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Use Microsoft Word to Create Blog Posts

Take advantage of integration with popular blogging platforms

Updated on October 28, 2019

If you’re new to blogging and struggling with the editor that accompanies your blogging platform, you don’t have to use it. Instead, use Microsoft Word, which many people are familiar with, to compose your blog posts.

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word Starter 2010.

Use Microsoft Word to Draft the Post

The simplest way to create a blog post in Word is to create it, then copy and paste your draft from Word into your blog platform’s editing interface.

Because Word creates some formatting that can be difficult to convert to HTML, there may be issues with the way the text appears. If that’s the case, take an extra step and paste the text you created in Word into an intermediary text editor such as Google Docs or Notepad, then copy and paste into your blog platform’s editor.

Another option is to use an HTML cleaning tool like HTML Cleaner, which strips out the extra formatting from Word.

Make Blog Posts Directly From Microsoft Word

A more direct way to use Word to publish your blog posts is to link Word to your blog account. Here’s how to do it.

1. With Word open, select File > New > Blog post. If required, select Create.

   If you don’t see the Blog post template, perform a search using the search bar at the top of the screen.

2. In the Register a Blog Account dialog box, select Register Now. The information you provide in the following steps is needed so that Word can post to your blog.

   If you don’t see this dialog box after opening a new blog post template, go to the Blog Post tab and, in the Blog group, select Manage Accounts > New.

3. In the New Blog Account dialog box, select the Blog drop-down arrow, choose your platform, then select Next.

4. In the New Account dialog box, enter the information requested, including the blog URL, your username, and your password. Use the same username and password that you use to log in to your blog. If you’re not sure how to fill out the URL section, see Microsoft’s help with blogging in Word.

   Select Picture Options to decide how images are uploaded to your blog through Word: use your blog provider’s image hosting service, pick your own, or choose not to upload images through Word.

5. When you’re ready for Word to attempt an initial sign-on to your account, select OK.

6. If registration is unsuccessful, you may need to repeat the steps. Or you may need to associate Word with your blog account from your blog account’s settings. This option is typically found in the Admin or Dashboard area of the blog settings. It might be labeled Remote Publishing or something similar.

How to Write, Publish, Draft, or Edit Blog Posts

Once you linked Word to your blogging platform, draft your blog post. To do so, write your text within the Blog post template.

Writing in Word’s blog mode is streamlined and has fewer tools. However, the Word blog mode may have more features than your blog’s editor and are in a familiar Word format.

1. To post to your blog, select either Publish or Blog Post > Publish, depending on the version of Word. 

2. To save the post as a draft, select the Publish drop-down arrow, then select Publish as Draft. In older versions of Word, select Blog Post > Publish as Draft.

3. To edit a blog post in Word, select File > Open, then choose an existing post. For some versions of Word, choose Blog Post > Open Existing, then select the blog post.

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Did you know, as per worldometers.info, the number of newspapers circulated on the day I write this article is 326, 900, 999 (and counting), and the number of blog posts written are 4,941,999 (and counting)? Those are huge numbers. With those stats, it is impossible to imagine the number of articles written per day. How to write an article? How can you stand out when there are so many article writers? Do newbies stand a chance? These are just some questions I would love to answer through this article.

Also, I am excited to share some really cool free tools that make writing fun and easy.

How to write an article? It’s easy, really. Just be yourself. The cardinal rule is “TO WRITE.” All else comes next. Yes, the trouble starting is real. Even Stephen King admits to the scariest moment being just before you start. But once you overcome that hurdle, the rest of the track is easy.

In an era of infobesity (yes, that is the new word for information overload), where a simple Google search of “how to write an article?” also yields 2,18,00,00,000 results in just about 0.51 seconds, how will you assimilate all the information out there?

The information undoubtedly exceeds our human processing capacity. While we are at it, do you know about IFS?

When too much information becomes noise, it leads to Information Fatigue Syndrome. The fog created by so much information literally impacts, interferes, and hampers with decision-making ability. Not to forget the stress that accompanies the indecisiveness.

Adding to the situation is the fact that the human attention span is a mere eight seconds owing to technology. But if you are still reading this article, congratulations! Your attention span is not compromised.

Learn the fundamental principles of writing with this free Content Writing E-Book!

Article Writing FAQs:

We fear that which is unknown to us. But once we know about it, the topic is not so intimidating, at least almost always. Any issue of which we do not know comes with a host of doubts and questions.

Similarly, how to write an article also comes with a host of questions for a newbie. Is it difficult? Am I suited for article writing? Do I need special qualifications to do article writing?

I believe answering the frequently asked questions will help clear a lot of the doubts and apprehensions that you might have.

So stay with me till then end while I attempt to give you all the information on how to write an article in the best possible and most straightforward manner.

In this comprehensive guide, you will find answers to:

• What is article writing?
• How to write an article?
• Golden rules to article writing
• Article writing formats
• Different writing styles
• Writing skills and habits that go into making you a good article writer
• Awesome tools that can be your writing companions.

If you aspire to become a writer, check out the details of the bestselling Content Writing Course.

Other courses to consider from IIM SKILLS

Technical Writing Course

GST Course

Digital Marketing Course

What is article writing?

First things first, what is an article? Any written piece of information published in print or on the digital/electronic medium is an article. The purpose could be anything, from news, research papers, analysis, academics, blogs, scientific journals, marketing articles, etc.

Generally speaking, an article is for a broader audience, and the motive is to make a positive difference. The topics are various. It uses words to express an idea or present facts and solutions for mass consumption.

