At least that’s what the little voice in my head gasped when I joined Jeff Herring’s Article Writing Marathon earlier this week. I’m a writer, and a blogger, but somehow I’ve only managed to get less than a dozen articles submitted at Ezinearticles.com. I spend a lot of time working on my sites and writing for my clients, but recently I committed myself to becoming one of my best clients and writing more articles to get the word out about my blog and to hone my skills.

While I enjoy writing a lot, I have never been a fast writer. Recently, I did some research on how to be a more productive writer and I wrote a blog post about it. I am putting some of those strategies into place, and one of my goals is to shave down the time it takes me to produce an article. I also want to continue to improve my writing skills, so joining an article writing marathon should do the trick nicely.

When I got started on this project I made a list of topics that I enjoy writing about, that I am knowledgeable about and that I can write on fairly effortlessly without needing to do a ton of research. I divided that list into sub-topics, and an idea I got from the 100 Articles in 100 Days forum is to make a mind map of each topic as I narrow the focus. I also intend to keep my eyes open for article ideas to pop into my head from my daily life. This journey can also lead me to even more topics of interest to write about.

This week I have begun each day by writing my designated article before I dive into the other writing projects that are vying for my attention. That serves to give me a big boost of energy and accomplishment to start the day off in a positive way.

We even have a hashtag on Twitter.com: #HAHD. I’ve been tweeting my progress and I’ve gotten some good encouragement from my twitter peeps.

So, in the end I will have more than just 100 articles under my belt. I will have a ton of new back links to my blog, more visibility in the search engines, more traffic–nothing but good stuff. I’m excited about my progress so far. If you join us at 100 Articles in 100 Days you can look at my profile and see my running list of articles. I will also find a way to keep my progress updated here on my blog so that my readers can observe and hold my feet to the fire if I begin to falter.

If you’re a writer, I encourage you to check out the challenge and see if it might be just the thing to breathe some new life into your writing practice.

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Writers often labor a long time, raise procrastination to high art, and finally, when it can be denied no longer they sit down to the page or the screen and begin to write. Life holds many distractions, and unless you have luxury of a writing studio in the turret of an old mansion in the country with no telephone, Internet or clamoring children those distractions can quickly nibble away at your writing time. In this article we will look at a few useful resources that can help writers become more productive.

What is Your Current Writing Process?
When approaching a new writing project where do you start? Take the time to document your current process step by step so that you can see what you are doing now and what you might need to change. Do you try to edit yourself as you go? Separating the writing (creative process) from the editing (analytical process) can free you up to write more freely. Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, encourages writers to give themselves permission to write “sh*tty first drafts,” in order to free their creative mind.

Embrace a Productivity System
Having an overall productivity system for your life and work will also help you to operate more efficiently in all areas of your life thereby freeing up more energy and time for your writing. There are several productivity systems to try. The goal is to find one that suits your style and personality. Dustin Wax of Lifehack.org has written an article about the different productivity systems and why you should adopt one.

Try a New Writing System
Writing FAST, written by Jeff Bollow, and subtitled, How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed, outlines a writing system that can help any writer write faster, and with more clarity and simplicity. Bollow presents a step by step method for generating ideas, chunking projects down, speed writing, and editing quickly.

Establish a Writing Schedule
What are your peak productive hours? For some people it might be early in the morning while the house is silent. Others might produce their best work late into the night. Look at your calendar and plan your work a week in advance. Schedule blocks of writing time during your most productive times of the day.

Delegate and Outsource
What aspects of your work can be outsourced? Take a look at the way you described your current writing process. Which tasks within that process can just as easily be done by someone else? Review your daily ‘to do’ list and select a few of those items and delegate them to someone else so that you can focus your time and attention on your writing.

Manage Distractions
Your environment will have an impact on how you work. Depending on the nature of the project you might want to write in a bustling café, or with the children and pets running in and out of the room. At other times you might need the quiet ambience that can be found in the corner of the library, or in the garden, or alone at home.

Other distractions that can hinder your productivity can be found right there on your computer. As you are writing your mind may wander a bit and before you know it, you are researching medieval hosiery on Wikipedia. Unplug your Internet cable and disable the wifi. Set a timer for the amount of time that you have allotted for this portion of the project. Pickthebrain.com blog has some great tips for eliminating the frustration that often comes with the writing experience.

In our chaotic modern world multi-tasking has become the rule of the day. In the words of E.L Doctorow, “Planning to write is not writing. Outlining…researching…talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.” Unfortunately, if you want to be a good writer you must let those ideas go and learn to focus. Acquiring a laser-like focus on the task at hand will go a long way towards making you a better, more productive and satisfied writer.

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Writers all share the basic goal of trying to keep their butts in their chairs long enough to produce paying work. Sitting for long hours does not leave much time for exercise, and you may notice that your hips are a bit broader than they were a few months ago. In this article we will look at some creative ways that writers can raise their level of fitness even as they improve themselves as writers.

1. Make Fitness a Priority
You know that you should exercise, but who’s got the time? With so many other things competing for your attention, it’s easy to let your workout routine slip. But over time the poor habits that you have developed will begin to affect your health. Excess weight is one of the leading risk factors in several diseases. As you get older it seems like the weight just creeps up by itself. You will be amazed at how much better losing just five pounds will make you feel.

Making fitness a priority means that you must make a commitment to get healthy and stay healthy. If it feels like something you ’should’ do, then you might avoid it. Decide it’s something you want to do, and then find a way to make it fun.

• Write about health and fitness topics. As you research the right eating and fitness plan that works for you, write an article about them. This will not only increase your knowledge on the topic, but put some cash in your pocket as well.

