Article Production: Never Throw Away An Article Idea

While I have years of journalism, non-fiction, and article marketing experience — I do not have a lot of experience writing my first love and that is fiction. Every time I get an idea for a book, I write a few paragraphs, read it again, hate it, and then scrap it. Only to realize 6 months later that I would of loved to have continued of those “great ideas” I had for my first novel.

Big lesson here? Yep. The essential key to successful article production is to NEVER throw away an idea you have for an article, an ebook, a coaching program, a novel, or a movie. Just say no!

It’s funny really, because I never throw away article ideas which is part of the reason why I always have something to write about in several different niches. I think of something, make a note or an audio note on my iPhone and eventually I get back to it. I write on the backs of envelopes, on all that paper that comes home from my kids’ school about this or that. I write on everything! Whatever is near me when the idea strikes.

I think the difference between writing articles and writing a novel, is that I usually like my article ideas. So I don’t even feel the impulse to throw them away. My novel ideas on the other hand are another story, but I think that is part of my whole “perfection process”. While I do not practice that in my article marketing, I tend to do it with fiction writing, and I think that is because I am not comfortable with it. Which is all that may be happening with you when you toss away those perfectly good article ideas.

Stop seeking perfection. They key to increased article production, is getting things done, not perfect. That’s why if you jot down a good article idea — keep it and revisit it in a few days. If you can write SOMETHING about it, then it is a good article idea.

Take the article production challenge:

1. Write down one or more ideas you have for an article everyday. Just one is fine.

2. Find inspiration from other things you do during your day. People you talk to outside of business.

3. Don’t throw them away!

4. In 7 days, gather all those ideas you jotted down. Organize them in a simple text or spreadsheet document. You could even just use a pad and paper. That’s what I do. Old school!

5. Pick one of those ideas and write about it.

6. Try not to read the article over and over before you are finished it. Just write — let the ideas flow.

7. Publish. Rinse and Repeat.

8. Now give yourself a pat on the back. You just improved your article production in 7 days! Bravo!