Today, it is a lot easier to publish articles online. The digital medium is very powerful and easily accessible with good outreach. Anyone can write and post an article online. But remember, only the useful articles see sunny days while the mediocre ones are relegated to the background with hardly any views and read.

The thing that differentiates good articles from the average or bad is good content. An article with good content provides value to people and can influence or change their perception. The keyword here is “providing value.”

Heard about digital marketing? Read through my article on how digital marketing is redefining business success.

How to write an article?

The topic of how to write an article also has information overload but worry not. I am here to simplify the process and separate the wheat from the chaff.

All writers start as readers, and this is true of every single writer out there. If it calms your nerves and eases you any, “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” Well, it’s not me who says so, but Joseph Heller (American author) who did. Couldn’t agree more, right?

But hey, there are ways to make the process easy and stress-free. Though ultimately, it is personalized, there are broad ways to go about it, such that writing is fun and not a task.

Of course, your very purpose in reading through this article is to become an article writer. So yes, this article can be your ultimate guide with detailed tips on article writing.

Golden Rules to Article Writing, our Pro Tips:

Rule #1:  Select your topic/niche

Are you a generalist or a specialist? The generalists can write on any topic. They can write about food, travel, pets, etc. With the same finesse, they can even write on marketing, finance, and educational articles.

Specialists, as the name suggests, pick an area of expertise and specialize only in writing about that niche or topic. You will most often come across specialists in the field of finance, academics, and technical writing, as these areas require more in-depth knowledge.

They say the riches are in the niches. To understand this better, let me take an example of the doctor fraternity. How about we consider the generalists as general practitioners or general physicians and the specialists as specialist MDs? Makes sense now?

To choose a niche, you need to start with what you are good at. Each one of us is better at that one thing than others; that could be your niche. It could be something you are passionate about. If you identify opportunities and gaps in the market for your area of expertise, you are good to go.

This is not to say the generalists have no place in article writing. No one is born knowledgeable. Learning is an endless and ceaseless process. One can always learn and earn. Nothing is impossible, and even the word impossible says, I’m possible!

Rule #2:  Create a User Persona to address your target audience’s needs.

Okay, you have your topic ready and also know that good content and providing value are essential. But how do you know what is of value? Simple again.

Before you write, create what we know as the “user persona.” Say, for example, you want to write about gardening tips. You have excellent knowledge, and now you want to share it in the form of an article.

Your user persona is someone who loves gardening and wants to learn more about it. Yet, it is someone who is not a professional in gardening. They do not have the time to skim through detailed technicalities but will definitely appreciate simple, practical tips and tricks.

Another example, say you are great at finance, understand the nuances of the share market and mutual funds and all the important financial stuff that helps make wise investments. You have friends who are not as blessed to understand the nuances of the finance industry. All you have to do is write in simple words; the tips and tricks for wise investments.

You can easily spot your user persona, and when you think of the user persona as your friend, you will have all the information that you know the friend needs and has no access to. Compile all the useful information in simple language, easy for a non-commerce person to understand, and you are good to go. You will have an article that is super relevant and super useful.

Once you have your user persona in place, the rest will fall in place. Producing excellent and valuable articles is that much easier once you know your target audience.

Rule #3: Research, Read, Watch, and Take Notes (most crucial and essential rule)

You have the topic; you have the user persona. Now what? Next is research. I cannot stress enough the importance of research. It is the most significant aspect of article writing and lays the foundation for your article.

With a defined user persona/target audience, it is easy to learn their likes and dislikes, their challenges, the problems they face, etc. Write to provide solutions to their questions, and voila! Your content is highly valuable.

In the opinion of American Journalist, Burton Rascoe, “A writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.”

True that. Once a writer, something is going on inside your head, even when you appear to be doing nothing.

Well, not all inspiration comes from staring out your window, though. Today, we have a whole lot of information to inspire ideas. For your inspiration, you could read through popular blogs, websites, or even watch videos.

In reading and researching well, you can structure out your content and form a skeleton of sorts. Researching will give you all the vital information about an issue, its challenges, and possible solutions.

The more you read and research, the better insights you have on the information you want to provide.

As you keep researching, your brain goes into an autopilot mode and enables you to jot down points for your article quickly. Brainstorm on all the information you have collected. Now organize all your data in a logical outline.

Rule #4:  WRITING, THE CREATIVE CRAFT

The next and most significant step is to: START WRITING.

Once you through with the warm-up, you are now ready for the main exercise of writing itself.

There are article writers who need more guidance on how to write an article than a newbie. That is because, some articles though very well-crafted, are so difficult to understand that either you have to be highly literate to make sense of it or sit with a dictionary.

If people don’t understand what you write, all your writing loses meaning. Be like the coaching classes (by the way, they earn maximum bucks right now). Keep it simple; easy to read. Break down the concepts into bite-sized, easily digestible nuggets.

Every writer has a unique voice. You will have yours too. Though most of us have authors or writers whom we admire and seek inspiration from, it is imperative to retain our uniqueness. Convey your perspective of things. Your unique style is a reflection of your inherent personality. When you are another, you lose your individuality and, in the bargain, lose your unique writing voice.

Finally, write about actionable content. Validate your writing with facts and statistics. Link the facts to resources to let your audience know; you know what you are writing about. Linking valuable information to the resources is a way to back up your claim.

Make your writing enjoyable. Tell a story. Talk about trivia, or did you know facts that make for exciting tidbits and keep the audience engaged.

