When thinking of writing an article, I am sure you think you must be an expert. In reality you do not. You do not have to have a diploma in Journalism, nor do you have to take writing classes to stir up the creative juices.
So what do you need? Knowledge of good writing skills and a strong desire to suceed is a perfect place to start. Without these you are setting yourself up for some serious disapointments. You also need to be able to accept rejections. They are going to happen and that is ok.
The world is filled with topics. A heated PTA meeting, an obnoxious coworker, issues with aging parents, relationships, children, communities, hobbiesaall the things that makeup your everyday life are great subjects for articles. The ability to see the uniqueness and the commonality of your experiences will help you come up with articles other people will want to read.
There are many plus’s to writing articles. You choose your what you want to write and when you want to write it and all from the comfort of your own home. Which means you can go eat lunch with that friend or attend your daughters school play in the middle of the day. You do not have anyone to answer to but yourself.
The next step is to create your routines as a writer. Set up a workspace with your computer, printer, paper, pencil, dictionary, thesaurus and whatever else you feel you will need. The next thing that is an absolute must is to carve out time to devote to writing and then stick to it. The difference between want to be writers and actual writers is the time they devote to actually write.
Article writers are lucky because writers who focus on books have to go months, or even years, before they get feedback (or pay!) from editors and publishers. As an article writer, however, you can receive feedback (and pay!) in a matter of weeks.
To get started I would start some sort of journal and carry it around with you everywhere. Write down anything you think is interesting, cut clippings of articles you like and put them there, pictures that inspire and so on.
After youave written the article, youall want to get it published. The Writers Market is full of ideas about places to submit your article. It is available for purchase online and in bookstores. Best of luck with this exciting new career!