Research - for Inspiration and Confidence

Finding Sources for Articles and Ideas for Freelance Writing

Oct 27, 2008

The greatest challenge for freelance writers, if they want to make a living from writing, is to keep coming up with good ideas. The simple answer, is Internet Research.

The Internet provides freelance writers with a never-ending source of material - it’s important to put it to good use. However, it’s easy to get distracted or lost in a sea of information so how does a writer narrow down the search?

Search Engines

The first and most obvious place to start looking for starting points and information is by using a search engine such as Google. This is perfect if you have some idea of the subject matter you’d like to research. With practice it is possible to refine the search words so that the sites correspond most closely to the ones you are looking for. Always remember:

* Put a minus sign in front of words or phrases you want to exclude from a search

News Headlines

Reading Google News is a great source of inspiration. With an open mind, it’s possible to find material for articles in stories that are current. Always remember that even if you don’t know much about a subject, it’s always possible to do further research. If a story strikes a chord and you are interested in it, then an hour or two on the internet can make you confident enough to write an article with authority.

Subscribe to Newsletters or Forums

If there are subjects of particular interest to you, a quick search online will identify e-mail newsletters or online forums which you might like to sign up for. Always try to check the credentials of the group you are thinking of joining, as this can be used as a way for spammers to collect E-mail addresses. And always take precautions such as...

Protecting your Mailbox

Often when you are doing research, sites will require you to sign up for an account before you can get access to their information. Unfortunately this can simply be a way of getting your E-mail address to bombard you with unwanted spam. An easy way to protect yourself from spam is to open an E-mail account with Yahoo or Gmail, and only use it for joining websites, forums or for receiving newsletters.

The Benefits of Confidence

If you are confident that you know your facts, your writing will flow more easily; your editors will be pleased with your work; your readers will trust you; and your articles will be popular. Research should never be regarded as a chore or an optional extra to your writing. Let research be your inspiration. Let research provide the foundations for your writing. Make research your starting point and you’ll never face a blank page again.

One Final Word of Warning

Don’t let research take over your life. It’s all too easy to find interesting things to read on the internet. Don’t get sucked into spending hours perusing forums and blogs. Always remember your purpose is writing, not reading about writing!

The copyright of the article Research - for Inspiration and Confidence in Researching Articles is owned by Janice Hally. Permission to republish Research - for Inspiration and Confidence in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.