Have clarity in writing and your article structure. You can also include anecdotes or incidents as a form of storytelling. Despite our age, we all have a childlike fascination for stories and are ever willing to listen to a good story.

Rule #5:  Read, edit, check your grammar, and proofread again:

Once you are through with the writing aspect, come the editing, grammar, and proofreading parts.

Firstly, fix the grammar and sentence structure. Next on, be absolutely ruthless with editing. Make your article crisp with all the relevant points. Cut out the fluff. Shorter sentences and short paragraphs are the way to go.

Rephrase any complex sentences. There is nothing better than having another pair of eyes read through your article and give you critical feedback. Since this option is not viable in the long term, you should hone your editing skills and be self-reliant.

Avoid repetition. Stay focused on the subject and the solution you wish to offer. Be mindful of the logical flow of information. If it works for you, make a pre-submission checklist.

When you are writing for the digital medium, there are several things you need to consider. Primarily, you have to optimize your article for the SEO or search engine optimization point of view. There are keywords and focus phrases you have to consider. Similarly, different mediums necessitate different requirements. Make sure your article is in total compliance.

Rule #6: Publish

Articles for publications have some guidelines. Follow them implicitly, whether it is the layout, font, font size, or any other aspect. Finally, when the outcome of your article looks satisfactory, pat yourself on the back. Go ahead and publish it or hand it over for publishing.

No article can be perfect. In fact, perfectionism is a myth. So don’t obsess over details. Writing, like most art, gets better with practice.

You will learn more as you write more. Gradually but certainly, you will see a positive difference in your work over a period of time.

The above were some bite-sized tips and rules on how to write an article. Chew on them and assimilate them for efficient and productive article writing.

Basic Article Writing Format:

Now that we have the golden rules in place let us explore the basic format of article writing. Different forms of article writing necessitate different formats, but there is a basic structure of importance.

Succinctly put, the components or article writing framework includes:

Heading/Title/Headline: How to write an article headline?

The heading or title is the most crucial part of an article. It decides in a fraction of seconds whether your article is worthy of reading or not. Even a great article with a drab title will go unnoticed and unread.

The main heading and the subheadings help organize the contents and allow the reader to skim through the article to find out how relevant it is for them.

Some things to keep in mind with headings are to keep them concise and use them to enhance, not replace information in your article. Also, never overdo the titles as not all paragraphs require one.

Main headings are typically short, whereas the subheadings can be a little longer.

Intro: How to write an article introduction?

Writing intriguing introductions sure is an art that not everyone is blessed with, but again, you can be observant and cultivate it. If the heading captivates your reader to glance at your article, it is the introduction that persuades them to give you writing a read-through.

If the introduction is not convincing enough, does not grab the reader’s attention, you will lose the audience.

Smart writers write engaging introductions such that it piques the reader’s curiosity, and he/she wants to read further.

Some great ways to writing introductions that matter is to ask the readers a question, tell a story, use some interesting quotes or statistics and facts, or simply be descriptive and ask the reader to imagine.

The introduction does not stop with a brilliant first line. Speak of something unique and exciting to keep the reader with you. And finally, introduce the content and importance of your article.

Body: How to write an article text/body?

Now that you managed the herculean task of attracting the audience’s interest with your headline, keeping them curious through the introduction, it is time to have them hooked with the body of text as well.

Your article headline and intro have done their work. But your article body has nothing important to convey, does not share the message you intend to, and does not focus on the key topic; then, your reader will just shut your article or flip over to the next article with a catchy headline.

Even though the body of the article is the longest portion and consists of all the essential points you wish to convey, a structured presentation helps.

A logical flow of ideas, well-researched content, using sub-headings, writing smaller paragraphs, not straying away from the main point, and even using bullet points where required, all go a long way visually and from the readability perspective.

Conclusion: How to write an article conclusion?

When you exercise, a cool-down is as essential as a warm-up. Similarly, a proper conclusion is as vital to a good article as is its introduction.

An appealing conclusion either summarizes the article or explains the significance of the article.

Reiterate the main points, summarize succinctly, focusing on the main point, and wrap it up. In many instances, you can talk about the benefits of the topic, or circle back to your opening lines, or end it with a quote.

Suggesting further reads or motivating readers to take action are also great ways to a great conclusion.

Do you feel more confident now about how to write an article? Do you feel comfortable enough to give article-writing a try?

Moving on to our next FAQ, are the article writing types.

Article Writing Types

Moving on, there is a multitude of article types. Each comes with a different set of rules to write. Overall, the golden rules and format apply to any form of article writing.

The skeleton of topic selection, research, write, edit, and publish are common to any form of article writing. There are, however, subtle other nuances that you need to adhere to when writing for different mediums. Writing on each medium is a vast topic in itself, but I can surely give you a gist of what it looks like.

Let me walk you through the different article writing types:

News:

How to write an article for a newspaper/news? News, whether on the digital medium or the newspaper, requires you to be up-to-date with current affairs. These articles are either of recent events or something that is going to happen shortly. Essentially, every news article has details of the five Ws and the H; who, what, where, why, when, and how.

Most news articles are crisp, include all details, create an impact, and involve emotional elements to humanize the story and help readers/listeners relate to it.

Often it necessitates an interaction with first-hand witnesses or people with expert opinions that adds to the credibility of the information. Remember, though, that news articles carry immense social responsibility of presenting nothing but accurate information. So research well before you present the masses with the facts.

A news article format consists of a headline, byline (name and position of the writer), lead/lede (includes all the Ws and H), body, and conclusion.

