- Sometimes when an idea pops into my head, I can visualize final article. I want to get it on paper before vision goes away, so I drop what I'm doing and write article immediately. This is when writing comes extremely easy. I call this "flow".

Divide large projects into parts and write one part at a time. Don't publish first part of article until you have completed all parts, or at least several of parts. When working on later parts of a multi-part article, you may find it necessary to make some changes to earlier parts.

Your first draft doesn't have to be comprehensive. Just get main ideas down. You can go back and flesh it out later.

Your first draft doesn't have to have have correct spelling and grammar. Just get words on paper (or on disk). You can go back and correct spelling and grammar later. The first draft may not be perfect, but having an imperfect first draft is a whole lot better than having a perfect nothing.

Go back later and revise your first draft. Make sure it contains all information and ideas you wanted to put in article. But keep in mind that almost any topic is infinite. You have to limit scope of your article based upon purpose of article and practicality of doing research required for a more comprehensive article.

I feel it's very important to let someone else read your article. You may have written something in a confusing way or a way that requires reader to have some knowledge or experience they can't be expected to have.

- If your article is for an audience that is expected to already have some understanding of subject, limit explanations of basics. You have to limit explanations at some point or article will be too long and too boring to your target audience.

Go back and correct spelling and grammar but don't try for perfection. I see spelling and grammar errors in magazines, newspapers, and on TV all time. If all writers waited until spelling and grammar was perfect before releasing their work, we wouldn't have anything to read.

I feel it's important to set your article aside until next day and then read it again. But don't take editing to an extreme. No matter how many times you re-read your article, you can always find something to change. Don't try for perfection. Your goal is to create an article that communicates information and ideas that you intended. Recognize when article is good enough and meets requirements.

If you are not an expert writer, keep learning by studying a page or two each day of a grammar book such as Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliot

With your idea notebook, writer's attitude and ability to recognize when an article is good enough, you have tools to be a productive writer. Have You caught writing bug?

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6) Habits

No one is perfect; we all have habits (sometimes very irritating habits!) Mike blinks his eyes excessively. Anne clears her throat every five minutes. Adam picks invisible bits of fluff off his jacket sleeves obsessively. Aunt Hettie pushes her 50 year old false teeth in place, each time they slip from her gums, with a tongue as red as a slab of raw liver. Yuk! Habits can be revolting, irritating, amusing or endearing. Whatever they are, they make characters memorable.

7) Behaviour

Most of us have behavioural patterns such as working long hours, over-eating, spending too much money, heavy drinking, or taking an evening walk at 8:30 precisely. Behaviour under stress reveals a great deal about a character’s personality. Alan’s wife dies unexpectedly, and yet he continues his usual daily routines - he is pretending that nothing has changed, that she will be home for dinner as usual. Even under extreme stress, however, behaviour should remain consistent. For example, Sue never drinks alcohol. It would be out of character for her to turn to alcohol when she loses her job. Instead she turns to something that is consistent with her previous behaviour – her voluntary work at local hospital perhaps. Even most spontaneous of individuals is consistent in his/her spontaneity.

8) Background

No one just ‘exists’ as they are. We become what we are because of our background and past experiences. Our history shapes our thoughts, actions and motivations. Sam’s mother died when she was eleven years old. As an adult she is far more independent than her friend Jane who was mollycoddled by a protective mother. Luke is scared of animals because, as a small child, a stray dog viciously attacked him. Daniel is overly ambitious because his older brother ridiculed him. Background is especially important when creating believable ‘villains’. Very few people are innately evil. Serial killers crave power over another person’s life; it makes them feel important to dictate who can and cannot live. Why do they seek this perverse power? Maybe they were abused and beaten as helpless children. That does not justify their crimes in our minds, but it justifies them in their minds. But how do we explain why not all abused children grow up to be abusers? Some grow up to be excellent parents. Clearly, background alone doesn’t make a person what they are. It is their major psychological trait, because it dictates how they interpret their background, which makes them what they are.

9) Major trait

All characters have a major trait that dictates their personality and motivates their actions. Greed. Fear. Kindness. Guilt. Envy. Ambition. Worry. Creativity. Obsession. Kate is ruled by kindness and always puts others first. Steve is ruled by arrogance and always puts himself first. A ruling trait reveals itself in action and speech. How would arrogant Steve act in a crowded street? He would forge ahead single-mindedly, pushing everyone out of his way. How would Kate act in same situation? She would allow herself to be pushed aside by likes of Steve. Major trait affects every aspect of a person’s life. Kate never moved away to university with her friends, although she was bright enough to, because she felt it her duty to stay at home with her widowed mother. No one is all-perfect however. Kate worries excessively, despite her kind-heartedness, about anything and everything. No one is all-imperfect either. Steve has a wonderful sense of humour when he is not being arrogant. Even your most beloved heroes and heroines have faults and weaknesses.

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