or more articles. You can also arrange the points you want to cover so you basically have an almost complete article and all you have to do is fill in the gaps. I have written plenty of articles this way with very little editing afterwards.

2. Let the Words Flow
Just write and let the words flow from your fingertips. Don’t worry about it not sounding right or the tenses are wrong. This is your rough draft and you can clean it up later. Focus on getting the words written. There’s no right or wrong way to write so it doesn’t matter if you write the conclusion first.

3. Get in the Right Frame of Mind
Find your spot to write without distractions or interruptions. When you focus on the writing task, it’s easier to power through it and have something written down. Relax your mind; when you’re tensed or stressed, it’s like trying to steamroll through a concrete roadblock. It’s not going to happen.

4. Be Imperfect
If you want your writing to be perfect, it’ll never be written. Editing and proofreading happens after an article is written and not before or during your writing process; that kills your flow and your creativity.

5. Word Count
Word count can be a daunting thought, but if you look at it in a different perspective, it’ll be less overwhelming. Instead of thinking of it as a 400 word article, do this — four paragraphs with 100 words each. That is much easier to accomplish, isn’t it?

6. Speak It
For some people it’s easier to say it than write it. Then you can transcribe it. To make things easier, you can use Dragon Naturally Speaking, software that uses voice recognition to type what you say.

Do you have any tips to help slow writers produce more articles in a shorter period of time? Let me know in the comments what methods have worked for you.

Sophia McIntyre is a Freelance Writer, Ghostwriter, Internet Marketer, and founder of WorkAtHomeSpace.com, a free resource focusing on work at home jobs, home businesses, ghostwriting services and other work at home related topics.

Keywords are a crucial part of your website’s SEO. Keywords are what people use to search for sites and if you are not using them properly, your site will not get found. Thus, you will lose sales and money.

If keywords are done correctly it could mean substantial traffic and sales for your online business. However, the process of finding and using keywords is much more involved than you might think. Read the following to see if you are making any of these mistakes with your keyword research and usage.

1. Not Researching Your Keywords – To find the most successful and relevant keywords for your site, you must do some research. Find out what keywords are used the most and for what people are searching. Do not only take search numbers into consideration. Use the most relevant keywords for your site. You can find lots of free keyword research tools online.

2. High Keyword Density – The general rule for effective keyword density is no higher than 5%. This means that of your total content the keyword should not be more than 5% of the total amount of words. So, if your website page has 100 words, your keyword should only be mentioned no more than five times. More than this could be considered spamming and could lower your rankings.

3. Not Placing Properly – Keywords need to be placed in certain areas for maximum effectiveness. This includes your page title, headings and subheadings, and first and last paragraphs. And you want to gently and naturally use your keywords throughout the content.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Fear is what holds us back from being successful. Most times, you just have to jump in and see what results you’ll get. So what if you fail. At least you tried. So then what? Brush yourself off and try again…and again…and again until you succeed.

There was a time I was afraid to write. Some times, I still hold back. What was my fear? I was afraid of what people thought about my writing ability. What if I suck? What if people don’t like what I have say? OMG! If I suck, my real name is on this piece of writing. The worse thing that’ll happen is someone will have the nerve to email me and say I suck donkey crap and I should never attempt to write anything again. Don’t worry; I never got an email like that and you won’t either.

On the flip side, there’s a better chance of someone emailing you and thanking you on how your article helped them or how it inspired them.

Here are three ways to overcome your fear of writing and break down the barriers that are stopping you from becoming a writer.

1. Start a Blog
A blog is your personal space. You can write whatever you want. People don’t write poorly on purpose. Everyone has a writing style or writing voice. Find yours and be relatable because that is what attracts people to you. Even if your writing isn’t very good to begin with, it will improve over time. The more you write, the better you’ll become and you’ll gain more confidence.