Feature:

How to write an article for a feature story? A feature is more creative and descriptive than a news article, and a longer piece at that. Feature articles find a place in newspapers, magazines, and even online. It is all about covering one issue in greater depth and usually has an angle/focus to it. Maybe it is a recent trending story but from a different angle/perspective.

Now, feature articles could be something that:

• Involves humans, not things
• Interviews with eminent people
• Informational features which may be of historical, practical, or even social interest
• Featurettes or mini-features.

Furthermore, a feature need not be a current or recent issue/event, is like an anecdote, and contains various angles and sources.

The feature article format follows pretty standard guidelines and includes The headline, the deck (subhead, a second chance to entice your readers), the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

Editorial:

How to write an article for an editorial? An editorial is more a writer’s/individual’s opinion on an event, current topic, or social issue. It influences the readers to think from the writer’s perspective. An editorial advocates for a cause with the audience and raises awareness.

The goal of an editorial is persuasion. Most often than not, editorials are about controversial topics with very different viewpoints and create a discussion of sorts.

The editorials can be interpretive (information on an event or issue), critical (causes of a problem with solution), persuasive (influencing the masses encouraging them to take action), praising (appreciation of a person or organization).

The standard outline of an editorial will have an introduction, an argument, evidence, counterargument, refutation, and a conclusion.

Profile:

How to write an article for a profile? This form of article writing includes all information on a person. You can compare it to a portrait of a person, a written portrait at that. It is a non-fiction narrative. The profile story revolves and includes facts discovered through research and previous interviews of the subject.

Profile stories are highly informative about a single subject and blend stories, photographs, and quotes. It involves very very thorough research on the subject.

Some pro tips for writing profile stories are:

• Read other profile stories and get the hang of the tone and format
• Prep up, do your research and do it well
• Create an outline as with all forms of writing
• Interview the subject and even collect all old interviews for references.
• Observation is crucial; translate all you observe into words
• Starting with a robust lede capture’s the reader’s attention
• Incorporate direct quotes; it adds value and helps you showcase your subject’s point of view
• Good profile stories are just that, stories
• Reveal something new and interesting that the readers are not aware of and finally show, don’t tell.

A great profile article format includes a compelling introduction, facts and bibliographic information, quotations, visuals, and observation or quote about the person as a conclusion.

How-to:

Now, people, this is self-explanatory, or is it what I am currently doing? Well, coming to the how-to articles, these are articles that give clear instructions on how to accomplish a task. The thing about how-to articles is that they are always solution-oriented articles.

How-to articles are an excellent way to share your expertise with people. Depending on the topic, the how-to articles can have varying tones, serious, funny, specific, or casual. There are no set rules for that.

A good how-to article helps the target audience solve a problem or accomplish a task. So first and foremost, identify the problem or task and then set about providing a solution for it. The do-it-yourself or DIYs fall under the category of how-to articles.

One important thing to keep in mind with the how-to articles is to keep your information easily understandable. You should have the ability to break up the intricate pieces of information into more manageable bits. It requires an in-depth understanding of the topic to be able to do so.

The article format for how-to articles is almost standard and includes the headline, dividing the body into step-by-step or smaller points, and conclude.

So, these were the types of article writing and article writing formats. Now, if you intend to become an article writer, there is another aspect to be aware of; the article writing styles. No doubt, each writer has their individual, distinct style. But there are some standard writing styles that you should know. Let’s move onto that now.

Writing Styles

How to write an article is a HUGE subject, and since it is not possible to cover all information in one article, I am attempting to cater to the frequently asked questions about how to write an article.

Amongst the various FAQs is a question about writing styles. Did you know there are four main types of writing styles?

From novels to textbooks, billboards to poetry, to scholarly journals, all writing essentially falls under one of the four styles, which are expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive.

As an article writer, you should know when to use which style of writing to better connect with your audience.

Expository:

If you look up the meaning of expository, it is “an intention to explain or describe something.” Defining a particular subject to the readers is one of the most common styles of writing. It is a descriptive process, with information organized sequentially and logically for better understanding.

Where would you find such a writing style?

Textbooks, cookbooks, how-to articles, business writing, technical writing, scientific writing, self-help articles, manuals, etc., all fall under the category of expository writing style.

The main goal here is to explain and inform readers. This style of writing is long on facts and never includes storytelling. It contains facts, citations, charts, links, and other such data to validate the information.

Summing up, tips for expository writing include researching and citing sources, no personal opinion, no persuasion, use quotes, and illustrations.

Descriptive:

Descriptive writing takes the expository style a notch higher. While expository will give you bare facts and instructions, the descriptive writing style uses various elements to evoke your senses.

It uses metaphors, adjectives, adverbs, appreciating details, and activating the reader’s senses with vivid images. Descriptive writing always includes a lot more information. It is more profound than expository writing and also makes readers feel they are experiencing it all.

Some examples of descriptive writing, as you can guess, include poetry, personal journals, screenplays, nature writing, travelogues, etc.

Tips for descriptive writing include similes and metaphors, attention to even small details, and evoking the senses to make the readers feel they are experiencing it all.

Narrative:

The narrative writing style is nothing but storytelling, complete with a plot, a beginning, middle, and end. It may contain descriptive writing as well with portions describing the setting or appearance etc.

This is one of the most versatile styles of writing, and in this writing style, the plot is central, not the facts, not the descriptions.

Narrative writing style finds uses in novels, short stories, memoirs, myths and fables, and even historical accounts.

