You Can Improve Your Life With Education

So... How Can You Learn More?

Learn to learn more.

We go to school to learn, to learn to learn more. 

And now, what do you need to learn to ...

"Everything is hard at first" There is truth and a lesson in that little quote. And so learning is a life process, whether we consciously go about it, or one day we realize, we learn to learn more anyway. Especially, to learn to write better.

When it came to fleshing out a new site with content, I slid off the mountain... And there I sat with my nose against a wall. No success if I cannot write a simple article. I needed something, a plan, a format, and found it.

You see, the first lessons with a virgin site in hand were easy. I had a trophy. Until I hit the wall. My wall being, writing articles to dress my pretty little virgin. Filling the site with quality worthy content. 

And I thought I could write!

Progress however painfully slow is still progress. How easy it is to march through a course without doing the exercises. But oh how painful the atrophy of ground gained in not doing is.

So, with a bright idea in mind. I postponed the lessons and went off to learn to copywrite. Again it happened that same wall. It's easy enough to read a book and learn. But leaning over my shoulder was that big dark workhorse waiting to be hitched. Without the practice, the experience is not gained and the profit lost.

Where was I coming unstuck?

A book is easy to read and follow. One chapter after the other. It's a process. A format that needs to be followed.

AHAAA! If only I had a format to follow. A process to flesh out articles. Surely then I could venture forth again. Months lost and a nagging pain in my wallet caused me to delve and dig for that elusive formula. Google... wherefore art thou hiding my treasure.

Finally, with some satisfaction, the delving unveiled some pieces of value. And from these gems, I gleaned a condensed format workable to my liking.

I thought further to pull all the stuff I had written so far. And run it through the wringer a couple of times. To break it down and practice, practice and practice some more. It was Henry Royce (Rolls/Royce) who said, "We are here to make it better, and then better and then better again."

I also discovered it wasn't easy. Even with a formula. This is where that big dark workhorse comes into the format. He's part of the game, and without him, there is no game.

The hard work still has to be done. Still, and has always been the case. No pain no gain, until practice starts lubricating the cogs. Yeah, and that old German guy Goethe said, "everything is hard before it becomes easy".

So, putting it to the test, desire fuelled the drive. Coaxing each other onward, with confidence growing. An article a day is the plan.

     ..., to my way of thinking a writer may rise yet from these dastardly ashes.

Here is the magic formula, the magic pill, the elixir of life. Drum roll, please. And please, improvement and expansion would be greatly appreciated.

The Article Format

Before beginning to write:

• Where - is the article to appear.
• Who - are the intended readers.
• What - is the aim of the article.
• Tone - authority, friendly, conversational

Title - Interesting, eye-catching - them of the article. Define the specific thought, feeling, or action you want to stimulate in the reader.

Introduction - Clearly define the topic. Outline how the article will benefit the reader. Mention the main benefit. (Try to think of six benefits and define them. These can be sub-heads or paragraphs.)

Main body - Consisting of paragraphs beginning with the topic sentence of the paragraph. Or a benefit as a sub-head. There may be a logical sequence of the paragraphs. Subheads can be used to keep the scanners interested.

Conclusion - Summarizing the topic, stating again the main benefit if used in the introduction. Or a final opinion, recommendation, or comment. If written as a sales letter, a call to action.

P.S. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and benefited from it. What are your thoughts about this? Did it help you in some way? Did you get an idea? Perhaps share with others. Please leave a comment.