The magazine has lots of advertising. By calling advertising department, and having their advertising rates faxed to you, you see that they're charging $10,000 for a full page ad. You've read that their usual contributor rates are around fifty cents a word.

You're offered 40 cents a word. You haggle, and you and editor establish that this is 40 cents for complete 1000 words, even if magazine cuts piece right down. Why did you agree?

Firstly, you want to break into this magazine. Secondly, you've done a lot of research, and article will be easy to write. Thirdly, you need money, and you've heard that this magazine pays within fourteen days of receiving invoice.

On other hand, let's say that you've written for this magazine before. You've written three features which were well received. You've been getting a dollar a word. For this plastic surgery story, editor tells you they've had budget cuts, and she can only afford to give you 50 cents a word.

You thank her for her time, and tell her that although you can't afford to do story for that rate, you look forward to working with her again.

So getting an attitude means being armed with knowledge. You know how long and how much effort it will take you to do work, and what client can pay. You know what kind of deal you're happy with, and what you'll walk away from.

Want another example?

Let's say you're a sub-contractor occasionally working with a graphics design business. They send you an eight page brochure, and ask for a quote to copyedit it.

You read copy-heavy brochure, and it's a mess. You estimate it will take you eight hours to do work.

They get back to you --- eight hours seems too long. Are you sure it will take you eight hours?

You reply that it will, but if you finish in seven hours, you will only charge them for seven hours. On other hand, if it takes you nine hours, you'll only charge them for eight.

You get job.

Get an attitude about your work. Know your markets, and stand up for yourself. Not only will you be happier, but you'll also make more money from your writing.

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When you're writing your seven articles for next seven days - -- and forever afterward --- don't be too enraptured or concerned with bait paragraph or paragraphs. Your bait is important, but not so important that you stall over it, and never get around to writing article.

The bait can only become a stumbling block if you let it. Get article written, and then you can worry about individual components like bait.

===> The Explanation

This part of your article explains article's subject, or thesis. If you're writing about a computer program, you can explain what program does in a nutshell, or why program is important. If you're writing a personality profile, explanation tells reader why he should read profile.

Sometimes you won't need an explanation, it will be covered in article's headline and bait.

===> The Step (s)

The Steps are your argument. They can be individual anecdotes, or pieces of evidence. If you're writing about a computer program, Steps could be various ways of using program, or how to get started with program. If you're writing a profile, Steps could be your subject's career, his family life, details of his run for office, or details of how he won tennis championship, what others say about him, and so on.

I usually write steps in any order, and then rearrange order with appropriate transitions as I work through later drafts.

In a short article of 300 words, you won't have space for more than one Step.

===> The Termination

The ending of article.

In case of article about computer program, it could be how many people have bought program, when next version will be available, or where you can buy it.

In your personality profile, ending could be a final quote from subject.

A circular ending, when you manage to refer to bait or explanation in ending, is satisfying, and is an easy way to wrap article up without working too hard.

Although BAIT formula seems prosaic, it will release your creativity. It gives you a structure, which is always hardest task in writing an article. So go ahead. Write an article a day for next seven days. At end of seven days, you'll be a better writer.

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