Achieve the narrative style of writing with a plot, timeline sequence of events, giving readers an insight into the elements of your story, all while conveying an important moral or lesson.

Persuasive:

Lastly, the persuasive writing style, as the name suggests, has the purpose of influencing the reader. Here, the writer opines and gives justification, reasons, and arguments supporting his viewpoint and tries to convince the reader to agree.

It attempts to persuade readers, make an emotional connection with the audience, and goads them into taking action.

Some examples of persuasive writing are academic papers, advertising copy or copywriting, editorials, company brochures, political speeches, and even business proposals.

You can achieve the persuasive style of writing by connecting with your readers at an emotional level and subtly making them take a decisive and actionable step.

Understanding the different writing styles can enhance your writing abilities.

Writing Skills and Habits of Successful Writers

If you have it in you to express ideas through the written word, you can become a writer. But not every writer has an inborn skill to write well. It is an art, yes. It is a skill, yes, but one that you can acquire through perseverance and loads of practice.

As you set out on the journey of becoming a writer, it is not unnatural for you to try to ape your idol writer. At least one great writer inspires most of us, and in our endeavor to become a writer, we think aping their habits will get us there.

There are newbie writers who will stand and write, just because many famous writers did and do so. Some believe that being morning larks or night owls, like their favorite authors, will get them there for sure.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing can be further than the truth. You have your focus on the wrong habits to ape. It is the discipline and other characteristics like a daily writing habit that you need to copy from great writers.

Let me outline some writing habits that will slowly but surely help you become a good writer over a period of time. These writing skills will not just help you become a good writer but also increase your productivity.

Of course, all of these writing skills are also habits of great authors and writers, but ape-worthy, if I may say so.

Tip#1: Write-A lot-write everyday

Famous author Jodi Picoult opines there is no such thing as writer’s block. Instead, it is having too much time on your hands, and I, for one, completely agree with that. The only way to become a good writer is to first get started.

Make it a habit to write every day, even if it is just 500 words. Think of yourself as a literary laborer who has to work on writing every single day, no matter what.

Tip#2: Set teeny-weeny goals

Tiny goals are achievable and motivating. One step at a time is what takes you distances. As a newbie, set smaller goals such that you have no excuse to skip them. Gradually increase them to reach your goal. Say write for 15 minutes for a few days and gradually increase the duration.

Tip#3: Read

When you are a writer, you consume everything like a writer. It means you read like a writer, and you watch TV like a writer, you even watch movies like a writer. Read voraciously. It is the next big tool for enhancing your writing abilities.

The more you read, the more you learn, and the more you can write. There is no dearth of good content in the form of books, blogs, eBooks, and more. Make it a habit to read every day, and it will help you write every day.

Tip#4: Research, Record and Write Things Down

Before any project or article, be thorough with your research. As you research, note down all the relevant points, and you can further elaborate when you write.

You can even cultivate the habit of carrying a notepad with you for jotting down ideas that strike at moments you are not at your desk. Just make a note of it and take action when writing.

Tip#5: Create a Distraction-Free Zone

This one is essential, as well. A quiet and calm zone, free from distractions, allows your thought process to flow uninterrupted.

When I say distraction-free zone, it is more talking about the biggest distraction in the modern world. Yes, I am speaking of the mobile. Put it in a silent mode or do not disturb mode and concentrate on writing.

Tip#6:  Have a routine

This one is a no-brainer. A disciplined routine always leads to improved productivity and efficiency.

Tip#7: Maintain a calendar

Keeping a calendar helps you stay focused and complete your writing tasks on time.

Try to incorporate these tips and enhance your writing skills.

Speaking of skills, the jewels in the crown for an article writer are adaptability, research, originality, time management, communication, and proofreading and editing.

Article Writing Tools

Whether you are writing for a living or as a hobby, a writer’s life is much like a rollercoaster. Some days it is as easy as a walk in the park, and other days it is like the dip of the rollercoaster.

It sure takes hard work, a lot of practice, and being consistent and disciplined with your daily routine to get the productivity rolling.

But thankfully, there are a plethora of tools to make your writing work and organization a smooth sail. I will outline some of the free article writing tools to boost your creative energy and amplify your writing skills. And yes, I personally use all of them and swear by their benefits.

Article writing tool #1: CoSchedule Headline Analyser

This is a brilliant tool to analyze your headlines. It tells you about the optimum word count, the sentiment, power words, etc., and gives you a score for every headline you create, allowing you to choose the best.

Article writing tool #2: Grammarly

Never skip this one. Irrespective of how good you are with the English language, Grammarly always shows you, you can do better. Again, an extremely easy-to-use tool that helps edit your article, provides suggestions, indicates passive voice, punctuations, and other grammatical errors in a fuss-free fashion.

Article writing tool #3: Hemingway Editor

The Hemingway Editor is splendid and intelligent. Writing simple sounds easy, but it is a complicated task to achieve. Writer’s in their enthusiasm, many times incorporate words that make sentences complex. The Hemingway Editor suggests spots complexities and prompts you to change or do away with them to make your content more reader-appealing.

Article writing tool #4: Wordcounter

Word Counter is yet another simple, no-fuss tool that does just what it says. Paste in your content to get your word count. Also, if you think you have a crutch word syndrome (words we tend to use often), it allows you to keep a check on that.

Article writing tool #5: Canva

For visual appeal and graphics, Canva is the way to go. It has a straightforward user interface. You don’t have to be a pro to use this tool, and the thing that makes it even better is that it has a massive library of free templates and designs. Whether it is images, infographics, headers/banners, you can effortlessly customize and give wings to your creativity on Canva.

