Do you ever sit down to write and 3 hours goes by and you end up with nothing?

Follow these pointers and you will speed up your process and retain more readers.

1. Remove All Distractions.
   Turn off your WIFI, TV and silence your phone.  Just Write. Take it one step further and use the
   distraction-free modes offered by most writing tools as well.
2. Get Comfortable, but not too comfortable.
   It can be hard to write for too long in too warm/cold of a room. Get the room to the right temperature, get some tunes going and start plugging away.
3. Writers' block.
   A blank page and a blinking cursor can be daunting and cause writer's block. I always find that starting with a basic outline helps me out a great deal. Another tip I've heard recently is to write when you're angry because the words tend to flow better. 
4. Headlines and subheadings should be scan-proof.
   Most people decide to read articles based on the headlines alone — make it a good one. The same "care" should go into your subheadings. People tend to skim articles versus reading every word, so your objective is to make your writing "scan-proof".
   
   Bonus Tip: 
   Remember you can also use "bold" and "italic" text to draw readers in as well.
5. Grab your readers Attention.
   One of your top priorities is to maintain the readers' attention. Tell a story, ask a question, anything. The headlines and sub-headings will help with this, but the content in between needs to be just as engaging.
   
   HEY READ THE TIP ABOVE!!! ;) 
6. Solve a Problem. 
   Consider yourself "Super Solution Man/Woman". Most people come to an article to learn something or solve a problem. Be concise, informative, and offer a solution when its' needed. 
7. Make it Green, Evergreen that is.
   Make your articles future-proof. Without any major editing, An evergreen post is a post that provides value whether it is read today or 10 years from now. This isn't a requirement, but when you can get away with it, do it. 
   
   
   For Example: 
   Top 7 Tailgating Tips for 2023 vs. 7 Tips for Any Tailgating Event
   How to maximize growth on MySpace vs. How to kick ass on every social platform
   
   These articles could have provided the same initial value, however, two of them could be helpful for many years to come, one loses value at the end of 2023 and the last one about MySpace becomes a joke.
   
   Now, evergreen isn't all about time. Avoid fads, trivial facts and again, whenever possible, avoid things that could easily become obsolete. 
8. Write First. Edit Later
   This simple tip is a hard one to follow. Write first and edit later. Get all of your thoughts out and worry about grammar, spelling and crappy thoughts later. Just get it all out. It will truly optimize your writing speed. 
9. Make it readable. 
   One thing you have to do is re-read and correct as needed before you hit publish. If it is not readable to you - Imagine how it will be for others. Leverage people and tools to check readability too. It is easy to read past your own mistakes.
   
   FWIW: I personally like using a combination of Grammarly and Hemingway. They both do similar things. I use Grammarly, when directly inside of my CMS, and Hemingway, when writing freeform.
10. Call To Action(s).
    Each and every one of your posts should have a clear purpose and include some sort of Call to Action.

Examples of Typical Call To Actions

• Content Upgrades or PDF documents
• Newsletter Signups
• Asking for comments or to share the article
• Ask to Buy A Product
• Assign homework based on content or article

Homework Assignment - Write a post using some of the pointers above.
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