Developing Structure For Writing Articles

Have you struggled to produce articles, or have you found it difficult to develop your article writing into a coherent and well-structured document? Have you ever considered using the writing-frame approach to your articles? In this article I would like to introduce you to writing frames, and describe how they can be used over and over again to speed up your writing and produce better articles.

Writing frames are frequently used in education to help students lay work out in a coherent pattern and then produce the final result with everything covered. As a teacher I find that my students really benefit from the use of writing frames, regardless of their abilities.

I struggle at times to produce my marketing articles, particularly if staring at a blank screen, so dividing the task into sections ensures that at least I know where the various sections are going to fit together, and some idea about what the article will eventually look like.

I always divide my page up into five distinct sections:

Section 1 - The heading. This must contain the keyword for the article, and needs to capture the attention of readers. Your heading could indicate a solution to a frequently asked question. For example; 'Marathon training - how to overcome shin splints'. What runner wouldn't want to read this article!

Section 2 - Your first paragraph. Remember that this must contain your keyword, preferably used more than once. Set the scene for the rest of the article, and perhaps introduce a few personal touches such as why this topic interests you so much.

Section 3 - The main body of the article. Here you really give the information that the reader wants to see. You may give a list of numbered points or bullet points - these help break up longer sections of text and make your article easier to read.

Section 4 - Your concluding paragraph. Summarise the key points of your article, and really sign-off with a call to action. Check the inclusion of your keywords and aim for a keyword density of between 1% and 3%.

Section 5 - Your resource box. Don't undo all the hard work you've put into the rest of the article by having a weak resource box. This really is your opportunity to promote yourself - you want people to do something as a result of your article, such as click on a link that will take them to your site.

Staring at a blank screen can be really de-motivating. Produce your own 5-section writing frame and start to fill in the boxes. The least you can do is to complete your resource box, and once you've filled in the first section I promise you that the rest will follow!


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Graham Bray is an enthusiastic internet marketer, and several years he has been developing websites as part of his Multiple Income Pathways. To learn more about internet marketing and how you can download a *free report* visit his blog at http://www.easierinternetmarketing.com