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Writing articles for Bitmob is one of the most satisfying things I do on a regular basis. Receiving intelligent comments or getting lucky enough to have writing promoted to the front page feels fantastic; almost as good as that feeling when you read over a finished piece that's turned out exactly how you wanted it to.
That's not to say it's a painless process. I've spent hours sitting in front of empty word documents, having staring competitions with the cursor (I always win). Jay Henningsen too “generally fail[s] to come up with an idea when I actively try to think [them] up.” Often I'll come up with ideas at the most inconvenient time, such as when I'm trying to get to sleep. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in this department. “ I just let [story ideas] come to me;” says Rachel Jagielski, and Meghan Ventura agrees, “Many of my story ideas just come from being interested and active in daily life, news, and my hobbies. Being curious about a lot of topics helps.”
If I'm without a pen and paper at this point then more often than not I can kiss the idea goodbye. Not so for Rick Knight and Richard Moss; those clever clogs use their iPhones to note down their headlines for later use. At least I've got Cassandra Brabon for company back in the twentieth century, “Most, if not all my ideas are written down on old-fashioned pen and paper.”
I don't tend to have this problem any more thanks to unemployment (hurruh!), but I used to be forced to let ideas accumulate for a good few days before I had time to flesh them out. From the sounds of it, Jazz English makes good use of a notebook for safekeeping his ideas until he can get them written.
In terms of planning, some like it lots, and some only like it a little. Brendon Mroz seems to only like it a little, “I don't work from a plan, generally, just an idea or a compulsion.” but Richard Moss and Meghan Ventura like to really build up a detailed plan with plenty of research, which Richard Moss uses to ensure he's explored every possible angle. There is a danger here, as Meghan elaborates, “I try to balance the time I spend researching because you can easily do too little, or too much.” I'd never considered this before, so be wary of over-researching!
At this point I like to take a break to have a little walk and make a cup of tea (no milk one suger – ta) and generally procrastinate until I'm ready to write. This break has often saved me from starting on some very dead-end articles, and I'd recommend anyone leave a little time between conception and birth, if only to read your idea outside of the heat of the moment.
When the time finally comes to put pen to paper (or bit to byte?) opinion seems pretty split within the community as to the best means of progression. I'm personally a member of the Damian Linn, Ben Villarreal or Chase Koeneke style of thinking, which involves writing slowly whilst editing as you go. It may take longer, but then we've hopefully got less to do after typing the final words.
Interruptions can really trip you up when you're on a roll. Jason Wilson will growl at anyone that dares to interrupt his writing, and Meghan Ventura will too – though this seems a little unfair since she'll “write pretty much anywhere—[her] room, the kitchen, planes, trains, car.” I can see where these guys are coming from, but I'm a lot more like Brendon Mroz in my approach, taking it easy with “a walk in there, either between or after [writing].”
An essential part of any writer's arsenal is the proof-read. Some such as Brendon Mroz, like to do this immediately and get the article out there before they “lose the nerve,” but others like Rick Knight will leave an article overnight before conducting their final edits.
I won't deny my favourite part about posting on Bitmob is reading what others have to say about my writing. It's quite an anxious time for me, as although this is one of the friendliest sites on the net, people aren't afraid to call you out – and nor should they be of course. I wish I had the force of will to walk away from the internet for a while like Brendon Mroz, but in practise I'm more of a Chase Koeneke, checking my profile page every fifteen minutes for the slightest sign of a comment.
Of course, if you can't be fussed with most (if not all) of these steps you could always just pull a Juan Letona, pour out some tequila and wait for an article to appear the morning after.
There you have it, the birth of a Bitmob article. If you want to read people's submissions first hand, rather than in the condensed form above, then I suggest you head over to the comments section here. Thanks to everyone that submitted something, I've certainly picked up a few new ideas for methods I might try and I hope you'll find something in here as well.
If there's anyone out there who missed the first article, then please do add you're submission to the comments below.