This is one topic that can be an article in itself. But, some more additions that I would undoubtedly not want to skip are:

• The thesaurus, an absolute necessity for writers
• A built-in note-taking app on your mobile for when inspiration strikes and you are not at your desk. Just make a note and act on it later. For desktop/laptop users, check out Evernote, another incredible tool that allows you much more.
• Plug into some music to boost and augment your writing pace. Whatever works for you, white noise, lyric-less music, nature sounds, or the instrumentals, just figure it out and plug and see the difference. Personally, Yanni is my go-to. I seem to hit the keyboard effortlessly with a Yanni playlist.

Did you know even digital marketing tools that work great?

Wrapping it up:

The FAQs answered here are just some of the more common ones. I am sure all the information on how to write an article clears a lot of your doubts and apprehensions.

There is no one particular formula for writing an article. If you can clearly articulate your ideas to the reader through the written word, then you have it in you to become a successful article writer.

I hope that the information in this article empowers you to believe you are capable of doing much more than you give yourself credit for. I also hope it has inspired and motivated you to find the strength to flip the page of your life and take that step towards becoming an article writer.

Choose your area of expertise, combine it with a specific style of writing you love, and grab the potential market opportunities to boost your writing career.

So, all you aspiring closet writer’s out there, stop stressing and start writing.

For a Career in Writing:

For all the wannabe article writers, I would highly recommend you take a course in writing to help you take off. Yes, there are numerous resources, blogs, articles, and tools out there that give you a feeling you can become a successful writer without a formal course.

On the personal front, cutting a long story short, I went from being a wannabe writer to a good writer after taking the Content Writing Course at IIM SKILLS.

The institute beyond doubt helps you transition from Learning to Earning, helping you remove the L and empowering you with the knowledge that no free resources can provide.

Many subtle intricacies play a significant role in writing. It depends on the type of writing as well. For example, writing on the digital medium requires knowledge of keywords, SEO, and optimizing your writing. Similarly, copywriting requires a sales tone, and articles on product descriptions are quite different.

If you intend to have a career as an article writer, take up a course and maybe do some internships as well. It pays to showcase your work portfolio when looking at the freelancing market or taking up a job.

Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments below of your preferred writing tools, and what works for you as a writer.

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B2 First (FCE) Article: Structure

B2 First (FCE) Article: Writing Guide

B2 First (FCE) Article: Model Answers

B2 First (FCE) Article: Example topics

B2 First (FCE) Article: Writing Checklist

B2 First (FCE) Article: Tips

B2 First (FCE) Article: Useful Phrases & Expressions

In the B2 First Writing Paper you could be asked to write an article about a variety of topics. However, it’s often something you’ve recently learned to do or know a lot about. For example, the question might be about a concert you’ve been to recently, you favourite hobby or your hometown.

The idea is to write in a way that grabs the reader’s attention and keeps them interested until the very end.

Differences between articles and essays

• In an article, you need to constantly be telling the reader what you think.
• The article is informal, the essay is formal and neutral.
• The essay has a clear organisation, whereas the article might not.

B2 First (FCE) Article: Structure

B2 First (FCE) Article: Writing Guide

Title

Articles usually have a title. The title should be informative (give the reader an idea of the subject) and attractive (make the reader want to read the article).

• 

  Keep it short (2-5 words) and clear

• No need for a complete sentence

Title A: The Internet: A Great Invention

Title B: Keep It Healthy!

Introduction

The start of the article should be linked to the title, introduce the topic and engage the reader. Often, an article starts with a question that introduces the topic which will be discussed in the article.

• General statement about the topic.
• Start with a question, problem or quotation.

Introduction A: The Internet has changed the way we live. It started as something that we could access only through a computer, but nowadays it is everywhere, and I love it!

Introduction B:  Are you a busy college student? Do you struggle to keep fit and eat healthily? Don’t worry! I am going to tell you exactly what you should do. Keep on reading, you will thank me later!

Paragraphs 1-2

Each should be clearly defined, not too long and clearly linked.

• Describe issues in detail and use one paragraph per issue.
• Use linkers, sequencing and sophisticated vocabulary.

Paragraph A1: One of the cool things about the world wide web is that you can …..
Paragraph A2: However, the greatest thing about the Internet is how you can learn tons of things…

Paragraph 1B: First of all, you must start moving your body. You could go to the gym if …..
Paragraph B2:Secondly, your diet is just as important. I suppose you live on a low budget

Conclusion

An ending can state an opinion, give the reader something to think about, summarise the article or even end with a quotation.

Conclusion A: If you follow all these tips, I’m sure you will keep fit easily! And if you already tried that, let me know how you feel now

Conclusion B: In conclusion, the Internet has a lot of great things. For me, the best are finding information and learning online. What about you? What are your favourite things about it?

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B2 First (FCE) Article: Model Answers

B2 First (FCE) Article: Example topics

B2 First (FCE) Article: Writing Checklist

After writing your text, you can check it yourself using the writing checklist below.

How to do that? Simply check your text/email by answering the questions one by one:

Content

• Have I covered all the key information required by the task?
• Have I written only information which is relevant to the task?
• Have I developed the basic points in the task with my own ideas?

Communicative Achievement

• Have I achieved the main purpose(s) of the text (for example, explaining, persuading, suggesting, apologising, comparing, etc.)?
• Have I communicated a balance of straightforward and more complex ideas?
• Have I used a suitable style and register (formal or informal) for the task?