2. Just Write
Don’t keep putting it off. Start writing now. Choose a topic you’re familiar with and write about it. Then run it through Word. Let it sit for a day or two, and then tweak it if needed. Don’t worry if your article isn’t perfect because no one cares. As long as you get your point across and people understand and like what you’re writing, then that’s good. Next, find someone you know, preferably another writer, who will give you constructive feedback. Accept this information and work on your problem areas. Get help from other writers; find a writing mentor, or take a writing course and continue to write daily. It doesn’t have to be a full article. You can set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes of uninterrupted writing time.

3. Submit to Article Directories
When your articles are accepted into a popular article directory, it’s a feel good achievement. When your articles are reprinted and republished on reputable websites, well then, I must say, it means your writing doesn’t suck donkey crap! Don’t stop with article directories. Keep writing for yourself and for others. By now, you should know you have something worthy to share.

Your fear of writing stops right here, right now because there are doors open with many writing opportunities.

“Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know something is worth it.” ~ C. Joybell C

Sophia McIntyre is an Article Marketer, Ghostwriter and founder of WorkAtHomeSpace.com, a free resource offering work at home companies and jobs, home businesses, ghostwriting services and other work at home related topics.

I had a follower on Twitter contact me the other day and ask what I do if I’m struggling to come up with content for my blog. That’s a question that seems to come up a lot, so I thought I would cover that today.

There are several ways you can handle coming up with topics to write about on your blog. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider. The great thing about these suggestions is you can use any or all of them and it won’t matter.

1. 1. Ask your readers what they’d like to see
2. Create a questionnaire and post it on Twitter, Facebook, and in your newsletter
3. Use topics from old articles you’ve written
4. Visit article directories and look at articles written by others
5. Rewrite old blog posts using the opposite view
6. Use the main points from an ebook you wrote

These are just a few of the many ways you can come up with content for your blog when you’re running dry on ideas. The main thing to remember is your blog helps your market and you want to continue to help them so it’s important to find a way to continue to make posts.

Article marketing is a valuable part of your business, but it can fail if you don’t do it the proper way. One of the most important things you must do with it to see success is to submit your articles to directories, but if you can’t get them approved it won’t do you any good. This is why you must write your article using the right format.

The most important thing you need to remember when you’re using article marketing to grow your business is to use the correct format for your articles. You must have an introduction paragraph, the body of your article, and a conclusion paragraph. Without those things your article won’t make sense and you’re going to fail from the beginning.

When you write an introduction for your article it’s important to share what you’re going to cover in your article. It’s important to tell your reader from the beginning what to expect while reading it. If you don’t do this, they’re going to stop reading your article and move on to one that shares this information.

The introduction to this article told you your articles won’t be accepted by article directories if you didn’t use the right format. With that information you’d expect to learn what the correct format is and how to make it work and that’s what this article is all about.

The body of your article needs to contain detailed information about the action items you described in the introduction. Your article can have one action item or many items. This article has three action items that pertain to the right format to use when writing your articles. The important thing to remember is you can have as many action items as you want as long as they all pertain to each other and make sense in the article.

To continue reading this article, click here.

It’s hard to build trust with people when they can’t meet you face to face and shake your hand, so you must use blog posts and articles to make it happen. Taking the time to write blog posts and articles is very important when you run your business online, but it’s possible to be so busy with your business and your family that this task often times falls by the way side.

If you find this is happening, you need to find a way to stop it so you continue to see growth and you earn the money you need to support your family. There are several ways to make it happen, so you need to look into each option and find the right one for your business and family.

The easiest way to have blog posts and articles when you need them is to outsource your writing needs to a ghostwriter. While this is a great way to handle it, the money you spend may hurt your finances and that’s not what you need. This may be the way to go at times, but you may not be able to handle it all the time and that’s ok. You can use it when you can and then use these other options when you can’t make it work.

Writing yourself is the best way to make sure it’s what you want and that it fits with your tone and style. When you struggle to find the time to do the writing you need, it’s important to schedule it into your day. When you write it on the calendar and add it to your to-do list you’ll have a better chance of making it happen. You need to consider blocking off several hours and do as much writing as you can. To be successful with this option you need to have topics ready to go so you don’t spend any of your writing time thinking about what you need to cover.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Writing articles and blog posts is one of the best ways to advertise your business. You’ll find if you continually have new content for your site you’ll increase your traffic and that ultimately will help you grow your business.