• If there truly are not enough hours in your day, consider getting up an hour earlier and do your workouts then.

2. Establish Healthy Eating Habits
Clear your cabinets of the junky snacks, high fat, salt and sugary products that have contributed to your weight gain. Buy more fresh fruits and vegetables; whole grains and lean meats. Drink more water and less sugary sodas and coffee. Visit the American Heart Association web site to get lots of information and free resources about planning a healthy diet.

3. Schedule in Exercise Breaks
Establish a Writing schedule that allows you to take a couple of breaks during the day for a walk, or whatever form of exercise that you choose. Your goal is to raise your heart rate and work up a bit of a sweat for at least 30 minutes each day–longer whenever you can. Visit webmd.com to find free information about finding the right exercise and fitness plans that suit your age, state of health and current fitness level.

• Get a portable media player and download some good music, podcasts about writing, or whatever topic interests you. This way you can broaden your knowledge while you build up your body.

• Keep a set of free weights near your work chair. Occasionally stop for a few moments and do a few repetitions and then get back to work.

• Try a few different yoga asanas that you can do without even getting up from your chair.

4. Set Realistic Goals
Set goals that you can achieve so that you will not get discouraged and quit when it becomes clear that you are not losing five lbs. per week. About a pound per week is realistic if you stick to a plan and are disciplined about exercise and fitness.

Integrate your writing goals with your fitness goals. You could reward yourself for completing a chapter by purchasing some new running shoes.

5. Create an Incentive
Aside from feeling healthier, and having more energy and clarity (not to mention looking better in your clothes) you need to create an incentive that will motivate you to reach your goal. Maybe a trip to an exotic location, a new outfit, a new golf club–this is a personal decision that only you can make. Choose something that will motivate you to get up earlier and stick to your plan.

6. Find a Partner
Finding a workout buddy will help keep you both motivated to stay with your exercise plan. You can encourage one another, support one another on the bad days, and challenge one another to push yourself that much farther.

7. Reward Your Progress
Build in small rewards as you begin to see progress towards your goals. Celebrate these small victories to energize yourself to keep pushing forward. Before you know it you will be looking and feeling healthy and full of boundless energy. Envision how good your new body will look when you are at your next book signing, or speaking engagement.

Finally, make sure that you maintain these new habits that you have established and you will live a healthier more satisfying and more productive life.

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Writing for a living, in the not too distant past was somewhat of an oxymoron. Before the Internet, freelance writers did not have many options. They submitted their poetry, magazine queries, and book proposals to the major magazines and publishing houses and then played the waiting game for weeks and months just to get an answer, which, far too often consisted of a rejection slip.

Thanks to the Internet there has been a revolution in the world of publishing. Add in the chilling effects of this ‘downturn’ economy that seems to have sucked the life out of almost every industry and you have the perfect storm of opportunity for writers who are ready to blaze their own trail online. In this article we will look at four methods that writers can use to work towards making a full time income from their writing.

If your big dream as a writer is to become a published author, the exposure and name recognition you receive from having a successful online writing business will only help you when it comes time to market your book.

Freelance Article Writing
If you are just getting started as an online writer, article writing is a great place to start. There are billions of web sites on the Internet and they all need fresh, relevant content to keep their readers coming back. Article writing is a great way to generate revenue quickly.

Everyone is an expert at something, so start there. Write up a batch of sample articles on topics that you feel comfortable writing about at first. There are lots of sites online with article writing tutorials, however, Jeff Herring, ‘The Article Guy’ is my favorite. Set up a blog and post your sample articles there for your prospective clients to see. Include your rates, and as you complete work for a client be sure to ask for a testimonial that you can put on your site. Social proof is very powerful.

Doing article marketing for your own site is another way to generate traffic, back links and establish you as an expert in your niche. Set up a schedule and submit a few fresh articles per week to the article directories and watch your numbers consistently rise over time. Caroline Middlebrook has a great post on her blog that addresses article marketing in depth.

Find creative ways to maximize the value of the content that you create when you write articles. Create PLR (private label rights) packs of articles that you can sell. You can read your article and record it and sell it as an audio article. Create a short video with your article and share it on youtube.com or one of the other video sites to get traffic for your blog.

Additionally, you can begin to write and sell eBooks. An eBook is really just a compilation of several articles on the same topic. You’ll have to add in transitions and make it flow, but they are not difficult to write. Always brand them with a link back to your site and they will also provide some ongoing traffic for you.

Create a Mailing List
Set up an opt-in box above the fold on your blog and offer a free subscription to your newsletter and rss feed. Consider offering a bonus gift as an incentive for subscribers. Use your newsletter to share news and information with your subscribers, and when you begin to create your own products you can introduce them to your list.

Social Networking
Set up a profile on Facebook and Twitter.com, and some of the other social media sites to gain exposure for your writing. You can also gain credibility for yourself as an author by sharing tips and resources with your followers. Participating in social networking also helps to ensure a steady stream of traffic and links to your site.

Joint Ventures
Joint ventures are an effective way to grow your list, gain new customers and develop strategic relationships with other writers or Internet marketers. Find other newsletter publishers who will promote your blog or products in their newsletter for a percentage of sales. This needs to be a win-win proposal, so provide the publisher with a free copy of your product so that they can review it and recommend it to their list.

Finally, enjoy the process. You will learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t work as you go along. Keep good records and through trial and error, you will come up with a system that works for you. Align yourself with others who have already achieved what you are working towards and get advice and guidance from them. Never stop reading and researching and expanding your knowledge base. Ultimately, success comes to those who simply hang in there and don’t give up.

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