Organisation

• Have I used paragraphs appropriately to organise my ideas?
• Have I used other organisational features appropriately for the genre of the text (for example, titles, headings, openings, closings, etc.)?
• Is the connection between my ideas clear and easy for the reader to follow? (For example, have I used appropriate linking words, pronouns, etc. to refer to different things within the text?)
• Are the ideas balanced appropriately, with suitable attention and space given to each one?

Language

• Have I used a wide range of vocabulary?
• Have I avoided repeating the same words and phrases?
• Have I used a range of simple and more complex grammatical structures?
• Have I correctly used any common phrases which are relevant to the specific task or topic?
• Is my use of grammar accurate?
• Is my spelling accurate?

B2 First (FCE) Article: Tips

• ANSWER THE QUESTION
• PLAN your article.
• Give your article a title.
• Ask rhetorical questions to get your readers’ attention. Eg. What would the world be like without oil? What will life be like in 20 years time?
• Speak directly to your readers. Eg. Let’s just imagine some of the possibilities.
• Give examples where appropriate.
• Use humour where appropriate
• Give a conclusion and summary in the last paragraph.
• Finally, give your opinion where appropriate.
• REVISE your article to correct mistakes

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B2 First (FCE) Article: Useful Phrases & Expressions

We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-organized text.

La farmacia viagra online ti dà i migliori prezzi per i farmaci generici. Breve tempo di elaborazione! Oltre mezzo milione di clienti! Pillole bonus gratuite per tutti gli ordini!

Rhetorical phrases:

Have you ever ……..? 
What do you think about ……..? 
Are you one of those people who thinks that ……?
Are you one of those people who …….?
What would life be like if ……?
Will the future bring us ….. ?

Introducing your first point:

Firstly
In the first place
First of all  
The first thing to consider is 
One thing to consider is 
To begin with

Introducing more points:

Secondly  
Another consideration 
Yet another consideration 
Another thing to consider is
Added to that 
Apart from that 
In addition to this

Introducing your final points:

In conclusion 
To conclude 
To sum up 
So

Introducing your opinion:

I think  
In my opinion 
Personally, I believe that  
In my view 
If you ask me 
To my mind 
My personal opinion is

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Summary

1. Mandatory task: no
2. Word count: 140-190
3. Main characteristics: interesting, engaging, personal opinion / comment
4. Register: semi-informal to informal
5. Structure: Title/introduction, 2-3 topic paragraphs, closing paragraph / conclusion
6. Language: adjectives/adverbs, colloquial expressions, phrasal verbs, idioms, linking words, interesting grammar
7. Example:

The most useful thing I’ve ever learned

Have you ever learned something that completely changed your life? I can remember exactly how it was for me when I got interested in learning English and who helped me become the person I am today.

I had always been in love with English music and I put in some work by myself, but only when I ended up in the English class of Mr. Weiss I got completely hooked. His amazing style of teaching struck a chord and my skills skyrocketed in no time.

Feeling confident, I took the leap and moved to beautiful Australia where I was able to travel and even call it home for over seven years. And you know what?! I became an English teacher and now help people who are just like I used to be with the same passion as Mr. Weiss.

I really think that I wouldn’t be teaching English had it not been for Mr. Weiss and his inspirational lessons. So, looking back, I hope my experience inspires others to find ways to help the people around them as well.

Introduction

An article is usually written for an English-language magazine or newsletter, and the reader is assumed to have similar interests to the writer. The main purpose is to interest and engage the reader, so there should be some opinion or comment.

from: Cambridge English First Handbook for Teachers

Articles are part of the second section of the FCE writing exam. This means, that, actually, you can decide if you want to choose this type of text or, instead, pick one of the other ones available in this part (a review, report, letter/email or, if you take FCE for Schools, a story).

Articles are interesting and engaging

You might think that I’m joking because how could writing an article be interesting and engaging? The thing is that I’m not talking about you as the writer, but about the reader. Articles are less formal than, for example, an essay or a letter of application so they are usually more interesting and engaging to read.

However, keeping this in mind, writing an article can also become more fun. If you keep thinking about what would be interesting for the reader, it is easier and more engaging for you too.

So, in this article we are going to look at similarities which we can find in almost every FCE article writing task, such as structure, requirements, useful language and other things to pay attention to. This way, I hope you will feel more confident and knowledgeable.

What a typical article task looks like

Even though there are many different topics to write articles about and they might change a lot from exam to exam, there are certain similarities that I don’t want you to miss and with a little practice you will be able to find these characteristics really fast in every single task.

When you see a task like this (and please remember this for the future) you have to check two things:

1. What do you have to include in your article?
2. Who is going to read it?

Below you can see that I have underlined the key pieces of information for you and don’t forget to do the same with every writing task you see.

OK, let’s start with what we have to include. In the box I underlined three questions we have to answer:

1. What is the most useful thing you have learned?
2. Who did you learn it from?
3. Why is it useful?

There are three topic points to write about and you will see that there are always three things that you have to include in your articles. If you can’t find three topic points, then look again because they must be there.

The second question I asked above was about who is going to read your article. In this case we are going to write for an English-language website, which means that normal people like you and me are the target readers.

In the FCE writing exam you always have to consider the reader of your texts as you have to adjust the register (formal, neutral, informal language) in your writing. With different levels of formality come different things you should or shouldn’t write, but in articles we normally expect the readers to be people like us so we can write in a more informal style.