The reason articles and blog posts help increase traffic is because you continually have the new content and that increases the chances of the search engine spiders crawling your site. This is a huge help when it comes to the search engine rank you have.

Not only is new content the best way to increase your traffic, but it’s also the best way to increase your income. When you have affiliate buttons on your site and links to your own products the people visiting your site will see what you offer and they’ll click on them to see what they’re all about. When they trust your site, they’ll also trust the recommendations you offer.

Another way you can use articles to increase your site traffic is to submit them to article directories and offer them as content to other bloggers. When you include your articles on other sites, people that may not otherwise visit your site will see what you have to say and they’ll visit your site for more information.

Articles and blog posts are a sure fire way to grow your business, but it won’t work if you don’t continually make it happen. You must create a plan and then create a schedule to make the plan work. Once you do that, you’re well on your way to increasing your traffic and growing your business through articles and blog posts.

The more I use my iPad to write articles, the better I am getting. The touchscreen keyboard isn’t as difficult as I thought originally. I guess I’m getting used to it since I’m also typing much better.

For those who have said using the iPad for writing articles isn’t quite a good idea, I have to somewhat disagree. Yes, it’s a bit of a challenge to type with your fingers hovered above the keyboard, but I have some great iPad shortcut tips to make writing articles faster and easier.

Voice Auto-Correction
This is great feature to have when you’re writing anything. You’ll get a voice-over correction when you mistype a word. You can choose to accept the word by tapping on the spacebar or tapping the suggested word to reject.

Double Tap Space Bar
When you double tap the space bar at the end of a sentence, it’ll add a period and space. It’ll then automatically start the new word with a capital letter.

Hidden Characters
Under certain punctuations, you can find additional characters. The iPad has three separate screen keyboards each where you can find different sets of characters or symbols. It takes time to tap the shift key to find a certain character and then to tap again to return to the alphabetical keyboard.

To make it easier you can hold down the shift key and drag your finger to the key you want. For example, the @ symbol is on the second keyboard. Instead of tapping the .?123 key and then tapping @, I can hold down the .?123 key and drag my finger to the @ symbol and release. Once I release my finger, it will automatically switch back to the alphabetical keyboard.

This is also faster than using your left finger to hold the shift key and tapping the key with your right finger. In this case, you still have to tap back to the letter keyboard.

Typos
You can also easily correct typos by tapping on the incorrect word and the correct spelling will show. Tap on it and it will insert the correctly spelled word.

When it comes to editing, it’s a bit more difficult and I haven’t found an easy way to do it on the iPad so I email my draft article and do my edits on my computer.

There are also paid writing apps that are inexpensive from the Apple store. If you don’t want to use the Notes app that comes with the iPad, here are some recommendations from Copyblogger – http://www.copyblogger.com/ipad-writing-apps/. If you’re serious about writing more than just articles, I recommend buying a wireless keyboard which I’m sure would make article writing a breeze.

Sophia McIntyre is an Internet Marketer, Article Marketer, Ghostwriter and founder of WorkAtHomeSpace.com, a free resource focusing on work at home companies and jobs, home businesses and other work at home related topics.

When you’re writing articles it’s important to read through them several times before you submit them to the article directories or post them on websites. You never know what you’ll find when you do, so it’s best to take a little bit of time and read through them.

One of the biggest things you might run across with your articles is repeating. As you’re writing you may forget what you’ve said earlier or you may think you need to explain something in more detail. In both instances you may repeat yourself, whether it’s with the same words or with others that mean the same thing.

When you read through your articles at least once you’ll know if you’ve repeated yourself or not. You’ll also see if you have any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or things that don’t make sense. When you do this small, but important step you’ll find your articles will be used more and you’ll gain more traffic to your site.