Comments on: A Step By Step Guide To Writing About Stuff You Know Very Little About

By: Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » Should You Write What You Don’t Know?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:21:23 +0000

[...] couple of weeks ago I read a post at Freelance Folder entitled A Step by Step Guide to Writing About Stuff You Know Little About. Once again I find myself disagreeing with the majority of commentators and probably people who are [...]

By: Lois K

Lois K — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:07:25 +0000

I just want to let you know this article hits the nail on the head. I have been a hard copy writer for over twenty years, and you can’t limit yourself to what you are qualified for now. You have to keep qualifying yourself if you plan to keep writing long term. Being adaptable is how you stay alive

By: Ramkarthik

Ramkarthik — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:02:22 +0000

Deb,
Firstly, thanks for making a comment.

Secondly, I actually want to make it clear that whatever sources I have mentioned is only to go there and learn about the topic and not to write the same thing or rewrite it. I’m just pointing it as a source to know about the subject in depth.

It is surely not good to write the same thing in the article directories as 50% of them are copied and low quality articles. Just use them to learn the topic, understand it and write it in your way and express your own views.

With the big internet marketers entering into the article marketing field, there are certainly very good articles in the article directories from which anyone can LEARN about any subject.

Hope I have made my point clear.

By: Words on a page » Writing about what you don’t know

Words on a page » Writing about what you don’t know — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:18:02 +0000

[...] only can it be more interesting, it can also be more profitable. Wondering how to do it? Then read this post at Freelance [...]

By: Article Reviews #2 - More Feedreading Goodness

Article Reviews #2 - More Feedreading Goodness — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:31:16 +0000

[...] Karthik, one of multiple authors at Freelance Folder, wrote a step by step guide to writing about stuff you know very little about. He mentioned article directories and ebooks, but there are a few more sources you should consider, [...]

By: Tom Ross

Tom Ross — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:29:54 +0000

Good post. Although, I don’t see the problem with just sticking to what you know and becoming an expert on this topic.

By: Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » Sunday Afternoon Link Love

Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » Sunday Afternoon Link Love — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:56:54 +0000

[...] Step by Step Guide for Writing About Stuff You Know Very Little About at Freelance Folder. Personally, I’m not sure I agree with advising others to write about stuff they don’t [...]

By: Deb Ng

Deb Ng — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:31:44 +0000

As usual I’m late to the party, but I have to disagree with you here. I’m not totally in agreement but I do believe one can write on a general level about things one knows little about. If you’re talking about dispensing advice, I have to take issue.

The web is filled with rehashed and rewritten content. It’s why people who don’t know any better are trying home remedies that don’t work and high school kids are turning in poorly researched papers. One person writes an article that may or may not be factually correct and other web writers rewrite it – or certain key points. Where’s the originality? And who is on staff checking the facts?

Did you know many college students aren’t allowed to use Wikipedia, Associated Content, E-Zine articles and other content portals as sources in their papers? It’s because too many people who know nothing about a topic are writing things they have no business writing. Like James, I’m not saying there’s not some good stuff there, but there’s lots of bad or just rewritten stuff there too.

If you’re going to write on something you know little or nothing about, one of two things can happen:

1. You’re going to get called out by the true experts and labeled as someone who is clueless. Good for linkbait, bad for reputation.

2. Someone is going to follow your bad advice. This may not affect you directly, but still.

Now, if I were to tell people to research a new topic, my suggestion is the library, lexis nexis, interviewing expert sources (profnet is my favorite for sources), and reading books – not necessarily ebooks and articles. The Internet is a great tool, but not always the best for research.

By: Amy Lillard

Amy Lillard — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:11:50 +0000

Writing about something you know nothing about is the job of a freelance writer, or any writer, as far as I’m concerned. You teach yourself, and enable your ability to teach others. There are so many trade magazines I’ve written for that are far from my areas of expertise (greenhouses? Lawn care? Green building? Done it all). But that’s the excitement of being a writer – learning about something new, and presenting that in a knowledgable way to others. The best way to do that is through interviews and in-depth research, wherever you find it (though I’m always hesitant about articles and ebooks, for reasons mentioned above). Long story short – writers should never be afraid to take something new on. It’s a learning experience, and a fun experience.

By: Mary Brown

Mary Brown — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:58:15 +0000

If you know next to nothing about a particular topic, a good way to begin to familiarize yourself with it is to go to the juvenile section of your local public library and find a book on the subject written for grades 7-12. This will be an overview that will give you the maid ideas. The book may even have a bibliography, which would give you some other sources to check. The library catalog may also lead you to other books on the same subject.

Of course eventually you’ll have to progress above this level, but it often is a good place to start.