Informal English means that you should use contractions like ‘I’m’ or ‘don’t’, colloquial words and expressions, for example, ‘awesome’ or ‘tons of’. Also, try to add some phrasal verbs because they are definitely a feature of informal language as well and last but not least, involve the reader personally by addressing them directly and even ask a question or two.

Again, always look out for three topic points to include in your article and be prepared to use informal language. If you cover all of this, you are already on a very good way to pass. However, there are still a few more things to consider.

How to organise your article

OK, we went through the first step analysing the task. Now we need to think about how we can organise the article so it is logical and with all the different parts included and well connected.

This step might be a little bit different from task to task, but, generally speaking, you can follow this process every time and you should be alright.

Can you remember the three things we have to include in our article? Yes, you can? You are a very good student 🙂 . We have to talk about what the most useful thing you’ve ever learned is (1), who you learned it from (2) and why it is useful (3).

It probably makes sense to give each of these points a paragraph in our article so we already have three sections. To me it seems as if we could use the first topic point in our introduction, which means that we don’t need a separate one, but it is always nice to have a short closing paragraph (similar to a conclusion in an essay). Adding that and a title, we end up with four paragraphs and our article would look like this:

1. Title & Introduction / Topic point 1 (What is the thing you learned?)
2. Topic point 2 (Who did you learn it from?)
3. Topic point 3 (Why is it useful?)
4. Closing paragraph / conclusion

Of course, there is always the option of separating the intro and the first topic point or combining two topic points in one paragraph and again, this depends on each task, but, in general, this is what every article looks like in the FCE exam.

Always make a plan

I can’t say it often enough, but, unfortunately, this is something that drives me crazy and a lot of students simply forget to do.

Always plan your articles before you start writing. It takes just a few minutes to create a list of paragraphs like the one above with a couple of words to remind you of what you want to write added to each heading.

There is nothing worse than writing for 25 minutes and then realising that you have to change something or move around different parts. Don’t make the same mistake and write a plan.

The different parts of an article

In this part of my post we are going to look at the different sections of an article in the FCE exam using our task from above so I can give you example paragraphs which include everything you should put in there as well if you want to become the boss of article writing.

Introduction

In your introduction you always want to get the reader interested in your article. Your goal is to make the reader want to continue. As always, there are a couple of things for you to remember when you start writing:

1. Give your article a title.
2. Start with a personalised question.
3. Include the topic and give your opinion or comment on it.

An example could look like this:

The most useful thing I’ve ever learned

Have you ever learned something that completely changed your life? I can remember exactly how it was for me when I got interested in learning English and who helped me become the person I am today.

There you have it. My article has a title, which doesn’t have to be super creative, the intro includes a question as well as the topic and my comment (“…helped me become the person I am today.”) and I’ve already answered the first topic question in the task (What is the thing you learned?).

I also kept some information to myself (Who did I learn from? Why is it useful?) so the reader wants to continue. Try to keep them guessing as this can be very engaging.

Topic points

Once we have our introduction ready and our readers can’t wait to find out more, we need to think about how we can present the rest of the information.

In our plan we decided to break the topic points up into two paragraphs, but we also have to focus on the other requirements of an FCE article:

1. Stick to the topic and don’t write about unrelated things.
2. Support your answers with some examples and/or reasons.
3. Use neutral to informal language (check the section ‘What a typical article task looks like’ above to find out what that means).
4. Use other language to make your article sound more interesting (adjectives/adverbs, idioms, phrasal verbs, linking words, play with some grammar).

And with all of this in mind, I wrote these two paragraphs:

I had always been in love with English music and I put in some work by myself, but only when I ended up in the English class of Mr. Weiss I got completely hooked. His amazing style of teaching struck a chord and my skills skyrocketed in no time.

Feeling confident, I took the leap and moved to beautiful Australia where I was able to travel and even call it home for over seven years. And you know what?! I became an English teacher and now help people who are just like I used to be with the same passion as Mr. Weiss.

As you can see, I broke everything up in two paragraphs and only wrote about the questions supporting my answers. On top of that, I included a lot of useful informal language (highlighted).

Closing paragraph / Conclusion

Last but not least, we want to round off our article with a good closing paragraph. In the conclusion we want to achieve a few different things:

1. Summarise what you wrote in your article.
2. Comment on the topic or give your opinion one last time.
3. End your article in an interesting way.

The last paragraph shouldn’t be too hard to write if you’ve done a good job with your introduction and topic paragraphs. Because we have done exactly that further above in this post the conclusion becomes something like this:

I really think that I wouldn’t be teaching English had it not been for Mr. Weiss and his inspirational lessons. So, looking back, I hope my experience inspires others to find ways to help the people around them as well.

I put everything together nice and short. I summarise the points I made in the introduction and the topic paragraphs, gave my opinion (“I really think…”) and also addressed the reader directly again to end my article in an interesting way.

How your article is marked

Marking FCE writing tasks is like a science and for a lot of students it feels as if there is this big mystery and nobody really knows how it works. Actually, there are very clear rules that the examiners have to follow and the criteria are publicly available.

While it is possible to find all the information on your own I thought it would be a good idea to put everything together in an article for you. Check out how your writing tasks are marked by clicking here.

Practice makes perfect

With all this detailed information it is now time for you to get active. Look for different example tasks online and follow my step-by-step process to improve and become an expert when it comes to writing FCE articles. All you need is experience until you can find the different characteristics discussed here so you can write your texts almost on autopilot.

Please let me know if you like my post and if there are other things I can include or improve. Until then, happy practice.

Lots of love,

Teacher Phill 🙂