Permission is given to reprint the following articles, provided that the following contact information is provided in its entirety. 

© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Twelve Things You Can Do Fit Writing into Your Schedule

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

1.    Use a Buddy System

 Enlist a friend ask you for tips to solve a problem in your area of expertise.  Ask the friend to capture the tips as you speak.  Choose the top tips.  Add a sentence or two to explain each tip, and you have an article.  It might look like this one!

 2.    Write in Short Chunks

 In the midst of a busy work week, people want short, practical pieces of information.  A 500-word article is easy easier to write and easier to read than a 3000-word article.  Give yourself permission to be brief.  Even design a book as a series of short chunks of information.

 3.    Write Sloppy First Drafts

Professional writers give encourage themselves to write sloppy drafts. Critiquing each sentence or paragraph as you go makes the process longer and can lead to writer’s block.  Always separate writing from revising.

4.    Turn Off Your Spell Check as You Write

 Those squiggly red and green lines interrupt your train off thought and get you off track.  They also encourage you to revise as you write.  Finish your rough draft.  Then turn the spell check back on.

5.    Watch for “Sparks”

As you read the newspaper and attend professional events or network meetings, look for a tidbit that interests you.  Use that “spark” as a jumping off point.  If something makes you stop and think for a bit, it’s a good thing to write a brief article or blog post about.

6.    Identify Your Client’s Problems

 By yourself or with a colleague, brainstorm a list of problems your clients face.  Address the problems with short answers—250 to 500 words.  Use the chunks as separate articles or string them together to create a special report.

7.    Leave Your Middle School Teacher Behind

Your school teachers had the job of pushing you to grow to be more sophisticated and complicated in your thinking and your vocabulary.  Your adult clients want things to be simple and accessible.  Instead of that formal, stuffy, academic voice, write in the voice you’d use on the phone with a client.  

8.    Create a Publication Schedule

A proven way to become proficient in writing is to write!  Make a public commitment to blog or release a monthly newsletter.  Prepare a publication schedule six months in advance.  Brainstorm your topics.  The schedule will help you stay on track.  The routine will become your friend soon enough.

9.    Write in Batches

 If you are concerned about embarrassing yourself with grammar and punctuation mistakes, take the time to write a batch of articles.  Then hire an editor to fix any mistakes.  Basic editing is quite affordable.

10. “UnStick” with Writing

Professional writers beat writer’s block by writing with abandon—because writing begets writing.  Here’s how:  Give yourself 10 minutes to write about a topic—without stopping and without worry about sentences or punctuation.  Write whatever crazy things come to mind, but don’t stop. When you are done, identify the good ideas and keep them.  Throw the rest away.

11. Create or Buy Templates

Choosing from a limited number of organizational patterns can remove time, frustration, and second guessing from your writing tasks.  One common format, for example, is a problem-solution format:  Describe the problem and its impact.  Follow with steps to solve the problem.  

12. Work with a Coach

A good writing coach can teach you an efficient process that saves countless hours of angst and rework.  A coach can help you identify where you specifically are stuck and help you overcome whatever obstacles are personal to you.  An investment in working with a coach can also help you plan and stay on track with a specific writing project, like a book, product, or series of articles. .

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2011 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

When it’s time to create “killer content” in a book or speech that establishes credibility and boosts your revenue, Bonnie Budzowski is the perfect resource.  An expert in communication, Bonnie specializes in coaching authors and speakers to organize & express thoughts in ways that capture attention, sell their ideas, and move people to action.  Bonnie helps her clients build content with less time and angst than they dream possible. 

Bonnie Budzowski is Founder of inCredible Messages, Past President of the National Speakers Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and Past Managing Editor of Speaker Magazine.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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